New Spark

"So you can't provide any useful information at all?" Haku leaned back, stretching her stiff limbs, then looked at the boy with boredom. "By the way, your name's pretty lame."

"I don't want to hear that from someone named Hakuka," Ren shot back. "But it's interesting—you have a Japanese name."

"Japanese?"

"Hmm... let's just say that's my kingdom."

"And why's your face so dirty?"

Ren instinctively touched his cheek, expecting dried mud from yesterday's chaos. But his fingers came away clean. Haku watched his face with intense curiosity, a strange mix of excitement and wonder in her crimson eyes—like a child discovering a new animal.

"Never seen anything like this?" Ren gestured to his face. Haku shook her head.

"These are freckles. Kind of like your stripes."

The oni girl's face lit up. "Really? I've never met anyone who looked like me! Here, there are only orcs and a few boring-looking humans. Good job, Ken!"

She cheerfully patted Ren's head, making him feel even more like a pet.

"That's not my name."

She ignored him and walked out of the attic room.

Haku gave Ren a tour of the castle. They started at the grand entrance hall, where walls were lined with paintings of unknown landscapes, each one looking expensive. A crimson carpet stretched beneath their feet, bordered by thick potted plants, and tall windows filled the space with light. Dozens of people passed through, stealing glances at the red-haired oni and her strange new companion as they descended the stairs.

Their next stop was the kitchen, where they lingered longer than necessary because Haku insisted on sampling every dish. The cooks groaned but said nothing. Judging by their expressions, they were used to it.

Across the hallway was the waiting room, featuring deep red couches that looked incredibly comfortable and a polished piano in the corner, ready to entertain the guests.

The council room's door was placed between twin staircases leading to the upper floors. This was where the kingdom's leaders planned their battles—whoever the enemy was. Haku barely peeked inside before turning away.

"I'm not dealing with this while Master's still missing."

Ren had already heard the staff whisper the name "Mage." This mysterious figure was the kingdom's most powerful mage and leader, despite the lack of an actual king. Haku held him in deep respect, but whenever she spoke of his disappearance, her voice hardened.

They ended the tour in a sprawling library on the first floor. Haku left him there, and Ren didn't mind. He was, in fact, grateful. Something was soothing about the rows of leather-bound books, even if he couldn't remember if he liked to read or not.

The books were arranged alphabetically, sorted by genre, so Ren made his way to the history section. If he wanted to understand this world—and perhaps figure out how to get back to his own—this seemed like a good place to start.

He chose a picture book that looked short enough for a quick crash course, just something to get a sense of the past.

"Long ago, all beings lived together in harmony..."

The illustrations were warm and cheerful—four brightly colored stick figures with thick outlines, smiling side by side.

"Then the earth shook. The sky darkened. A great storm rose. And from the storm, the so-called Phantoms came."

The following pages turned sinister—dark silhouettes loomed, vague shapes hid behind trees, and crawled across rooftops.

"The shadows have no physical bodies. That's why you must be extra careful around angry animals. If you see anything strange, run to a shelter and find an adult."

Ren flipped ahead. The rest of the book was filled with child-friendly safety tips and cartoon warnings. He set it aside and reached for heavier volumes—bigger books with dense lettering and fewer pictures, hoping to piece the puzzle together.

From what he gathered, the world now held two major kingdoms: the elves' Ivory Concord and the orcs' Ebony Vow. Both names stirred something faintly familiar in his memory, though he couldn't say why. They were once part of a single nation, now only remembered as the Old Kingdom.

Society was divided into two main castes: warriors, who fought up close with physical weapons, and mages, who cast spells from a distance using only their hands. In theory, they worked best together. In practice, Ivory Concord had more mages, while Ebony Vow relied heavily on warriors.

The shadows, as described, had no bodies of their own. They possess animals—or sometimes even objects—and destroy everyone and everything in their path. No one knows what they are, where they come from, or why.

But one thing was clear: just before—or right after—their first appearance, a bloody betrayal took place between elves and orcs. That day became known as the Shattering. It's important to everyone who lives and grows up here, but no book could agree on the exact date.

At first, people fought phantoms by killing their host bodies. They believed it was temporary, like a virus. Quarantines were imposed, and as tensions rose, racism worsened. But the threat kept growing. More and more animals became sick and violent, hurting and eventually killing people. So, citizens did everything they could to eliminate the infected creatures, hoping to destroy the phantoms with them. Yet, that quickly led to a collapse in the local ecosystem.

After many failed attempts, they developed a new method, still in use today. The kingdoms worked together to create it: a chemical extracted from a local plant is applied to a blade. Then, a skilled warrior cuts a four-pointed star into the animal—without killing it. This allows mages to perform an exorcism, destroying only the phantom inside.

The four-pointed star—and stars in general—became a symbol of purification, and eventually, a universal sign for magic itself. Magic circles, too, were often drawn with five-pointed stars at their center.

Ren closed his eyes. For a moment, he saw again the beam of light from the battlefield. Could it have been a magic circle? Maybe. He hadn't been conscious long enough to tell.

He pushed the history books aside and reached for others. Now, he was curious about magic—especially since he wasn't meant for swords.

There were fewer books about magic. Most were half-destroyed or vague. But one message was consistent across them all: "Magic cannot be learned." And some beginner's guides suggested meditation to awaken latent power—something about "chakra gates," whatever that meant.

"What are you doing?"

Ren jumped. A red-haired head popped over his shoulder.

"Looking for books about magic," he muttered.

"Why? You can't use it anyway."

"I like understanding how things work."

"Sounds boring. I'd rather show you how to swing a sword."

Haku spun toward the door, already excited.

"Not interested. But didn't you say your Master was a mage—"

Her glare froze him mid-sentence. He paused, uncertain why she'd gotten so mad. Maybe it was because she hadn't said it herself—he'd only assumed based on what others said. Or perhaps she was so upset about her master that she couldn't even talk about it. Since she looked like she was killing him with her eyes, it was probably both.

Still, he hadn't meant to offend. "Look, Haku… I don't know your Master, and I have no idea what your relationship was like. I can't even remember the people from my own life. I just want to understand what's going on here—because everything's new to me, and I need to make sense of the world around me."

She didn't answer. But something in her expression softened. She turned away and held the door open for him.

They stepped into the courtyard in silence. It was even more beautiful than the halls: pale stone paths crisscrossed between lush gardens, fountains shimmered under the sun, and every corner was dotted with benches and tiny animal statues.

The peace didn't last. Some girls whispered nearby.

"What's she even doing here?"

"I don't know. Since the Mage vanished, she's gone crazy."

Ren glanced sideways at Haku. She showed no reaction.

"You always get mad so fast. Doesn't it bother you what they say?"

She looked up, indifferent. "Why should it? I'm the only oni here. I don't fit in. Never did."

As much as she wanted to hide it, Ren could hear the sadness beneath her words, and he didn't want to press her further.

But she continued, "They think I'm crazy for not killing you. Some say you're a spy. But I know people—I'm a great judge of character."

She straightened her back, a proud smirk tugging at her lips. Ren thought she was naive, but he kept that to himself.

Just then, a girl sprinted across the garden—a tall orc with grey skin—and behind her, a cloud of black smoke that writhed like a living thing.

Haku's eyes narrowed. She dashed forward, grabbing a broom from beside a fountain.

Ren followed the noise toward the town square—only to find chaos. People were running from rampaging flying pigs that crashed through stalls and knocked over carts. Haku was desperately trying to stop them. Her improvised weapon, though blunt, seemed surprisingly effective.

Ren watched, frozen. He knew he should move. He couldn't help it. Something inside him craved the rush—any new experience to anchor himself with.

"Get out of the way!" Haku yelled.

He turned—just in time to see a pig's enormous, drooping tongue flying at his face. He raised a hand on instinct—

A sudden tingling shot down his arm, like static crackling under his skin. It wasn't painful, just strange—and a blue spark burst from his fingertips, blasting the creature into a wall.

Summary of Key Changes and Why: