The night air was cool with damp earth and fresh water. Stars studded the inky sky, sprinkled as if tossed by a careless hand, and the moon cast an argent sheen upon the quiet landscape. Shirogane sat, leaning against a mossy rock beside the pond, his hands laced together casually behind his head. His dark-blue tresses twinkled like stars under the moonbeams, whereas his sharp features had been smoothed out by the soft light.
Arashi came closer; the wan light set his hair aglow with red. "Nice spot for a meeting," he said dryly. "I almost feel like I should've brought marshmallows or something.
Shirogane snorted, looking over at him. "You don't exactly strike me as the campfire type."
"Maybe not." Arashi said with a grin, falling beside him. "But I get the feeling you're about to lay out a grand idea or something."
Shirogane shrugged faintly. "What to say? Mysteries are piled high in this world, and I've got a front-row seat." He cast a sideward glance at Arashi, his eyes glinting with subtle amusement. "But you're here for something more than one night under the stars, I'd guess."
Arashi grinned. "You were saying something about me being. special?"
"Special, indeed," Shirogane replied, eyes tracking the ripples on the water. "A curse born from pure, unadulterated greed. Not every day someone like you comes along. Makes you quite the anomaly."
Arashi snorted softly. "You don't have to sweet talk me. I get it. I'm special. Whoop-de-doo."
"Don't sell yourself short," Shirogane said, his voice almost playful. "We both know you're not normal. You're here because you want something, same as me."
Arashi leaned back, fingers laced behind his head; he looked upward, staring at the stars. "Maybe. But I still don't get it—why is a human so invested in all this? What's in it for you?"
There was more to Shirogane's smile. "Oh, I just like seeing things stirred up every now and then. Balance can get...dull."
"Dull, huh?" Arashi raised an eyebrow, skepticism evident. "At least make it interesting if you're going to be vague."
"Alright, if you want details," Shirogane said, his face breaking into a sly smile. "Take, for example, the Gojo clan. They plan a political takeover."
Arashi's gaze sharpened, interest flickering across his face. "The Gojo clan? What makes them special?"
Shirogane's expression had become grave. "They had the Trump card in their hand all the time—a sorcerer born with both the Six Eyes and Limitless. Sorcerers have been born with the Six Eyes and Limitless technique separately, but nobody has ever seen a combination. With the Six Eyes, its user is allowed to perceive cursed energy with the sharpest clarity, while Limitless allows the user control over space."
Arashi tilted his head to one side, intrigue sparkling in his eyes. "Space manipulation? That's great. But why keep it hidden?"
"Simple. Politics," Shirogane said, "just waited for the perfect time to pull their trump card. So political power to increase, channeling greater influence and more resources into their clan."
"So they're playing the long game, whereas for me, it's all about the power to myself," mused Arashi. "I don't think our goals exactly align."
"They do, in a way," Shirogane returned casually. "The world is changing; curses are getting stronger. And it's not just you—there's something in the air, a shift that even the clans can't predict. You, for example, are something they never prepared for."
Arashi's lips curled into a faint grin. "Sounds like they're in for a rude awakening."
"Exactly," Shirogane said, a sparkle in his eyes with his subtle excitement. "If someone like you acts, the status quo will not hold. More than anything, if we give it just that little extra push ourselves."
Arashi stopped there, his eyes contemplative as he looked out across the water. "There is one thing more, Kyofu. When I came across him, I felt. something weird."
Shirogane's eyebrow arched. "Oh? Do tell."
Arashi leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. "It was as if he had two souls lying over each other inside him. I couldn't read him right; my cursed technique reacted against him unexpectedly."
Shirogane visibly raised an eyebrow. "Two souls in one body? Already a rare case, even in our world. That would explain the improbabilities around him."
"Exactly," Arashi said. "The cursed energy flowing through him was... partitioned, interwoven while separate. That was what interfered with the normal operation of my technique."
A silent moment of consideration passed between the two. Shirogane's eyes narrowed as he pondered the implications. "If Kyofu indeed harbors two souls, it presents a unique opportunity."
Arashi looked at him. "Opportunity? How so?"
Shirogane's lips arched into a calculated smile. "Your cursed technique allows you to draw out and utilize other people's abilities, correct? Kyofu's dual souls make that process considerably more complicated."
"Right," he said, nodding after her. "When trying to extract his technique, I felt as though I was hitting a wall. Two souls interfered. Usually, It's only one that tries to hold onto the technique. It was like playing a tug of war but you're outnumbered two-to-one."
"Perhaps," mused Shirogane, "provided we could somehow manage to separate those souls and bring one to the surface, you might be able to extract his technique successfully."
Arashi's eyes lit up with a mix of curiosity and ambition. "You think that's possible?"
"With the right approach," Shirogane said with confidence. "But doing this would require us to weaken him psychologically, break him down mentally."
"And how do you propose we do that?" Arashi asked, his voice tinged with a trace of anticipation.
Shirogane's gaze turned icy, his voice dropping to a cold whisper. "By robbing him of everything he holds dear. Strip away the attachment and isolate him. In that despairing state, perhaps it could weaken the barriers between his souls and make it easy for us to manipulate them."
The thought hung, and Arashi considered it—a slow smile spreading across his face. "You're suggesting that we target his friends, his allies."
"Exactly," Shirogane said. "Break his spirit, and his power becomes available."
"Sounds ruthless," he said while Arashi showed no judgment.
"Necessary," Shirogane corrected. "In our pursuit of greater power, sacrifices must be made."
Arashi leaned back, and a look of satisfaction settled into his features. "I like the way you think."
"Of course," Shirogane continued, "We will start with those close to him—observe weak points of them, their schedules. Then we can plan our moves in view of the same."
Arashi's eyes flickered with anticipation. "I look forward to it."
Shirogane nodded. He floated his gaze back to the still waters. "Of course, with Kyofu's technique in your hand, your strength is exponentially increasing; with you upfront, we could fight even the strongest clan."
"And you get your disaster," Arashi concluded, knowing better.
"All according to everyone's wishes." Shirogane said.
The soft rustling of clothes behind them, and out of the dark stepped Uraume, her slim figure almost ghostly in the moonlight; her face framed in short, white hair was at one and the same time young and ageless, her eyes of the brightest blue that seemed to hold all sight within their glance.
"Shirogane," Uraume said serenely, an air of silent urgency in her tone. "It's time."
He turned to her then, and for a moment, there was a flicker of irritation that belied the urbane smile he smoothed across his lips. "Always punctual."
She ignored the lightness in his tone. "We have business to take care of. Preparations are done."
Arashi looked from one to the other, feeling the underlying tension. "Looks like playtime's over."
Shirogane exhaled loudly, heaving himself off the rock. "It would seem duty calls."
Uraume's eyes flickered toward Arashi with an unreadable expression. "I trust your discussion was...illuminating."
"Quite," Shirogane said, brushing off his robes. "Arashi and I understand one another."
"Good," she said. "We cannot afford to have any distractions. With that, Shirogane joined Uraume, casting a backward glance at Arashi. "Remember the plan, and pay close attention to Kyofu's every move. A single misstep may turn out to be disastrous."
Arashi nodded. "I'll make sure he gets our special attention.
"We will be in touch." With that, Arashi turned and vanished from view into the darkness like a specter. Once he was out of earshot, Uraume stepped closer to Shirogane.
"Are you certain about involving him?" Shirogane's eyes followed Arashi's departing figure. "As certain as one can be."
He has his uses. "He is unpredictable," Uraume warned. "And his methods are... unrefined." "Perhaps," Shirogane conceded. "But his ambition fits into our schemes for the time being. And he's after Kyofu's technique, which will also play right into what I have planned. He's more of a backup plan than anything."
Uraume raised an eyebrow. "You are going to use Arashi to weaken Kyofu?"
"Exactly," Shirogane said, raising his hands as he stretched slightly.
"And Kin Fujimoto?" she asked quietly. "You are going to use him in an attempt to incite clan war, aren't you?"
Shirogane snorted, a low throaty chuckle. "Of course, with Tetsuya gone, Kin's going to make his move against the Hirano clan-it's a given. All I did was drop the right hints." He turned toward Uraume, triumph alive in the glint of his eyes.
Uraume's eyes narrowed, and for an instant something-undefined, yet there-flickered across her face. "And after the dust settles?"
"You'll have your God."