"You're not gonna apologize for trying to kill me earlier?" Sosuke asked, side-eyeing Ryoma.
Ryoma scratched his ear, completely unfazed. "Why?"
Sosuke blinked. "The fuck you mean, why? Whatever." He shook his head and kept walking.
Ryoma tilted his head but didn't press the issue, marching ahead like nothing had happened.
Valerie walked beside Sosuke, stealing quick glances when she thought he wouldn't notice. "Are we close?" she asked.
"It wasn't too far from the forest. The trail's safe too." Sosuke flashed her a reassuring smile. "We'll be fine."
Valerie tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her cheeks slightly flushed. "Yeah… t-that's good."
A sudden blur cut through the trees, a trail of fog left in its wake.
"What the hell was that?" Ryoma's posture stiffened, his eyes darting between the shadows. "I think we're being watched. No… I know we are. Whoever it is, they're hostile."
"You can sense that?" Sosuke's head snapped toward the sound of a snapping branch. He tightened his grip on his katana. "Get out here."
"Get out? That'd ruin my advantage against you nine." The voice slithered through the air, its owner flickering in and out of view like a mirage. "I'm a commanding officer of King Julius. He wanted you alive, Estrella, but I don't feel like following orders. So, I'll make it look like an accident." A quiet laugh followed.
A flicker of movement. A flash of steel.
Sosuke's hand shot out, catching a dagger by the blade. Blood trickled from his palm. "What the—?" His body tensed as a second blade buried itself into his side.
"Sosu!" Ryoma's fist flared with a blue aura, but the figure vanished before he could swing. "Come out here, bastard! You hurt my brother!"
"Cousin," Sosuke muttered, clutching his side. His vision swam, the pain sharp and burning. He grit his teeth, forcing himself to stay upright as he drew his katana.
"Wait!" Valerie grabbed his wrist, stopping him from lifting the blade. "I know a little healing magic. I'm not a healer, but it'll help."
Ryoma stepped forward, fists clenched. "Do it. I'll protect you both."
"I wouldn't even try," the voice whispered from the trees. A shadow flickered through the bushes, too fast to pinpoint. "Heal the wound all you want… but the poison's still in there."
Another flicker—then a flash of steel.
Sosuke reacted on instinct, swinging his katana with one hand while the other pressed against his wound. The clash of metal rang through the clearing as he deflected the incoming strike, sending sparks flying. His arm trembled slightly from the effort, but he held firm.
The enemy was fast. Too fast. Each step left a faint trail of mist, his movements sharp and unpredictable. Their blades met again—once, twice, three times in rapid succession. Sosuke adjusted his grip, matching the rhythm, parrying each strike with precision despite the searing pain in his side.
Ryoma, impatient, lunged forward. "I got him—"
The enemy shifted at the last second, twisting his body. His cloak flared as he grabbed Ryoma by the arm and yanked, throwing him directly into Sosuke's path.
Sosuke barely stopped himself from cutting Ryoma down. His katana veered off course, leaving a brief opening. The enemy didn't waste it.
In an instant, he was gone—fading back into the trees, his laughter lingering behind.
Valerie clenched her fists, glaring at Ryoma. "Don't butt in! You're strong, but those two were way ahead of you! You just got in the way!"
The air grew thick, the mist swirling like living tendrils, stretching across the trees. The enemy's presence disappeared entirely, but Sosuke knew he was still there—watching, waiting.
His grip on the katana tightened. His breathing was steady, but frustration gnawed at the edges of his mind. I can't see shit…
A whisper, too close.
Sosuke twisted, swinging his blade in a sharp arc—nothing. The mist swallowed his strike, mocking him with its emptiness.
Another whisper.
He turned again, slashing at the air—again, nothing.
The fog thickened. The trees, the ground, even the silhouettes of his allies faded into the white void. The bastard was playing with him.
A blade cut through the mist. Sosuke barely shifted in time, the tip grazing his shoulder. Another strike came from behind, but he spun, deflecting it on instinct. The sound of steel rang through the air.
His frustration grew. "Coward! Fight me head-on!"
A chuckle echoed through the fog. "Why would I? This is much more fun."
Another attack—this time from above. Sosuke barely lifted his blade in time, blocking a downward slash meant to take his head. His feet skidded back from the force. The enemy vanished before he could counter.
Damn it. His chest rose and fell, his patience wearing thin.
A shape moved in the mist. Valerie? No, too tall.
His blade lashed out. Missed again.
The enemy's voice slithered through the fog. "Frustrated, Estrella?"
Another slash—another miss.
His hands clenched around his katana. Enough of this. He exhaled sharply and yelled, his voice cutting through the haze.
"Everyone—run!"
Ryoma hesitated. "What? No way—"
"I'm the target! Go!"
The mist coiled around him like a noose. He could feel the enemy's intent—every strike, every feint—it was all meant for him.
Valerie grabbed Ryoma's wrist. "We have to listen! Move!"
She and the others disappeared into the fog, their footsteps fading.
Sosuke took another breath, resetting his stance. He let his frustration boil, but he forced it to steady his grip, sharpen his senses.
The enemy was still there.
And now, it was just the two of them.
The enemy's blade tore through the air—too fast to dodge. A sharp, searing pain ripped across Sosuke's eyes. His vision shattered into darkness.
He staggered back, blood trickling down his face. His breath came shallow, hands clutching at nothing.
A low chuckle echoed through the fog. "Just like your father," the enemy mused, voice laced with mockery. "Helpless. Blind. Weak."
Sosuke gritted his teeth. His heartbeat thundered in his ears. He could hear everything—the rustling leaves, the shifting mist, the slow, deliberate footsteps circling him.
Shut up. Shut up!
The enemy's presence flickered in and out, a shadow dancing between reality and illusion. Another whisper. Another shift.
"You can't even see me." A blade whistled toward his throat. "How do you expect to fight?"
Sosuke exhaled. He wasn't thinking anymore. His grip tightened around his katana, his body moving on instinct.
I don't need to see you.
The blade came—but this time, he was ready. He turned his stance, barely slipping past the attack, the edge grazing his shoulder. His katana lashed out in response, striking nothing but mist.
The enemy clicked his tongue. "Lucky swing."
No. Not luck.
Sosuke's senses sharpened. The darkness didn't matter. He could feel it—the shift in the air, the weight of movement, the faint pulse of mana with every step his enemy took.
A breath. A flicker. A pattern.
The enemy lunged again. Sosuke reacted. His blade shot up—one fluid, decisive strike.
A sharp gasp.
The mist wavered. Sosuke's eyes snapped open, glowing with a star-like pattern that cut through the darkness. The enemy's movements, once a blur, were now crystal clear. Every shift of his weight, every fluctuation in his mana—laid bare before him.
The enemy hesitated, confidence faltering. "What… what are you?"
Sosuke's grip tightened around his blade. His voice was cold. Certain.
"I see you."
Sosuke cleanly sliced off his arm. Catching the dagger midair he swung at into the enemies chest. "You're the one stuck with poison now. I don't suppose you carry an antidote?" Sosuke kicked him to the ground and the fog began to fade as his opponent's life weakened.
"If I give you some, will you let me go?" He asked in desperation. "Please…"
Sosuke's head filled with pain, his eyes reverting to normal. He wiped the blood dripping from his nose. "Fine. Just hand it over." The head pain must be from the poison. Right?
The blight pulled out a sack filled with vials of liquid. "Here…" He handed one over to Sosuke.
"Thanks." Sosuke downed the antidote, feeling the poison wash away immediately. Within a single second, he sliced off the blights head. "Did he really believe I was gonna let him live?"
Ryoma appeared from the trees, embracing Sosuke. "That was awesome! I didn't know you could do that with your eyes too!"
"Huh?" Sosuke gently shoved Ryoma off of him. "What're you talking about?"
"Your eyes, they looked like stars!" Ryoma waved his hands. "I can do it too, just not the strength part. I can control the seeing better part of it. That's how I saw you through the fog too. Though that guy was too fast for me still."
"They… did?" Sosuke rubbed his eyes. "I did feel a bit weird. What are they?"
"You mean… you've never used them?" Ryoma tapped his chin. "They're called the Star Eyes. If I remember right. I'm not entirely sure what they do other than what I told you."
"Huh… interesting." Sosuke's hand reached toward his eye. "I'm getting stronger already."
One of the boys examined the blights body and stripped off the rank badge from its cloak. "He lied. He's not commanding officer, he's a slightly above average soldier at best."
"And it was that hard to beat him?!" Ryoma sighed. "I'll just have to hunt more prey and get stronger."
Sosuke's blade flashed—clean, precise. The enemy's arm hit the ground before he even realized what had happened. The dagger spun midair, and Sosuke caught it effortlessly, driving it straight into the enemy's chest.
"You're the one stuck with poison now." He twisted the blade. "I don't suppose you carry an antidote?"
A sharp kick sent the enemy sprawling. The fog around them thinned as his life drained away.
The blight gasped, clawing at the dirt. "If… if I give you some… will you let me go?" His voice wavered, thick with desperation. "Please…"
A sharp pulse of pain shot through Sosuke's skull. His vision blurred, his eyes reverting to normal. He wiped the blood from his nose, his breathing ragged. The poison was working fast.
"Fine," he muttered. "Just hand it over."
The blight fumbled with a small leather pouch, shaking fingers pulling out a glass vial. "Here…"
Sosuke snatched it from his hands, downing the liquid in one gulp. The burning in his veins faded instantly. His grip on his katana tightened.
One second.
A clean stroke.
The blight's head hit the ground with a dull thud.
Sosuke exhaled, rolling his shoulder. "Did he really think I'd let him live?"
Rustling. Ryoma burst through the trees, practically beaming. "That was awesome! I didn't know you could do that with your eyes too!"
"Huh?" Sosuke shoved him off. "What are you talking about?"
"Your eyes, they looked like stars!" Ryoma waved his hands, grinning. "I can do it too, just not the strength part. I can control the seeing better part of it. That's how I found you through the fog. But that guy was still too fast for me."
"They… did?" Sosuke rubbed his eyes, trying to recall the sensation. His body still felt strange. "What are they?"
"You mean… you've never used them?" Ryoma tapped his chin. "They're called the Star Eyes. I think. Not totally sure what they do, but I know they let us see more than most."
"Huh… interesting." Sosuke's fingers brushed over his eyelid. A smirk tugged at his lips. "I'm getting stronger already."
One of the others knelt by the corpse, ripping a badge from its cloak. He scoffed. "He lied. He wasn't a commanding officer. Barely above a grunt."
Ryoma groaned. "And it was that hard to beat him?! Guess I'll just have to hunt more prey and get stronger."
The forest settled into silence, the last traces of mist curling away into the night. Sosuke flexed his fingers, still feeling the lingering energy in his veins. The Star Eyes… Whatever they were, he'd barely scratched the surface. And if that soldier was weak, then real monsters were still out there. He sheathed his blade, exhaling slowly. "Let's move. It's just up ahead."