The sun hung low, its light fading into a dull golden-brown that stretched across the forest.
Most of it never reached the ground. Thick branches and heavy leaves swallowed it, leaving only thin streaks of light slipping through cracks in the canopy. Those streaks scattered across the forest floor, breaking over dead leaves and exposed roots.
Master Ozaki walked ahead, his boots pressing into the dry layer beneath him. Each step gave a soft crunch, steady and controlled.
His eyes moved as he walked.
Tree bark—too damp.
Algae clinging where it shouldn't.
Marks carved into trunks, some clean, some rushed.
Hunter signs.
Then weapons.
Blades lodged into wood. Arrowheads snapped halfway through. Old damage that hadn't been touched.
This place had seen repeated conflict.
Ozaki said nothing and kept moving.
Behind him, Yamato stepped carefully, adjusting each foot before committing his weight. His eyes stayed low, scanning through the blanket of leaves.
A hunting ground.
Traps would be buried under that layer—pits, wires, spikes—impossible to see until it was too late.
Up ahead, the trees broke.
Light opened into a wide clearing.
Lumei exhaled sharply, stretching his shoulders. "We've been moving for hours."
Chella lifted her head, her eyes catching the open space. "Finally…"
Sora rolled her shoulders, relief clear in her voice. "I can actually rest."
Yamato didn't slow. "That's not the end of the forest. It's a Hunter's camp."
Sora gave him a tired look. "You really enjoy ruining moments."
"Not really," Yamato replied, calm as ever.
Ichiha stayed silent, stepping exactly where the others had stepped, his eyes fixed ahead.
They moved into the clearing.
The air shifted—lighter, easier to breathe.
For a second, it felt like relief.
Then it broke.
Lumei stopped walking.
His shoulders stiffened, his expression flattening as he stared ahead.
Chella's hand rose to her mouth without thinking.
Sora slowed, one step, then another, her leg unsteady.
Ichiha's eyes narrowed slightly.
Something about the scene pulled at him.
Three wooden houses stood in the clearing.
Broken. Split. Partially collapsed.
Not destroyed—just damaged enough to leave gaps, shadows, and blind spots.
Places to hide.
Places to wait.
Ozaki stepped forward and drew his blade in one clean motion.
The first house creaked as he entered.
His boot came down—
CRACK.
A loose plank gave way under his weight.
He didn't react. He kept moving.
Inside, the smell hit first.
Metallic.
Heavy.
Blood coated the floor in uneven streaks. It sprayed across the walls, soaked into the wood, pooled in dark patches between the boards. Pieces of flesh lay scattered, some torn clean, others crushed into the grain.
Ozaki pushed aside a broken beam with his foot.
The wall behind it shifted, then collapsed inward.
Four stakes stood upright.
Heads mounted on each one.
Blood ran slowly down the wood, dripping to the floor in thin lines.
Ozaki stepped closer, his eyes narrowing as he studied the faces.
Recognition settled in.
"…Marvel."
Upper S-Rank.
Dead.
Displayed like a warning.
Ozaki's gaze hardened.
If Marvel was here, the others wouldn't have been weak.
Which meant whatever did this—
—was stronger.
He scanned the room again, slower this time.
Walls. Floor. Blood everywhere.
But no bodies.
Only drag marks.
Long, uneven trails cutting through the blood, leading toward the back.
Ozaki turned and followed.
From the first house to the second.
From the second to the third.
Each one showed the same thing—damage, blood, signs of struggle—but no bodies.
The trails continued outside.
He stepped out into the back clearing—
—and saw Yamato.
Standing still.
Facing a line of stakes.
Not moving.
Ozaki walked up beside him and rested a hand briefly on his shoulder. "Anything?"
"…Nothing."
Yamato didn't turn.
His eyes stayed forward.
"Just pieces," he added. "Stripped clean. Hung up one by one."
Ozaki stepped forward, his grip tightening slightly on his sword.
Yamato caught his arm and pulled him back.
Ozaki turned his head. "Why are you stopping me?"
Yamato finally looked at him. "Because you've already seen enough to know this wasn't normal."
He nodded slightly toward the stakes. "Those were Upper S-Rank mages."
His gaze shifted toward the forest beyond the clearing. "Whoever did this isn't just strong. They're careful."
A brief pause.
"You can avoid traps," Yamato continued. "But can they?"
Ozaki glanced back toward the others.
They were still near the houses, exposed.
He exhaled quietly. "…What do you suggest?"
"Go back," Yamato said. "Pick a structure you can control and stay inside."
His tone didn't change. "I'll handle the rest."
Ozaki held his gaze for a second, then nodded.
No argument.
—
By the time they regrouped, the sun was gone.
The sky had turned dark, the last light fading behind the trees.
They settled inside the third house.
Broken walls, but enough structure to cover angles.
Enough space to react.
The wind moved through the clearing, brushing against loose wood and tall grass. Small fragments shifted across the floor with faint scraping sounds.
Creak…
Creak…
CREAK.
Ozaki's head turned sharply toward the doorway.
A shadow passed across the opening.
His blade was already in his hand.
The others reacted immediately.
Sora raised her hand, water forming around her fingers in tight, controlled streams.
Chella clenched her fists, her arms tightening as her skin hardened.
Lumei rolled his shoulders, dark mist rising and wrapping around his arms like smoke.
Ichiha didn't move.
His breathing slowed.
His focus slipped.
The room around him blurred.
—
A memory.
Wooden walls.
Bright lamps.
A training house.
Blood.
He stood in the middle of it.
Five year old Ichiha.
Blood dripped from above, landing across his face and into his eyes. He wiped it away quickly, blinking through it.
A body crashed through the wall—
SLAM.
It hit him, knocking him down.
He groaned and pushed himself up, turning toward it.
"…Charming…"
His caretaker.
His body torn open, his insides spilling onto the floor.
Ichiha covered his mouth.
Another body broke through the wall.
Then another.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Each one landing harder than the last.
All of them dead.
All of them killed—
by his uncle.
—
The door opened.
Ozaki stepped forward instantly, pushing the others back.
Then—
laughter.
Yamato stood there, shoulders relaxed, a grin on his face.
"Not bad," he said, looking around. "You were ready."
Sora dropped her guard slightly. "Don't do that."
"We thought it was something else," Chella added.
Lumei smirked. "Where were you?"
Yamato stepped inside and shut the door behind him. "Making sure nothing was already inside."
Ozaki pointed to the far corner. "Stay there."
Yamato walked over without complaint.
"You all reacted well," he said, leaning back slightly. "If that's your standard, this mission won't take long."
Chella blinked. "Mission?"
Lumei sat up. "What mission?"
Yamato looked toward Ozaki. "You didn't tell them?"
Ozaki exhaled and shook his head. "You talk too much."
He stepped forward, sitting across from them.
"This isn't training."
The room went quiet.
"If it were, I would have picked weaker students."
A brief pause.
"I'm paying each of you three thousand Flicks after this."
Yamato straightened immediately. "Three thousand?"
His mind moved fast.
Six hundred a month.
That's five months covered.
His hand tightened slightly.
That's enough for me…
Ozaki nodded once. "Yes."
Lumei laughed and dropped back, pulling Sora with him.
Chella smiled, more relaxed now.
Ichiha forced a small one, but his eyes didn't settle.
The air quieted again.
Too quiet.
Ozaki leaned forward slightly. "…There's something else."
They turned back to him.
Lumei leaned in. "What is it?"
"Case Form."
They all reacted at once.
"Finally."
A brief wave of laughter passed through the room.
Ozaki allowed it, then raised a hand slightly.
"Listen."
They adjusted their positions, attention sharpening.
"Case Form is a limiter system used by Divine Kings."
His tone stayed steady.
"It works like God Form in structure."
A short pause.
"But it's not the same."
Their expressions shifted.
"I've seen Divine Kings fight without limiters," Ozaki continued. "And I've seen those who push to Form Four."
His gaze moved across them.
"At that point… they reach the level of God Form Two."
A beat.
"Sometimes higher."
Silence followed.
They processed it.
Then Ozaki leaned back.
"That's it."
Lumei blinked. "That's all?"
"We already know that," Chella said with a small laugh.
Ozaki scratched the back of his head. "…Then your teachers are doing their job."
The tension eased again.
Conversation returned, softer this time.
One by one, they drifted off to sleep.
The room grew quiet.
Only two remained awake.
Ozaki sat against the wall, his blade resting within reach, his eyes fixed on the doorway.
Across from him, Ichiha sat still, his gaze shifting between the broken floor and the darkness outside.
Neither of them spoke.
Outside, the wind had stopped.
No insects.
No movement in the trees.
Just the camp—
sitting in silence like it was waiting for something to finish.