Post-training arc...
---
The forest was still—too still.
No birdsong, no rustling wind. Just silence, and the faint crackle of residual void energy hanging in the air. The group gathered around a small clearing, catching their breath, trying to piece themselves back together.
Yuki leaned against a tree, his body heavy but his mind sharper than it had ever been. Power still coursed through him, but it no longer burned—it hummed in harmony. Fused. Balanced.
Aiko sat near him, hugging her knees to her chest. "You… you fused both powers." Her voice was quiet, awe-struck.
Yuki gave a small nod. "I didn't think I could… but the prison, the pressure… I had to change." He looked at her. "You kept me grounded. I saw you in there, even when I was lost."
A soft blush touched her cheeks, but she quickly looked away, brushing hair behind her ear. "I wasn't going to let you disappear in that place…"
Nearby, Ren watched the interaction, arms crossed, quiet for once. "So. You've awakened. But that kind of power won't go unnoticed."
Himari was kneeling in a corner of the clearing, her fingers brushing against the ground. "This place isn't normal. We didn't just return to our world—we landed in a border zone. Somewhere between the mythic and the real."
Nogitsune glanced over, arms folded, leaning against a tree with that same unreadable expression. "Which means… someone led us here. Or something is waiting."
"Or watching," Haru muttered, still seated on the ground with his hands resting on his knees. His tone was calm, but his aura was tense.
Suddenly, the wind shifted.
A distant, bone-deep sound echoed through the trees—like stone scraping against stone, low and ancient. Everyone stilled.
Yuki's eyes narrowed. "What was that?"
Ren stepped forward, senses flaring. "It's not from this world."
Aiko stood quickly, eyes glowing faintly. "I feel it too. Something vast. Like an ocean with no bottom. It's searching."
Himari's gaze sharpened. "Then it already knows you've awakened, Yuki."
Nogitsune's eyes met Yuki's. "Time's up. Whoever pulled us from the void—whoever tested us—is ready to make a move."
The group instinctively closed ranks.
Yuki clenched his fists. "Then we meet them head-on."
---
Yuki stares at a floating number above his head.
"What the… 42 power stones?! Are those edible? No? Whatever they are, thanks!"
Ren shakes his head. "You're hopeless."