"Where are we?!"
Yui's voice pierced the dark, edged with panic.
"I don't know," Renji snapped back. "Be careful. They could hit us any second—Formation A!"
Soldiers scrambled into motion around them, forming a tight defensive ring. Shields raised. Mana spells flickered to life, casting jagged glows against the cavern walls.
The only sound was the slow drip of water.
Each drop hit the stone like a bullet.
Renji's heart thundered. Every echo, every flicker of shadow felt like the start of something worse.
Then—
A scream.
High-pitched. Human.
Cut off mid-breath.
Followed by the unmistakable sound of flesh tearing from bone.
Renji spun toward the sound. Azwalth, the commander, was crumpled on the floor. His legs—gone. Shredded off at the pelvis like wet paper.
Renji reeled, gagged. His vision blurred.
Yui grabbed his wrist, anchoring him. Her eyes locked onto his—sharp. Unshaken.
He nodded once and drew his daggers, hands trembling.
Yui unsheathed her katana beside him. Her exhale was calm. Focused.
The next scream came from behind. Then another. And another.
One by one, the voices of their comrades were snuffed out—quickly, brutally.
The sounds: gurgles, wet thuds, shrieks.
The cave rang with slaughter.
Renji's panic bloomed.
He turned. Turned again.
Everywhere—just death.
The walls dripped red.
His grip slipped. His legs faltered.
He dropped to one knee and vomited.
Around him, bodies were strewn like butchered livestock. Limbs. Faces. Bones splintered like glass.
Too much. Too fast. Too real.
"STAND!"
Yui's voice cracked through the chaos.
Renji looked up—she was in motion, steel flashing, blade intercepting something too fast to see. She fought with brutal grace, carving paths through shadows.
But she couldn't protect him and herself.
More sparks. More howls.
His body wouldn't move.
Wouldn't obey.
"GET UP, RENJI!"
Her voice again—cracked. Desperate.
"HELP ME!"
Then—
SHLNK.
A single, horrible sound.
Renji turned.
Her arm was gone.
Not bleeding—gushing.
Her katana clattered beside it, slipping through her blood-soaked fingers.
She dropped to her knees.
And still—still—she reached for her blade with the other hand.
"Renji…" she gasped. "Run…"
But he couldn't.
He couldn't run.
He couldn't even breathe.
He just stared, shaking.
Frozen in terror.
Coward.
MOVE.
His mind screamed—but his body stayed stone.
"No more…" Renji whispered, curling inward.
"Please… stop…"
The battle sounds vanished.
The silence was instant. Deafening.
Only one sound remained—
Thud.
Renji looked up.
Yui's body lay still, cut clean in half.
Blood pooled in slow, lazy ripples.
Her eyes were still open. Still staring. Still aware.
His throat clamped shut. His heart screamed in his chest.
Then her lips moved. Barely.
"Live… on… for me…"
Her eyes closed.
CRACK.
A sword plunged through her skull.
Renji's world shattered.
He traced the blade upward—up to the man above her.
A figure cloaked in shadow.
Silent.
Motionless.
Emblazoned with the Wizard's Cult insignia, stitched in silver runes.
Renji couldn't breathe. Couldn't blink.
Couldn't look away.
The cultist muttered something in an ancient tongue.
Renji's hands clenched.
No more fear.
No more panic.
Only rage.
"Wizards Cult…" he hissed.
The figure raised his sword again.
That's all it took.
"WIZARDS CULT!!!" Renji screamed, voice raw.
He lunged forward, daggers flashing in each hand, a beast unleashed.
The cultist's sword came down—
—
Renji gasped awake—
Jolting upright, drenched in sweat, heart hammering like it wanted out of his chest.
His breath came in broken, stuttering bursts. His body trembled.
His fists… were clenched tight enough to draw blood.
He stared at the ceiling, wide-eyed, haunted.
And somewhere—
in the corners of his mind—
Yui's voice still echoed.
Live on… for me.
The words echoed in his skull, searing like fire.
Fresh rage surged through him. His face twisted into a silent snarl, hate boiling in his veins.
The one person he wanted to live for... died.
Because of him.
The door creaked open.
A yawn followed—soft, familiar.
His head shot up. For a heartbeat—
Yui?
He blinked.
Gone.
In her place stood the figure of Yuna, wearing her new body like a borrowed coat.
Renji let out a quiet breath and pushed himself up from the bed.
"Well, look who's alive and grumpy," Yuna said, smirking. "Guess all you needed was some beauty sleep, huh?"
His eyes flicked to her. The words cut deep—but not the way she intended.
He looked away, jaw tight. "Wasn't exactly beautiful," he muttered under his breath.
"Huh?" she asked, tilting her head.
"Nothing," Renji said quickly, brushing it off. He glanced around the room. "Where are we…? And—where's Kairo?"
Yuna raised an eyebrow, clearly catching the shift, but didn't press. "We're at an inn. Still near the old path. Kairo's out getting food."
Renji nodded slowly. His chest still throbbed with the ghost of a scream, but he masked it well.
"Alright," he said—flat, practiced.
He stood there for a moment, mind blank. Words danced on his tongue but refused to form.
Only the burn of fury kept him upright.
"You can take a shower while you wait, y'know," Yuna offered casually.
Renji blinked, snapping out of it. "Oh. Right. Okay."
He turned without another word, stepping into the bathroom and locking the door behind him with a soft click.
The silence hit harder now.
He undressed slowly, his movements stiff. Stripping away sweat-soaked clothes, he hung them on the rack before approaching the mirror.
His eyes scanned his reflection.
This wasn't him. Not really.
The build was different—broader, bulkier. Not bad, per se. But not his.
There was more weight around the arms and chest, muscle wrapped with just enough fat to slow him down.
His old body had been carved from survival—lean, fast, efficient.
This one?
It felt... foreign.
Still, he could sense the muscle memory lingering beneath the skin. Like the instincts were waiting, coiled tight. Fighting wouldn't be an issue. Not entirely.
Stamina though—that was another story.
He twisted the tap. Water rushed out in a stream, cold and clear.
He washed the blood from his palms.
The crimson swirled down the drain.
His reflection stared back at him, breathing hard. Haunted eyes.
"I swear…" he whispered.
His hands clenched the sink edge, veins bulging.
"Yui… I swear—I'll kill him."
And this time, I won't be the one who freezes.