The flames had begun to subside, but they had never truly gone out. Here and there, sparks still popped, and a crimson light flickered within the smoke. Ayoi and Sakura were breathless. The smoke had thickened the air, depleting the oxygen; every breath burned their throats, and coughs tore from their lungs.
The silhouette walked toward them.
It emerged slowly from the flames. The fire hadn't harmed him at all; on the contrary, it seemed to bow and part ways for him. Sakura did not look away. Her chest still heaved with fury and her knees trembled, but she forced herself to stand tall. Their eyes met.
He was a middle-aged man with jet-black hair reaching his shoulders, a single tuft tied back like a ponytail. Toward the ends, his hair turned crimson, as if fed by the fire itself. He was tall and heavily built; his presence carried a weight even more oppressive than the flames.
His eyes were a color somewhere between dark brown and blood-red. His gaze was steady—devoid of both anger and mercy. It was searing.
Right in the center of his forehead was a symbol etched in runes: fire. The crimson lines glowed faintly as if they were alive. On his bony, long ring finger sat a ring. In the center of the ring was a large, blood-red gem. The flames leaned toward it, flickering and reflecting off the stone's surface.
The Fire Jewel.
Ayoi's gaze shifted to the ring on the man's finger. Her eyes widened with the jarring realization of having found what they were looking for. Sakura stood her ground, squaring her shoulders. She looked at the man defiantly.
Sakura:
"Who are you?"
The man burst into laughter at the question. It was a laugh that split mountains, its echo mingling with the roar of the fire. His eyes sparkled; his grin widened as he took a step toward Sakura.
Sakura instinctively recoiled.
?:
"That question..." he paused, "...it would be more appropriate if I were the one asking it."
Ayoi's mind was racing. She had to leave a trail. If they didn't make it out alive, something had to remain to link them to this place. Her hand went to the lily-shaped hairpin tucked into her hair. She didn't remove it gently; she yanked it out in one motion. A few strands of hair came away with the pin. Ayoi tossed the hairpin to the ground, near the edge of the scorched earth.
Sakura:
"So, you're our enemy..." She raised an eyebrow. "...you look like you'll be easy."
The man's laughter grew darker this time. He took another step. Flames flickered around his feet. Sakura hid her hand behind her back; her fingers were tense.
?:
"And who says that?" The mockery in his voice sharpened. "The ignorant, reckless girl who walked right into my trap..."
The moment the man stepped closer, Sakura raised her hand. She opened her palm in a sharp "stop" gesture. With her movement, the man suddenly froze as if hitting an invisible wall, then was hurled backward.
Ayoi stood frozen. Her eyes were locked on Sakura. When had she become this powerful?
But she didn't question it. Sakura was senior to her; now was not the time to pry into where or how she had gained this strength.
The man sprang up in a rage. The moment he slammed his foot onto the ground, a powerful blast of flame erupted from beneath Sakura's feet. Sakura leaped instinctively. At the same time, she gripped the dagger hidden behind her and lunged toward the man without hesitation.
But before the gap could be closed, the man swung a heavy kick. The blow caught Sakura mid-air; her body slammed into a tree and crumpled to the ground with a heavy thud. Ayoi's heart turned to ice. Her breathing became erratic.
She didn't know what to do. For a moment, she thought about turning back to call for help. But her gaze fell on Sakura, writhing in pain on the ground, and she stopped. She couldn't leave her alone.
She put her hands to her head. Adrenaline was seeping through her veins. Her chest rose and fell rapidly; she tried to gather her breath and clear her mind. Amidst her panic, she tried to reassure herself:
"Stay calm..."
The moment the man lunged at Sakura with a fiery strike, Ayoi reflexively raised her hand. She didn't even think about what she was doing. A jagged surge of energy shot from her palm and struck the fire; the flame died instantly.
The man stopped. This time, his gaze locked directly onto Ayoi. Ayoi hadn't expected this look. Suppressing the shiver rising within her, she turned to Sakura. Sakura was still at the base of the tree; her face was contorted in pain, but she was conscious. She tried to stand, and when she lost her balance, Ayoi grabbed her arm to support her.
Ayoi:
"We can't defeat him alone," she whispered.
She draped Sakura's arm over her shoulder and began to lead her away, almost dragging her. They had to run, but Sakura's steps were uneven; she gritted her teeth with every jolt.
The fire followed behind them. No matter how much Ayoi tried to speed up, the flames wouldn't let them go. The rapidly flaring fire cut them off once again. The man approached menacingly. The ring of fire tightened, and the air grew heavy. A sharp, suffocating smell filled the air; it wasn't smoke. It was something more metallic, more caustic.
Ayoi's head spun. Her knees gave way. Sakura's weight on her shoulder felt heavier for a moment. Her vision went dark.
And then—they both collapsed unconscious to the ground.
---
No one knew when the girls had left the temple.
The day had passed in its own heavy rhythm. Ryuji had finished chopping wood. As he pulled the axe from the log, he noticed the ache in his arm—he was exhausted. Evening was approaching. The sun was sinking behind the trees of the temple, casting long, pale shadows across the courtyard.
At that moment, a scent reached his nose.
He paused.
It was the smell of smoke—the kind heard every day at the temple. But today was different. It was duller, more intense. Its source was unclear; it felt like it wasn't coming from one spot, but from the entire sky. As if something were burning incessantly, never dying out...
Ryuji instinctively looked around. "Strange..." he thought. The courtyard was silent. The only thing breaking the silence was the sound of footsteps approaching him.
The Master stepped into the courtyard with Daichi. They approached Ryuji without speaking. The Master stopped suddenly, tilting his nose slightly upward.
Master:
"A new fire..."
Daichi frowned and nodded in agreement. All three felt the same thing, but no one voiced it. The smell wouldn't dissipate. On the contrary, it was getting heavier. With the evening chill, it seemed to have enveloped not just the temple, but the entire forest.
Daichi:
"Where are Ayoi and Sakura?"
Ryuji raised his eyebrows as if remembering. He looked around.
Ryuji:
"I last saw them after training ended. I was talking to Ayoi. Sakura came and sent me to chop wood."
The Master's brow furrowed. He looked at Ryuji thoughtfully.
Master:
"And they just vanished into thin air, did they?"
The lingering scent, the smoke covering the sky, and the girls' disappearance... none of it was a good omen. The Master was well aware of this. The unease within him had grown too large to deny. Waiting was no longer the right option.
He turned his gaze to Ryuji and Daichi.
Master:
"Get ready. We'd better search the forest."
His voice was calm but left no room for argument. Neither man asked questions. They didn't second-guess the Master and quickly equipped their weapons.
The Master looked at the forest for a moment. Smoke was creeping insidiously between the trees, choking the sky. Its source was still invisible, but its presence was undeniable. The girls could be in danger, and that possibility unsettled him. Together, the three of them left the temple behind and headed into the forest without losing a moment.
They descended into the depths with slow, cautious steps. Their eyes were alert to every detail. As they moved deeper, the smell of smoke intensified, and the Master's unease seeped into his very bones.
It was starting to get dark; visibility was failing. The Master raised his gas lantern and moved to the front. Trees were scorched, the ground was dry—there was a lingering heat beneath their feet that had not yet cooled.
Ryuji:
"Keep an eye on the surroundings, Daichi. I'll check ahead."
Daichi nodded. He and the Master began investigating the area. They needed any clue they could find. As his gaze scanned the burnt bushes on the ground, something caught his eye—a piece of paper. Half of it was burned. He slowly picked it up and examined it. It must have been a map.
Daichi:
"Master... I found a map. Part of it is burned."
The Master approached with heavy steps. The moment he took the paper, he recognized it. It was his own drawing. His brow furrowed deeply. Only one possibility came to mind.
And just then—
Ryuji:
"I found a hairpin."
The Master took the object from Ryuji's hand and examined it carefully. His voice grew low.
Master:
"This... it must be Ayoi's."
After staring at the map and the hairpin for a while, he closed his hand. The lantern light divided his face into harsh lines.
Master:
"We will split into three."
Ryuji looked up at the smoke-shrouded trees. Daichi took a step forward without asking a single question; there was no room to debate this decision. The Master designated directions with short, clear signals. He didn't say how far they would go or what they were looking for. They were all looking for the same thing anyway.
And they were all afraid of the same thing.
Ryuji headed west. Here, the ground was more irregular. He had his sword over his shoulder, probing the earth with every step. There were burns. But they weren't random. One side of a tree trunk was scorched—just one side. The other was perfectly intact. A few steps further, the ground was blackened, yet the grass around it remained green.
"It's as if the fire was directed," Ryuji thought.
No footprints. No broken branches. No signs of a struggle. Just burns... Ryuji instinctively clenched his fist. It wasn't right for an area this large to be this silent.
Daichi turned east. He didn't have a lantern; his eyes had adjusted to the darkness. The smoke was heavier here. His throat burned when he inhaled. At one point, he stopped. He crouched down and pressed his fingers to the ground. He felt a remnant of magic—weak, almost dissipated, but still there. Something had stood here. It had waited.
Then it had gone.
Daichi looked around. The burns formed a circle, but there was nothing in the center. No stone, no tree, no trace. "Someone lingeredhere," he thought. His heart raced, but he didn't quicken his pace. He tried not to panic, continuing to scan the area.
The Master walked north alone. He held the lantern low. He didn't want the light to travel too far. He stopped at a certain point. There was a scorched patch; it was different from the others. The fire had lingered here longer. The ground had sunk, and stones had cracked.
He knelt. He didn't place his hand on the ground. He didn't need to. The fire had attacked from every direction. The Master closed his eyes. Sakura's face flashed through his mind. Then Ayoi's.
"I should have protected them," he thought. When he stood up, his face was even harder.
Time had passed, but none of them knew how much. Then—at the same moment—all three stopped. The forest opened up here. The burns had progressed like a line and then formed a circle at a single point. It was as if every path led here.
First, Ryuji emerged from the trees. Then Daichi. Finally, the Master, cutting through the darkness with his lantern light. They looked at each other for a moment. None of them spoke. None of them voiced the possibility crossing the Master's mind. As if saying it out loud might make it real...
There were no other traces. No footprints. No blood. No belongings. Only what the fire had consumed. And the void the fire had deliberately left behind.
The Master raised the lantern a bit higher. The light fell into the very center of the scorched area. Ryuji scanned the perimeter. Daichi frowned, trying to piece together the fragments to reach a conclusion. The forest was silent. But it felt as if it were watching them.
And that meant the search had only just begun.