Lost in the fog

Rei froze for a moment.

His hand slid into his pocket.

Something cold and smooth pressed against his fingers.

A pause.

The fog pressed tight, damp and heavy, clinging to their skin.

Every shadow seemed alive.

Itsuki’s gaze flicked toward Rei as he continued to block the attacks of the yōkai, keeping one eye on the battlefield.

Curiosity sparked in his expression.

“I wonder… what’s he going to pull out of his hat this time?” he murmured under his breath, a grin playing on his lips.

Akira stayed tense, muscles coiled, guarding their flank.

Every strike he threw was precise, but his eyes darted toward Rei, alert to any danger.

With a flick, Rei pulled it out… and placed it on his face.

Sunglasses.

Itsuki’s eyes went wide.

“What…? In this fog, of all places?” he muttered, disbelief written all over his face.

Akira’s brow furrowed.

“Won’t that make things even darker?”

Rei didn’t flinch. He adjusted the frame, calm as ever.

“Trust me,” he said, voice steady. “These glasses will show me where the true yōkai are.”

“But first …”

He paused. A smirk tugged at his lips.

Rei tipped his hat.

“Kaitsuki, come in.”

A shadow stirred inside the hat.

Then the white rabbit hopped out, landing softly on the ground, light and precise.

Itsuki’s eyes widened, realization flickering.

“Wait… like on the ship? Kaitsuki is going to guide us, right?”

“Exactly,” Rei said, calm as ever.

“But… the glasses… I still don’t get it,” Itsuki admitted, brow furrowed.

Rei tilted his head slightly, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

“Kaitsuki sends me the map,” he explained. “Blue dots are us, red dots are the real yōkai. Everything else… nothing.”

Akira’s eyes widened, a mix of awe and relief flashing across his face.

“So… we won’t be blind anymore,” he whispered.

“That… that’s brilliant.”

Itsuki let out a quiet chuckle, shaking his head.

“I can’t believe this guy… always one step ahead.”

Rei smirked, letting a few seconds tick by as the map flickered to life across the lenses of his glasses.

When the display stabilized, he straightened, eyes gleaming.

“Okay, guys,” he said. “Follow me.”

Kaitsuki darted a quick glance around the fog.

His sensors flickered.

Heat, motion, the faintest traces of presence , he scanned everything.

Rei led the way, whispering commands.

“Akira, left. Real yōkai.”

He pointed to a dim heat mark glowing in his thermal display.

“Nothing ahead. Keep moving.”

Every step was precise.

Quick, controlled.

Step by careful step, the trio pushed through the fog.

The fog thickened.

It swallowed sound. Distance. Direction.

Visibility dropped to almost nothing.

Akira’s voice cut through the haze.

“Good thing we’ve got Rei.”

They moved. Striking. Dodging.

Metal clashed. Claws screeched.

The yōkai swarmed from every side.

Then… a pause.

Akira spun around.

Itsuki followed.

Rei was gone.

No footsteps. No voice. No signal.

“Rei?” Akira shouted. “Where are you?”

“I’m… right here, to your right!”

“No, left!”

Voices twisted through the fog, impossible to trust.

Same tone. Different directions.

Akira’s grip tightened.

For the first time, doubt crept in.

A small shape bounded from the shadows.

Kaitsuki.

“Follow me,” he urged. “I’ll take you to him.”

Itsuki’s eyes narrowed.

His hand moved on instinct.

A barrier snapped into place, locking Kaitsuki inside.

“What are you doing?” Akira snapped.

“It’s a yōkai,” Itsuki said, voice steady.

“Yes, but it’s Rei’s yōkai!” Akira shot back.

“I know. But it’s not him,” Itsuki replied.

Akira frowned.

“What? How can you tell?”

“The real one,” Itsuki said quietly,

“has no aura.”

The Kaitsuki inside the barrier twitched.

“Liar!” it hissed voice distorting.

“He is the illusion, not me!”

Akira froze for a heartbeat.

Then his eyes sharpened.

There.

Around the creature.

A faint red glow

With a swift motion, Akira struck.

Steel flashed through the fog.

The false Kaitsuki split apart, dissolving into mist.

Silence.

Then—

A soft thump.

The real Kaitsuki hopped forward, untouched.

No aura . No distortion.

Akira exhaled slowly.

He leaned closer, voice barely audible.

“He really doesn’t have an aura… how strange.”

The white rabbit darted nimbly through the thick fog, guiding Akira and Itsuki with sharp, precise movements.

Ahead, they spotted Rei, surrounded by a few other candidates, all muttering under their breath.

“Ugh… a dead end,” one groaned.

“Where are we supposed to go now?” another whispered, voice trembling with panic.

The path ended abruptly.

A sheer wall of rock shot up, vanishing into the fog above.

Rei tilted his head.

“Finally, Kaitsuki. Can you scan the area and find the crystal?”

The little rabbit lifted off.

It flew in a wide circle, tracing a path from their starting point all the way to the base of the mountain.

Every sweep of its flight scanned the foggy zone with meticulous precision.

When Kaitsuki came back, his voice crackled through Rei’s earpiece.

“Master… I’m sorry. I didn’t see the crystal.”

Before they could think of a plan, real yōkai lunged from the mist, sharp claws slicing the air.

The trio fought back immediately. The clash was quick, brutal, and real.

Rei hit the ground, rolling to the side, and drew a dagger instinctively.

Akira moved fast, cutting down the attacking yōkai in clean, precise strikes.

Itsuki held out a hand to help Rei up.

But Rei stayed on the ground, eyes locked on something above.

Akira tensed.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” he asked, concern sharp in his voice.

Rei smirked.

“No… I think I know where the crystal is.”

Itsuki and the other candidates froze, anticipation hanging heavy in the air.

“Where?”

Rei pointed straight up.

“All the way up there!”

They tilted their heads, following his finger.

A faint, icy-blue glow flickered high above, barely visible through the dense fog.

So far. So distant.

“Hum… are you sure it’s up there?” one candidate whispered, doubt lacing their tone.

“Master! Let me check!” Kaitsuki’s voice chirped excitedly.

He lifted off, flying straight toward the peak, climbing higher than ever before.

“Master… you’re right,” the rabbit’s voice bubbled with excitement.

“The crystal… it’s at the top.”

The words spread quickly through the fog.

From somewhere below, shouts rose.

“No way! The crystal is really up there?”

“How are we supposed to reach it?”

“I don’t have enough mana!”

“Can we even climb with our hands? I’m too tired…”

“Eight minutes left… this is impossible!”

Akira groaned, shoulders slumping.

“Even with Itsuki’s healing… I’ve used too much power. I can’t make it.”

Itsuki’s brow furrowed, thinking fast.

“If it’s not too high… maybe I could make a staircase with my barriers… but it won’t hold all three of us.”

Rei’s eyes sharpened.

He turned to Itsuki.

“Take Akira. I’ll handle this.”

Itsuki hesitated.

“You’re sure?”

“You know me,” Rei said, calm and confident as ever.

“I always have a plan.”

Itsuki glanced at Akira.

“Okay… we’ll wait for you at the top.”

Akira nodded, still panting.

The two began their climb, disappearing slowly into the fog.

Rei crouched, scanning the path ahead, mind calculating every move.

“How…?” he muttered to himself.

A sudden shadow loomed above.

Kazuto hovered effortlessly, standing on his spinning blades, metal gleaming, smirking down at Rei.

“Hmph,” he called out.

“A guy without magic? You’ll never make it to the top. This time I win.”

Rei’s eyes flicked up.

The crystal gleamed faintly, far above.

Time ticked away.

The impossible challenge looming.