The meeting chamber had been prepared for eight Great Kings.
Only three seats were occupied.
The chamber sat deep within Radiance Castle, far enough from the public halls that ordinary servants rarely passed its doors. There were no windows, no balconies, and no adjoining rooms through which someone might overhear what was being discussed. Stone walls rose around a broad circular table carved from a single piece of white marble, its surface marked with an old representation of the known continents. Eight high-backed chairs had been positioned evenly around it, each identical except for the small crest placed above its headrest.
Five remained empty.
Outside the sealed doors, knights from three kingdoms stood guard together. Radiance Knights occupied the inner corridor, while the royal escorts of Luminara and Auremont held positions farther down the hall. None had been permitted inside.
For the first gathering of the Great Kings in decades, the room belonged only to them.
Shadis Solmere sat at the head of the table, though the circular shape made the distinction mostly ceremonial. He had expected the empty chairs, though seeing five of them together still irritated him more than he cared to admit.
Across from him sat Great King Luceran Vaelis of Luminara.
There was nothing outwardly aggressive about Luceran. His posture was relaxed, his expression attentive, and he carried himself with the easy confidence of someone who had spent enough years around other rulers that titles no longer impressed him. Yet the amount of spiritual energy resting inside the man was impossible to ignore. He was not releasing it intentionally, nor was he attempting to make his presence known, but the pressure existed regardless. It filled the room like the distant weight of a storm, vast enough that even someone incapable of identifying its nature would understand immediately that the man sitting there was anything but ordinary.
Shadis had known him long enough that the sensation barely registered anymore.
The third man was different.
Great King Alaric Auremont sat with his back straight and his hands resting calmly before him. His clothing was elegant without being excessive, tailored in the formal western style common among Auremont’s upper nobility. A slender rapier rested against the side of his chair, its polished hilt forming a precise star around the base of the blade. Alaric had not touched the weapon once since entering the room, but its presence felt deliberate, as much a part of his appearance as the crown he had removed before sitting.
Unlike Luceran, Shadis had never known Alaric personally.
They had met before, of course. All Great Kings eventually crossed paths through ceremonies, negotiations, international crises, or the occasional gathering important enough to force them into the same room. Shadis respected him, and Alaric had never given him reason not to.
Luceran looked toward the empty chairs again before returning his attention to Shadis.
“I expected more.”
Shadis leaned back slightly. “So did I.”
Alaric’s gaze moved across the five abandoned seats. “Some gave reasons.”
“Some did,” Shadis replied.
Luceran understood what had been left unsaid. “And the others?”
“They did not believe the meeting required their presence.”
A faint smile appeared on Luceran’s face, though there was no amusement behind it. “It is reassuring to know the title continues to attract humility.”
Alaric glanced toward him. “If you expected humility from Great Kings, Vaelis, then you have spent remarkably little time around us.”
Luceran looked almost pleased. “Perhaps I underestimated you.”
“I doubt it.”
Shadis allowed the exchange to pass before placing both hands against the table.
“I did not summon everyone here to discuss who chose not to attend. Those who could not come had their reasons. Those who simply chose not to will receive the same report through their kingdoms.”
Luceran’s humor disappeared.
Alaric gave a small nod.
Shadis looked between them.
“The reason I called this meeting is Eclipsed Abyss.”
Neither man interrupted him.
Shadis had deliberately avoided sending the full details through ordinary diplomatic channels. Some information could be entrusted to sealed reports and royal couriers. This could not.
“Until recently, we believed we were dealing with several unrelated individuals operating across different kingdoms and continents. That assumption is no longer sustainable.”
He began with Renjiro.
Shadis explained what Radiance had learned about his movement through the Shadow Realm, the danger surrounding his Hell Scythe, and the corruption associated with those who came into contact with his power. He spoke about Makoto Ryuzen and the circumstances surrounding his disappearance with Renjiro, careful not to claim more than Radiance actually knew.
Then came Tsubasa Astoria.
A runaway prince capable of opening portals and moving people across tremendous distances, now operating as part of something far larger than himself.
Reina Kusare followed, along with the Rot ability that had permanently scarred Aiko Hanabi during the Oceanside disaster.
Luceran’s expression became increasingly serious as the report continued.
Alaric remained nearly motionless, but Shadis noticed the subtle change in the way his fingers rested against the table whenever another name was added.
Finally, Shadis reached Suzu Nozomi.
“The Blood Witch,” Alaric said.
Shadis nodded. “Itsuki Nozomi’s older sister.”
“I read the Oceanside reports,” Alaric replied. “The casualty estimates were difficult to believe.”
“They were conservative.”
Alaric’s expression tightened.
Shadis described what had happened as clearly as he could. Suzu’s appearance in the Coastal Kingdom, the enormous crimson barrier, her blood manipulation, the damage inflicted upon the guilds trapped inside, and the eventual arrival of Kaito Ishiro. He explained that Suzu had not simply appeared as an independent attacker. Radiance now had reason to believe she had been taken into Eclipsed Abyss after the battle.
“Taken?” Luceran asked.
“That distinction matters,” Shadis said. “We do not believe every person connected to this group is there willingly.”
Luceran’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Then they recruit by force as well as choice.”
“That is our current conclusion.”
Alaric spoke for the first time in several minutes. “And their purpose?”
“We do not know.”
His answer drew a deeper silence than anything else he had said.
Alaric looked at him carefully. “You called three Great Kings across the continent to tell us you have identified a group whose purpose remains unknown.”
“I called eight.”
A small tension entered the room.
Shadis continued before the distinction could become an argument.
“And I called them because their lack of an obvious objective makes them more dangerous, not less. They have individuals operating through multiple kingdoms. They have access to the Shadow Realm. They have recruited or captured people with abilities capable of destabilizing entire regions. They are not thieves, mercenaries, or a kingdom pursuing territory.”
Luceran leaned forward slightly. “You believe they are preparing for something.”
“I believe they already are.”
Alaric studied the map carved into the table.
“What else?”
Shadis knew exactly what he meant.
There was one detail he had intentionally saved for last.
“They approached Shunjiro Tenzai.”
Luceran’s attention snapped back to him.
Alaric’s reaction was smaller, but immediate.
Shadis continued. “An invitation was made for him to join them.”
“Did he?” Alaric asked.
“No.”
Luceran watched Shadis for a moment. “You are certain?”
“As certain as I can be with him currently missing.”
That earned another silence.
Alaric’s eyes narrowed. “Missing since when?”
“The Oceanside aftermath.”
Shadis explained the search efforts already underway, including the guilds dispatched toward the Nature and Darkness Continents. He did not linger on Shunjiro’s disappearance, because the meeting was not about a single fifteen-year-old adventurer. What mattered was what the invitation represented.
“Eclipsed Abyss knew who he was,” Shadis said. “They knew enough to approach him directly, and they considered him valuable enough to recruit.”
Luceran rubbed a thumb slowly against the edge of the table.
“A fifteen-year-old.”
“Yes.”
“An adventurer who had barely begun his career.”
“Yes.”
Luceran’s expression darkened. “Then either they know something you do not, or you have left something out.”
Shadis met his gaze.
Luceran knew him well enough to see immediately that there was more surrounding Shunjiro than Shadis intended to discuss in this room.
He did not press.
Alaric noticed the exchange but made no comment.
Shadis sat back.
“I am not asking either of you for soldiers. I am not asking Luminara to march south, and I am not asking Auremont to send its forces across the sea. I called you here because this organization is moving in ways that make borders increasingly meaningless.”
Luceran nodded slowly.
“If one of their people appears within Luminara, you want to know.”
“Immediately.”
“If we identify someone connected to them?”
“Send the information to Radiance and to every kingdom willing to receive it.”
Alaric looked down toward the western portion of the map.
His side of the Light Continent sat far from Radiance. Between Auremont and the eastern kingdoms stretched an enormous expanse of water, scattered islands, trade routes, and distances that could take armies weeks to cross even under ideal conditions. The western kingdoms had their own borders, their own dangers, and their own people.
When he finally spoke, his tone remained respectful.
“I appreciate the warning, Shadis.”
Shadis waited.
Alaric’s gaze remained on the map.
“And I will ensure Auremont’s intelligence networks receive every name you have given me. If Eclipsed Abyss appears in the west, you will know.”
Luceran glanced toward him.
Alaric continued.
“But I will also be clear about where my priorities remain. Auremont is separated from Radiance and Luminara by more than a political border. The western kingdoms depend upon one another because there is an ocean between us and you.”
Shadis nodded. “I know.”
“If something threatens Auremont, Bellara, Sylvara, or the territories surrounding us, I cannot justify weakening our defenses because Radiance faces danger thousands of miles away.”
Luceran rested his arms against the table. “Shadis did not ask you to.”
“No,” Alaric said. “Which is why I am willing to listen.”
There was no hostility in the words.
Shadis appreciated that.
Alaric looked toward him directly.
“I have watched rulers hear the phrase ‘continental threat’ and immediately decide that every kingdom should rearrange itself around the kingdom currently suffering from it. I do not believe you are doing that.”
“I’m not.”
“I know.”
Alaric’s expression softened by a degree.
“My responsibility is to Auremont first. Then to the western lands that would bleed alongside us if something crossed our shores. I will not pretend otherwise simply because we all live beneath the same name on a map.”
Luceran looked toward the carved sea separating them.
“Distance may not matter to this group.”
Alaric turned toward him.
Luceran’s voice remained calm.
“You just heard that one of them can open portals. Another moves through the Shadow Realm. Whatever comfort an ocean normally gives you may not apply here.”
“I understand that.”
“Then you understand why Shadis called you.”
“I do.”
Alaric placed one hand near the star-shaped hilt of his rapier, though he did not draw it.
“That is why I came.”
The answer seemed to satisfy Luceran.
Shadis looked between the two men.
“This is all I wanted from either of you. Preparation. Awareness. Communication. If Eclipsed Abyss moves into your kingdoms, do not assume it is an isolated incident.”
Alaric nodded.
Luceran did the same.
“Radiance will hear from Luminara immediately,” Luceran said. “You know that.”
Shadis allowed himself a faint smile. “I expected as much.”
Alaric noticed the familiarity between them.
“I suppose this is the part where the two of you congratulate yourselves for being neighbors.”
Luceran smiled. “You could always move Auremont.”
“I will bring the proposal before my nobles. I am sure relocating an entire kingdom across the sea will pass without resistance.”
Even Shadis laughed quietly at that.
The brief humor did little to erase what had been discussed, but perhaps that was why it was welcome.
Alaric rose first.
The movement caused the rapier at his side to shift slightly, the star-shaped hilt catching the chamber’s light. He placed one hand against the back of his chair and looked again at the five empty seats.
“Send the report to those who did not come.”
“I will.”
Alaric looked toward Shadis. “And if you learn what Eclipsed Abyss actually wants, do not wait for another meeting.”
“I won’t.”
Luceran stood as well, and the vast spiritual weight accompanying him seemed to shift with the movement.
“I will remain in Radiance until tomorrow morning,” he said. “If you remember anything else, find me.”
Shadis nodded. “I will.”
Luceran glanced toward Alaric. “Safe journey west.”
Alaric gave him a formal nod. “And north to you.”
There was no warmth between them, but there was respect.
For Great Kings who barely knew one another beyond crowns and reputation, that was enough.
Shadis stood last.
The meeting was over.
When the chamber doors opened, the corridor beyond immediately came alive. Radiance Knights straightened, while the royal guards from Luminara and Auremont moved to receive their respective kings. None asked what had been discussed, and none would unless their ruler chose to tell them.
Alaric left first, surrounded by the knights of Auremont. Luceran remained long enough to exchange a few quiet words with Shadis before joining his own escort and disappearing down the opposite corridor.
Only after both Great Kings were gone did Shadis allow himself to look back into the chamber.
Eight chairs remained around the table.
Five had never been touched.
He wondered how long it would be before whatever Eclipsed Abyss was preparing forced all eight of them to care.
A Radiance Knight approached from the far end of the corridor but stopped several paces away.
“Your Majesty.”
Shadis turned.
The knight bowed. “A priority communication arrived from the Stellar Empire while the chamber was sealed.”
Everything else vanished from Shadis’s thoughts.
“The Stellar Empire?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. It bears the royal seal of Great King Aurelius.”
Shadis’s expression sharpened immediately.
“Where?”
“The communication chamber.”
Shadis was already moving before the knight finished speaking.
The walk through Radiance Castle took only a few minutes, but by the time Shadis entered the communication chamber, he had considered half a dozen reasons why Aurelius might be contacting him. None were reassuring.
A crystalline device rested at the center of the room, surrounded by thin rings of pale spiritual light. The message had already been authenticated. Stellar markings hovered along its edges, confirming that the transmission had originated from the royal fortress itself.
The knight accompanying Shadis remained at the entrance.
Shadis approached the crystal.
“Play it.”
Light gathered above the device.
A figure slowly formed within it.
Great King Aurelius stood beneath the pale colors of the Stellar Empire, his white crown unmistakable even through the distortion of the projection. The message was not live. It had been recorded earlier and carried across the enormous distance between the Stellar Empire and Radiance.
Aurelius looked directly forward.
“This message is for King Shadis Solmere of the Kingdom of Radiance.”
His voice carried clearly through the chamber, smooth and formal.
“A Radiance adventurer named Shunjiro has arrived within the Stellar Empire. He was found at our South Gate during a storm and is currently under our protection inside Starheart Fortress. He claims to be seeking return to Radiance.”
Shadis became completely still.
For a moment, everything else Aurelius had said disappeared beneath a single realization.
Shunjiro was alive.
After weeks of searches, uncertainty, and possibilities Shadis had increasingly refused to voice aloud, the boy had somehow emerged on the Cosmic Continent and reached the Stellar Empire.
The projection continued.
“When conditions allow, send one of your guilds to retrieve him. The Cosmic Continent is dangerous for lone travelers, and I would prefer not to send one of Shadis Solmere’s adventurers back through the snow without a proper escort.”
Shadis stepped closer to the crystal as Aurelius finished speaking. The projection could not see him, but that hardly mattered.
The light surrounding the recorded image brightened once before beginning to fade, the message having reached its conclusion.
Silence returned to the communication chamber.
Shadis remained where he was, staring at the empty space above the crystal as the implications settled over him.
Shunjiro had survived.
Somehow, the fifteen-year-old who had disappeared after Oceanside had crossed far enough through the world to reach the Cosmic Continent. Radiance had been searching Nature and Darkness while Shunjiro had somehow ended up farther away than either.
But he was alive.
More importantly, he was inside Starheart Fortress under the protection of another Great King.
Shadis finally exhaled and turned toward the knight waiting near the entrance.
“Send for Kaito.”
The knight straightened.
“Immediately, Your Majesty.”
﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌
Kaito found Shadis before the king had even returned to his office.
He was moving through one of the upper corridors of Radiance Castle when Kaito rounded the corner ahead of him, walking quickly enough that the usual calm in his stride had disappeared. Someone had clearly found him the moment Shadis’s order went out. Kaito still wore his midnight-blue cloak, and his katana rested at his side, but there was something unusually tense about his expression as he approached.
“Your Majesty.”
Shadis stopped.
Kaito searched his face for only a moment before asking, “It’s Shunjiro?”
“It is.”
Kaito’s jaw tightened.
Shadis had known the man long enough to recognize the effort it took for him to keep his expression composed.
“He’s alive,” Shadis said.
The tension left Kaito so suddenly that he released a long breath and lowered his head.
Kaito finally looked up after a second. “Where?”
“The Stellar Empire.”
Kaito stared at him.
“The Stellar Empire?”
“Great King Aurelius sent a message personally. Shunjiro reached their South Gate during a storm. He’s currently being protected inside Starheart Fortress.”
Kaito’s eyes narrowed slightly as the information settled in. “How the hell did he get all the way there?”
“We don’t know.”
“Was he injured?”
“Aurelius didn’t mention any condition requiring concern. He said Shunjiro is safe and wants to return to Radiance.”
Another breath escaped Kaito, quieter this time. His hand moved to his hip almost absently as he looked down the corridor.
“That kid.”
There was no irritation behind the words.
Only relief.
Shadis understood it.
Kaito had been among the people carrying the uncertainty from the moment Shunjiro disappeared. Shunjiro was one of his adventurers, but that had stopped being the only reason Kaito cared a long time ago.
“He survived,” Kaito said.
“He did.”
Kaito shook his head once, and the smallest smile appeared beneath his mustache. “Of course he did.”
Shadis allowed that moment to remain before continuing.
“Aurelius has asked us to send a guild to retrieve him. I’m redirecting the Azure Comets from their search in the Nature Continent. They’ll travel to the Stellar Empire and bring him back. The Sunveil Order will return to Radiance.”
Kaito nodded immediately. An SSS-ranked guild was more than enough for a retrieval mission, particularly when Shunjiro was already under the protection of another Great King.
Then Kaito’s expression shifted.
“Illumina.”
“I’ve already ordered someone to notify them.”
Kaito looked toward Shadis. “Let me.”
Shadis studied him briefly before nodding. “Very well.”
“I should be the one to tell them.”
“I agree.”
Kaito turned as though he intended to leave immediately, but Shadis spoke before he could take his first step.
“Kaito.”
He stopped.
“They cannot go.”
Kaito looked back.
Shadis’s expression had become more serious.
“They are going to ask.”
“I know.”
“They are fully recovered,” Kaito said. “All five of them.”
“That does not change my answer.”
Kaito did not argue. He merely waited.
“Shunjiro is not missing anymore,” Shadis continued. “He is not trapped in hostile territory. He is inside Starheart Fortress under Aurelius’s protection. There is no emergency requiring Illumina to cross the world after him.”
Kaito nodded slowly.
“Especially Itsuki,” Shadis added.
Neither of them needed to discuss why.
“For now, they remain in Radiance. The Azure Comets will retrieve Shunjiro, and Illumina will wait for him here.”
“I’ll make that clear.”
Shadis looked at him for another moment. “Let them be happy first.”
Kaito’s expression softened.
“Yeah.”
He turned and headed down the corridor.
This time, there was considerably more life in his step.
By the time Kaito reached the Illumina dormitory, evening had settled over Radiance.
The five of them were together.
That had become increasingly common over the past few weeks, especially once their bodies had finally caught up with the determination that had returned much earlier. Training had become part of nearly every day again.
Ryuji’s ribs were fully healed now. The injuries that had once made even twisting his torso painful no longer restricted him, and the strength behind his obsidian armor had returned completely. Aiko had recovered physically as well, though the scar along the left side of her face remained permanent.
Tetsuo had adapted faster than most people would have expected.
Losing his left eye had changed the way he fought, but it had not taken fighting away from him. He had spent countless hours relearning distance, angles, and movement until the missing portion of his vision stopped controlling every decision he made. He still made mistakes occasionally, particularly when something approached from his blind side, but they were becoming rarer. In an ordinary fight, he could move without hesitation again.
Yoshinori had recovered completely.
Itsuki had too, at least physically.
Whatever had happened inside her spiritual system remained something she was still learning to understand, but she was no longer the exhausted girl who had returned from Oceanside unable to summon even the smallest trace of her energy. Her golden spiritual energy had returned, while the darker energy left behind by the butterfly had stabilized alongside it. For now, the two existed in an uneasy balance that Itsuki kept mostly to herself.
The five of them had finished training not long before Kaito arrived.
Ryuji was sprawled across one end of the couch with a towel around his neck, while Tetsuo sat nearby eating something Aiko had repeatedly told him belonged to her. Aiko was attempting to steal it back. Yoshinori sat at the table with a book open in front of him, although he had been staring at the same page long enough that he clearly was not reading anymore.
Itsuki sat beside the window.
She had changed out of her training clothes and into something more comfortable, her long black hair falling loosely around her shoulders while her staff rested against the wall nearby.
A knock came from the door, cutting through the room and immediately drawing everyone’s attention. Aiko stopped trying to pry the food from Tetsuo’s hand, Ryuji looked toward the entrance, and Yoshinori lifted his eyes from the book in front of him. Even Itsuki turned from the window. When a second knock followed, Yoshinori pushed himself away from the table. “I’ll get it.”
He crossed the room and opened the door, only for his expression to change the moment he saw who was standing on the other side. “Kaito?”
The others noticed immediately. Kaito rarely came to the dormitory without a reason, and after everything that had happened over the past month, none of them were willing to assume that reason was harmless. Ryuji sat upright, Tetsuo stopped chewing, and whatever annoyance Aiko had been showing a second ago disappeared completely. Itsuki slowly rose from her chair as Kaito looked past Yoshinori and took in the four others gathered inside.
For a few seconds, nobody said anything. Kaito could see the fear beginning to settle across their faces, not panic, but the quieter kind that came from learning too many times that unexpected news usually meant something had gone wrong. He stepped inside as Yoshinori moved aside to let him pass.
“Everyone’s here.”
Yoshinori closed the door behind him and turned back. “What happened?”
Kaito looked at him first, then let his gaze move across the rest of Illumina. There was no reason to drag this out, especially after how long they had already been waiting for any kind of answer.
“We found Shunjiro.”
The room went completely still.
Aiko’s eyes widened as her hands slowly fell away from Tetsuo. Ryuji stared at Kaito as if he were waiting for him to correct himself, while Itsuki froze beside the window. Tetsuo lowered the food in his hand without even realizing he had done it. Yoshinori was the first to find his voice.
“Found him?”
Kaito nodded. “He’s alive.”
Whatever tension had been holding the room together broke all at once. Aiko covered her mouth with both hands as tears immediately gathered in her eyes. Tetsuo shot to his feet so quickly that his knee struck the table, but he barely seemed to notice, and Ryuji stood a moment later with an expression caught somewhere between disbelief and relief. Yoshinori remained where he was, but his shoulders finally dropped as though some enormous weight he had been forcing himself to carry had suddenly been taken from him.
It was a small reaction compared to the others, but Kaito noticed it immediately.
For weeks, Yoshinori had carried himself like someone who had decided he was not allowed to relax until every member of his guild was accounted for. Shunjiro had disappeared, Itsuki had been struggling, Tetsuo had lost an eye, Aiko had been permanently scarred, and Ryuji had spent weeks healing from broken ribs.
Somewhere during all of it, Yoshinori had quietly accepted that someone needed to keep moving.
Now the leader he had been waiting for was alive.
Yoshinori closed his eyes and let out a slow breath, as though he had been holding it for weeks without realizing it. “He’s alive.”
This time, it was not a question.
Kaito smiled slightly. “Yeah.”
Yoshinori lowered his head and rubbed one hand across his face.
“Good.”
The word came out rougher than he intended, carrying far more relief than he would ever willingly admit aloud.
A breathless laugh came from Ryuji. “That bastard.”
Everyone looked toward him, and for once, the smile spreading across his face was not the exaggerated grin they were used to seeing. There was something warmer behind it, something almost disbelieving as the reality finally began to settle in.
“He actually did it,” Ryuji said, shaking his head. “We had no idea where he was or what happened to him. Everybody’s been searching half the damn world, and somehow he’s still out there surviving.”
His grin widened as he looked around the room.
“That’s my guild leader.”
Tetsuo laughed, though the moisture gathering in his remaining eye betrayed him. “Yeah. That’s our guy.” He quickly wiped beneath his eye as though nobody had noticed, but when he looked toward Ryuji, the two of them understood exactly what the other was feeling.
They were proud of him.
Neither Ryuji nor Tetsuo had chosen to follow Shunjiro because he was the strongest person they knew. Shunjiro had never possessed a grand title or a reputation powerful enough for them to hide behind. They had chosen him because of who he was, and now, after everything that had happened at Oceanside and everything that had come afterward, the person they had chosen as their leader had somehow survived long enough for Radiance to find him again.
Aiko was already crying openly by the time she managed to ask, “Where is he?”
“The Stellar Empire,” Kaito answered.
For the briefest moment, even Aiko seemed to forget that she was crying. “The what?”
Ryuji blinked at him. “How the hell did he get there?”
“We don’t know.”
“The Cosmic Continent?” Tetsuo asked.
Kaito nodded. “Yes.”
Tetsuo slowly lowered himself back into his seat, staring ahead as he tried to comprehend just how far Shunjiro had traveled. “Shunjiro got lost really bad.”
Under almost any other circumstances, Aiko would have laughed at that. Instead, she wiped at her wet cheeks before immediately looking toward Itsuki.
That was when she realized Itsuki still had not moved.
She remained standing beside the window exactly where she had been when Kaito entered, her blue eyes fixed on him while tears silently rolled down her cheeks. There was no panic on her face and no confusion anymore. She simply looked as though she was afraid that if she moved too quickly, the words she had just heard might somehow disappear.
Aiko’s expression softened. “Itsuki?”
Itsuki blinked, and another tear slipped down her cheek. “He’s alive?”
Her voice was so quiet that Kaito almost missed it.
“He’s alive,” he repeated gently.
Itsuki brought both hands to her mouth as her shoulders began to tremble.
The past month had given her almost nothing but reasons to hurt. The nightmares had followed, along with weeks of uncertainty, until Mariah had taken her back to the remains of the home she had once shared with her family. There she had been forced to confront what remained inside her soul, only for the Holy Knight and Empyrea to become yet another threat waiting beyond Radiance’s walls.
Every answer seemed to bring another reason to be afraid, and somewhere along the way, Itsuki had stopped allowing herself to expect genuinely good news.
Now, for the first time in what felt like an eternity, she had received some.
A sound escaped Itsuki that was somewhere between a laugh and a sob, and Aiko crossed the room immediately. “Itsuki.”
Itsuki nodded quickly even though Aiko had not asked anything yet. “I’m okay.”
Aiko placed both hands gently on her arms and searched her face. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.” Itsuki laughed again through her tears and tried wiping them away, but more immediately replaced the ones she removed. “I’m okay.”
She looked toward Kaito again, almost as though she still needed to hear it one more time before she could completely believe him. “He’s really okay?”
“As far as we know, yes. Aurelius himself sent the message. Shunjiro reached the Stellar Empire during a storm and was taken into Starheart Fortress. He’s under their protection.”
A smile slowly appeared on Itsuki’s face. It was small at first, almost uncertain, but the longer she allowed the words to settle, the more it grew. Aiko stared at her because it had been a long time since she had seen that expression. This was not one of Itsuki’s polite smiles or the quiet reassurance she offered whenever she was trying to convince everyone else not to worry about her. This was genuine happiness, pure and uncomplicated enough that for a few precious seconds, nothing else seemed capable of reaching her.
Itsuki finally lowered her hands from her face. “He made it.”
Aiko’s own tears started again. “Of course he did.”
Itsuki laughed softly and nodded. “Of course he did.”
Aiko pulled her into a hug, and Itsuki wrapped her arms around her without hesitation, burying her face against Aiko’s shoulder. Nearby, Ryuji looked away and quickly rubbed beneath one of his eyes, but Tetsuo noticed immediately.
“You crying?”
“No.”
“You are.”
“Shut up.”
“You definitely are.”
Ryuji pointed at him. “You have one eye and somehow you’re still seeing too much.”
That finally pulled a laugh from Aiko, even while she was still holding Itsuki, and Yoshinori’s mouth curved into a small smile as well. Kaito remained quiet and let them have the moment. After everything they had gone through, they deserved at least that much.
Eventually, Yoshinori turned toward him again. “When do we leave?”
The question changed the atmosphere immediately. Aiko loosened her arms around Itsuki while Ryuji turned back toward Kaito and Tetsuo straightened in his seat. Itsuki wiped the remaining tears from her cheeks, and Kaito could see the expectation forming across all five faces.
He had known this was coming.
“You don’t.”
Ryuji’s expression fell. “What?”
“We’re sending the Azure Comets.”
Aiko released Itsuki and stared at him. “No.”
Kaito raised an eyebrow. “No?”
“We know where he is now,” Aiko said. “We’re going.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Why?”
“Because Shadis already made the decision.”
Ryuji stepped forward before Aiko could argue again. “We’re all healed. My ribs are fine.”
“I know.”
Tetsuo tapped beneath his missing left eye. “And this isn’t stopping me anymore.”
“I know that too.”
Aiko gestured toward the others. “Then what’s the problem?”
“There isn’t one.”
That answer stopped her.
Kaito crossed his arms and looked over the entire guild. “That’s exactly the point. A month ago, Shunjiro was missing. We didn’t know whether he was injured, trapped, captured, corrupted, or dead. If we had known where he was back then, I would’ve understood all of you trying to tear down the front gate just to get to him.”
Aiko’s expression tightened, but she did not interrupt.
“That isn’t the situation anymore,” Kaito continued. “Shunjiro is inside one of the safest fortresses on the Cosmic Continent, under the personal protection of Great King Aurelius. He isn’t trapped somewhere waiting for Illumina to rescue him. We know exactly where he is, and we know he’s safe.”
Yoshinori was the first to understand where Kaito was going. “The Azure Comets are already out searching.”
Kaito nodded. “They’re being redirected to the Stellar Empire. The Sunveil Order is coming back to Radiance.”
Ryuji frowned. “So we’re really just supposed to wait?”
“Yes.”
“That’s terrible.”
“Probably.”
Tetsuo folded his arms. “I hate waiting.”
“I know.”
Aiko still looked unconvinced. “What if something happens before the Azure Comets reach him?”
Kaito stared at her for a moment. “Then he’ll still be inside Starheart Fortress with a Great King.”
Aiko opened her mouth to argue, thought better of it beneath Kaito’s stare, and reluctantly closed it again. “Yeah. Fine.”
Itsuki had remained quiet throughout the exchange. Kaito glanced toward her briefly, knowing that of everyone in the room, she was the person Shadis was least willing to allow outside Radiance right now. He had no intention of reminding her of that unless he absolutely needed to, and fortunately, she did not argue with the decision.
Instead, she asked the question that mattered more to her. “How long?”
Kaito thought about the distance and the route the Azure Comets would have to take. “A week if everything goes perfectly. Two is more realistic.”
Itsuki nodded slowly. After spending an entire month wondering whether she would ever see Shunjiro again, one or two weeks suddenly did not feel very long at all.
Kaito looked over the five of them. “So that’s what you’ve got.”
Ryuji raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“One or two weeks.” Kaito stepped farther into the room. “You’re all back at full strength now, which is good. Keep training.”
Tetsuo groaned, earning no sympathy from Kaito.
“Shunjiro survived whatever happened to him after Oceanside,” Kaito continued. “Somehow, he crossed enough of the world to end up in the Stellar Empire. I seriously doubt he spent the last month sitting around doing nothing.”
That immediately caught Yoshinori’s attention, and Kaito allowed himself a faint smile.
“So when he walks back through those gates, don’t let him come home to a guild that spent the entire time standing still waiting for him.”
The room became quiet again, but this silence carried none of the fear from before. Ryuji’s grin slowly returned as he looked toward the others. “Now that sounds better.”
Tetsuo cracked his knuckles. “He’s gonna think we’re way stronger.”
Aiko wiped beneath her eyes one last time. “We are way stronger.”
Yoshinori closed the book he had abandoned on the table. “He probably won’t recognize half of Tetsuo’s bad habits anymore.”
Tetsuo immediately looked offended. “I’ve improved.”
“You have.”
Tetsuo paused, clearly having prepared himself for an insult instead. “Oh.”
Ryuji burst out laughing.
Itsuki watched the others as their relief slowly turned into something lighter, and the warmth in her chest refused to fade. For the first time in what felt like forever, thinking about Shunjiro did not immediately bring fear with it. She could actually picture him returning now, walking through the gates of Radiance with his messy hair and that stupidly bright smile, probably saying something simple as though he had not disappeared for a month and somehow crossed half the world in the process. The image made her eyes sting again, but this time she smiled before the tears could fall.
Kaito finally moved toward the door. “I’ll let you celebrate tonight.”
Ryuji immediately pointed at him. “You said it.”
“I did.”
“No training tonight.”
Kaito looked back at him. “I didn’t say that.”
“You absolutely implied it.”
“I absolutely didn’t.”
Aiko gave a watery laugh from beside Itsuki, and even Yoshinori looked amused. Kaito opened the door and paused before stepping into the hallway. “Tomorrow morning, you’re back to work.”
Nobody complained this time. Kaito allowed his gaze to linger on the five of them for another moment before leaving. A month ago, this room had felt incomplete in a way none of them wanted to acknowledge. It still was, but now that emptiness no longer carried the same weight. Shunjiro was not gone. He was not another name they had to learn how to mourn.
He was coming home.
Kaito stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind him. Almost immediately, Ryuji and Tetsuo started arguing about how much stronger they could become before Shunjiro returned, with Tetsuo insisting that Shunjiro would barely recognize him in a fight and Ryuji loudly claiming that he would be the one to surprise him most. Aiko laughed along with them, while Yoshinori remained near the table, listening with the quiet expression of someone who had finally allowed himself to put down a burden he had been carrying for far too long.
Itsuki eventually returned to the window and looked out over Radiance. Evening had settled across the kingdom, and lights were beginning to glow throughout the streets below, stretching farther and farther into the distance beneath the darkening sky. Somewhere far beyond anything she could see, across an impossible amount of land and sea, Shunjiro was alive.
Itsuki for once allowed herself to think about the future without being afraid of what might be waiting there.