The air trembled.
Leaf stood still, body relaxed but senses fully awakened. In front of him, Python stepped forward — his presence heavier than it had been two days ago. The ground beneath his feet had already begun to fracture.
Without warning —
Python moved.
His fist shot forward, raw force compressed into a single point.
Leaf didn't dodge.
The air in front of him hardened instantly.
Transparent. Immovable.
Python's punch collided —
THUD.
The impact shook the surrounding trees. Leaves scattered like broken rain. A nearby trunk groaned under the pressure.
Leaf's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…You've gotten stronger."
Python rolled his shoulder once, a slow grin forming.
"So have you."
Both stepped back.
The space between them felt different now — charged, aware.
"Python," Leaf said quietly.
"…Are you ready?"
Python's eyes sharpened.
"Been ready."
A pause.
Then —
Python's body changed. His muscles tightened visibly, veins rising across his forearms as Earth Soul energy surged through him. The ground beneath his feet split wider — a spiderweb of cracks spreading outward in silence.
"In the last two days," Python said, voice dropping lower, "I built something new."
Leaf raised one hand slowly.
A current of wind circled his arm.
"Good."
His eyes met Python's.
"Because I did the same."
A breath.
Then together —
"Take it."
Python roared.
The forest reacted instantly. Birds burst from the canopy. Animals scattered in every direction. His arm became dense — stone-heavy, earth-compressed, trembling with barely contained force.
"PLANT CRUSHER — FULL POWER!!"
He launched forward like a projectile.
At the same moment —
Leaf moved.
The air around him compressed violently, spiralling inward, pulling tight until it held an edge.
A blade.
Invisible.
But present.
"AIR KATANA — FULL POWER."
The moment both powers released —
The forest screamed.
A shockwave exploded outward in every direction. Trees bent at angles they were never meant to reach. Two of them ripped from the ground entirely, roots trailing like torn threads.
Wind and earth collided.
Two forces.
Two wills.
Both voices cutting through the chaos —
"Aaaaaaa—!!"
The shockwave arrived before the sound did.
Both techniques met at the centre point between them — earth and wind colliding with a force that split the ground and bent the canopy simultaneously. Dust erupted in a wall. The nearest trees lost their upper branches completely.
Both of them were thrown backwards.
Leaf hit the ground rolling and came up into a crouch.
Python hit a tree trunk and slid down it slowly.
Silence.
Then Python started laughing.
"Draw."
Leaf looked at the destroyed clearing around them.
"Yeah."
Python pointed at a tree that had lost every single branch on one side.
"Sorry about that one."
"The forest will recover."
"Will it though?"
Leaf looked at the damage properly.
"...Probably."
They sat back down beneath what remained of their tree—breathing unevenly. Sweat soaked through their clothes.
Neither spoke for a moment.
Then Python tilted his head.
"He,y Leaf."
"Yeah."
"Where's Darkness? I haven't felt him since this morning."
Leaf exhaled slowly.
"He went back to his dimension. Said he had something to handle and would be gone for a while."
Python frowned slightly.
"He didn't say what?"
"He never says what."
Python nodded slowly, staring at the sky through the canopy above.
"That's been bothering me actually."
Leaf looked at him.
"What has?"
"Who's feeding him information?" Python sat up slightly. "About the meeting. About the world chiefs gathering. About all of it. Darkness always knows things before we do — but he never explains how."
Leaf was quiet for a moment.
Not because he didn't have thoughts.
But the thoughts made him uneasy.
Darkness had chosen him. Had explained his origins, his weaknesses, his goals. Had lived inside his mind for months now.
And still —
There were rooms Leaf had never been shown.
"I noticed that too," he said finally.
"And you never asked him?"
"I asked once." A pause. "He didn't answer."
Python clicked his tongue.
"Suspicious old darkness."
Leaf almost smiled.
"Don't let him hear you call him old."
Python grinned.
"Right."
He stretched his arms above his head, but the grin faded slightly.
"You think he's okay? Being gone today of all days. When the meeting is happening."
Leaf looked at the canopy above him.
The leaves moved gently.
Darkness's absence felt different today than it usually did.
Not wrong exactly.
But present in a way it hadn't been before.
"I don't know," Leaf said honestly.
A pause.
Then Python stood and rolled his shoulders.
"Well. We can't do anything about it right now."
"No."
"Which means we have time."
Leaf looked up at him.
"Time for what?"
Python's grin returned full force.
"Re-rematch."
Leaf stood.
"That was already a rematch."
"Then re-re-rematch."
A pause.
"Fine."
Both settled into a stance.
Then together —
"Start."
The aircraft descended slowly through cloud cover.
Then —
It broke through.
And the island appeared below.
Moon pressed her face slightly toward the window without realising she had moved.
Seven lakes surrounded the island — each one a different colour. One deep red like old iron. One pale silver like reflected moonlight. One so dark it absorbed light rather than reflecting it. The others spread between them in colours that didn't have simple names.
The island itself sat at the centre like something that had existed before the concept of nations. Massive. Forested. Completely still from above — the way things are still when they are old enough not to need movement.
No flags. No structures visible from the air.
Just land that remembered being ancient.
Moon exhaled slowly.
She had heard about this place for weeks now. Had let it exist as a name and a destination and a reason to keep moving.
Seeing it —
It wasn't what she expected.
It was older.
Not threatening. Not beautiful exactly.
Just present in a way that made everything around it feel temporary by comparison.
For a moment she forgot about Tsuki. About the unnamed feeling, she kept stopping herself from finishing. About the meeting and what it meant.
She just looked.
"…It's real," she said quietly.
Like something she needed to hear herself confirm.
Beside her — White sat with his eyes closed.
His fingers were pressed flat against his thighs.
His breathing was controlled.
Too controlled.
Inside his mind —
"White."
Lightness.
"…How long until we land?"
"A few minutes," Lightness replied calmly.
A pause.
"You don't have to keep your eyes open."
White exhaled.
"…I know."
"Then rest."
His fingers relaxed slightly.
"…Take over."
His eyes closed completely.
And just like that —
His breathing changed.
Steadied.
The tension left his shoulders.
Lightness settled into the body quietly — the way water finds its level.
Moon had been watching.
"…White?"
The voice that answered was different.
Familiar in a way she was still learning.
"…No."
A faint glow passed through his eyes — there and gone in less than a second.
"I'm Light."
Moon straightened immediately.
"…Sorry."
Light shook his head once.
"It's fine."
A pause.
Outside — the island grew larger.
"Rest," Light said quietly.
"We'll need clarity for what comes next."
Moon hesitated.
Then slowly leaned back.
Her eyes closed.
Silence returned.
The aircraft touched down.
Adolf D. Beta stood near the exit, coat adjusted, expression unreadable.
"White," he called.
Light stepped forward — steady, unhurried.
"Yes."
Adolf glanced at him briefly — the kind of look that notices without commenting.
"Come with me."
Light glanced back toward Moon.
Still resting.
"She's still sleeping."
A pause.
"I'll stay until she wakes."
Adolf studied him for one moment longer than necessary.
Then nodded.
"My manager will guide you both when you're ready."
He turned and walked toward the gathering.
The meeting had already begun.
Light stood at the aircraft entrance, looking out across the island.
Ancient creatures moved between the distant trees — not threatening. Just present. The way things are present when they have been here longer than anything else and know it.
He watched them without moving.
Inside him —
A different kind of silence.
The island sounds faded.
Light's mind drifted backwards.
A mountain.
Cold air.
Wind moving through tall grass.
And a boy.
Sitting alone at the edge of a cliff — not dangerously, just at the edge the way people sit when they want to see as far as possible without falling.
A flute in his hands.
A soft melody rising and dissolving before it could become a song.
Light remained invisible.
And listened.
"…I miss you, Leaf."
The words fell into the wind without expecting an answer.
"…Your mom and dad too."
A pause.
His grip on the flute tightened slightly.
"…I didn't come that day."
His voice dropped.
"Your birthday."
The melody stopped entirely.
"…But I'm glad I met you."
Silence.
The wind continued without him.
Light stepped forward —
And let himself become visible.
White froze.
For one second — complete stillness.
Then —
Fear.
He ran.
Through the grass. Between trees. Over rocks without slowing. His breathing broke apart with the effort.
Then —
He stopped.
Not because he couldn't keep running.
Because a voice reached him from somewhere inside his own memory.
*"Even in pain…"*
*"…smile."*
Leaf.
White stood between two trees, chest heaving.
Then he turned back.
And attacked.
A clean strike — fast, direct, without hesitation.
Light blocked it without effort.
But didn't retaliate.
White pulled back, eyes sharp.
"…Who are you?"
"Not your enemy."
"That's not an answer."
Light held his gaze.
"I know Moon."
White's expression didn't soften.
"…I don't trust her."
"I know."
A pause.
Light stepped closer — slowly, without threat.
"But you trust Leaf."
That name.
It landed somewhere deepr than Light intended.
White's voice dropped to almost nothing.
"…What did you say?"
"Leaf."
Silence.
"…Where is he?"
Light answered simply.
"…Not safe."
White's jaw tightened.
"Then why are we still standing here?"
Light looked at him.
"Because running toward him without understanding what surrounds him…"
A pause.
"…will only add to the danger."
White said nothing.
Light continued — quietly, carefully.
About Darkness.
About the succession.
About what had already been set in motion.
When he finished —
White stood still for a long time.
The wind moved around them.
The flute was still in his hand.
"…What do you want from me?" he asked finally.
Light's answer was simple.
"Stay with me."
A pause.
"Until we reach him."
White looked at the flute.
Then at Light.
"…And when we do?"
Light didn't answer immediately.
Because the honest answer was —
He didn't know yet.
"When we do," he said finally —
"We figure it out together."
White was quiet for a long moment.
Then —
He put the flute away.
And stood.*
Light came back to the present.
Moon was awake beside him now, watching the island through the exit doorway.
He could feel something from here —
Not physically.
But the way ancient things recognise each other across distance.
Something old was waiting on that island.
Something that remembered a version of the world that no longer existed.
Moon glanced at him.
"…You went somewhere just now."
"Memory."
"Good or bad?"
Light considered this honestly.
"…Both."
Moon nodded slowly and looked back at the island.
Neither spoke again.
But the silence between them was slightly warmer than before.
— Pathway to Meeting
Adolf's manager walked slightly ahead of the group, his pace efficient and practised. Moon and White followed behind him — White back in control now, quiet and observant. Moon watched the landscape carefully.
The island felt alive in a way that was difficult to explain. Not threatening. Just aware.
Moon stepped closer to the manager.
"Excuse me — which island is this exactly? Among the seven."
The manager glanced back.
"The northeast third island. It was chosen for the meeting specifically because it has the lowest concentration of mythical creatures compared to the others."
White's eyes moved across the treeline.
"Lowest concentration. Not zero."
"Correct sir." The manager adjusted his collar slightly. "There are currently two confirmed mythical species and three rare ones present on this island."
Moon's eyebrows lifted.
"Tell us about them."
The manager nodded professionally.
"On the western side — Tobu Doku. A flying serpent species. Highly venomous. Historical records suggest they grow between eighty and one hundred feet at full maturity."
Inside White's mind — Light stirred quietly.
*I fought one once. One hundred and twelve feet. That was a long afternoon.*
White kept his expression neutral.
"And the second?" he asked.
"The eastern side — Torai. A three-headed peacock species, black, red and green colouring. Their documented ability is striking with each head independently — approximately four to five hundred strikes per minute combined."
"Why east specifically?" Moon asked.
"Tobu Doku and Torai are natural rivals. They divided the island between themselves centuries ago. Western and eastern boundaries. Neither crosses into the other's territory."
Moon processed this quietly.
"And the rare ones?"
"South — a velociraptor variant. North — yellow-headed elephant. And here in the middle—"
The manager stopped walking.
His face changed.
"Oh no."
Moon and White both looked at him.
"What?" Moon asked.
"I forgot." His voice dropped. "I completely forgot."
"Forgot what?" White asked slowly.
The manager turned slightly pale.
"The middle zone." He swallowed. "This path runs directly through—"
Inside White —
*White.*
Light's voice carried something it rarely did.
Urgency.
*The middle zone is Great Fang Lion territory. I can hear at least six of them moving through the undergrowth right now. They are not friendly. And the manager has been walking us directly toward them for the last four minutes.*
White's expression didn't change outwardly.
But his body tensed.
He grabbed Moon's arm firmly.
"We need to move."
"What—"
Then they heard it.
Heavy. Rhythmic. Close.
Footfalls in the undergrowth — multiple, coordinated, accelerating.
The manager made a sound that wasn't quite a word.
One hundred meters.
Closing fast.
White looked at the trees.
Then at Moon.
Then at the manager.
Inside —
*Switch. Now.*
White exhaled once.
"Light. Take over."
Control shifted instantly.
The moment Light settled into White's body the air around them changed — lighter, warmer, charged with something that wasn't wind but moved like it.
Light grabbed Moon with one arm and the manager with the other and rose into the air in a single smooth motion — the ground dropping away beneath them within seconds.
The Great Fang Lions reached the path and stopped.
Six of them. Massive. Built like architecture rather than animals. Gold eyes tracking upward without urgency.
They stood there for a long moment.
Then turned and disappeared back into the trees.
As if the interruption hadn't been worth their full attention.
Light looked at the manager.
"How long to the meeting location from here?"
The manager — dangling approximately one hundred feet above the island — responded with remarkable composure.
"T-ten minutes, sir. If we continue northeast."
Moon looked at Light.
"You can put me down. I can float."
"Right."
He released her.
She floated steadily beside him.
Light looked forward toward the northeast.
Then I looked back.
The manager was gone.
Silence.
"…Who is making that sound?" Light asked.
Moon looked down.
Far below — the manager had somehow caught a branch on the way down and was hanging from a large tree, approximately ninety feet up, rotating slowly.
"HELP — SOMEONE — PLEASE—"
Moon turned to Light with an expression that required no words.
"Oh." Light descended immediately. "I forgot about him."
He retrieved the manager carefully and set him on stable ground at the base of the tree.
"My apologies."
The manager straightened his jacket with extraordinary professionalism.
"No trouble at all sir."
His voice only shook slightly.
"Happens to the best of us."