Kai tried
He truly did.
Every waking moment, he fought to cope with his blindness.
But it was not easy.
It was as if he could almost see everything, yet nothing at all.
Like staring directly into a blinding light and trying to force yourself to see through it—only to lose yourself further in the brightness.
At first, it was maddening.
Painful.
Disorienting.
But slowly…
Very slowly…
He began to adjust.
He still could not see in the way ordinary people did.
There were no colors.
No details.
No clear faces.
Instead, the world existed in shapes of white and black.
Vague outlines.
Silhouettes.
He could make out the form of a person as a pale white figure.
Walls stood like solid blocks of darkness.
Furniture appeared as still shadows in the room.
Yet even among the white auras surrounding people, each one was different.
Each carried its own intent.
Its own rhythm.
Its own life force.
Its own mana flow.
Kai had begun to sense life itself.
With a single glance of his new perception, he could instantly tell who stood before him.
That aura—
Calm.
Steady.
Sharp like a drawn blade.
Takeda.
The other—
Ancient.
Cold.
Powerful.
Predatory.
The Beast Empress.
He could identify them in an instant.
Even blind, he was beginning to see more than most people ever could.
Still, it did not make daily life easier.
The days that followed were cruel.
Kai stumbled into walls more times than he cared to admit.
He tripped over furniture.
Lost his balance.
Fell flat onto the ground.
Sometimes it felt as though he were drowning in an endless underwater void, his body heavy and unresponsive.
Each movement carried a strange weight, as if the world itself resisted him.
He moved like a child learning how to walk for the first time.
Once, he had walked in circles for nearly ten minutes without realizing it.
The humiliation stung.
But still—
He refused to stop training.
Every day, he pushed his body harder.
Takeda watched him constantly.
The old master quickly realized something.
Kai had grown stronger.
Much stronger.
But more than strength—
His speed had increased dramatically.
He moved faster than before.
Sharper.
More instinctive.
As if his body had begun adapting to compensate for what he had lost.
Nearby, the Beast Empress sat in silence.
Kai had given her a name.
Akio.
The name had simply clicked in his mind.
Why not?
He smirked to himself.
Not to be smug, but I do have good naming sense.
As the days passed, another strange ability began to awaken.
Whenever visitors came to see old man Takeda—the survivors from the destroyed city—Kai noticed something unusual.
Their auras were brighter.
More vibrant.
He focused harder.
Then realized what he was sensing.
Intent.
Mana.
Life force.
Emotion.
And when he concentrated deeply enough, the sensations began to form images directly within his mind.
A projection.
Not sight.
But something close.
A mental image constructed from energy itself.
It was imperfect.
But it was enough.
Enough to function.
Enough to fight.
Enough to survive.
Today, Kai wore a pure white yukata.
Golden flowers were embroidered delicately across the fabric, their design elegant and regal.
A black-and-gold band covered his eyes, concealing the draconic blindness beneath.
His hair had also been cut.
That had been…
An experience.
Little Yuki, the twelve-year-old Chaos Ice Fox girl, had tried her best.
Unfortunately, not a single strand had been cut.
Several pairs of scissors had broken instead.
Kai still laughed whenever he remembered her frustrated expression.
In the end, Takeda had stepped in.
Using only his katana, the old master had sliced Kai's hair with impossible precision.
The result was flawless.
Kai now looked almost unreal.
His pale skin, soft pink lips, and elegant facial structure gave him an almost delicate beauty.
A little feminine.
But undeniably handsome.
His body was tall and lean, perfectly proportioned without excessive muscle.
Graceful.
Refined.
Powerful.
Strands of white hair fell across his face, partly covering the expensive-looking blindfold.
He looked less like a warrior and more like a prince from legend.
At that moment, Kai sat beneath a sakura tree.
Winter in Japan was nearing its end.
The branches swayed gently in the cold breeze.
Petals drifted through the air like falling snow.
The entire scene looked like a painting.
Peaceful.
Still.
Almost too perfect.
Beside him lay a black cat with silver-gold runic markings etched across her fur.
Her golden eyes shimmered softly, matching the embroidery on Kai's yukata.
Akio.
Kai sighed.
He was bored out of his mind.
For once, there was no training.
No monsters.
No blood.
No fighting.
Only peace.
He had three days left before the bloodline deadline expired.
And yet…
For some reason, he no longer cared.
Today, he was leaving.
Returning to New York.
Still, something felt wrong.
Japan had become too peaceful.
Too stable.
Shelters had been rebuilt.
Homes restored.
People had work.
Food supplies had improved.
Even monster meat had become a normal part of daily life.
Yet the strange new plants growing across the land still unsettled him.
And no evolved monsters had been found.
That alone was suspicious.
Kai rose to his feet.
"Old man," he said calmly, "I'm off."
Takeda sat by a low tea table, slowly sipping herbal green tea.
His old eyes rested on Kai.
"You still haven't fully learned how to fight blind," he said.
Then a faint smile touched his lips.
"But you have learned how to run."
Little Yuki looked down sadly.
If only I were older… I could have helped him with his quest, she thought.
Kai smiled softly and held out a strip of meat jerky.
Yuki blinked.
Then happily took it and began eating.
Kai chuckled.
Then unfolded his wings.
The air around him shifted.
A powerful gust swept through the garden.
With a single stretch, his wings spread wide.
Then—
He launched into the sky.
Takeda watched silently as Kai disappeared into the horizon.
Peace rested in the old man's eyes.
But deep down…
He knew this calm would not last.