On the rooftop of the Takeda mansion, Kael Ardent stood alone.

  The wind swept violently across the tiles, tugging at his black blazer and snapping the red disciplinary sash at his side like a banner of authority. From this height, the town below appeared peaceful—lantern lights glowing softly, streets quiet and unaware of the bloodshed unfolding above and within the mansion walls.

  Too peaceful.

  Kael’s eyes moved with disciplined precision, scanning every corner of the rooftop.

  “Where’s the guy…?” he muttered.

  “I thought Akitsu said he’d be here.”

  A voice answered from behind him—calm, unhurried, almost amused.

  “Who exactly are you looking for, hero?”

  Kael turned instantly.

  A man dressed entirely in black stood several steps away. No insignia. No wasted motion. His presence felt… muted, as if the night itself bent subtly around him, swallowing his outline. He stood relaxed, hands at his sides, yet Kael’s instincts screamed.

  “Oh?” Kael said lightly.

  “So you must be the guy.”

  “Who are you referring to?” the man asked. “I simply work for the family who lives here.”

  “There’s no reason for small talk,” Kael replied. “I’m here to accomplish my task.”

  He unsheathed his katana.

  The blade was pure white, flawless—moments ago resting in a white sheath adorned with red roses, a strip of crimson cloth tied tightly around the hilt. Moonlight slid along the steel as Kael leveled it directly at the man.

  “Hero,” the man said calmly, “aren’t you breaking the law by trespassing on private property? If so, what is your reason?”

  “I’m here to help a friend.”

  The man straightened slightly. “Are you referring to the girl? Ryozen Kaoru?”

  Kael’s eyes hardened.

  “I’m only following my young master’s orders.”

  “And who would that be?”

  “Haruya Takeda. He ordered me to transport the girl.”

  “Why didn’t you refuse?”

  The answer came instantly. “I wanted the cash prize. I couldn’t resist.”

  Kael tightened his grip.

  “I understand temptation,” he said evenly. “But disobeying the law is still wrong.”

  “Yeah,” the man replied casually. “I know.”

  He paused, then smiled faintly.

  “Tell me, hero… does your purpose here endanger the family?”

  “It could,” Kael admitted. “But I’d rather it not.”

  The man sighed.

  “I’m sorry,” he said as he drew his daggers, metal whispering softly from their sheaths.

  “But I can’t allow threats to remain.”

  He vanished.

  Kael lunged forward—

  And in the next instant, the man appeared behind him, dagger already descending.

  Kael spun without hesitation.

  Steel met steel.

  The dagger shattered on impact, exploding into fragments that scattered through the air like broken glass. Kael leaped backward, boots skidding against tile as he created distance.

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  “Nice reflexes,” the man said calmly.

  “I already know your power,” Kael replied. “You manipulate light—and swap places with it.”

  “That’s the gist.”

  Kael’s eyes narrowed.

  If I can reflect the light itself…

  For a fraction of a second, a faint glow appeared at the edge of his vision.

  It bent.

  Shifted.

  Moved behind him.

  Kael turned as time seemed to slow—and swung.

  The katana struck the light itself, reflecting it several feet away. Instantly, the man swapped positions with it, reappearing near the rooftop’s edge.

  “You’re fast,” the man said. “Life would be easy if I had your body.”

  “Not really,” Kael replied. “Being special means people expect perfection. I can’t afford to fail.”

  “Is that so?”

  Another particle formed above him.

  Kael reacted instantly, striking upward. The blade reflected the light away, sending it skidding through the air like a ricochet.

  Kael rushed forward.

  The man switched places.

  Kael swung again—

  And shattered another dagger mid-descent.

  “You thought I could only manipulate one photon?” the man laughed.

  “I can create millions!”

  The rooftop erupted.

  Dozens—then hundreds—of light particles shimmered into existence, flashing and vanishing in chaotic patterns. The air warped with brilliance.

  Kael didn’t panic.

  His body moved on instinct.

  Every swing precise.

  Every reflection perfect.

  The rooftop rang with sharp metallic echoes as light rebounded again and again.

  Then—

  The particles rushed toward him all at once.

  Kael coated his blade in a thin, impossibly dense layer of mana.

  The light touched it—and vanished.

  Absorbed.

  “What?!”

  “That’s impossible!”

  “You should expect the unexpected,” Kael said calmly,

  “when you’re cursed to win.”

  “I’m not done yet!”

  The next second—

  Kael disappeared.

  He reappeared behind the man.

  The katana slid back into its sheath.

  The man froze.

  Why can’t I move…? Speak…?

  Blood poured from his neck.

  His head fell.

  The body collapsed silently onto the tiles.

  Kael turned toward the edge of the rooftop.

  “I should check on Akitsu,” he said, trust steady in his voice.

  Below—

  The great chamber was surrounded.

  Guards filled the courtyard and corridors, bows drawn, swords raised, torches flickering violently in the wind.

  “…That’s not good,” Kael muttered.

  At the same moment—

  The mansion window exploded outward.

  Glass shattered into the night as a figure burst through from within—

  Akitsu Shouga.

  At the exact same instant—

  Kael leaped from the rooftop.

  Neither saw the other.

  Neither knew.

  One descended from above like judgment.

  The other emerged from within like inevitability.

  Moonlight caught on steel.

  The cycle continued.