CHAPTER-8

The birds' gentle chirps filled the air, signaling the arrival of the first rays of sunlight.The warmth of the sun slowly crept across the land, a blanket of gold, but it did little to soothe the tight knot in Reika's chest. Her fingers dug into the grass, grounding her in a fleeting moment of calm that felt utterly misplaced. The weight of the day, of the trial ahead, pressed down on her like an immovable stone, suffocating her thoughts.

"If we don't find that crystal…" Reika's voice barely broke the silence, flat and distant. Her words seemed to float in the air, meaningless. Her gaze drifted to the path ahead, though her mind was a thousand miles away.

"I'll be disqualified… And then everything ends." The finality of it all crushed her ribs. The task was one thing, but the expectations? That suffocating pressure to always be the best, to never fail. It was so much heavier than any stone could be.

Ishigo was quieter today, his usual lightness gone. His presence beside her was solid and unwavering, but even his words carried a weight today. "We'll make it," he said, his tone a mix of determination and something else.

Hope, maybe. Reika didn't know if it was hope he was trying to offer her or himself. She didn't answer immediately, simply gave a small, absent nod.

She stood slowly, brushing dirt off her pants, her body moving on autopilot. There was no choice but to go forward—to Tenshiko, the site of their next trial. Even as her feet carried her onward, her mind refused to follow, tangled in what-ifs, in doubt. There was no space for weakness here. Not now.

Just as they began walking, a loud voice shattered the fragile silence.

"You fucking beasts, you want to eat me, huh?"

The harshness of the voice ripped through the forest air like a blade. Reika's spine stiffened, the taunting words jagged in her mind, unnatural.

She exchanged a quick glance with Ishigo. His jaw was tight, his eyes already scanning the clearing, alert.

Ahead, in the center of the clearing, a boy stood—maybe a few years older than them. His posture was unnervingly confident, almost mocking. There was something about him that set Reika's teeth on edge.

His arm twisted unnaturally, bent at the elbow at an impossible angle. It was shifting—morphing—until it became a twisted, gnarled limb, almost like the front leg of a wolf. The creature beneath his control writhed, its cries of agony echoing through the trees. But the boy? He seemed to relish it.

The wolf's tortured whines were met with laughter, an unsettling sound that twisted the air. The boy grinned, wide and unhinged, the laughter ripping through the forest with a manic energy.

"HAHAHA!" His voice rang out, echoing in the dense woods, mocking the pain of the creature beneath him.

"What the hell is going on here?" Ishigo muttered, his voice a mix of disbelief and disgust.

Reika's gaze hardened, her mind racing as she took in the scene. The boy was tall, messy black hair hanging over his eyes, his smile sickeningly self-assured.

That smile. Arrogance dripping from every inch of him. But what unnerved her more wasn't just his demeanor—it was how the wolf's pain seemed to fuel him, how the suffering of a living being was a joke to him.

The boy's grip tightened with sickening force. With a sickening crack, the wolf's cries fell silent. Its body crumpled to the ground, and in the blink of an eye, flames consumed it, leaving behind nothing but ashes.

From those ashes, a glowing stone emerged—strange and otherworldly. The boy snatched it up like a prize.

"Mwahaha! I just killed it! I'm the strongest!" The boy's voice was triumphant, almost childishly gleeful. He danced in circles, arms flung wide, his insane grin stretched across his face.

Reika's stomach churned. The stone. It pulsed with an unnatural light, its glow almost too vibrant, too alive. Her instincts screamed that it wasn't just a stone. It was something far darker. And the boy? His obsession with it was palpable.

"OMG, it's mine! Finally, I've found it!" he screamed, clutching the stone to his chest, his eyes gleaming with madness.

"Totally insane…" Reika muttered under her breath, disgust curling in her gut.

"Hey, kids! What's up?" The boy called, his voice grating, as he swaggered over, eyes flicking between Reika and Ishigo, clearly enjoying their discomfort. "I'm Daigo Yamamoto, the strongest Kageshiki in the world!"

Reika crossed her arms, her face cold and unreadable, but there was no hiding the contempt in her eyes. "Great. Another insane one," she murmured, her voice dripping with disdain.

Daigo tilted his head, a predatory gleam in his eyes. He was enjoying this—his presence, their reaction. It was like a game to him.

"You're a Kageshiki too, huh? But you're so young. Think you can handle me?" He flexed, muscles rippling with unnecessary flair.

Reika didn't bother with a response. Her gaze was unwavering, her voice as sharp as steel. "Yeah, you're strong. Whatever. But I don't have time to waste on you."

Daigo's laughter cracked the air again, loud and wild. "Oh come on! Don't be shy!" He made a show of throwing a mock punch, daring her to engage. "Let's fight! You don't believe I'm the strongest?"

Reika didn't even flinch. Her gaze met his with icy detachment. "I'm not wasting my time on an idiot."

His grin didn't fade. "Don't be so icy!" Daigo teased, completely unbothered. "I'm gonna call you 'Icy' from now on."

"My name is Kagetsu Reika." Her voice was calm, but there was a sharp edge to it. She didn't care for his childishness.

"Icy, I like it better," Daigo said, clearly not hearing a word she said. He then turned to Ishigo, who had been silently observing, clearly uninterested in Daigo's antics.

"Yo, bro! What's your name?" Daigo slapped Ishigo's back too hard, making him stagger slightly.

"Ishigo Nakano." His voice was dry, unimpressed.

"Haha! You were born to be my bro!" Daigo laughed, as if this was the funniest thing he'd ever heard.

"Yeah, real funny," Ishigo replied, his voice flat.

Reika's patience snapped. "Come on, let's go. We need to get to Tenshiko." She turned, cutting him off before he could say anything else.

But Daigo wasn't about to let her go that easily. He quickened his pace, falling into step beside her, his grin never wavering. "Let me tag along, bro!" he said, like the idea was some great privilege.

Reika didn't look at him, but the silence between them spoke volumes. Ishigo sighed heavily beside her. "Fine. But don't touch me."

And so, they walked in silence—well, not quite silence. Daigo's laughter echoed through the air behind them, mocking the very world they were walking through, an uninvited shadow that would never leave them. The jungle had quieted, as if something darker was waiting.

When they reached the gates of Tenshiko, it was worse than they could have imagined.

The gates stood wide open, a gruesome scene unfolding before them. Hooded figures dragged bloody, half-eaten bodies from the jungle. The stench of death hung thick in the air, mingling with the rotting flesh. Reika's stomach churned, bile rising in her throat. This was the price of survival.

"Looks like the beasts didn't finish their meals…" Reika muttered, her voice flat. She didn't know if she meant the bodies or the survivors, but either way, the stench of failure was thick. "Guess that's why they didn't make it."

The birds’ gentle chirps filled the air, signaling the arrival of the first rays of sunlight. The warmth of the sun slowly crept across the land, a golden veil, but it did little to ease the tight knot twisting in Reika’s chest. Her fingers clenched into the grass, grounding her in a fleeting moment of calm that felt completely out of place.

The weight of the day—of the trial ahead—pressed on her like a stone slab, suffocating.

“If we don’t find that crystal…” Reika’s voice barely broke the stillness, flat and distant. Her words drifted, hollow. Her gaze fixed on the path ahead, though her thoughts were galaxies away.

“I’ll be disqualified… And then everything ends.” The finality of it crushed her ribs. The task was hard enough—but the expectations? The pressure to always succeed, to never falter? That was the real monster.

Ishigo stood beside her in rare silence, his usual snark tucked away. He was solid, grounding, but even his voice felt heavy. “We’ll make it,” he said, not quite confidently—more like a wish spoken out loud.

Reika gave a faint nod and rose, brushing dirt from her pants. Her body moved out of habit, not choice. They had to keep going—onward to Tenshiko, to whatever nightmare waited there. Her feet moved, but her heart lagged behind, buried under layers of doubt and what-ifs.

Then—

“You ugly forest goblins wanna EAT ME, huh?! COME AT ME, SCRUBS!”

A voice exploded through the trees like a warhorn dipped in Red Bull. Reika snapped to attention, spine stiff, as the ridiculous taunt echoed unnaturally in the quiet forest.

She shot a glance at Ishigo, whose jaw was clenched. His eyes scanned the clearing with military sharpness.

There, dead-center in the clearing, stood a boy—maybe seventeen. He oozed cocky energy, standing like the main character of a show nobody asked for. He wore his confidence like armor and grinned like he hadn’t met consequences in his life.

His right arm twisted grotesquely, bones snapping and reshaping with a crunch, until it resembled something monstrous—almost like a wolf’s foreleg. The creature under his control whimpered in pain, writhing, twitching in agony.

But the boy? He laughed. Full, manic, chest-heaving laughter.

“HAHAHA! Bro, did you SEE that transformation? Peak horror, 10/10 body horror, no notes!”

Reika’s stomach flipped. The wolf-creature howled, but the boy just kept grinning—wide and feral—feeding off its pain like it was entertainment.

With one sickening crack, he twisted again—and the creature collapsed. Silence.

Then: fire. Flames erupted from nowhere, consuming the corpse. Within moments, it was nothing but ash. And from those ashes, something shimmered—a glowing stone, pulsing faintly.

The boy plucked it up, holding it to the sky like some divine prize.

“MINE! LFGGGGG!” he shouted, spinning in wild circles like he’d just won the lottery. “You see that? This right here? Main character energy, baby!”

“What the hell is going on?” Ishigo muttered, watching in half-disgust, half-awe.

Reika stared. The boy’s smile was too wide, too full of chaos. The way he fed off the pain… it wasn’t just arrogance. It was wrong. Twisted.

He tucked the stone into his jacket with dramatic flair, then turned to face them, finally noticing the two silent observers.

“Yo, what’s up, losers?” he called, swaggering toward them like they were old friends. “Daigo Yamamoto, baddest Kageshiki in this whole damn forest. You’re welcome.”

Reika crossed her arms, unimpressed. “Great. Another lunatic.”

Daigo’s eyes sparkled like he’d just been complimented. “Haha, right? I am kinda iconic.”

He looked her up and down. “You’re a Kageshiki too, huh? What’s your skill? Sad girl aesthetic? Is it… emotional damage?”

Reika’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t have time for this.”

Daigo leaned in, grinning like the devil on spring break. “C’mon, don’t be so frosty! I’mma call you Icy. It suits you.”

“My name is Kagetsu Reika.”

“Nah, Icy hits harder.”

He turned to Ishigo, slapping his back way too hard. “And you? You got the whole ‘grumpy side character’ vibe. I’m digging it. What’s your name, bro?”

“Ishigo Nakano.” His voice was dry enough to kill grass.

Daigo gave him finger guns. “Nice! You’re now officially my sidekick.”

Ishigo didn’t blink. “Try that again and I’ll bury you.”

“Love that fire, bro!” Daigo laughed. “We’re gonna vibe so hard on this journey!”

Reika turned on her heel. “Let’s go. We’ve wasted enough time.”

Daigo jogged up beside them, beaming like he belonged. “Ooooh, squad time! Let’s get this bread.”

“No one invited you,” Reika snapped.

“Exactly why I showed up,” he replied, not missing a beat.

The trio walked in uncomfortable silence—well, almost silence. Daigo hummed, whistled, made sound effects. Ishigo looked moments away from punching him.

By the time they reached Tenshiko’s gates, the laughter had stopped.

The scene awaiting them was horror incarnate. Blood smeared across the jungle floor. Hooded figures dragging what was left of students—bodies mangled, half-eaten. The smell hit first, a wave of decay and failure.

Reika gagged. The academy had become a graveyard.

“Guess the beasts got picky,” she muttered, voice hollow. “Didn’t like the taste of fear.”

Daigo snorted. “Talk about bad Yelp reviews.”

She didn’t even glare at him. The trauma was too thick.

Sixty students—maybe fewer—marched into the courtyard. Some cried. Most were silent. The air was heavy with loss.

“Welp,” a voice drawled, “look who survived.”

They looked up. Souta, silver-haired and smirking, lounged against the wall like he hadn’t just watched kids die for sport.

“Flexibility training tomorrow,” he said, grinning like it was a joke. “Hope you can bend. A lot.”

Reika felt her fists clench. Tomorrow would be hell. But she’d be ready.

Daigo popped gum into his mouth and grinned. “Flexibility? Say less. I stay stretchy.”

Reika didn’t respond.

But behind her, Daigo laughed. Not cruelly. Just… wildly. Like the whole world was a game, and he’d already won.