---
The next morning came slow, heavy with fog. The city felt muted, like it was holding its breath.
Yuki sat on the edge of his bed, replaying the girl's words over and over in his head. His bandages were fresh, but his mind wasn't. He hadn't slept much. Too many thoughts. Too many questions.
He grabbed his hoodie and stepped out into the cool morning air, needing to clear his head.
But the moment he turned the corner at the end of his street—
A gust of wind slammed into him.
Not just any wind—sharp, deliberate. Controlled.
"Still slow," a voice said from above.
Yuki staggered back and looked up.
Standing casually on a streetlight, one foot balanced on the metal pole like it was solid ground, was Ren.
Sharp eyes. Cloak fluttering in the wind. Calm but always tense, like a sword waiting to be drawn.
"You've been seen," Ren said, voice low. "And not just by her."
Yuki crossed his arms. "You mean the girl at my window last night?"
Ren narrowed his eyes. "You let her in?"
"She didn't give me a choice!"
Ren dropped down from the pole in a smooth motion and landed beside him. "From now on, don't trust anyone that appears without a sound. Not even me."
Yuki looked at him, confused. "...Why? Who is she?"
Ren shook his head. "Not yet."
Yuki scowled. "Why does everyone keep hiding things from me? I just fought someone who knew my name. And now people I don't even know are warning me about 'what's coming.' How am I supposed to prepare if you won't tell me anything?"
Ren stared at him for a moment… then finally spoke.
"You prepare by surviving. And to survive, you need control. Power without control isn't strength—it's noise. Chaos."
He turned away and started walking.
"Follow me."
Yuki blinked. "Where are we going?"
"To a place that isn't bound by humans or walls. If you're serious about surviving what's coming, then your real training starts now."
Yuki hesitated… then followed.He couldn't help but wonder if Aiko was feeling the same weight of the situation. She had her own knowledge of the mythic world, but she hadn't been around lately. It was unlike her to leave him hanging for long.
He didn't notice the pair of eyes watching from the rooftops, or the faint glimmer of a smile beneath a hood.
The mythic world was shifting.
And Yuki was stepping right into the heart of it.
---
"If you're enjoying the ride, don't forget to leave a power stone or a comment—it really helps this grow!"