Chapter 10: Shadows of Yesterday Part III

Chapter 10: Shadows of Yesterday Part III
Kazuki stood firm, his breathing heavy, the demon's retreat echoing in his mind. For a brief moment, he believed it was his presence that forced the creature back. His hand tightened around the hilt of his katanada—until a chill ran down his spine.
A presence.
No—several presence.
He turned slowly, and his heart dropped.
Lined up in front of him, weapons drawn and eyes cold, stood seven figures. At the center, a tall man in obsidian chestplate bore the crest of a Blade, the highest rank among the Sentinels stationed near the Realm Gates. His grip on his greatsword was relaxed, but his gaze pierced like steel.
Flanking him were two lean figures dressed in deep gray—Daggers, the elite infiltration and recon specialists. Their expressions were unreadable, masks concealing all but their eyes.
Behind them, five regular Sentinels formed a wide arc, halberds gleaming under the distorted light of the gate, surrounding Kazuki like a tightening noose.
"Step away from the girl," the Blade commanded, his voice low but heavy with authority. "You've broken the sacred law."
Kazuki's pulse thundered in his ears. He glanced back at Sistine, still unconscious, her arm twitching from the spreading corruption. He shifted his stance slightly, shielding her, even as logic screamed at him that resistance was pointless.
But he didn't move.
He couldn't.
He wouldn't. 
The elite Sentinels returned with Kazuki and Sistine, stepping out of the forbidden gate. The moment their boots hit sacred soil, a swarm of high-ranking officials and enforcers greeted them—not with relief, but with cold, unforgiving silence.
Kazuki held Sistine tightly, refusing to let go. Her body was still, unconscious, the demon bite on her shoulder darkening by the minute.
"Take her," a commanding voice ordered.
Two Sentinels grabbed Sistine from his arms.
"Wait—no! She needs help!" Kazuki protested, struggling as chains of innergy-bound steel snapped around his wrists.
He was dragged away.
That night, the whispers spread like wildfire across the capital. A demon gate. A forbidden breach. A girl cursed. A prodigy condemned.

The next day, Kazuki stood in the towering Hall of Judgment, surrounded by towering marble pillars etched with the unbendable codes of Sentinel law. His clothes were torn, his wrists bruised from the restraints. Dozens of Sentinels watched from the upper galleries—some curious, some disapproving.
The High Arbiter sat on the dais, flanked by two Elders and several commanders. His voice echoed through the chamber like a gavel striking bone.
"Sistine Lynheart," he pronounced, "has been bitten by a demon. The corruption has taken root. Under Code Nine, she is to be executed within two days to prevent full demonization."
Gasps rippled through the hall.
Kazuki's breath caught in his throat. "What…? No—no! She's not turning! I can fix this! You can't just—!"
The Arbiter raised a hand. "Silence! Your actions have already defied the sacred order. You, Kazuki Leonheart, unlawfully crossed a restricted gate. For this, you will be detained and imprisoned, until further review."
The guards seized him again, dragging him back as he shouted.
"Listen to me! I can save her! Just let me try! Don't kill her over fear!"
His cries went unanswered.
In the isolation of his cell, Kazuki sat on cold stone, the silence broken only by the drip of water and the clink of his cuffs. But his mind burned brighter than ever.
He didn't sleep.
He carved runes into the floor with the jagged edge of a broken cuff, tracing them with blood when his fingers blistered. He drew from memory—ancient texts he once studied from the archives. A countermeasure. A light-based ritual designed to freeze, isolate, and reverse the early stages of curses.
Time was short.
When Sistine was brought into the chamber again for pre-execution preparations, Kazuki saw her from across the room—bound in magical seals, her breathing faint, her eyes still closed.
That was the moment he struck.
He screamed a single word, "Lumirest" 
and the chamber was engulfed in radiant light. Golden glyphs spun around Sistine's body, pulsing with warmth and force as he mutters the spell that he had developed 
"By oath unbroken, by soul untainted, I call the light through curse unpainted. Blood to blood, let shadow flee, Undo the chains of blight from thee. Innergy converge, by my design, Restore her will, and sever the sign." 
The darkness on her shoulder hissed, curling back like smoke. Her breath steadied.
The room froze.
"She's… healing?" one of the council members murmured.
"It's working," another gasped. "He's doing it."
Kazuki fell to one knee, chest heaving, drained but hopeful. "See? I told you… she doesn't have to die."
But the High Arbiter didn't rise. His face remained unreadable.
"The curse may appear halted," he said calmly, "but we have no proof it is eradicated. The risk is still present. The sentence stands."
Kazuki's eyes widened. "What—?! You just saw it work!"
"Your spell has no precedent. No guarantee. We cannot afford a single slip. The law must be upheld."
Around him, some Sentinels looked away—some out of pity, others in silent agreement. But none spoke up. None challenged the decree.
Kazuki stared in disbelief, his body shaking.
"You people…" he whispered. "You're not protecting anyone. You're just afraid."
He looked to Sistine, her body still glowing faintly with the remnants of his magic.
They would kill her.
Unless he did something.
Sistine, would die. 
Kazuki clenched his fists, the pain in his chest mounting with every breath. He looked at Sistine—barely conscious, breathing shallowly, surrounded by guards ready to drag her to her execution.
His gaze turned dark. They weren't going to save her. They were going to bury her out of fear.
Enough.
Kazuki raised his hand slowly, muttering under his breath. Ancient glyphs shimmered beneath his fingertips—his own design. A spell not meant for escape in battle, but for crossing dimensions. He had been working on it in secret, researching forbidden texts, deciphering the mysterious signatures of other worlds. And he found one.
A safe world.
A different world.
A world far beyond the reach of Sentinels—where their laws meant nothing.
Before anyone could move, the chamber was bathed in blinding light as the spell activated. Wind howled. Arcane sigils spiraled around Sistine's body, forming a vortex of pure energy beneath her. Her body slowly began to rise, glowing like a falling star in reverse. 
Then, he started chanting. 
"O ancient force that weaves the skies,Tear the bounds where judgment lies.Through forbidden gate and shattered law,Guide her soul from fate's cruel claw.Let not the chains of fear remain,Nor demon's mark nor binding chain.I offer will, I offer sin,To cast her far where light begins.Bend space, bend time, and break the seal—To lands unknown, let her path be real!"
Gasps erupted. Commanders stood up in alarm.
"What is he doing?!"
"Stop him!"
Kazuki stepped between her and the rest of the hall, arms outstretched. "If you won't save her, then I will."
"You dare defy the Council?!"
"Mark me a traitor if you want," he spat. "But at least I'll still have my soul."
The energy climaxed, and with a crack of thunder, Sistine vanished—disappearing into a shimmering tear in space.
The chamber fell into stunned silence.
But Kazuki didn't run.
He stood there, arms dropped to his sides, breathing heavily. "She's safe now. Somewhere they can't reach her."
The punishment came swiftly. The Council declared him an exile. Not imprisoned—but branded a lawbreaker, cast out of the Holy Capital, forbidden to return. 
They stripped him of his titles, his name erased from the Sentinel records.
But Kazuki didn't care.
He walked out of the capital with chains still clinking at his side… but a quiet smile on his face.
She was alive.
That was all that mattered.