Thin mist drifted lazily through the forest, curling around the trunks and hanging low above the snow.
His grip tightened unconsciously around the sword.
Zareth.
The name still lingered in his mind.
He frowned slightly.
Nothing came back. No face. No memory. Nothing except the strange feeling that the word had brushed against something buried deep inside him.
His eyes lowered briefly toward the blade in his hand.
He continued deeper into the forest, following the path the man had taken.
"Hey! Where did you go?!"
He shouted.
His voice cutting through the quiet forest, hoping the man would hear him again.
His breath turned into white mist in the cold air as the winter wind swept past him.
Then he suddenly stopped.
The trail ahead had disappeared.
Yoruji froze and quickly looked around, searching the ground with confusion.
"Uh... the trail's gone... how?"
Yoruji's eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at the untouched snow ahead, the footprints had been there. He knew they had.
He continued walking straight through the snow without stopping.
His grip tightened around the sword's handle.
Each step sank into the white ground, but Yoruji didn't slow down.
If the trail was gone, then he would just find it again. There was no reason to stand still.
At least, that was what he told himself.
Crunch.
Crunch.
His footsteps sounded sharper now.
Almost isolated, like the forest wasn't carrying the sound properly.
He took a deep breath, but the air that flowed into him felt different noticeably stronger than before.
His grip clenched around the sword as he reacted on instinct, blocking the sudden strike.
Yoruji swung his sword and spun around, eyes widening as alertness snapped through him.
CLANG!
The man before him had already closed the distance his blade crashing into Yoruji's mid-turn, steel meeting steel with brutal force.
He saw the air flow into Yoruji's nose, and for a brief moment, a thin brownish trail followed behind it like a fading tail.
The man smiled at Yoruji, a hint of amazement in his expression. Then he spoke in a low voice.
"Never changed… still Zareth, I see."
The name rang in Yoruji's head. A flash of an image surfaced but it was blurred, slipping out of focus before he could grasp it.
"Woah…" Yoruji shook his head, blinking several times as if trying to clear the fog from his mind. "What was that?"
The man's blade pressed steadily against Yoruji's, neither giving an inch.
The forest around them seemed to quiet even further, as if listening.
Yoruji stepped back further, his eyes never leaving the man.
His boots pressed into the snow, slow and deliberate, creating space between them without breaking his stance.
The sword stayed raised.
His grip was tight too tight.
"…What are you talking about?"
Yoruji said quietly.
The man finally lowered his sword to his side and spoke again.
"Do you want to understand everything about yourself?"
Yoruji saw a faint smile cross the man's face as his gaze settled on him.
"Zareth Ashveil... Then come with me."
The name Zareth Ashveil made Yoruji freeze.
His breath caught.
He had never heard that name before... hadn't he? Something about it tugged at him, stirring a strange unease deep inside his chest. It felt distant and familiar at the same time, like a half-forgotten dream slipping through his fingers the moment he reached for it.
Yoruji stared at the man, his thoughts suddenly thrown into chaos.
"How..." His voice faltered. "How do you know that name?"
The man gave no answer. Instead, he turned and began to walk away, his steps calm and unhurried.
Yoruji frowned.
What was he supposed to do with that? Follow him? Stand there and pretend none of this had happened?
Questions crowded his mind, piling on top of one another until he could barely grasp a single one.
The man stopped after a few steps and looked back at him.
"Are you coming?" he asked.
Yoruji could not move. Not yet.
Something inside him kept repeating that name.
Zareth Ashveil.
And somehow, hearing it felt like standing at the edge of a door he had never known existed.
Yoruji swallowed. The feeling would not leave him. It pressed against the back of his mind, quiet but persistent, as if something buried deep inside him had stirred awake.
His hands slowly curled into fists.
"Okay... then tell me everything you know about me."
Yoruji spoke in a normal tone.
"Think fast. Catch it."
Without warning, he tossed the sword toward the man not to attack him, but to see if he was skilled enough to react.
The blade spun through the air, its tip angled downward as it flew toward him.
The man did not move immediately.
For a brief second, Yoruji wondered if he had misjudged him.
Then the man raised his hand.
Thk.
The sword stopped.
Yoruji's eyes widened slightly.
The man had caught it by the handle with casual precision, as though plucking a falling leaf from the air.
Not a wasted movement. Not even a flinch.
Snow drifted quietly between them.
Yoruji stared for a moment before narrowing his eyes.
Fast.
The man turned the blade once in his hand and lowered it to his side.
"You threw it without hesitation," he said.
Yoruji shrugged.
"You seemed confident enough."
The man looked at him for a few seconds, and that faint smile returned.
"No."
His eyes settled on Yoruji.
"You did it because some part of you already knew I would catch it."
Yoruji frowned.
Again with that strange way of speaking.
As if the man kept seeing things in him that he himself couldn't understand.
"Stop talking like you know me."
Yoruji said, his voice sharpening slightly.
The man's expression did not change.
Yoruji scratch his head of the man's word.
Yoruji scratched the back of his head at the man's words.
"I really don't understand you."
He shivered slightly as a cold wind blew through them.
"Please tell me you're not the only one who knows about me."
The man stayed quiet.
That silence lasted only a few seconds, but to Yoruji it felt much longer.
Snow drifted between the trees while the wind whispered through the branches overhead.
Then the man looked at him.
"No," he said at last.
Yoruji blinked.
"No?"
Relief nearly surfaced until the man continued.
"I am not the only one."
Yoruji stared at him.
"Then there are others?"
The man nodded once.
"People who have searched for you."
His mind immediately tried to make sense of it, but there was nothing to connect it to. No memories. No faces. Just empty space.
Yoruji let out a quiet breath and looked at the man.
"Alright, I'm coming with you." His eyes narrowed slightly. "I want to know everything about who I really am."
The man gave a small nod, a faint smile appearing on his face, then led the way deeper into the forest. After a couple of minutes, they emerged on the other side.
Sunlight fell across their faces as people passing by glanced at the two of them.
Yoruji blinked several times.
The sudden change made him pause. One moment there had been snow-covered trees and cold winds brushing against his skin. Now the forest was behind them, replaced by voices, footsteps, and the distant sounds of carts rolling across stone.
His eyes wandered around.
Small stalls lined the roadside, their owners calling out to passing customers. Children ran through the streets while groups of people moved past them without slowing down.
"Wait…" Yoruji slowed his steps, eyes scanning the street. "I've been here before. I used to sell wood here right over there, at that corner. There was a furniture shop…"
He frowned, something uneasy stirring in his chest.
"But…" his voice dropped slightly, "I don't remember it being this alive."
Yoruji's eyes moved across the street again.
People laughed as they passed him.
A vendor shouted out prices from a stall piled with fresh fruit.
Somewhere farther down the road, metal clanged against metal as a blacksmith worked without pause.
None of it matched the memory in his head.
It felt… off.
The man walking ahead didn't slow down.
"Memories are not always complete," he said calmly.
Yoruji frowned at his back.
"That's not what I mean." He pointed toward the corner. "That shop should've been smaller. Quiet. Half the stalls here weren't even there before."
He hesitated.
"And people didn't look at me like this."
A few passersby glanced at him again longer this time, like they recognized something they couldn't place.
Yoruji felt it in his chest. That same uneasy pressure from before.
The man finally stopped walking.
Without turning around, he spoke.
"Then tell me."
Silence stretched. Even the sounds of the street seemed to dull for a moment.
"Which version do you trust?"
Yoruji stared at the man's back.
Which version?
His brow slowly furrowed.
The question sat heavily in his mind, refusing to make sense no matter how many times he turned it over.
"I don't get it," Yoruji muttered, narrowing his eyes at the man.
"What do you mean, which version?"
The man finally turned around.
"You said you've been here before."
His gaze remained fixed on Yoruji.
Yoruji blinked and pointed down the street.
"Yeah. I used to deliver wood and sell it to people here."
He looked around again, slowly this time.
His eyes moved from the shops to the crowded streets, then to the faces passing by.
Laughter. Voices. Footsteps.
Everything felt familiar.
And somehow... not familiar at all.
His expression slowly tightened.
"But..." he murmured, "why does it feel like I'm seeing this place for the first time?"
Yoruji paused for a moment, trying to dig through his memories.
"All I remember is waking up in that house." He frowned slightly. "I don't remember anything before that."
His eyes lowered as he tried to make sense of it.
"It's weird... it feels like I know everything, but at the same time..."
He hesitated.
"I don't."
They continued walking, with Byakuren leading a few steps ahead.
Yoruji stayed quiet for a while.
His own words still lingered in his mind.
It feels like I know everything, but at the same time... I don't.
The more he thought about it, the stranger it sounded. Yet it was the closest thing he had to the truth.
People brushed past them as they moved through the crowded streets.
Merchants called out from their stalls, and the scent of warm bread and roasted meat drifted through the air.
Yoruji's eyes wandered from one side of the street to the other.
Familiar.
But.
Unfamiliar
The two feelings kept colliding inside him.
Then his gaze suddenly stopped.
His footsteps slowed.
Across the street stood a small shop with wooden carvings hanging near the entrance.
His chest tightened slightly.
He knew that place.
Or at least... he felt like he did.
Fragments flickered through his mind.
Hands carrying stacks of wood.
Laughter. A voice saying something he couldn't make out.
Then nothing.
The feeling vanished as quickly as it came.
"..."
Yoruji stared at the shop for a few more seconds.
"Why does it keep doing that?" he muttered under his breath.
Byakuren slowed and glanced back at him.
"Doing what?"
Yoruji looked at the shop again.
The strange feeling had already faded, leaving only frustration behind.
"I keep seeing pieces of something."
His brows tightened.
He rubbed his temple.
"Your questions will be answered later, when we get inside the Byakuren Compound."
They stopped a few steps away from the entrance.
Yoruji lifted his gaze.
An open wooden gate stood before him, tall white banners swaying gently on each side as the wind passed through them.
He stared quietly.
There was something strangely peaceful about the place.
Soft laughter drifted from inside the compound, along with the distant sounds of people talking and footsteps moving across the grounds.
Yoruji narrowed his eyes slightly.
For some reason, the sound felt... familiar.
Yoruji stare at the man one more time.
Yoruji stared at the man one more time.
"Hold up..." He glanced back toward the gate. "Am I even allowed to enter here?"
His eyes moved toward the people inside the compound.
"Actually..." He frowned slightly. "Are we allowed to?"
The man turned to him before facing the path ahead and continued walking.
"You will understand everything."
"Amano will be happy when he sees a new person entering the compound."
Yoruji followed and walked beside the man. A strange spark of excitement stirred inside him one he couldn't explain.
The air inside the Byakuren Compound felt calm, carrying a strange sense of familiarity that Yoruji immediately recognized.
A faint smile formed on his lips as he stopped beside a flower pot.
Yoruji slowly closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
For a brief moment, a thin brown trail of air curled around him, moving gently as if it had a will of its own.
It felt almost like a welcome.
Hanging lanterns swayed softly as the wind passed through them.
Yoruji slowly opened his eyes.
For a moment, he simply stood there.
The strange feeling in his chest had eased. No pressure. No confusion just... quiet.
His gaze wandered across the grounds of Byakuren.
White stone paths curved between wooden buildings, while small gardens lined the walkways. People moved through the compound carrying baskets or talking among themselves, their laughter drifting gently through the air.
Yoruji frowned slightly.
It felt familiar.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Fast footsteps approached from somewhere ahead.
Yoruji lifted his head.
Someone suddenly came running around the corner at full speed.
"You're back!"
The person skidded to a stop.
Their eyes shifted toward Yoruji.
The smile on their face slowly faded.
Silence followed.
"…Who's that?"
Pain struck the middle of his forehead, almost like a needle shooting straight into the center.
As Yoruji touched his forehead and rubbed it, a flash of memory appeared.
Very clear.
A boy.
"You..." He paused for a moment, studying the face. "I've seen you before."
The man who yoruji with earlier speak and introduce himself.
"My name is Akatsuki Enji, and this is Amano." Enji glanced toward Amano and gave a small nod.
"Hello, my name is Amano Kazehiro. What's your name?"
Yoruji stared at him.
That face.
The moment he looked at Amano again, the sharp pain behind his forehead pulsed once more. Not as strong as before, but enough to make him tense slightly.
"Ghh."
Yoruji clutched his forehead again, a soft, pained sound escaping him enough to make both Enji and Amano widen their eyes.
His eyes stayed fixed on Amano, his expression a mix of worry and confusion.
"I don't know. You look familiar to me, Amano… and you, Renji."
He looked around, sensing something familiar in the air.
"What's happening to me? I want something… I want proof."
"Seigan is the only one who can answer your questions."
Amano said as he looked directly into Yoruji's eyes, his own filled with an innocent sincerity.
Yoruji stared back at him.
There was no hesitation in Amano's expression, no doubt just simple certainty.
Yoruji frowned slightly.
"Seigan...?" he repeated.
The name felt unfamiliar.
But after everything that had happened, he was no longer sure what unfamiliar even meant anymore.
His hand slowly lowered from his forehead. The pain had faded, but the lingering feeling remained, like something knocking from the other side of a locked door.
He glanced around the compound again.
The hanging lanterns swayed gently. People moved through the grounds as if nothing strange had happened.
"Let's go inside."
Amano turned and started walking deeper into the compound.
Yoruji stood still for a moment.
Seigan.
Another unfamiliar name. Another answer waiting somewhere ahead.
He was starting to hate that feeling.
Every step forward seemed to reveal something new while leaving ten more questions behind.
Yoruji let out a quiet breath and followed after Amano.
Enji walked beside them while the sounds of the compound slowly surrounded him again.
Hanging lanterns swayed above the stone paths. A few people greeted Amano as they passed, while others glanced curiously at Yoruji before continuing on.
His eyes wandered around.
Then he noticed it.
Near the center of the grounds stood a tall flowering tree. Long clusters of pale blossoms hung from its branches, moving softly with the wind while petals drifted through the courtyard like falling snow.
Yoruji's footsteps slowed.
"Wow... this is beautiful," Yoruji said softly.
Footsteps approached from the left side, heading toward them.
Yoruji immediately turned toward the sound, alertness returning to his eyes.
His body tensed slightly on instinct as his gaze fixed on the approaching figure.
"Who are they?" Yoruji asked, his eyes staying fixed on the approaching figures.
He straightened slightly, instinctively becoming more alert.
The people walking toward them each wore different haori, varying in color and style. Some had simple designs, while others carried intricate patterns along the sleeves and edges. As they moved calmly along the stone path, Yoruji couldn't help but feel that something about them was different.
In the middle of them stood Seigan, staring directly at Yoruji.
"Welcome back, Zareth."
Seigan said calmly, his eyes never leaving Yoruji.
Yoruji froze.
That name again.
His chest tightened as if invisible fingers had wrapped around it.
The drifting petals suddenly felt slower. The sounds around him the footsteps, the distant laughter, the rustling leaves seemed to fade into the background.
His eyes locked onto Seigan.
Yoruji lowered his gaze to his hand and slowly flexed his fingers, watching them tighten and loosen.
"Who is Zareth, and why do you all keep saying that name? Is that... my real name?"
Yoruji asked as he looked at Seigan and the others.
"But you all look familiar to me."
Yoruji's gaze moved between Seigan and the others.
Seigan slowly extended his right arm.
"You will understand everything," he said calmly.
The words did not comfort Yoruji.
If anything, they pressed heavier against his chest.
He stared at Seigan's outstretched arm, then at the group standing behind him.
Each face felt like it should mean something.
Like a memory standing just out of reach.
Yoruji clenched his fist.
"Stop saying that," he said quietly.
His voice tightened.
"Everyone keeps saying I'll understand, but no one is telling me anything."
Yoruji took his hand and shake it in manner way.
The air around him shifted again.
Not cold. Not warm.
Something inside Yoruji stirred, pressing against the back of his mind, trying to break through.
His gaze locked onto Seigan's hand.
"Wait... I know—" Yoruji suddenly stopped.
Yoruji clutched his head once again as pain shot through it.
His fingers tightened against his temples, and his body tensed instinctively.
Yoruji suddenly dashed backward, snow and loose petals scattering beneath his feet as distance opened between him and the others.
His breathing had become uneven.
Confusion.
Pain.
Yoruji couldn't tell anymore.
Everything inside him felt tangled together, impossible to separate.
Everything twisted together inside his chest.
Then his eyes stopped on Amano.
Amano's face.
Yoruji's tense body slowly eased.
The pressure in his chest weakened, and the sharp pain behind his forehead softened into a dull ache.
Yoruji looked around.
His eyes moved from one face to another Enji, Seigan, and the others standing behind them.
Then his gaze suddenly stopped on Shiun Ayame.
Ayame stared back at him, her eyes widening in shock.
For a moment, she froze.
The way Yoruji looked at her, his expression and voice, felt painfully familiar.
Like traces of Zareth still remained inside him.
"...Zareth?" she whispered unconsciously.
Her lips parted slightly as disbelief flickered across her face.
"...It can't be," she whispered quietly.
Yoruji stared at them in confusion, his eyes moving between their faces.
But beneath that confusion, a faint feeling of recognition stirred inside him like he knew them somehow, even if he couldn't remember why.