Chapter 31 : The warning before war

The old hideout echoed with the sound of heavy breathing and the occasional clink of training weapons. Inside the dimly lit room, the smell of dust and sweat hung in the air. Mikuya and Sora had spent hours working through the drills, sparring, and running exercises. The heat from their training had filled the space, but the winter chill outside still crept through the cracks in the walls, a reminder of the season’s arrival.

The room was large, enough to fit a few people comfortably, though its once bright walls were now worn and scarred from years of use. The wooden floors creaked underfoot, and the faint hum of the old furnace barely managed to warm the air. Despite the cold creeping in, the fire in their hearts—fueled by the urgency of their training—kept them going.

But even the most intense drills had to stop at some point. After a while, Sora lowered his training blade, his muscles aching from the effort. He wiped his brow, his face flushed from the exertion. His breath came in ragged gasps, and his heart pounded in his chest. Mikuya, on the other hand, stood still, her expression unreadable as she adjusted her stance.

After a long moment, Sora finally spoke, breaking the silence. “Hey... you feeling better now?”

Mikuya didn’t immediately respond. She stood with her arms crossed, staring out the narrow window of the room. The last rays of sunlight were fading, casting a soft glow on her features. Slowly, she gave a small nod, barely perceptible.

Sora took a step closer, trying to ease the awkward tension between them. He scratched the back of his head nervously. “I mean... I’m glad you're okay. I wasn’t sure what to say, but I... I figured you needed someone to talk to.”

Mikuya turned to face him then, her gaze cool and calculating. “So, what about earlier? When I mentioned my friends, you had no idea who I was talking about, did you?”

Sora blinked, caught off guard by her directness. “Well, no... I didn’t. You never told me about them before.”

Her eyes narrowed, but there was no anger in her voice—just a slight edge of frustration. “You comforted me without even knowing who I was talking about... and yet you still tried to help.”

Sora shifted his weight awkwardly. “Well... I wanted to be there for you, even if I didn’t fully understand. I just... I don’t know, I figured if you needed to get it off your chest, I’d listen.”

There was a pause, and Mikuya seemed to soften slightly. Her cold demeanor didn’t melt entirely, but it relaxed, just enough for her to answer him.

“They were my friends. Nene, Hana, Yuka, and Emiko,” she said quietly, almost as if speaking the names of her lost companions brought back a weight she wasn’t ready to carry.

Sora absorbed the names carefully, his brow furrowed slightly. “I see... you never really talked about them. Do you miss them?”

Mikuya hesitated, her eyes flickering with a mixture of sadness and something deeper, something guarded. Before she could respond, a familiar sound cut through the tension in the room—the creak of the old door opening.

Kaito stepped inside, his face grim as usual. His presence seemed to change the atmosphere immediately. Mikuya and Sora exchanged a glance—they both knew what this meant. The way Kaito walked, the stiffness in his posture, said it all. It wasn’t good news.

“Guess we don’t have much time to talk,” Kaito said, his voice low and heavy. “The Masked Trinity has made their decision. They’ve given us the go-ahead.”

Sora’s stomach twisted. He knew exactly what that meant.

Kaito continued, his expression unreadable. “They’ve begun training their soldiers. It’s official now. They’ll be coming for us soon.”

The weight of his words sank like a stone in the pit of their stomachs. The air felt colder, as if the very room had turned against them. Mikuya’s gaze hardened, her mind already shifting into planning mode, but Sora stood still for a moment, processing the reality of what was about to happen.

“We thought we had more time...” Sora muttered under his breath, his voice tight with frustration.

“We did,” Kaito said, his eyes narrowing. “But that doesn’t matter anymore. We need to focus on what’s ahead. The soldiers will be here soon.”

Mikuya’s voice cut through the silence, steady and calm, though it carried an edge of urgency. “Then we don’t have a moment to waste. We have to prepare ourselves for what’s coming. We’re already behind, and I won’t let them catch us off guard.”

She straightened, her expression firm as she scanned the room. The last bits of daylight were gone now, and the room was only illuminated by the weak light of a nearby lantern. The cold air of winter crept in through the walls, but it didn’t faze her.

“We need to rest tonight,” Sora said, his tone more practical now. “Tomorrow we train harder than ever. We’ll need all the energy we can muster. If their soldiers are on the move, we’ll have to be ready.”

Kaito nodded in agreement. He didn’t speak for long; he knew they didn’t have time to waste on words. He turned and left the room as quietly as he had entered.

Mikuya and Sora were left in the dim light, the weight of their situation hanging between them. Sora exhaled deeply, rubbing his temples as he sat back down on the edge of the training mat. It was almost too much to handle—the thought of facing an army that was already preparing, of having to fight back against forces stronger than they were, felt overwhelming.

Mikuya, however, was already thinking ahead. She turned her back to Sora and walked toward the far corner of the room where a small cot rested. Without another word, she sat down, wrapping her arms around herself as if she were trying to keep the cold from creeping into her bones.

Sora stood for a while, his mind racing. The door creaked again as Kaito returned, and with a brief nod to both of them, he left the room for the night. The hideout was eerily quiet after that, save for the occasional creak of the old building and the wind rustling outside.

The night passed slowly. Mikuya and Sora both retreated into their respective rooms, each alone with their thoughts. The winter chill in the air felt sharper now, the impending storm of battle looming larger than ever.

Outside, the first signs of snow were beginning to show. It was light, just a dusting across the ground, but the change in the air was unmistakable. Winter was here, and with it came the promise of harder days ahead.

Sora lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling. He couldn’t sleep—not with the weight of what was coming. He thought of Mikuya’s friends, the ones she’d lost, and wondered how much pain she was carrying with her. He wondered how much more he could do for her, for all of them.

The battle they were about to face was far from over.

And in that moment, he made a promise to himself.

He wouldn’t let them lose.

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