It was dark. The wind howled like a living thing, tearing through the trees and rattling the windows. The world outside had become a shadowed void, the kind of night where even a human outline vanished into the black. The trio went to bed, each feeling an inexplicable unease, but they brushed it off—until the dreams began, only two experienced awe things.
Kaito's Dream
"HUH? Where am I? Wait… this is… Osaka in the Muromachi Era. The home of all Eien Ryoku—but why am I here?"
Kaito froze. Before him stood a figure who mirrored him in ways that made his heart skip—a long, white mane of hair tied neatly, ancient robes flowing, and a blade that gleamed silver and white as though it held the moon itself.
"Ancestor Tenkei!" Kaito gasped, disbelief and awe warring in his chest. He wondered if being a Tsukimori had triggered this vision—but even as the thought came, he could not dwell on it.
Tenkei's voice rang, sharp and commanding: "KAGE! Stop now, or else—"
"Eh, nah," came the cold, mocking reply of Kage no Michi.
The air around Tenkei warped and twisted as he unleashed a high-level surge of Eien Ryoku. It spiraled outward, pulsing like a heartbeat, striking Kage with unstoppable force. The energy flared silver, and with a final, blinding strike, Tenkei poured all of his power into one devastating blow.
"Shadow-Light Strike: Celestial!" he roared.
The blast tore through the space between them, leaving trails of light and shadow dancing across the battlefield. Kaito's heart pounded in his chest, witnessing the sheer intensity of his ancestor's might. Shadows warped into jagged shapes, and the light from Tenkei's attack made the surrounding air shimmer as if the very fabric of reality was bending.
Kage no Michi staggered but did not fall. Instead, a grin curved across his face, his eyes glinting with dark amusement. "Impressive," he hissed, "but do you really think that's enough?"
The ground beneath them cracked under the pressure of clashing Eien Ryoku, sending jagged fissures that glowed with residual power. Kaito instinctively flinched, feeling the pulse of the battle as if it resonated through his own body. His hands itched for a sword, for a way to intervene, but he remained rooted in place—an observer, yet somehow a part of the scene.
Sayaka's Dream
"Is that… Elder Reishin?" Sayaka whispered, her voice trembling with awe and fear.
The figure of silky brown hair stood beside Tenkei, poised and composed, emanating a calm but deadly energy. In her hands, the aura of countless generations of Eien Ryoku seemed to converge, ready to strike with precise, calculated force.
Reishin's power moved like liquid steel, flowing seamlessly between offense and defense. The dream around Sayaka shifted, the air thick with tension as if the past itself had come alive to witness this clash. Her heart pounded in rhythm with the energy rippling through the battlefield.
Then Reishin spoke, his voice a low rumble that carried weight beyond comprehension. "Tenkei… hold him. I will end this."
The ground trembled as Reishin's Eien Ryoku coalesced into a sphere of golden light. It spun rapidly, drawing in ambient energy, growing brighter and heavier with each passing second. Sayaka felt a tug at her very soul, as if the attack threatened to pull her into the void.
Before she could react, the golden sphere shot forward, colliding with Kage's shadowy aura. The impact erupted in a storm of light and darkness, sending shockwaves that tore through the dreamscape. Trees bent, stones shattered, and the wind carried an unearthly howl that made Sayaka's teeth grit.
Kaito and Sayaka both saw it—the impossible collision of two powers, one of light and one of shadow, spiraling around each other like celestial dancers locked in eternal conflict. Tenkei's silver radiance intertwined with Reishin's golden aura, creating patterns that seemed to stretch across time itself.
Kage no Michi reeled, his dark laughter faltering under the combined force. "What… what is this?" he gasped, panic threading through his voice for the first time.
Kaito's chest tightened. He could feel his ancestor's determination, Reishin's precision, and the sheer malice of Kage no Michi as if it were all inside him. His pulse raced, and he realized something that sent a shiver down his spine: the dream was more than a vision—it was a test.
Suddenly, the dreamscape shifted again. Kaito saw flashes of faces he did not know but felt a strange familiarity with, as if each was a fragment of the legacy he carried. Shadows of the past whispered through the air, and the wind carried the faint echo of a thousand battles fought long ago.
Sayaka gripped her knees, her body tense, as she watched Reishin channel his power with deadly calm. Each movement was precise, each strike a testament to centuries of mastery. The golden light expanded, forming intricate sigils in the air that burned with memory and intent.
Kaito's own Eien Ryoku stirred within him, an instinctive response to the immense power around him. His white hair lifted slightly in the ethereal wind, and a quiet voice in his mind—perhaps Tenkei's, perhaps his own—whispered: "The past is alive. The future depends on what you learn here."
The battle raged on, a symphony of light, shadow, and unyielding will. And then, as if sensing the crescendo of fate approaching, the dream began to ripple, the edges of reality bending around the figures locked in combat.
Kaito's eyes widened. Sayaka's breath caught. The night outside their rooms pressed in, silent and watchful, as the echoes of Eien Ryoku reached beyond time itself.
Somewhere deep within, Kaito knew one thing with absolute certainty: this dream was not just a vision. It was a warning.