Chapter 7:

Cold Interference: Crow and Declarations

Hollow Dawn

The pain didn’t hit Itaka all at once.
At first, she thought she could ignore it. When Brass fired the shot earlier, the bullet tore through her stomach, but the rush of the fight had kept her moving, adrenaline carrying her through the first few minutes before her body had time to process what had happened.Now, the storm had swallowed the battlefield again, and the pain was catching up. Itaka pressed her hand tightly against the wound in her side, warm blood sliding through her fingers and dripping into the snow below.

“…Tch.”

The snow beneath her slowly turned red. The wind howled through the forest, pushing thick sheets of snow across the clearing as the storm worsened. The sky above was nothing but pale gray and white, like the sun had simply disappeared, making the battlefield feel smaller, colder, and suffocating.Itaka tried to steady her breathing, in, out, as her palm began to glow faintly, gathering Nero energy and directing it toward the injury.

Zyn, the foundation of all that breathes. It starts when CHAOS leaks into the soul and balances out at a perfect 50-50. When it settles right, it becomes Nero. Nero is everyday life. People use it to work better, move easier, heal faster, fight harder, or just get through the day. Some people train it for combat. Most people just live with it.
The balance is the important part.

Normally, this would have been simple. Basic Nero healing wasn’t meant to fully restore the body, but it should have at least stopped the bleeding, enough to keep her fighting. The energy sank into the torn flesh, and for a moment, it worked.

Then something pushed back.
The healing unraveled instantly, like someone had cut the invisible threads holding it together, and the Nero energy scattered uselessly into the air while the wound continued bleeding. Itaka frowned. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” She tried again, more carefully this time, her hand glowing brighter as she focused the energy directly into the damaged muscle, but the same thing happened: the technique collapsed, the blood kept flowing.

Not even her Zyn technique worked. From a few meters away, Zhenyu watched with a growing frown. “That’s not normal,” he said. “The poison must still be in effect.” Itaka didn’t look at him. “Yeah. I noticed.” Itaka lifted her hand slightly as more blood seeped through the torn fabric of her clothes, causing Zhenyu to sigh quietly. “How bad is it?” “Not fatal,” she replied. “Yet.” She glanced at him sideways.

Despite herself, Itaka let out a quiet huff of laughter. But the moment passed quickly as another wave of pain pulsed through her side, forcing her to press her hand against the wound again. Across the clearing, Tatsuchi had been watching silently. She hadn’t said a word since Brass disappeared. At first glance, she looked calm, but if someone paid attention, the signs were there. Her breathing was slightly uneven, her shoulders rising and falling slower than normal.

After a moment, she turned slightly away from the others as a cough escaped her throat. She raised her hand to cover her mouth, and when she lowered it, there was blood on her palm. Tatsuchi stared at it for a moment, then wiped it away against the snow as if it were nothing.

Above them, the lullaby echoed through the forest. The childlike voice drifted between the trees, soft and almost gentle. “The monster lives deep in the snow… it sings to get closer to those you know…” The sound felt wrong in a place like this. Zhenyu looked towards the playground, noting the shikigami’s song was already halfway finished, meaning the next attack was coming soon.The wind howled again.

Snow whipped across the clearing. Itaka rolled her shoulder carefully, pain flaring again in her lower abdomen, still bleeding, still not healing. Behind her, metal shifted, a blade sliding free from its sheath, and Itaka turned immediately to find Tatsuchi standing there with her sword drawn, the steel catching the dim light filtering through the storm. Itaka frowned. “Don’t.”

Tatsuchi didn’t answer. She stepped closer, her eyes briefly scanning the blood seeping through Itaka’s fingers.Itaka’s voice hardened. “I said don’t.” Zhenyu crossed his arms. “Tatsuchi, you don't have to use that.” he said “You haven't gotten used to the after effects yet.” Tatsuchi spoke calmly. “You’re losing too much blood.” “I’ve had worse.” “You’re lying.” “…Maybe.” The two stared at each other for a moment as snow drifted between them. Then Itaka sighed. “If you’re planning to use your Idensei, save it.” Her tone sharpened slightly. “It should only be used as a last resort.”

Tatsuchi shook her head. “This is important.” Before either of them could stop her, she raised the blade and sliced open her own palm. Blood spilled immediately. The blood ran down her wrist as Tatsuchi raised her hand toward her face, clenching her fist to let the blood gather in her palm before pressing it directly into her eyes. She formed a hand sign over her clenched fist. "Mudra: Apana Vayu."

Her body trembled, and for a moment she staggered backward, her arms hanging loosely at her sides as if all the strength had left her. Then she lifted her head. Her eyes glowed bright red, thin streaks forming beneath them, lines that looked like bloody tears running down her cheeks. "Shikkoku no Ketsugan."When Shikkoku no Ketsugan has been activated, the user has to stay completely still and focus on one person. When active, she can see inside their body, organs, blood, and even the flow of Zyn energy. Including the shape of one's soul and the chaos that surrounds it. It also sends out a silent frequency that can freeze blood in place, letting her stop someone from bleeding out or stop someone in there tracks.

Silence fell over the clearing as Tatsuchi slowly turned toward Itaka. Through the Ketsugan, the world looked different. She could see her blood, every artery, every vessel, every faded scar, and Itaka’s bullet wound burned clearly in her vision. The bullet had torn through muscle and her stomach and damaged several vessels, and worse, fragments of foreign energy were lodged inside the wound, preventing natural Zyn flow.

Tatsuchi raised her hand slightly, her fingers moving like she was adjusting something. Then, the bleeding stopped. Itaka blinked. "Huh.” Warmth spread through her side, the wound wasn’t fully healed, but it stabilized enough that her body could finally begin recovering.

Zhenyu let out a breath. Tatsuchi lowered her hand, then coughed again, blood splattering onto the snow as she turned away quickly, trying to hide it. Above them, the lullaby reached its final verse and stopped, leaving the forest completely silent for one long second.
Then the trees exploded apart.Kagome-no-Ha burst from the forest like a living blade, its limbs slicing through branches and trunks as it lunged toward the group, this time targeting Asumi. Asumi reacted instantly, her shadow expanding across the snow to swallow both herself and Tatsuchi as they vanished into the darkness between the trees.
The shikigami’s blade like claws tore through the space where they had been standing, exploding snow into the air. Itaka stepped forward immediately. “Zhenyu.” He nodded. “I know.” He watched the shikigami carefully. “I think I understand what technique Brass used.”

“What?” “This battlefield,” he gestured toward the endless forest, “it’s not natural.” Itaka frowned. “Yeah. No kidding.” “No, I mean, look at the trees, do you actually see an end to them?” The words hung in the cold air. “I think he used a Zyn Scroll.” Zhenyu said “ But domains like this can only be casted by a 3rd tier Zyn Scroll." "I think If we find Brass and take him down, the whole thing should collapse.” Itaka cracked her neck. “Then go find him.”

Zhenyu nodded and turned to move deeper into the forest, but he had barely taken a few steps when something wrapped around his waist: a red ribbon. At the exact same moment, another ribbon snapped around Itaka’s waist, and the two of them were violently yanked backward, the ribbons tightening like restraints.
The shikigami screeched from the treeline. Zhenyu looked down at the binding. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Itaka pulled against the ribbon, but it didn’t budge. “Looks like we’re stuck together then.” Kagome-no-Ha attacked again, its claw tearing through the snow as it rushed toward them, both ribbons tried to its wrists.

Itaka stepped forward. “Fine.”
Zhenyu planted his hands, gravity twisting around them as he launched Itaka forward like a cannon shot. She flew straight toward the shikigami with her brass knuckles raised, and the spirit reacted instantly; one of its blades slashed toward Zhenyu, who barely pulled his arm back in time, the blade cutting through the sleeve of his coat.

“Okay,” he muttered. “That was close.” The fight intensified quickly as the spirit attacked relentlessly, its movements fast enough to blur through the snowstorm.

Itaka dodged and countered whenever she could, her fists slamming into the creature’s limbs with bursts of Zyn energy, while Zhenyu tried to reposition her using gravity. But the shikigami quickly adapted, and every time he tried to create an opening, the creature forced them back again.

Then suddenly, it retreated, vanishing into the forest as the lullaby began again, but this time, the song was faster, much faster. Zhenyu cursed under his breath. “We don’t have time for this.” Before either of them could react, Asumi dashed past them, her shadow stretching across the snow as she sprinted deeper into the forest. “Hold it off!” she shouted. “I’ll find Brass!” She disappeared between the trees, moving quickly through the forest by following the faint traces of Zyn energy she could feel in the air. Branches snapped beneath her feet, and the deeper she went, the quieter the forest became.

The forest seemed to go on forever. But the deeper she went the more her senses failed her. Soon, Up became left, down became right. And it felt as if it was shifting constantly. Even the colors of this world were becoming inverted.
Them, as if saved by the Fates, the ground above her collapsed. Snow and dirt gave way, and she dropped into darkness. Asumi landed hard on a flat stone, the chill biting through her white hakama. Snow and dirt from the hole above still fell around her, but the cavity quickly muffled the sound. Pushing the strains of her pink hair out the way, she looked up, expecting jagged walls, but the cave’s ceiling was smooth and cold, almost unnaturally so.

A single figure sat against the far wall sat comfortably on a beanbag looking rock; Brass. He appeared asleep, back against the stone, arms resting loosely across either side. The storm above made no sound here. Asumi hesitated. She never had to take a life before. She drew her katana and rushed forward, "Traumhafte Welther." Her blade aiming straight for his heart. The strike should have pierced flesh.

Instead, his body dissolved into falling snow. Asumi froze. Her grip tightened on the sword. The edge of panic crept up her spine. A gun clicked behind her. Slowly, she turned. Brass stood behind her, black and gold revolver pressed at the back of her skull.

His stance casual. “Well,” he said, voice calm, almost bored. “That was rude.” Asumi’s jaw tightened. Brass tilted his head. “Give me one good reason,” he said evenly, “why I shouldn’t shoot your brains out and coat the walls in my favorite colour of paint right now.” Sweat formed on her neck. She didn’t move. Her fear wouldn't allow her too.

Brass studied her for a long moment, then suddenly, he laughed, a low, amused chuckle. He lowered the gun and sat back against the wall. “Relax,” he said. Right as he sat down, the cave shifted immediately. Walls expanded, stone replaced by polished wood and quartz. Warm lighting flickered on, furniture appeared. The cold, dark cave transformed into a comfortable living room, completely out of place beneath the frozen forest above. Brass leaned back in his chair. “See, the thing is… I actually can’t kill you.” Asumi frowned. “Its part of the binding vow i made,” he shrugged. “My boss insisted. If it weren’t for that… you’d all already be dead.” He tapped the revolver against his knee casually.

He leaned forward, eyes sharp. “Now then, let's get started. ” Asumi slowly sat across from him. The air felt strange, tighter than before, pressing against her throat. Breathing already requires effort. She had noticed his hakama. It was the same type that Tatsuchi’s mother wore. It was the hakama of a clan head. “I’m looking for information,”

Brass continued. “Five special threats.” The pressure increased, small at first, almost imperceptible. Then heavier. Asumi’s chest rose, but the air barely filled her lungs. She instinctively touched her throat. Nothing. No rope, no hands, just the invisible bubble pressing in around her. "The only five people my boss deems a threat to his organization." He lifted his hand slightly; the invisible pressure tightened again, catching her breath halfway through.
Her fingers dug into her knees instinctively. “My organization likes to keep track of dangerous people. The kind that can destabilize entire nations if left unchecked.” He rested his chin on his hand. “And recently four individuals have caught our attention.” The revolver spun once more.

His eyes sharpened. “Religious?” Asumi remained silent, forcing herself to breathe evenly, one shallow inhale at a time. She nodded slowly. Brass leaned forward. "I believe in a world where the 10 Fates finally burn and only my boss knows how to make that a reality." Brass set the revolver down just beside him. Slowly, Asumi’s breathing stayed ragged as her heart continued racing.

Brass smiled faintly, almost kindly. But the air didn’t release. It didn’t feel safe. “This is only the beginning,” he said. “The world isn’t waiting. And neither am I.” Above ground, the fight was ending. The poison that had filled the air earlier had begun to fade. "Now, what do you know of Kyosuke Mori."

Zhenyu noticed first. “…Wait.” He looked around slowly. The acrid taste in the air had thinned. Itaka leaned against a broken tree trunk, breathing steadying as Zhenyu knelt beside her. Nero energy gathered in his hands, glowing faintly. “Hold still,” he instructed. The glow spread across her side. This time, the healing worked. The torn muscle slowly closed. Itaka exhaled through her teeth. “…About damn time.” Zhenyu leaned back. “You’re not dying today.” “Lucky me,” she muttered, a faint smirk on her bloodied face. Snow continued to fall around them. The storm hadn’t let up.

Zhenyu glanced around the clearing and frowned. “…Where’s Tatsuchi?” Itaka straightened slightly. The space where Tatsuchi had been standing was empty. Only footprints in the snow led into the forest. “…That’s not good.” Deeper in the forest, the wind howled through grey and black trees. Snow drifted between the branches like ash. Tatsuchi stumbled forward, blood staining the snow behind her.

The Ketsugan had faded from her eyes, but the damage remained. Each breath came out in short, sharp bursts. She coughed again. This time, she couldn’t hide it. Blood spattered across the snow, her fingers trembling as she wiped her mouth. “…Damn.” Her legs finally gave out. She collapsed into the snow, cold biting through her clothes. Her breathing slowed. The forest around her was silent. The snow slowly gathered across her shoulders, then her arms, then her hair. Her vision blurred, darkness creeping in at the edges. “…So this… is it.” Then, a sound. Soft wings cutting the air.

Tatsuchi’s fading vision shifted to see a raven land a few feet away. Its feathers darker than the storm, its eyes glowing faintly purple. The bird stared at her. For a moment, neither moved. Then the raven spoke. Its voice echoed inside her mind, cold, calm. “We cannot die here.”
Tatsuchi blinked slowly. “…What?” The raven tilted its head. “Not now. We still have things to do, roles to play.” Tatsuchi tried to laugh, but it came out as a weak cough. “…Pretty sure… my body disagrees.” The raven stepped closer, purple eyes glowing brighter. “I will help you just this once.” Tatsuchi forced the words out, “…Why?” “Because,” the raven replied with slight hesitation, “you... are my own blood. ”The purple light in its eyes flared, and the forest faded into darkness.

"Father?..."