Shaolin Temple

A Distracted Mind

Hikaru walked into the safehouse, his mind still lingering on the photograph.

Hinote Kanashii…

The name meant nothing to him. But that baby…

Hikaru shook his head. It's just a coincidence, right?

"Oi, Sunshine!"

Hikaru snapped out of his thoughts, blinking as Teshii waved a hand in front of his face.

"You good?" Teshii asked, raising an eyebrow. "You look like you just discovered the meaning of life and hated it."

Hikaru sighed. "Yeah, yeah. Just… thinking."

Teshii grinned. "Well, stop thinking. We got work to do."

Hikaru groaned. That's never a good thing.

The Mission

Satoshi stood at the center of the room, his arms crossed, with Reina beside him.

"We received reports of a strange glacier appearing on a mountain near the Shaolin Temple," Satoshi explained. "A glacier that wasn't supposed to be there."

Reina continued, "We believe it could be related to the Element of Ice."

Teshii's eyes lit up. "So, basically, we're going on an epic snowy adventure? Count me in."

Haruto crossed his arms. "I don't think it's going to be that simple."

Ikazuchi cracked his knuckles. "As long as I don't have to walk up the whole damn mountain, I'm in."

Moriya simply nodded.

Satoshi gestured toward the exit. "Then get moving."

Teshii clapped his hands together. "Alright, team! Let's go freeze to death!"

Hikaru sighed. Why do I have a bad feeling about this?

The Long Journey Up

At the base of the mountain, they stared up at the long, winding path leading to the Shaolin Temple.

Teshii immediately started walking.

The others?

Not so much.

Hikaru sighed. "This is gonna take forever."

Ikazuchi groaned. "There's no way we have to walk the whole way up, right?"

Teshii grinned over his shoulder. "Oh, we're walking."

Ikazuchi muttered something under his breath before following.

At first, the group moved at a steady pace—until, after what felt like an eternity, Ikazuchi sighed loudly.

"…Are we there yet?"

Teshii didn't even turn around. "Nope."

Ikazuchi groaned.

A few minutes later, Moriya finally asked, "Are we there yet?"

"Nope."

Another half hour passed.

Haruto sighed. "Teshii, are we even—"

"Nope."

Ikazuchi stopped walking. "Teshii, I swear, if you say 'nope' one more time—"

Teshii suddenly stopped, smirking.

"We're here."

Everyone stared at him in disbelief.

"…You're joking."

Teshii gestured ahead—and there it was.

The Shaolin Temple, standing tall at the peak of the mountain, covered in thin layers of frost.

Hikaru blinked. "You mean we were actually close this whole time?"

Teshii grinned. "Duh."

Ikazuchi threw his hands up. "You— I— ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"

Haruto sighed. "I hate him sometimes."

Moriya simply exhaled, muttering something about patience.

Hikaru shook his head. This is why I don't trust Teshii with directions.

A Sudden Freeze

The moment they stepped toward the entrance of the temple—

Everything changed.

The air turned frigid, the ground beneath them frosting over instantly.

Before any of them could react—their bodies froze.

Hikaru's breath hitched as his entire body locked up, ice rapidly spreading across his limbs.

The same happened to Ikazuchi, Haruto, and Moriya.

Only one person remained standing.

Teshii.

But he wasn't frozen.

Instead—he was steaming.

Teshii looked around, confused, watching his teammates encased in ice.

Then—he felt it.

A presence.

Slowly, he looked up—toward the entrance of the temple.

There, standing on top of the gate, was a lone figure.

The air around them shimmered with frost, their breath visible in the cold.

Their white cloak billowed slightly, and their pale blue eyes stared directly at Teshii.

A chilling voice broke the silence.

"You do not belong here."

Teshii grinned.

"Well," he said, cracking his knuckles. "That's gonna be a problem."

Because Teshii never listened to warnings.

And he sure as hell wasn't backing down now.