The soft glow of lanterns flickered inside the quiet restaurant.
It was late.
Most of the villagers had retired for the night.
Only a few patrons remained, quietly eating their meals in dim candlelight.
At a small table near the window—
Jasper sat, his eyes dark, his emotions unreadable.
His emerald green hair was messy, strands falling over his face.
His sword, Dragonis, rested against his back—calm now, its power silent.
Ghesso sat across from him, one leg crossed over the other, a wine glass in his hand.
A plate of grilled chicken sat between them, the steam rising in lazy swirls.
Jasper reached for his wine glass—already on his second one.
His fingers wrapped around the glass, and in one motion, he downed the entire drink in a single gulp.
His cheeks flushed red from the alcohol, but his eyes remained cold.
He set the glass down and motioned for another.
Ghesso raised an eyebrow.
"You sure you should be drinking this much?"
Jasper didn't answer.
The waitress hesitated but poured another glass anyway.
Ghesso took a slow sip of his own drink, watching him carefully.
Then, with a smirk, he spoke.
"You know… that wasteland you just cleared?"
Jasper didn't respond.
Ghesso continued, tapping the rim of his glass.
"It was already dead."
Jasper's fingers twitched slightly, but he remained silent.
Ghesso leaned back in his chair.
"No minerals. No life. The rivers were already polluted beyond saving. It was just a graveyard of dead land."
He swirled the wine in his glass, taking another sip before continuing.
"In a way… you did something good. You wiped out something that was already rotting."
Jasper let out a slow, bitter exhale.
"I wasn't trying to do something good."
His voice was low, filled with exhaustion.
Ghesso smirked.
"Oh, I know."
Jasper leaned forward, gripping his wine glass tightly.
His knuckles turned white from how hard he was holding it.
"…What the hell do you want from me?" He muttered, his tone sharp.
Ghesso tilted his head, amusement flickering in his eyes.
"I want to hear your story."
Jasper's jaw clenched.
He looked away.
The tension between them grew.
But Ghesso just grinned, resting his chin on his hand.
"Come on, Jasper." His voice was smooth, almost teasing. "What's eating you alive?"
Jasper said nothing for a moment.
Then—
He laughed.
A short, bitter laugh.
And then—he finally spoke.
"You want my story?" He exhaled. "Fine."
He lifted his glass, staring at the deep red liquid inside.
Then—he smirked, but there was no humor in it.
"…Let's start with how much I hate myself."
The candlelight wavered gently between them, casting restless shadows across Jasper's face as he stared into his drink like it held something worth understanding. His fingers tightened around the glass, the faint tremor in his grip betraying more than the alcohol ever could. When he finally spoke, his voice came out low, roughened by something far deeper than exhaustion.
"I'm an idiot."
Ghesso didn't interrupt this time. He simply watched, one brow slightly raised, wine glass hovering lazily near his lips.
Jasper exhaled sharply through his nose, dragging a hand through his already messy silver-blue hair, leaving it worse than before. "I don't know how to talk to people. I don't know how to… deal with things like that." His lips curled faintly in self-disgust. "All I know is how to swing a sword and make problems disappear."
The candle flickered harder, as if reacting to the weight in his tone.
"And somehow…" Jasper continued, his voice dipping quieter, more conflicted, "she ended up beside me."
He didn't say her name at first. He didn't need to.
It lingered in the silence anyway.
"…Seinna."
There was something different when he said it—something that didn't match the rest of him. Softer. Careful. Like even speaking her name required more control than anything else in his life.
Jasper let out a humorless chuckle, shaking his head as he leaned back in his chair. "She's… perfect." The word came reluctantly, like it didn't belong in his mouth. "She thinks things through. She understands people. She knows what she's doing—always." His gaze dropped back to the wine, expression tightening. "She deserves someone who isn't… this."
He gestured vaguely at himself, as if that explained everything.
"And what did I do?" he continued, the bitterness creeping in now. "I pushed her. Tried to force things into a shape I could understand." His jaw clenched. "…I even tried to blackmail her."
That hung in the air for a moment.
Ugly. Heavy.
Jasper laughed under his breath, but there was nothing amusing about it. "Yeah. Brilliant move. Really showed her what kind of person I am."
He tipped the glass back, draining it in one go before setting it down a little harder than necessary.
"…She probably hates me now."
Silence followed.
A long one.
Then—
Ghesso laughed.
Not a quiet chuckle. Not a polite reaction.
A full, unrestrained laugh that cut straight through the tension like a blade.
Jasper's head snapped up, eyes narrowing. "…What's so funny?"
Ghesso leaned back in his chair, clearly entertained, shaking his head as he took a slow sip of his wine. "You," he said simply, his grin unapologetically wide.
Jasper's irritation sharpened instantly. "Care to explain?"
"Oh, I will," Ghesso replied smoothly, setting his glass down and leaning forward slightly, resting his chin on his hand as he studied Jasper like an interesting puzzle. "You think she hates you?"
"Yes," Jasper said flatly.
Ghesso blinked once. Then again.
"…You're serious."
"That's usually how statements work."
Ghesso let out another amused breath, clearly enjoying this far too much. "Jasper… she likes you."
Jasper stared at him.
"…No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes," Ghesso repeated, slower this time, like he was explaining something painfully obvious. "Actually, no—'likes' is underselling it." His smirk deepened. "It's embarrassingly obvious."
Jasper frowned, genuinely thrown off now. "What are you even talking about?"
Ghesso gestured vaguely with his glass. "The way she looks at you. The way she stays, even when you make it difficult. The way she listens to you like what you say matters—even when you're clearly being an idiot."
Jasper's eye twitched slightly.
"And you think that's hate?" Ghesso continued, clearly amused. "If that's hate, then I'd love to see what love looks like in your world."
Jasper opened his mouth, then hesitated.
Because… when put like that—
It didn't line up as cleanly as he wanted it to.
Ghesso caught that hesitation immediately, his grin sharpening. "Exactly."
Jasper scowled, looking away. "…You're reading too much into it."
"Oh? Then answer this." Ghesso leaned in slightly, voice lowering just enough to draw him back in. "If she deserves someone better… why hasn't she left you?"
That question landed harder than anything else.
Jasper didn't answer.
For once, he couldn't.
Ghesso leaned back again, clearly satisfied, picking up his glass with an easy elegance. "Also," he added casually, "how exactly do you dislike her?"
"I never said I—"
"She's absolutely stunning," Ghesso cut in without missing a beat. "Composed, intelligent, and—let's be honest—completely top tier."
Jasper blinked, thrown off by the sudden shift.
"…Did you just call her 'top tier'?"
Ghesso nodded without shame. "I did."
"That's your argument?"
"It's a strong one."
Jasper stared at him for a long second before dragging a hand down his face again, groaning under his breath. "…Why am I even listening to you?" he muttered. "You look younger than me."
That—
That made Ghesso pause.
Then slowly… his smile changed.
It didn't disappear.
It deepened.
There was something older behind it now. Something that didn't match his youthful face or relaxed posture.
"You think I'm younger than you?" he asked lightly.
Jasper gave him a flat look. "You look like you just walked out of your early twenties."
Ghesso chuckled softly, setting his glass down with deliberate calm. "Appearances are a convenient thing."
Jasper frowned slightly. "…What's that supposed to mean?"
Ghesso tilted his head, studying him—not teasing this time, but with a quiet, knowing patience that felt… different.
"Sage," he said.
The word settled strangely in the air.
Jasper's brows knit. "…What?"
"It's not just a title people throw around because it sounds impressive," Ghesso continued calmly. "It's earned. Accumulated." His gaze didn't waver. "Time has a way of… refining perspective."
Jasper stared at him, something in his expression shifting—confusion giving way to realization inch by inch.
"…How much time?" he asked slowly.
Ghesso's smile returned, faint but undeniable.
"I stopped counting after three thousand years."
Silence.
Total, absolute silence.
Jasper blinked.
Once.
Twice.
His brain clearly trying—and failing—to process that.
"…You're joking."
"I'm not."
"…No, you are."
"I'm not."
Jasper stared at him harder now, searching for any crack, any hint of humor—
There wasn't one.
Just calm certainty.
And that same ageless composure.
"…You're serious," Jasper said finally.
Ghesso lifted his glass in a small, casual gesture. "Completely."
Jasper looked at him.
Then at the table.
Then at the beer in front of him.
Without another word, he grabbed it and started drinking.
Fast.
Too fast.
Like he could drown the revelation before it settled in.
One mug emptied.
Then another.
Ghesso watched with quiet amusement, making no attempt to stop him.
Jasper finally slammed the drink down, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, staring blankly ahead.
"…Three thousand…" he muttered.
A pause.
Then, slowly—
He leaned forward—
And dropped his forehead onto the table with a solid thud, his hand coming up to cover his face completely.
"…I'm taking relationship advice…" his voice came out muffled, strained, "…from a three-thousand-year-old sage…"
Another pause.
"…who looks younger than me…"
Ghesso swirled his wine lazily, completely unbothered.
"And yet," he said smoothly, a hint of amusement threading through his tone, "I'm still the more qualified one in this situation."
Jasper didn't move.
Didn't lift his head.
"…I hate everything," he muttered into the table.
Ghesso chuckled softly, the sound low and satisfied as the candlelight flickered between them, the conversation settling into something far lighter than where it began—though the weight beneath it hadn't disappeared.
It had only… shifted.
***
The moon hung high in the sky, its silver glow spilling through the small cracks in the wooden window. The world outside was silent, save for the occasional rustling of the wind through the trees.
Inside the dimly lit hotel room, the air was heavy—not with exhaustion, but with the unspoken emotions lingering between them.
Jasper stumbled through the door, his legs barely cooperating, his body reeking of wine.
Ghesso, still steady despite having his fair share of drinks, had an arm slung over Jasper's shoulder, half-dragging him inside.
Across the room, Kenshiro sat cross-legged on a mattress, his eyes half-lidded but alert as he watched them enter. His face was calm, but there was a certain disapproval in his expression.
"Oh, you both finally decided to show up," Kenshiro said, his tone dry.
Ghesso let out a small chuckle, dropping Jasper onto one of the empty mattresses with zero grace.
"What can I say? The kid needed a drinking buddy."
Jasper groaned, turning onto his side, barely registering the conversation. His breath was warm with alcohol, his head swimming in the haze of everything that had happened today.
"I think he's not capable of talking right now," Ghesso added, stretching his arms. "He finished a whole bottle and, what, five glasses?"
Kenshiro sighed, rubbing his temples.
"Idiot."
Jasper barely heard them, his mind drifting, floating between drunken exhaustion and the echoes of Seinna's voice in his head.
The words from that video.
The way she had looked at him before she left the rooftop.
The anger in her voice. The heartbreak.
For some reason…
It lingered.
Ghesso yawned loudly, flopping onto his own mattress. "Alright, I'm out. Wake me up when something interesting happens."
Kenshiro simply shook his head, but he didn't argue. Within minutes, the two men were asleep.
But on the other side of the room…
Beneath the covers of her mattress, Seinna lay awake.
Her body was curled inward, arms wrapped around herself as if trying to shield her heart from the pain clawing at it.
Her eyes were puffy, her face damp with the remnants of silent tears.
She had been crying for a long time.
Underneath the blanket, she bit her lip hard, trying to keep the quiet sobs from escaping her throat.
She didn't want them to hear.
Didn't want them to know how much it hurt.
"Why…?"
The word was silent, only for herself.
Why didn't he understand?
Why did he hate her so much?
"I did everything… I tried everything…"
Her fingers dug into the fabric of the blanket, trembling slightly.
She had fought for him.
She had endured every insult, every push, every painful rejection.
And now—
He had gone so far as to humiliate her completely.
To blackmail her.
To shatter everything she had ever felt for him.
And yet…
Her heart still ached for him.
That was the worst part.
She hated him.
She hated how much she still wanted him.
"Why…? Why do I still love you?"
Another tear slipped down her cheek, disappearing into the fabric.
Outside the blanket, the world was still.
Jasper slept peacefully, unaware of the storm of emotions he had left behind.
And Seinna…
She could only close her swollen eyes and try to pretend she wasn't breaking.
---
The sun had barely risen, casting a soft golden glow over the quiet streets of the Kasai Clan. The cool morning breeze rustled through the scarlet banners of the great temple, carrying with it the scent of damp earth and the lingering embers from the previous night's torches.
Inside the hotel, the atmosphere was heavy.
A silence that was too deliberate. Too suffocating.
Seinna sat near the wooden window, her arms resting on her knees as she stared out into the village. Her silver eyes—usually sharp, confident, filled with wit—were distant. Hollow.
Her mind was a storm, an endless loop of thoughts and emotions clashing inside her.
Every time she glanced toward Jasper, her chest tightened.
She wanted to say something. Anything.
But the words were like knives in her throat.
Would he even listen?
Would he care?
After what happened last night…
Seinna swallowed hard, gripping her wrist tightly.
"It doesn't matter anymore."
She told herself this over and over.
He hates me now.
And yet—
Her heart still ached.
She turned her gaze away, forcing herself to focus on anything but him.
Across the room, Jasper sat on a mattress, casually adjusting the straps on his Dragonis. His expression was blank, emotionless, as if last night never happened.
Like she was just another stranger.
Seinna felt a dull, sharp pain in her chest.
Not once had he looked at her.
Not once had he acknowledged her presence.
After everything, after all the fights, the endless back-and-forth…
This silence hurt more than anything.
"Today, We Leave."
Kenshiro broke the silence as he stood by the door, arms crossed. His golden eyes scanned the room, noting the tense air between Seinna and Jasper.
But he didn't comment.
Instead, he simply said, "Today, we head back to Hikarashi Village."
The words felt final.
Ryu, Kai, and Ai—who had been half-asleep moments ago—immediately perked up.
Ryu stretched his arms, yawning. "Finally! I can't wait to sign up for the Chunin Exams!"
Kai smirked, flicking his Yamigan open for a brief second. "Tch. Like you'll pass, loser."
Ryu's eyebrow twitched. "Say that again, pretty boy, and I'll shove my kunai up your—"
"Enough." Kenshiro cut them off, exhaling sharply.
Serena, still resting on the mattress, simply let out a tired groan, muttering, "Ugh… traveling again? I just got comfortable…"
Ghesso, who had been leaning against the doorframe, grinned suddenly.
"Oh, I'm betting something."
Before Jasper could react, Ghesso moved in a blur, grabbing Jasper into a headlock with one arm and ruffling his silver-blue hair.
"You, my friend, are about to get hit with something BIG."
Jasper let out an annoyed growl, trying to pry Ghesso off. "Okay, okay! Now let me go, you annoying bastard!"
Ghesso only laughed, finally releasing him.
Seinna, watching from the side, felt a strange pang in her chest.
For the first time this morning, Jasper showed emotion.
Even if it was just annoyance at Ghesso.
But not once—not once—had he reacted to her presence.
She had never felt so invisible.
She clenched her fists, forcing her expression to remain calm, neutral.
"This is how it's going to be now."
She had fought so hard.
And now, she had lost completely.
Jasper Tyros was gone.
At least, the one she had once known.
And there was nothing she could do about it.
CTS TIME: RE250.06.01 – 1:00 PM
Location: The Forest Path – Six Hours to Hikarashi Village
The road stretched endlessly before them, the dense emerald canopy of the forest casting shifting patterns of light on the dirt path below. The rhythmic crunch of footsteps on gravel filled the air, mixed with the occasional rustle of wind through the leaves.
But despite the calm of nature, the atmosphere within the group was far from peaceful.
Seinna and Jasper walked on opposite sides of the path.
Both were silent.
Both were ignoring each other.
Yet, neither could ignore the weight of that silence.
It was a game now.
A battle of who could pretend the other didn't exist longer.
Seinna kept her eyes glued to the holographic interface of her wristwatch, typing aimlessly, even though her thoughts were a jumbled mess. Her heartbeat was too fast, her fingers trembling slightly as she mindlessly scrolled through unread messages from ISA HQ.
She wasn't processing any of them.
Because her mind was elsewhere.
On him.
---
Jasper, on the other hand, was acting like nothing had ever happened.
His carefree laughter echoed through the forest as he exchanged jokes with Ghesso, their conversation filled with ridiculous stories and exaggerated impressions.
It was a performance.
A perfect mask.
One that said, "I don't care."
One that said, "You don't matter to me anymore."
But Seinna saw through it.
She had studied every detail of him.
And the more he pretended to be happy, the more she felt like she was falling apart.
At one point, Jasper reached for his wrist instinctively, as if about to check something.
But his fingers met bare skin.
For a brief moment, his expression darkened.
Then—he stopped walking.
"Shit," he muttered under his breath, clenching his fist before calling out a name he had sworn to never speak again.
"Seinna."
Seinna's steps halted.
Her heart skipped a beat.
He hadn't said her name in what felt like forever.
For a split second, she wanted to turn around and face him.
But then she remembered.
Everything.
And so, instead—she ignored him.
She kept walking.
Didn't even flinch.
Didn't even acknowledge his existence.
Jasper clicked his tongue in irritation, muttering, "Tch. Fine."
But even as he walked past her, his gaze flickered toward her wristwatch.
Serena, watching the interaction from behind, raised an eyebrow.
"Hey, Jasper," she asked casually. "Where's your wristwatch?"
Jasper didn't hesitate.
"It got crushed under some rocks. My hand barely made it out in one piece," he lied effortlessly.
Serena tilted her head. "Huh? How the hell did that happen?"
Jasper shrugged, voice indifferent. "Shit happens."
Serena frowned slightly, sensing something was off, but she let it go.
"Well, you need a new one," she said simply. "We should buy one before leaving."
Jasper gave a short nod. "Yeah, I was already thinking the same thing."