November 17th — Academy Training Grounds

  Leonis lunged at Ryuu, claws extended, the air whistling as his hands sliced through it. His feral nature was on full display, a predator in human form. Ryuu blocked at the last second, his massive forearm intercepting the strike with precision that belied his size.

  The impact created a shockwave that scattered fallen leaves across the courtyard and caused nearby windows to rattle in their frames. Students who had been lounging in the area quickly scattered, recognizing the beginning of something dangerous.

  With a firm grip that could crush stone, Ryuu grabbed Leonis by the arm and attempted to slam him into the ground. The concrete beneath them cracked in anticipation of the impact. But, like a true feline, Leonis twisted midair with impossible flexibility and landed on all fours, instantly dashing around the training ground at blitzing speed.

  His movements left afterimages, red eyes gleaming in multiple places at once as he circled his prey.

  Ryuu's sharp eyes tracked him despite the speed, a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. "You know," he mused, rotating slowly to keep Leonis in view, "I've always been more of a dog guy than a cat. Show me how much a cat can purr when it's scared."

  The taunt hung in the air between them, another form of combat.

  Leonis, veins bulging in his legs from the exertion, darted forward with renewed purpose. His speed increased further, the ground beneath his feet cracking with each powerful step. Ryuu sidestepped just in time, dodging Leonis' claw swipe with a grace that seemed impossible for a man of his size.

  Before Leonis could recover, a foot slammed into his stomach with devastating force. The impact lifted him off the ground, sending him hurtling toward the ceiling twenty feet above.

  "Listen here, boy," Ryuu said, his voice carrying easily despite the distance, hoping Rei could hear. "This is what it means to be a warrior! No concepts, just hand-to-hand combat! Let's continue this!"

  His grin widened, revealing teeth that seemed almost as sharp as Leonis's fangs.

  Leonis caught himself on the ceiling fixtures, his claws digging into metal support beams. Hanging upside down like the predator he embodied, fangs bared in a savage grin, he assessed his opponent with newfound respect.

  "Still as brutal as ever," he growled, voice deeper and more feral than Rei's normal tone.

  His muscles tensed as he calculated his next move. Then, pushing off with explosive force, he dashed through the room once more. His speed increased further, creating multiple afterimages that seemed to attack from all directions at once.

  Ryuu stood perfectly still, eyes closed, seemingly vulnerable—yet radiating absolute confidence. He was tracking Leonis not with sight, but with other senses—the slight disturbance in air currents, the faint sound of claws against flooring, the almost imperceptible vibrations through the ground.

  Leonis created an afterimage, appearing behind Ryuu, his claws ready to strike at the seemingly unprotected back.

  But before he could land his blow—

  A monstrous fart erupted from Ryuu.

  The sound echoed through the training hall like a thunderclap, but it was the smell that became the true weapon. A noxious cloud expanded outward, hitting Leonis with the force of a physical blow.

  Leonis froze in place, his heightened senses betraying him. The overwhelming stench stunned him, causing his eyes to water and his breath to catch in his throat. His nose, far more sensitive than a human's, burned with the assault.

  Inside Rei's Mind

  Leonis stood frozen in the internal landscape, covering his mouth as tears streamed from his eyes. The sensory overload had penetrated even into this mental space, leaving him momentarily incapacitated.

  "Oh, that bastard always had a trick up his sleeve! I forgot how childish Ryuu can be." He gagged, struggling to regain his composure.

  Rei couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of the mighty beast-man reduced to tears by something so absurd. "So, what now?"

  Leonis wiped his eyes, still struggling to breathe normally even in this mental projection. "Master, you can take back over. That man is unpredictable."

  His pride was wounded, but his survival instinct was stronger.

  Reality

  Rei's eyes returned to their normal black as Ryuu burst into laughter, the sound reverberating through the training hall with enough force to shake dust from the ceiling. His massive frame shook with mirth, his earlier combat stance forgotten in his amusement.

  "Oh, did the cat go hiding in its litter box?" Ryuu taunted, turning to face Rei with tears of laughter in his eyes. "Rule number one, kid, never let your opponent know your next move! Leonis and I always clashed, and I always won! Rule number two, never—"

  Before he could finish his sentence, Rei's fist crashed into Ryuu's kidney, catching the larger man completely off-guard. The precision strike found the exact nerve bundle that would cause maximum pain even to someone of Ryuu's durability.

  Ryuu's breath caught, his laughter cutting off instantly as he registered the pain.

  "Rule number one," Rei smirked, his normal voice returned but carrying a new edge of confidence, "never let your opponent know your next move, right, Ryuu?"

  Ryuu's surprise lasted only a moment before a grin spread across his face. He straightened, cracking his knuckles with a sound like small explosions. "I knew Haikito wouldn't waste my time. I like how you think, kid. But just know—"

  Before Rei could react, Ryuu's punch crashed into his torso.

  WHAM.

  The sound echoed through the hall like a thunderclap.

  Rei spit blood, dropping to one knee. The impact shook his bones, sending tremors through his entire body even with mana reinforcing his stomach. His vision blurred momentarily, the edges darkening as he fought to remain conscious.

  "Rule number two, what goes around comes around, boy." Ryuu grinned, his voice unwavering despite the force he'd just exerted. "Now stand up and follow me."

  Rei, barely regaining his footing, noted the sheer force behind Ryuu's punch. If he hadn't reinforced his body with mana at the last second, sensing the attack coming, his ribs would have shattered like glass. Even with protection, he could feel deep bruising forming beneath his skin.

  Ryuu's Room

  Rei followed Ryuu through the Academy corridors, still slightly hunched from the pain in his abdomen. They eventually reached Ryuu's housing unit, a standard apartment provided by the Academy on the eastern wing of the campus.

  But when Ryuu opened the door, Rei realized it was far from ordinary.

  Two dogs—a tiny pomeranian with fur like a golden cloud and a muscular pitbull with a scarred muzzle—chased each other wildly inside the apartment. They bounced over furniture, skidded across polished floors, and yipped with pure joy at their games.

  The contrast between the ferocious beasts and the cozy, dog-friendly apartment was jarring. Dog toys littered the floor, comfortable pet beds occupied prime spots near the windows, and family-sized bags of premium dog food lined one wall of the kitchenette.

  If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  Ryuu shouted, his voice commanding yet affectionate, "Enough! Pom-Pom, Wugsby, sit!"

  The dogs immediately obeyed, the pitbull dropping to a perfect sit while the pomeranian performed an excited little wiggle before settling.

  Then, in an unexpected turn that left Rei speechless, Ryuu dropped his guard entirely. The imposing figure—known throughout Japan as the Beast of the East, a man who had terrorized entire yakuza organizations—crouched down and nuzzled his dogs, showering them with affection.

  "Who are the good babies? Yes, you are! Yes, you are!" His voice rose in pitch, becoming almost unrecognizable as he scratched behind ears and accepted enthusiastic dog kisses with booming laughter.

  Inside Rei's Mind

  Leonis stared in utter shock, jaw hanging open at the spectacle. "...I'm going back to my room. This is too much to handle." He turned and walked away, still covering his nose from earlier, muttering about "the indignity of it all."

  Rei, however, remained frozen in disbelief. The Beast of the East... coddling dogs? Lowering his defenses so completely in front of Rei? It contradicted everything he'd heard about the man, every legend, every warning.

  Reality

  Ryuu placed his dogs in their cage with gentle hands before turning back, his demeanor shifting instantly—back to his normal, carefree yet intimidating presence. The transition was seamless, like flipping a switch between two different people.

  "Do you know why I love dogs so much, Rei?" Ryuu asked, the air suddenly heavy with tension. His eyes had lost their earlier warmth, replaced by something distant and reflective.

  Rei remained silent, sensing that whatever was coming required his full attention.

  "Dogs don't judge. They don't care who you've been or what you've done. They love you for the moment you give them. I guess that's why I like them more than people." Ryuu's voice carried the weight of decades of experience, of choices made and regretted.

  Ryuu let the words linger before continuing, his tone colder, more reminiscent of the legendary figure Rei had heard about. "In my life, I've killed many. For fun, for pleasure, and for necessity." Ryuu walked toward the kitchen, heating up leftover food that filled the apartment with the aroma of spices. "But pets—especially dogs—don't see that. They greet you joyfully when you come home, bark when you leave, and yearn for your return."

  Rei listened intently, hanging on every word, understanding that he was being granted a rare glimpse behind the mask of a living legend.

  "I wish life was like that," Ryuu muttered, stirring his food with uncharacteristic gentleness.

  He continued, voice distant as if speaking to himself rather than Rei. "I've made many mistakes. I'm past the point of redemption, nor do I want it. I accepted my punishment in prison. But no matter what, people only see me as the Beast of the East, the man who can't be controlled."

  He took a bite of his food, chewing thoughtfully. "But dogs? They don't care about that. They love me unconditionally."

  Ryuu paused, his voice quieter, containing an emotion Rei couldn't quite identify. "After my pet Snuffy died, I realized running from law enforcement was pointless. So, I turned myself in and lived under the radar." He sighed, a sound that seemed to carry the weight of years. "Until that damn Haikito showed up."

  Rei stiffened at the mention of the name, his attention sharpening. "What did he say?"

  Ryuu continued eating, seemingly unbothered by the gravity of his revelations. "He talked about the world. The end of the world this, Underworld that, blah blah blah." He waved his chopsticks dismissively, flicking droplets of sauce into the air. "Didn't care. Didn't need to. If the world was going to change, it had nothing to do with Ryuu Hanma."

  But then, his tone darkened, the chopsticks stilling mid-wave. "Until everything he said came true."

  Rei's heart pounded against his ribcage, the bruise from earlier forgotten in his rising anticipation.

  "He predicted the Assassin's Guild attack, the attacks in the city, and he said there was a boy who needed my help." Ryuu paused, his voice ice-cold, all pretense of casualness gone. "A vessel containing souls."

  Then, he locked eyes with Rei, the intensity of his gaze almost physical in its weight. "One of the names he mentioned... was Hikito."

  Inside Rei's Mind

  Rei's breath hitched as the familiar blue door across his mental landscape creaked open, echoing ominously through his consciousness. His pulse quickened, a cold sweat breaking out across his mental projection.

  The air inside his mind felt heavier, colder, charged with an energy that made the hairs on his arms stand on end.

  Then, Hikito stepped out, his piercing blue eyes locking onto Rei with an intensity that seemed to penetrate his very being.

  Reality

  "What all did he say?" Rei demanded, taking a step forward, his composure cracking. "I need to know what I am!"

  Ryuu, deep in thought, muttered, "If you're looking for Haikito, you won't find him where he's been. Haikito is always five steps ahead. If you want to find him... you need to think about the future."

  Rei clenched his fists, frustration building. Another dead end, another cryptic message instead of the answers he desperately needed.

  Ryuu finished his food with methodical precision, setting the empty container aside. "Haikito's rules. He told me not to say too much to you but..." He leaned back, arms crossed over his massive chest. "You will meet him. He assures it."

  His certainty offered little comfort to Rei, who felt no closer to understanding his own existence than before.

  Inside Rei's Mind

  Hikito smirked, a knowing expression that made Rei's mental projection bristle with irritation. "Look at you, brother. Ryuu Hanma, giving you motivational speeches."

  Rei scowled, confronting the entity directly. "You know more than you're letting on, don't you?"

  Hikito shrugged, tongue slightly protruding in a gesture of mock innocence. "Maybe."

  The non-answer only fueled Rei's frustration. He stepped toward Hikito, standing mere inches from him in the shared mental space. As he drew closer, he noticed something he hadn't seen before—chains wrapped around Hikito's arms became more visible, pulsing with an otherworldly energy.

  "Oh, brother," Hikito whispered, his voice carrying an undercurrent of threat beneath the familial address. "These chains won't hold me forever."

  His piercing blue eyes gleamed with anticipation, with knowledge of things to come. "The tides are changing... and I will return."

  Rei scoffed, refusing to show how unsettled he truly felt. "Yeah, yeah. Shut up and go away."

  But as Hikito retreated behind the blue door, Rei couldn't shake the certainty that something fundamental was shifting beneath the surface of reality, events accelerating toward some inevitable conclusion.

  Midnight — The Guild

  The grand clock struck 0000 hours.

  November 18th.

  Kage's 28-day punishment ended at last.

  Aoi released her grip on his mind, withdrawing the mental tortures that had been his constant companions for nearly a month. Kage looked like a cadaver, his once-powerful frame starving and covered in fresh scars. His hair had grown wild, his beard unkempt, the hollows beneath his cheekbones deep enough to cast shadows.

  "Oh, would you look at that pretty boy, your sentence is finally over!" Aoi said in her normal mocking yet endearing tone, the familiar taunt almost comforting after weeks of nothing but pain.

  The Cadre, who had also been present in the torture room, began unlocking the chains on Kage. The metal cuffs had worn raw rings around his wrists and ankles, testament to his occasional struggles despite knowing resistance was futile.

  They guided him into an unkept room that was cold enough to see his breath, the stone walls offering no insulation against the November chill. They laid him on a stiff single-bed mattress, the springs digging into his back through the thin padding.

  Lying in the uncomfortable bed, Kage's mind raced despite his physical exhaustion. Twenty-eight days. Twenty-eight days of having his consciousness torn apart, rebuilt, then shattered again. Twenty-eight days of learning exactly how much pain a human mind could endure before it simply... adapted.

  Kill them all.

  The thought whispered through his consciousness like a prayer, simple and pure. Not the calculated assassination techniques he'd been trained for—something rawer, more primal. The composed assassin who once worked methodically toward objectives? Gone. Replaced by something that craved destruction for its own sake.

  They laughed while I screamed. They took pleasure in my agony.

  His shadow twitched at the foot of the bed, responding to emotions he could barely contain. How easy it would be to let it loose. To watch it tear through the Guild's halls, painting the walls crimson. No contracts, no objectives—just beautiful, cathartic violence.

  The Academy used me.

  Haikito's face flashed in his mind, and Kage's hands clenched into fists. All those promises about serving a greater purpose, about being part of something important. Lies. He'd been nothing but a tool, discarded the moment he was no longer useful.

  I don't owe anyone anything anymore.

  Not the Academy. Not the Guild. Not their codes, their rules, their careful political games. For the first time in his life, Kage felt truly free—free to pursue whatever he wanted, to take whatever he desired. The realization was intoxicating.

  His phone buzzed, the screen's blue light harsh in the darkness. A text message appeared:

  "A False Light will Enter The Shadows. 22nd, Observe before acting."

  Kage stared at the message, his blood turning cold despite the heat of his rage. Even now. Even after everything they'd put him through. Haikito was still pulling his strings, still expecting obedience.

  I'm just another pawn. Another piece on his board.

  The phone trembled in his grip as the full weight of his situation crashed down on him. He wasn't free at all. Every choice he thought he'd made, every move—all of it orchestrated by a man who saw him as nothing more than a useful asset.

  The manic energy that had been building inside him shifted, focusing like a laser. If Haikito wanted to play games, wanted to move pieces around his grand chessboard, then fine.

  But when this was over, Kage would make sure there was only one piece left standing.

  Him.

  He set the phone aside and closed his eyes, but sleep wouldn't come. Instead, he lay there planning, his shadow writhing beneath the bed like a living thing, eager for the violence to come.

  Soon, he promised himself. Soon, I'll show them all what happens when you break someone completely.

  The composed assassin was dead. What remained was something far more dangerous—a weapon without a leash, pointed at everyone who had wronged him.

  And the list was growing longer by the hour.