The fog wasn't just cold tonight—it was alive.
The tangles of shadows crawled across the ground, wrapping around Venshiro and Rin's feet as they moved forward. The forest seemed like a nightmare trying to remember that it had ever been alive.
Rin walked forward, her fox mask reflecting the dim moonlight. Venshiro said nothing, but his hand often went to his sword—as if to check if the Black Vein was still there… or if it was still under his control.
After some time passed, Venshiro whispered:
"What is this place?"
Rin responded without stopping:
"This is where it all began. The blade's first victim. The first bearer. The first lie."
Before he could ask what she meant, the ground beneath their feet creaked. The air grew heavier. The trees parted, revealing a circular clearing strewn with black stones. They were all engraved with ancient symbols that looked like vein networks. In the center stood what looked like a withered tree with its roots dug into the earth like black fingers.
"This is the Well of Bone. This is where Ryūji made his oath."
Venshiro couldn't take his eyes off the tree. It looked… wrong. Alive, but pulseless.
"What oath?"
Rin looked at him.
"That he would be the last. That no one else would carry what broke him. And that if he did… he would come back to take it back."
Utter silence hung between them. It was only broked when Venshiro whispered in hoarse voice:
"Is he still alive?"
"I don't know if Ryūji is still alive, but something of him remained here. And it senses you."
At that moment, the ground behind them moved. The roots beneath their feet twisted like snakes. Rin jumped to the side. Venshiro instinctively grabbed the sword. The Black Vein… smiled in his mind, and said with a chilling, somber voice:
'Oh, here we are again…free food.'
He drew the blade—not by choice, but by necessity.
And at that moment, something burst from the ground. A humanoid form, but without a face. A mask, weathered and cracked. The creature's hands were stripped of its skin and five skeleton fingers protruded ending like sharp blades. Its eye sockets-deep chasms with only darkness settled in them. It looked like an ancient guardian or a memory torn from the grave of reality itself.
Rin whispered:
"Vein Guardian. They protect the blood of oaths. If you are a bearer… it will test you."
The creature did not speak. Instead it lunged forward with inhuman speed.
Venshiro reacted. The Black Vein flashed in the air. Time warped. Blade against bone. Sparks of sound. Blow after blow. The ground split beneath them.
"Don't kill him!"
Rin shouted from behind. Venshiro slowed down for a moment, however a split second after that he heard the familiar chilling voice of the blade.
'Let him feel it. Blood will tame him.'
And then… Venshiro made a mistake. The whispers of the voice made Venshiro angry. And the blade… fed.
The Black Vein erupted into dark flames that encased him like a cloak. His eyes glowed faintly—not red, but a dark golden light, as if time itself was watching him.
He brought the incandescent blade down and split the guard in half.
Silence enveloped the forest again.
The creature crumbled to dust.
Rin stepped forward slowly. She looked at him, however there was no fear in her eyes, only regret.
"This was a test. Not a battle."
Venshiro was breathing heavily. His hand trembled, the blade burning in his grip.
"I was weak."
"No. The blade was hungry. The difference is important." Rin said.
She approached the dead tree and touched one of the runic tablets.
"This place… it speaks. Every oath, every promise… remains here. If you want to move forward, Venshiro… you will have to leave something of yourself."
"What?"
"Name. Memory. Pain. Anyone who wants to control the blade must give something to the Well."
He thought for a few moment, then cautiously approached the tree. Opened his mouth and then closed it, finally he spoke in a quiet voice:
"I give the night. The one when I lost everything."
The tree did not move. But the air became lighter.
Rin nodded.
"Accepted."
After a while, Venshiro said with a light-hearted tone:
"So…im hungry, i havent eaten in a while.
Thats the second fight i lost control because of the fucking blade."
Rin smiled slightly, and answered:
"Dont worry Cursed Boy… we will catch some
delicious dishes… there is a town nearby"
They left the place, but were not the same.
The Black Vein was silent. For now.
But somewhere far away, in the shadows of the world, a figure with a mask engraved with the depiction of a crescent moon tilted its head. And followed in their footsteps.