The surroundings smelled heavily of soot.
Sakura slowly opened her eyes; her lungs felt starved for oxygen. She sat up with a sharp cough, her head throbbing. Her vision was blurred. When she tried to move, she felt the cold weight of metal on her hands. Her arms were up. Her wrists were shackled to thick chains fixed to the ceiling. She quickly turned her head to the side.
Ayoi was right next to her. They were both in a kneeling position; Ayoi's head was slumped forward, her breathing heavy. Sakura gritted her teeth and yanked the chains with fury. The metal clinked but didn't loosen in the slightest. She hissed in anger.
Sakura:
"Ayoi. Wake up. We've been taken hostage."
Ayoi stirred. She started with a muffled cough and opened her eyes. For a few seconds, she tried to understand where she was; then she noticed the chains on her wrists. Her breathing quickened.
Sakura:
"Damn it... how are we going to get out of here?!"
Ayoi calmly felt the chains. They were thick, old but sturdy. Their chances of escape seemed non-existent. She tried to suppress the wave of panic rising in her chest. Sakura scanned the area. A few burning torches barely illuminated the place they were in. Rough stone walls, a few stalactites hanging from the ceiling... this wasn't a building; it was a natural hollow.
A cave.
At that exact moment, there was a movement behind them. Ayoi jumped. The man emerged from the shadows as if he had been there all along.
?:
"Finally... welcome back."
Sakura threw a sharp look over her shoulder at the man.
Sakura:
"You already have a jewel. Why take us hostage? What could you possibly gain from this?"
The man smirked and stepped closer. The torchlight illuminated his face.
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"I could gain a lot... dear warriors."
Ayoi's face tensed. She spoke with a mix of fear and anger.
Ayoi:
"Are you looking for the other jewels? We don't have them!"
The man chuckled. But it wasn't a cheerful chuckle; it was a muffled, broken, and irrational sound. Soon, the chuckle was replaced by a echoing laugh.
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"Of course you don't have them... but she who finds me, finds another."
He paused for a moment. His gaze wandered over Ayoi.
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"Besides... there is something different about you. A different aura..."
Sakura's brow furrowed.
Sakura:
"Why don't we just fight properly? If you've got the heart for it, undo the chains and let's talk then!"
The man's laughter echoed off the cave walls this time.
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"Did you hit your head in the forest, fire girl?" He took another step closer. "We already fought. That's why you're here, remember?"
Sakura's gaze instinctively dropped. A sense of unease filled her. They had to get away. She hoped the team had gone after them. She tried to get her breathing under control.
The man changed direction and stood in front of Ayoi. After a moment of silence, he reached out, grabbed Ayoi's chin, and forced her head up. Ayoi flinched.
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"Your face looks familiar." His eyes locked onto Ayoi's face. "I wonder, could I have seen you before, young lady?"
Ayoi grimaced and quickly pulled her head away, freeing her chin from the man's hand. She frowned and looked at him out of the corner of her eye.
Ayoi:
"I don't think I've ever seen such an ominous face before."
The man made an affected pout as if offended. He knelt down and leaned in to Ayoi's level.
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"Oh... so you think I'm ominous?"
The man smiled broadly, his teeth shining like pearls. Compared to their first encounter, he looked more exhausted and disheveled. Ayoi studied the man's face carefully.
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"If I were you, I'd watch my words, young lady... after all... soon..." He smirked more, almost about to laugh. His dark crimson eyes began to glow. "...I will be your new master."
Ayoi's face soured even more at that sentence. She was actually terrified, but showing it would definitely play into the man's hands. So, she acted as if she were mocking him.
Ayoi:
"What makes you think that? That we'll stay in your hands... how can you be so sure no one will save us?"
The man slowly stood up. At that moment, Ayoi made eye contact with Sakura behind the man. Sakura silently winked as if to say, "keep going." Believing Sakura had a plan, Ayoi turned back to the man.
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"Because you have no other choice, and that is reason enough."
Sakura was looking around, searching for an opening. She had to get out of here. Her eyes caught the key tucked behind the man, about two meters away from her. She knew what she had to do.
She would use telekinesis.
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"You will help me get the other jewels. You can't just... leave here."
The expressions on the man's face suddenly vanished, turning as flat as a statue. Ayoi felt uneasy.
Ayoi:
"So our enemy is both intellectually challenged and insane? Can you actually believe in this stupid dream yourself?"
Sakura tried to steady her breathing. She aligned her hand with the key behind the man as far as the chains would allow. She fixed her gaze and focused intently. After a little effort, the key hovered unnoticed, slowly drifted, and settled into her palm.
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"I'm not asking for your thoughts..." His gaze hardened. "...I'm telling you that you are obligated."
Sakura carefully unlocked the shackles, rubbing her wrists where the heavy metal had irritated them, and hid the key in her pocket. The moment the man realized the weight in his pocket was no longer there, he spun around.
They locked eyes.
The man looked at Sakura with a mix of rage and surprise. He swung his hand, and flames shot toward where Sakura stood. Sakura lunged to the side; the fire hit the stone wall behind her and died out. Sakura retreated a few steps. The man walked toward her, trying to cut off her path. He raised his hand again; this time, flames rose from the ground. Sakura leaped at the last second, rolling as she hit the ground and springing to her feet.
The man was relentless. He kept the flames tight, cornering Sakura. The space to escape was dwindling. Sakura found a moment's opening and slipped between the torches. The man made a gesture with his hand; the torches on the wall flared up, fire shot into the air and merged. Sakura's breathing was fast, but she still wasn't attacking. She was forcing the man to move, making him a little more exhausted with every step.
The man attacked again. The fire was very close this time. Sakura leaped back, but her arm brushed the heat. It hurt. Her balance faltered.
Right then, she reached into her pocket.
The key.
The moment the man lunged back into the attack, Sakura threw the key toward Ayoi. Ayoi caught the key. She opened the chains. The heavy metal hit the ground. She was breathless as she stood up, but she didn't stop.
When the man realized this, his ring glowed. He roared with rage. The flames were even stronger this time. The inside of the cave filled with crimson light, everything was shrouded in smoke. The man's breathing was erratic; he grew more exhausted every time he used his power.
Ayoi saw a thick piece of wood on the ground. She grabbed it and lunged at the man without hesitation. The man stopped. He raised his hand into the air. A crimson, dazzling glow appeared.
A great sword formed in his hand.
He swung a single blow, and the wood shattered into pieces. The man lunged forward, cornering Ayoi and pointing his sword toward her. Ayoi's breath hitched. She had gone back as far as she could, but the wall she leaned against was her final step.
The ring glowed once more. But this time, the light was far more powerful.
The man's breath was shallow and ragged. His chest heaved violently, and the crimson glow within the ring pulsed like a heartbeat. For the first time, the fire was not obeying him; it was consuming him. It flickered wildly against the cave walls, casting erratic shadows.
Ayoi noticed this.
The man was struggling...
At that exact moment, a metallic ring echoed at the cave's entrance.
Ryuji:
"We finally have the chance to meet."
The man turned his head. He smiled, but the grin lacked its former confidence. Ryuji drew his sword and lunged toward him with a burst of speed.
The man parried with his own blade.
The clash was violent. The screech of metal locking against metal filled the cavern. Ryuji did not step back, but his knees trembled. This strength... it was not human.
The man leaned in, putting his weight behind the blade. Just then, Daichi hurled his katana; it didn't pierce the man's arm, but it tore through the fabric of his sleeve at the wrist.
The cloth shredded. The man's arm jolted.
And the sword flew from his grip.
The Master stepped forward, his expression grave. He extended his hands and lifted them as if pulling something from the earth itself.
Master:
"You are powerful, but you are not enough, rebellious soul."
The flames lashed out as if screaming. His control shattered. The man began to rise slowly into the air, his body arching like a bow. The ring went dark, then flared again—but this was the glow of an escape.
He grinned widely.
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"I wouldn't speak with such certainty if I were you..."
His gaze shifted toward the ring as much as the spell allowed. He clenched his hand into a fist.
The ring flashed one final time, and a massive conflagration ignited around him. It swallowed him whole, and he vanished from sight.
When the flames died out, a heavy silence remained in the cave. No one spoke.
Because they all felt the same thing:
This was not the end.