The night had grown eerily still.
Outside the cave, the wind had stopped howling. Even the distant sounds of nocturnal creatures had vanished, replaced by an unnatural silence. It was as if the world itself had paused, waiting for something unseen to stir.
Raiyo felt it before he heard it—a presence, light as a whisper yet heavy as fate. His senses, sharpened beyond those of an ordinary swordsman, tingled with unease.
He turned his head slightly.
"You're here, aren't you?"
A slow chuckle echoed through the cave.
From the deepest shadows of the cavern, a figure emerged—draped in tattered black robes, their presence like a ripple in the fabric of reality itself. Their face was hidden beneath a hood, revealing only the faintest glimpse of silver eyes that did not reflect the firelight.
Master Ojiro Tenma did not move. She merely observed.
The stranger took a step forward. Their movements were slow, deliberate—as if they were not truly walking, but existing between moments.
"Raiyo Shingen,"
the voice was neither male nor female, but something in between.
"The Blind Vex Lord… the echoes of fate whisper your name."
Raiyo exhaled slowly.
"And who are you supposed to be?"
The figure tilted their head slightly.
"We are the Veilborn—watchers of the ever-turning thread of destiny."
The air in the cave grew heavier.
"The Kageren fear what you might become,"
the Veilborn continued.
"But we… we have known of your existence long before they did."
Raiyo's fingers twitched near his blade. He could feel something unnatural about this entity—a presence that did not belong entirely to this world.
"Why are you here?"
he asked.
The Veilborn chuckled again, though there was no humor in it.
"To warn you. To test you. And to remind you…"
Their silver eyes gleamed.
"That your fate is not your own."
Before Raiyo could react, the world around him shifted.
The fire vanished. The cave dissolved into a void of absolute darkness—not the darkness of night, but something deeper, something vast and endless.
For a moment, Raiyo felt like he was floating.
Then, voices began to echo.
"A blind child is a weak child."
"There is no place for weakness in my clan."
"He will never survive."
The voices overlapped, twisted, merged into something more.
"You were abandoned."
"You are unwanted."
"You are a mistake."
Raiyo gritted his teeth. He knew these words. He had lived them.
But he was no longer that child.
He clenched his fists. His heartbeat slowed.
And then—he heard it.
A distant, ringing sound. Steel.
A sword, being drawn.
Not his own.
Something ancient. Something impossibly vast.
A deep voice, neither human nor demon, resonated through the darkness.
"Will you sever fate itself, or be consumed by it?"
Raiyo gasped as the void shattered.
He was back in the cave.
The fire burned once more. Master Ojiro remained seated, her gaze unreadable. The Veilborn stood exactly where they had before, as if nothing had happened.
But Raiyo knew better.
His breathing was unsteady. His skin was damp with sweat.
And yet… something inside him had changed.
The Veilborn tilted their head.
"You heard it, didn't you?"
Raiyo swallowed. He didn't respond.
The Veilborn's voice dropped to a whisper.
"The Third Blade calls to you."
Ojiro's eyes narrowed.
"Enough !!"
The Veilborn slowly turned their hooded gaze toward her.
"You knew this day would come, Ojiro Tenma. You have tried to prepare him, but…"
They paused.
"He is already walking the path. Nothing can stop it now."
Ojiro's grip tightened slightly around the hilt of her sword, but she did not deny it.
Raiyo exhaled sharply.
"What is the Third Blade?"
The Veilborn chuckled once more.
"Not all knowledge is a gift, young one. Some truths are burdens."
They took a step back, their form fading into the shadows.
"But soon," their voice echoed, "you will have no choice but to seek it."
And with that, they were gone.
Aftermath: A Step Toward the Unknown
Raiyo sat in silence for a long time.
His hands were steady, but his mind raced.
The Third Blade.
The voice in the void.
The test he had just faced—it was not an illusion. It was something far greater than anything he had experienced before.
He turned to Ojiro.
"You knew about this."
The swordmaster remained quiet for a moment, then slowly nodded.
"The Kurosei no Tsugunai," she murmured. "The Atonement of the Black Star. The third and final blade."
Raiyo's pulse quickened.
"The one blade that remains sealed."
Ojiro stood up, her gaze sharp.
"And for good reason."
She took a step toward him. "Raiyo, listen carefully. The Kageren seek to stop you because they know what lies ahead. But the Veilborn…" she hesitated, "they do not interfere unless something beyond mortal control is at play."
She exhaled.
"If they came to you tonight, it means the seal is beginning to weaken."
Raiyo frowned. "The seal… on the Third Blade?"
Ojiro nodded grimly. "And if that blade awakens…"
She met his gaze.
"Even the gods will tremble."
Raiyo clenched his fists. His fate was moving faster than he had ever expected. The Kageren, the Veilborn, his own past…
Everything was leading him to Kurosei no Tsugunai.
And if the whispers were true…
It was already calling his name.