Chapter 11: The Fractures Within

Kurumi, Sae, and Hu had finally obtained the map of the map of the cursed demon weapon. Kurumi let out a deep breath; as she looked at the parchment in her hands, her brows furrowed involuntarily. Carrying a map of a map still felt absurd to her. It was as if their fate had been hidden between layers of lies drawn over one another.

Hu nudged Kurumi with her elbow.
“What are you spacing out about again?” she said impatiently. “We need to deliver this map to Master Rex quickly.”

Kurumi turned her head and looked at Hu.
“Alright, alright, I’m walking,” she said. “What else do you expect me to do?”

Hu rolled her eyes at the response. Without saying another word, she fell silent and continued walking.

Sae, on the other hand, completely ignored the small noise behind him. His steps were steady; his expression, as always, was empty. From time to time, he touched the medallion around his neck, checking it briefly with his fingers. This did not escape Kurumi’s notice. It was the first time she had seen Sae care about something enough to constantly check it. The way he did it… it was as if he was afraid of losing it.

The thought caused a strange sense of surprise within Kurumi. Then, an inexplicable feeling of calm settled over her.

Not long after, they arrived at the Veil of Shadows cult headquarters. Sae knocked on the door. Almost immediately, footsteps approached from inside, and the door opened. Ai stood before them, her beautiful face calm, a gentle smile on her lips.

“So you made it back safely,” she said. “Congratulations. Kurumi… how did your first mission go?”

Kurumi was surprised. She was being greeted as if she had returned from a simple school activity rather than a mission that had brushed against death. She hesitated for a moment, then assumed this was normal here and replied with a smile.

“It went quite well,” she said. “Even though Sae and Hu did most of the work, at least I made it back safely.”

Hu lightly slapped Kurumi’s shoulder and smiled supportively.
“She’s exaggerating,” she said. “She helped a lot. It was like she’s been going on missions for years.”

Kurumi paused briefly at the praise. She hadn’t expected it. Then she smiled faintly; it made her happy.

Small footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor. It was Amy. Katori was walking beside her.
“Sisteeerr!” Amy shouted as she ran forward and hugged Kurumi.
“You’re back! How was it? Did you have fun?”

Kurumi responded by gently patting Amy’s head.
“It was a bit tiring,” she said softly. “But I’m here now.”

Katori stopped and turned her gaze to Sae.
“Sae,” she said in a serious tone. “My father is waiting for you.”

Without hesitation, Sae took the map in his hand and started walking toward Rex’s room. Hu and Kurumi followed behind him.

Kurumi’s heart was racing. She had successfully completed her first mission. Excitement stirred inside her—Will I get a promotion? When will the next mission be? Questions spun endlessly through her mind.

When Sae knocked on the door, those thoughts vanished instantly.

“Enter.”

Rex’s stern voice came from behind the door. The three of them stepped inside together. The room was dark, illuminated only by candlelight. Rex was seated behind his desk, waiting for them.

Sae stepped forward and held out the map.
“We successfully retrieved the map, Rex-sensei.”

Rex took the parchment and examined it carefully. He paused, deep in thought, then let out a slow breath. The expression on his face… suggested he was not pleased.

“So it’s in Pironis,” he said slowly. “That will be… a long journey for you.”

The moment Kurumi heard the words for you, she froze. Her heart tightened. That meant she was going as well. She pointed at herself, stunned.

“Me too? I’m going as well?”

Rex nodded in confirmation.
“Yes. I’ll send two more soldiers as support to accompany you, Sae, and Hu. Don’t worry—you have time to prepare. For the next two months, you’ll be preparing for this mission. Unless there’s an emergency, this mission will be your top priority.”

All three silently nodded.

Sae, Kurumi, and Hu turned toward the door. Just as they were about to leave, Rex’s voice stopped them.

“Sae, Hu… I still have things to discuss with you. How about finally giving me a detailed report on the Osaki incident?”

Kurumi stopped in place. The Osaki incident… No one had expected Rex to learn about it. Hu looked at Kurumi with pleading eyes, but there was nothing she could do.

The door closed.

Kurumi was left outside the room. She leaned her head against the door, trying to hear what was being said, but not a single word came through.

Just then, a hand touched her shoulder from behind.

Kurumi jumped in fright and spun around.
“What are you doing, Katori?!” she snapped. “You scared me to death! You can’t just sneak up on someone like that!”

Katori raised an eyebrow as she listened to Kurumi lecturing her about manners she herself wasn’t practicing.
“And,” she said calmly, “is it right to press your ear against people’s doors and listen in? Especially my father’s room?”

Kurumi straightened up. An embarrassed expression crossed her face. She had no answer.
“What else was I supposed to do?” she said in a defeated tone. “Master Rex suddenly got serious and said he wanted to talk about the Osaki incident. I got curious.”

After hearing this, Katori brought a hand to her chin.
“So that’s the reason.”

Kurumi tilted her head.
“For what?”

“You were on a mission, so you probably didn’t hear,” Katori said. “Tomorrow there’s an emergency meeting at the Veil of Shadows cult. Squad leaders, soldiers… everyone will be there. It’s most likely related to the Osaki incident.”

Hours later…

Kurumi walked through the dark corridors of the cult headquarters, thinking about what Katori had said. The possibility that Sae, Hu, Zar, and Rya might be punished because of the Osaki incident weighed heavily on her. She had a feeling that this punishment might somehow reach her as well.

She let out a deep sigh and opened the door to her room. She saw Amy sleeping on the other bed. The sight brought an involuntary smile to Kurumi’s face.

She dropped onto her bed.
“Whatever,” she murmured. “I’ll think about it tomorrow. I’m too tired right now.”

She closed her eyes.

Tomorrow… would be a long, dark, and unforgiving day.