“Shattered to Shine”

The mountains echoed with a silence that weighed heavier than any roar. Snow had begun to fall, soft and slow, but the ground where Kyota stood was stained with blood.

He knelt, panting, bones cracked, lips dripping crimson. The training had begun at dawn, and now the sun had long since passed its highest point. Yet the wizard's voice didn't waver.

"Again."

Kyota struggled to his feet, muscles trembling under the pressure of countless spells, each cast clawing at the very edge of his limits.

"Channel it from the soul, not the skin," the wizard said. His expression was calm, but even he had started to worry. "You're forcing mana. Feel it instead. Let it obey you."

Kyota clenched his fists. His cursed marks flickered, but something inside him felt… off. His elemental magic was stuttering. The Zenshiki Enjin ring no longer appeared behind him. His connection to the five elements had dimmed ever since the last fight.

He could feel it.

He was losing his powers.

Yuki stood a few meters away, her hands glowing a soft blue. She watched Kyota like a nurse might observe a patient on the brink—ready to step in, but knowing she must not interfere too soon.

Kyota grunted and tried to form a fire spell—just a small flame. It fizzled in his palm before disappearing. He growled. "What's wrong with me?"

"Your mana channels are overworked," the wizard said. "You burned through a source not meant for long-term use. Nature's All-Mana is ancient. It gives, but it takes."

Kyota fell again, coughing. Blood splattered across the snow. Yuki rushed forward, kneeling by his side.

"Kyota, stay still," she said gently. Her hands hovered over his chest, light blue mana pulsing from her fingertips. The cuts across his ribs began to close. The internal bleeding slowed. But the strain was immense.

"I'm fine," he whispered, even as his eyes rolled slightly back from the pain. "Don't waste your energy on me."

"You idiot," Yuki muttered, her voice shaking. "I'll decide what's worth my energy."

The wizard stood with arms crossed. "She's right. You're in no shape to continue elemental magic."

Kyota turned his head, wincing. "Then what should I do?"

There was a pause.

The wizard exhaled. "It's time to unlock what lies deeper. Not the magic of harmony, but the magic of chaos. What you've been suppressing all along—darkness."

A wind howled through the trees.

Yuki looked up. "Dark magic?"

The wizard nodded. "Kyota's cursed markings… they're not just remnants of pain. They're gates. Sealed doors. Behind them lies the truth of his potential."

Kyota sat up, pain etched in his face. "What happens if I open it?"

"You either find strength…" the wizard said, "or you lose yourself."

---

The Ritual of Descent

Later that day, deep in a cave below the training grounds, Kyota stood in the center of a stone circle. Torches flickered around him. The walls were covered in runes, old and forgotten. The air was heavy with the scent of iron and ash.

"You'll be alone in there," the wizard said. "Face what's inside. Survive it. Or die."

Yuki stood near the entrance. Her hands clenched. She didn't speak, but her eyes followed Kyota as he stepped into the ring.

The moment he crossed the threshold, darkness surged like a flood. The air cracked. Shadows wrapped around Kyota like chains. His eyes widened as he was pulled inward.

Inside his mind, he stood in a world of black flame.

No sky. No ground. Just memories.

His parents, gone. Villages burned. The baby Yuki crying beside a ruined carriage. The curse on his body. The fights. The losses. Everything he ever hated, feared, or regretted…

It spoke to him.

"Why do you keep fighting?" a voice whispered. "You lose… again and again. You bleed. You suffer. And for what?"

Kyota screamed. "SHUT UP!"

His cursed markings ignited. His skin burned. A surge of pure black energy poured from within him, swallowing the shadows.

And then… light.

Somewhere deep inside, beyond the chaos, a single white flame flickered. Small, but warm. Like hope.

He reached for it.

The darkness screamed.

Outside the ritual circle, the ground shattered.

Kyota stood now, surrounded by swirling dark magic that morphed into glowing white veins laced into his arms and chest. His eyes, once glowing blue, now shone with silver and black spirals.

He had unlocked the true potential of darkness—and beyond it, the first touch of light.

But something went wrong.

He began to roar.

His aura lashed out, slicing rocks. The cave trembled. The shadows wrapped tighter. His power overflowed—wild, uncontrolled.

Yuki ran forward. "Kyota—stop!"

"He's losing control!" the wizard said.

Yuki tried to cast a spell to bind him, but it bounced back, nearly hitting her. "He's gone berserk!"

Kyota charged forward like a demon. The wizard stepped in, his eyes fierce.

With one move, he raised a hand and struck Kyota's chest.

BOOM.

The blow landed not with force—but with perfect mana dissonance. Kyota's aura cracked like glass. The darkness shattered. He fell to the ground, unconscious.

---

Snowlight Morning

Kyota woke up three days later in a wooden cabin.

The light filtered through the window softly. Outside, snow fell gently. Yuki sat beside him, dozing, her head resting on the side of the bed. A warm blanket was draped over both of them.

He tried to move, groaned, and immediately stopped.

Yuki stirred. "You're awake…"

"Barely," he whispered.

She held back tears. "You nearly burned yourself alive. Again."

Kyota smiled faintly. "You healed me?"

"Of course I did," she said, folding her arms.

The wizard entered the room just then. "He'll live. But you've lost your connection to the five elements for now. Nature's All-Mana needs to rest."

Kyota sat up slowly. "But I can still fight."

The wizard chuckled. "You're more stubborn than a rockslide. That's good."

He stepped forward and placed a hand on Kyota's shoulder.

"You've tasted true power—darkness and light. Most men never survive one. You lived through both." His gaze turned serious. "You were born cursed, but that curse is now your choice."

Kyota looked away. "Then what now?"

The wizard smiled. "I was willing to make you stronger before… but now, it's my responsibility to make sure you master it. No more shortcuts. We train. The right way."

---

The Village and the Smile

After another day of rest, Kyota and Yuki walked through a nearby village with the wizard. Children played in the snow. Merchants shouted from stalls. Laughter filled the air.

Yuki tried her best to seem normal, but something had changed inside her.

Every time she looked at Kyota, her heart ticked faster.

Not because he saved her.

Not just because he trained harder than anyone.

But because—he was always looking at her like she mattered.

Even when he was broken.

Kyota bought her a snowberry tart, and she blushed when he handed it over. "I… didn't ask for this."

"You looked hungry."

"I wasn't," she lied.

The wizard smirked. "Kids these days…"

Yuki looked away. "Shut up."

Later, as the sun began to dip, Kyota and Yuki stood on a hilltop overlooking the valley. Snow fell softly again.

He turned to her.

"Yuki," he said.

"What?"

"Did you know your name means snow?" he asked again

Her eyes widened. "Huh? It does?"

He chuckled and patted her head gently, fingers brushing her soft white hair, again.

"I'm not telling you how I know."

She puffed up her cheeks. "Hmph! That's not fair!"

He laughed.

And for a moment—just a small one—they were not warriors or cursed children.

Just… a boy and a girl watching snow fall.

And beneath the snowfall, where blood once soaked the earth—

blue petals bloomed.

---