Chap 1

Izumi awakens abruptly in his prison cell, confused and with his mind spinning with questions. He tries to get his bearings, but everything feels like a blur. What happened in his village? Where is he? His gaze sweeps across the shadowy walls and the cold floor until he notices something alarming: the bars of his cell are broken. Beyond the cell, the village in the distance is engulfed in a scene of destruction, the remnants of a fire still visible.

He rises slowly, his body heavy with exhaustion and fear, and steps out of the cell, his heart racing and a growing sense of dread overtaking him.

Izumi (whispering to himself): What… what happened here?

As he draws closer to the destruction, something catches his attention. A dark, floating, incorporeal figure hovers in the air, watching him with a gaze that seems to pierce through to his soul. Izumi freezes, unable to move a muscle. His body refuses to obey the instinct to flee, and the entity lunges at him, passing through him with brutal force. He falls to his knees, drained of strength.

Struggling to recover, he barely has time to react before four guards appear in front of him, their spears pointed directly at him. Fear consumes him, but before he can think of defending himself, a dark voice invades his mind.

— Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill…

His eyes darken completely, and Izumi's consciousness fades. The world around him vanishes into shadows.

When he comes to, the scene before him is horrifying: the guards are dead, their bodies mutilated, blood staining the ground. Izumi looks at his trembling hands, unable to comprehend what he's done. With no time to reflect, he flees, running through the forest surrounding the hill of his village.

Izumi finally reaches a small town on the outskirts, still shaken. His mind is in chaos, and his body staggers from exhaustion. The people around him watch with wary, fearful eyes; his clothes are covered in blood and dirt. He looks like a ghost, someone who has just escaped death itself.

A girl with light hair watches him from a distance, intrigued. There's something about Izumi that draws her attention. She approaches slowly, her eyes locked on his, and notices something disturbing in the depths of his black irises.

Girl: Who are you?

Izumi tries to respond, but the words refuse to come. He remains silent, his gaze lost on the ground.

Girl (trying again, more gently): What happened?

Izumi opens his mouth, but again, nothing. His voice feels trapped, as if he can't process what he's been through. He merely looks away, his shoulders heavy with exhaustion.

She follows Izumi's gaze and sees the hill he came from, shrouded in thick black smoke. Her heart tightens as she pieces things together.

Girl (with empathy in her voice): You… you're from Koro, aren't you? Come, I'll take you to rest.

Izumi, unable to resist or protest, follows her. The girl leads him to a discreet, remote place few people knew existed. They arrive at a simple, isolated wooden house.

Upon entering, they find an older man with a calm posture and sharp eyes sitting on the floor. He lifts his gaze from the teacup he's holding and regards Izumi with curiosity.

Man: I see we have guests… tea will be served.

The man, Zanko, a sensei and grandfather to Niori and Takeru, examines Izumi carefully, sensing something unsettling about the young man. But he remains composed, concealing his concerns.

Niori (to Zanko): He came from Koro. I found him at the town's entrance…

Zanko looks at her with a grave but controlled expression. He knows there shouldn't be any survivors from the incident at Koro. But before he can say more, Izumi, breaking the heavy silence, murmurs a single word.

Izumi: Shadows…

Niori turns to him sharply, surprised.

Niori: What?

Izumi (with a weak, almost trance-like voice): There are shadows… they see your soul.

Zanko narrows his eyes but maintains his steady posture.

Zanko: What are these shadows like, boy?

Izumi lifts his head slowly, but his gaze seems lost somewhere far beyond the room.

Izumi: Macabre… empty… cold. They want nothing but to destroy… Excidium will…

The air in the room grows thick and oppressive, almost suffocating. The murmurs around Izumi, once silent, turn into distant, incomprehensible screams. The tension is palpable, and even Takeru, lying in the corner, sits up, sensing the heavy atmosphere.

Before they can react, Izumi collapses, and with him, the pressure in the room dissipates. Silence returns, but Zanko remains on guard. He looks at his hand, burned by the hot tea he'd spilled without noticing.

Zanko (in a grave tone): Where is he from?

Niori (with a lump in her throat): Koro…

Zanko takes a deep breath, processing the information.

Zanko: I see. Take him to the guest room. He'll stay with us from now on.

Izumi sleeps deeply, his expression relaxed but still bearing traces of suffering. He wakes the next day, disoriented, remembering little since escaping the prison. Fragments of memory jumble in his mind, forming a puzzle he doesn't know how to piece together.

As he walks through the house, he finds Niori and Zanko training in the dojo. Niori moves with grace and precision, her strikes swift and powerful, but Zanko, with his experience, dodges and blocks effortlessly. Nearby, Takeru watches from his spot on the floor, laughing and teasing Niori.

Takeru (laughing): Come on, Niori, focus! Or Grandpa's going to knock you down again!

Niori responds with a grimace and a playful smack on Takeru's shoulder when the training ends. Zanko, noticing Izumi watching from a distance, approaches him.

Zanko: Are you ready? Put this on. You'll train too.

He hands Izumi some clothes, who looks at him with hesitation but accepts. The chapter ends with Izumi and Niori preparing to spar, each taking a fighting stance, while Zanko watches in silence.