CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: UNBOUND

Caught off guard by his words, Mika barely had time to react before something was forced between her lips.

A bitter liquid flooded her mouth. Her eyes widened as the taste hit — sharp, acrid, wrong.

Mika gagged, instinctively shoving the intruder back with all her strength before the substance could fully choke her. She staggered, coughing violently as the liquid burned its way down her throat.

Her vision swam. Knees buckled.

For a terrifying second, Mika thought she might just collapse where she stood.

Eyes watering, throat screaming, head spinning so badly she had to fight to stay upright, she forced herself to glare at him through the haze.

Without hesitation, she swung. Her fist connected with a solid crack.

The masked man stumbled back a step, nearly losing his footing. One hand flew to his cheek, already bruising rapidly beneath the mask. He hissed as he tasted blood — his own tongue caught between his teeth when the blow landed.

“What did you put in my mouth, you bastard?!” Mika screamed, her voice tearing raw from her chest.

Grey eyes narrowed behind the mask, sharp and assessing.

“Poison,” he said flatly.

Her breath hitched. “W—what?”

“Poison,” he repeated, louder this time.

He raised his hand, revealing a small vial now empty. A slow, knowing smirk curved beneath the mask.

“The poison you just drank will unleash it.”

Mika’s head throbbed. “Unleash what? What the hell are you talking about?!”

He tilted his head, almost pitying.

“Your other self, Princess,” he said softly. “The Spirit that has dwelled quietly inside you — the one you abandoned for the sake of mankind.”

Mika’s grip tightened around her blades.

“The only time you ever let it surface,” The man continued, “was when your life was in danger. When instinct overrode restraint.” His voice dropped, almost intimate. “You are a casket. And the thing inside you doesn’t care about your soul. It only cares about survival. If this body dies… so does it.”

“Shut up!” Mika snapped.

Her hands trembled as she raised her blades, forcing herself to stand tall despite the dizziness clawing at her skull. She glanced desperately toward where Shinji and Kazuo had been thrown, but couldn’t see them through the trees.

“I don’t have to listen to your ramblings,” Mika growled. “And I don’t lose control. The only time that ever happened was when this bracelet broke.”

The masked man let out a low, mocking laugh.

“How naïve,” he said. “Do you truly believe a man-made trinket could suppress something like that?”

He pointed directly at the jade bracelet bound around her wrist. “That thing doesn’t restrain the Spirit within you. It feeds it. Starves it. Provokes it into rebellion.”

Mika’s jaw clenched. Doubt flickered in her eyes, just for a heartbeat. But she immediately crushed it.

“The longer it resists, the stronger its will becomes. And when it finally takes control…” His gaze sharpened. “You won’t even realise whose blood is on your hands. Not until it’s far too late.”

“What you need to do, Princess,” he said, stepping back, “is learn how to control it.”

He smiled beneath the mask. “What I gave you was merely a seed. A test. To see how much restraint you truly possess.”

Her stomach lurched.

“The poison should begin working any moment now,” he added lightly. “Consider it a complimentary service. Until we meet again, Your Highness.”

“Mika!”

Kazuo lunged first, chained sickle swinging in a wide arc aimed squarely at the intruder’s neck. The blade passed straight through empty air.

The masked man vanished and reappeared above him.

Kazuo barely rolled aside before a vicious roundhouse kick sliced through the space where his head had been. He hit the ground hard, skidding backward through leaves and mud.

“Let’s not waste time,” the masked man said coolly, already turning away. “I have no interest in fighting the likes of you.”

Meanwhile, Mika dropped to her knees. Pain tore through her body as her muscles seized violently. She coughed hard, chest convulsing, fists clenched tight enough to draw blood from her palms.

“Oh—shit! Mika!” Kazuo scrambled to her side as Shinji fell to one knee, pulling her trembling body against his chest.

Foam flecked her lips. Her eyes rolled back. Her pulse fluttered erratically beneath Shinji’s fingers. Whatever poison had been forced down her throat, it wasn’t something he could treat. Not with anything he knew. All he could do was monitor her breathing.

Damn it. Not again!

“What will you do now, Lord Shinji?”

The enemy’s voice cut through the chaos, cool and mocking.

Shinji didn’t answer.

His entire world had narrowed to the girl in his arms.

Mika’s eyes had rolled back, the whites barely visible beneath fluttering lids. Foam bubbled at the corners of her mouth as violent tremors wracked her body, each convulsion worse than the last. Her breath hitched erratically, shallow and uneven.

“Kazuo,” Shinji muttered, fingers pressed desperately to her throat.

Her pulse was fading.

“Why are you doing this, you piece of shit?!” Kazuo roared, panic raw in his voice.

The masked man regarded them with detached calm, arms folding across his chest.

“So she can defeat the Spirit Queen,” he replied flatly. “With her current level, do you honestly believe you stand a chance? Not even close.”

His gaze slid to Shinji, sharp and knowing. “And you knew that. You’ve always known. Yet you chose hesitation. What a shame.”

The air felt heavier with every word.

“The situation is far more dire than you realise. The Spirit Queen is already moving. One of your Kingdoms has fallen into her grasp—with the help of an inside mole, no less.”

Kazuo’s jaw tightened.

“Defeating her will require more than tactics and brute force,” The masked man said. “You need something greater.” His eyes flicked toward Mika. “She needs to be invincible.”

“Enough!” Kazuo snapped, stepping forward. “Why the hell are you still here? What makes you think we’ll listen to a brat who poisons people and runs his mouth?”

The masked man sighed, shaking his head as if disappointed. “Believe me or not, it makes no difference.” His gaze returned to Mika, whose body convulsed again. “Time, however, is not on your side. The poison should have taken full effect by now.”

He turned away. “If I were you, I’d run.”

“What do you mean by—”

The forest swallowed him. Smoke curled briefly in the air, then dispersed, leaving nothing behind but silence and dread.

***

High above, perched on the thick branch of an ancient tree, the masked man reappeared without a sound.

Waiting for him was a woman lounging casually against the trunk, binoculars dangling from one hand. She grinned when she saw him.

“Welcome back, Captain. Oof… she really nailed you, didn’t she?” Her eyes flicked to the dark bruise spreading along his cheek.

Before he could respond, she placed her palm gently against the injury. A soft glow pulsed as healing magic flowed beneath her skin.

“Worth it,” the Captain muttered once she finished. He inhaled deeply. “Any words from Tal?”

“Nothing,” she replied, tucking the binoculars away. “Which means we’re still proceeding as planned?”

He nodded. Then he paused. Something in her posture had changed.

“What is it?”

The woman hesitated. “May I ask you something, Captain?”

He inclined his head once.

“What’s the real reason we’re doing this?” she asked quietly. “Tal’s going to lose his mind if he finds out we’ve been acting independently.”

A low chuckle escaped him. “Oh, he will. No doubt about it. But considering his recent behaviour — things that don’t align with his own orders — I’d say this gamble is necessary.”

His voice darkened. “This is our only chance to catch him off guard. Until then… we humour him.”

The woman straightened, saluting crisply. “Understood, Sir. No matter what happens, I’m with you.”

The Captain studied her for a long moment, then nodded.

“That means more to me than you know.”

***

Below, everything was falling apart.

“She’s stopped breathing!” Kazuo’s voice cracked as he stared down at Mika’s blue-tinged lips, her chest frighteningly still. He tore through her pack in a blind panic—bandages, vials, herbs—anything. Nothing helped.

“She’s not responding, Shinji!”

Suzumi’s medicine was useless here. White Wolf alchemy couldn’t touch Spirit-born poison. No matter how disciplined or advanced his Clan was, they had never solved this.

“I—there has to be something!” Kazuo choked. “At this rate she’ll—”

“Shut up!”

The command snapped like thunder. Shinji clutched Mika tightly, her limp body trembling faintly against his chest. His jaw ached from how hard he clenched it.

How did I miss this? How did I let it come to this?

Silence stretched—thick, unbearable.

Then Shinji spoke again, his voice unnervingly calm. “There is one thing we can do.”

Kazuo looked up sharply.

“It’s dangerous,” Shinji continued. “Possibly fatal. But that's all we have.”

Their eyes met.

“Do you trust me?”

Kazuo glanced down at Mika. Then back at Shinji.

“I trust ya.”

“Good.” Shinji’s hands shook. “Because I’m removing her bracelet.”

Kazuo stiffened. “You mean the berserk mode? You’re serious?”

“If we hesitate now, she dies.”

A long breath. “Are you in?”

Kazuo swallowed hard. “Hell… yeah. I’m in.”

Shinji murmured a quick prayer. Then, gripping a jagged stone, he smashed the jade bracelet on Mika’s wrist.

It shattered.

Silence.

Three seconds.

Five.

“Come on… come on…” Shinji whispered. Then—

“L-Look!” Kazuo shouted. Pointing out at the crimson threads shimmered into existence, spreading like spectral spiderwebs through the forest. They wrapped around Mika, lifting her into the air, forming a glowing cocoon.

Kazuo stared in horror. “What the hell is that?!”

“Soul-Binding Strings,” Shinji breathed. “Old White Wolf magic.”

“Those don’t sound friendly.”

“They aren’t,” Shinji grabbed Kazuo and dragged him back. “They purify tormented souls. Force Spirits to confront themselves.”

Kazuo’s blood ran cold. “And Mika?”

“The bracelet only suppressed the Spirit,” Shinji said grimly. “This is full-force purification!”

WHUMP. The air thickened violently.

Kazuo collapsed to his knees, gasping. “I—I can’t breathe!”

The pressure intensified. Trees groaned. The ground trembled.

“We have to stop this!” Kazuo wheezed.

Shinji raised his gun, aiming at the nexus above.

BANG.

The world shattered. The crimson threads recoiled, shrivelling into nothingness.

Mika’s body fell.

The pressure vanished instantly.

“Good shot,” Kazuo’s voice rasped, slapped Shinji’s shoulder weakly.

Shinji staggered forward and froze.

She was gone.

No trace. Only scorched earth where the cocoon had been.

“Shinji… Where’s Mika?”