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Chapter 7 - BE READY

Volume 1:The Prophecy

Chapter 7:Be ready

All eyes were locked on Yuki.

Her body remained steady—knees bent slightly, eyes closed, the wind brushing softly against her cheeks. In her hands, the transformed naginata shimmered with ethereal power. A glowing arc of white and blue aura spun gently around her, rising like fog kissed by moonlight.

The weapon wasn't just alive.

It was her.

Her spirit pulsed through it. The blade gleamed like the edge of a promise, and her breathing matched the hum of its energy.

Rei opened his eyes, stunned.

Even Raiga—usually stone-faced—nodded once.

"...Good," he said.

Yuki exhaled slowly, sweat beading on her brow, but her grip remained firm. She finally turned to Raiga, blinking.

"Now what? How do I turn it... back?"

Raiga crossed his arms. "Just release your grip."

She hesitated, then loosened her fingers. The naginata didn't drop—it dissolved into glowing threads of white-blue light that spiraled around her wrist and disappeared into the bracelet with a faint ding.

"...Whoa," she whispered. "That was kinda cool."

Raiga nodded. "Once you awaken your weapon, it becomes a part of your soul. Now it listens to your call."

She raised an eyebrow. "So how do I bring it back?"

Raiga lifted two fingers and gestured lightly in the air. "Just focus on it. Think about its form, its feeling—and it will appear. Your soul knows where it belongs."

Yuki copied the gesture. "So just… think and it pops into my hand? That's it?"

Raiga nodded. "The more you synchronize with it, the faster and sharper it responds. With time, it'll come even mid-fight."

She grinned. "Like a ninja summon? I like it."

Then she tilted her head again. "But back then… when you vanished from behind us and appeared near the tree. That was… teleportation, right? Through shadow or something?"

Raiga looked at her, his face returning to that serious flat expression.

"…That's different. It's a shadow-dash. A short-distance warp using stored soul energy and marking points in space. Needs deeper resonance—and far more soul output."

"So… can you teach me?"

"One day. When you can handle the backlash," he replied. "Right now, learning to summon and release your weapon is enough. Let your body get used to the soul-bond. We move step by step."

Yuki smiled and gave a little thumbs-up. "Fair enough, sensei."

Raiga glanced at her bracelet, then at Rei's. "That makes two."

He turned slowly—his words calm but final:

"For now, this level of bonding… is enough."

Then he turned—

—and stopped.

They all turned.

Itsuki hadn't moved from his spot.

He stood still, head low, arms hanging loose by his sides. His face was hidden in shadow, eyes covered by his messy bangs.

Rei stepped forward.

"Yo... Itsuki?"

The wind rustled quietly.

Itsuki's lips moved—but his voice was barely a whisper. Only the wind heard him.

"...I don't want to.....I don't want to....."

A tiny sound escaped his throat. A hiccup. Then a breath.

And then—a tear fell.

One single tear that shimmered in the soft light like a droplet of memory, trailing down his cheek.

Yuki blinked. "Wait... is he...?"

Itsuki's body began to tremble. His chest rose and fell with uneven rhythm, like his breath was caught between laughter and sobbing.

Then—

FZZZZMM—!!

A surge of wild energy exploded from his bracelet.

A burst of greenish-black and blue mixed aura erupted outward—twisting around his form like storm clouds tangled with emerald fire. The earth around him cracked slightly, and wind flared outward, sending leaves scattering.

Rei stepped back instinctively. "What the—?!"

Raiga's eyes widened.

That aura...

Three colored aura form. Not two.

Raiga's thoughts raced. "How? That's not possible… Soul aura forms are shaped by one's core emotion and bloodline... How does he have three?"

The answer hit him before he could speak it.

Soul.

"His soul… they're stronger than ours. Deeper. Wilder. Maybe even purer. Could this idiot… actually have a soul more powerful than me…?"

Raiga's jaw clenched slightly, but he didn't interrupt.

In front of them, Itsuki's weapon—his goofy-looking training bat wrapped in tape and old cloth—began to glow violently.

And then…

BOOOOM—

It transformed.

The old bat split in two down the middle, then reformed into a new shape.

A long, two-handed war bat—thicker and sharper, wrapped in glowing blue chain, with nails protruding like glowing fangs along the head. Black metal. Green aura spiraling through the chain like a heartbeat. A faint blue flame flickered near the base of the handle—ghostlike.

It didn't look like a joke anymore.

It looked like a nightmare forged for battle.

Itsuki stood still, arms trembling, tears still hanging at the corners of his eyes. The weapon floated silently beside him, pulsing in sync with his breathing.

Rei's voice came soft.

"…Why is he crying?"

Raiga answered quietly, still staring.

"It's not a dream."

Rei blinked.

Raiga's voice lowered.

"It's him."

"That aura isn't from a vision or a spirit. It's from inside. That… that's raw emotion—overflowing. Pain, joy, loss, hope… all boiling at once."

Rei's eyes widened. "You mean…"

Raiga gave the faintest nod.

"His soul is stronger than either of yours. Maybe even mine."

Rei and Yuki looked at Itsuki—not like a clown, not like the comedy relief.

But like something else now.

Like a storm in disguise.

Itsuki's eyes fluttered slightly. His mouth opened.

Then—

He fainted.

THUD.

He dropped like a sack of rice, landing on the grass with a snore.

Yuki's eyes twitched. "...Seriously?"

Rei exhaled in disbelief.

Raiga rubbed the back of his head and sighed. "He passed out. Emotion surge. Happens during first-time awakening."

They rushed over.

Itsuki was curled like a baby, muttering softly in his sleep.

"Don't eat my cake… I'm the queen of potatoes…"

Yuki raised an eyebrow. "So… he just unlocked soul weapon god-mode… and passed out dreaming of food?"

Raiga stood, staring at him with something halfway between respect and confusion.

"…This idiot's a monster."

Rei sat beside him, watching his friend's hand twitch gently.

"…Maybe the world's strongest idiot."

They looked at each other.

Smiled.

And for a moment—the shrine was quiet.

The wind passed over them like a breath from something old and unseen. The trees swayed, and the shadows shifted.

A low groan broke the quiet.

Itsuki stirred on the grass.

His eyelids twitched, then blinked open as he sat up slowly, rubbing his head. Light filtered softly through the leaves above him, and three shadows stood over him.

Rei. Yuki. Raiga.

He blinked at them, still half-lost in sleep.

"...What?" he mumbled.

"You fainted," Yuki said with a dry stare.

Rei smirked. "More like, emotionally detonated."

"Huh?" Itsuki blinked again.

"You cried, your bat turned into a soul beast," Rei added. "Then you passed out. Very gracefully."

Itsuki paused. "Wait… I cried?"

"You floated," Yuki said. "You cried. You turned into a glowstick. Then snored."

Itsuki slowly stood up, brushing off grass. Then he threw his hands up with a grin.

"Well, guess what? That means I'm the boss now! Clearly I've unlocked god-mode."

Yuki rolled her eyes. "You're lucky you didn't explode."

Raiga stepped forward, his expression calm but cold.

"You awakened something rare," he said. "But tell me—what was it?"

Itsuki blinked. "What was what?"

"What did you feel?" Raiga asked. "What triggered it? That surge… it didn't come from nowhere."

Itsuki's smile froze slightly. He looked down for a moment, then forced a laugh.

"Ah, thought about… my old dog. Died in the rain. It gets me every time."

Raiga's eyes narrowed, but he nodded.

"A reasonable trigger," he said aloud.

But in his thoughts— He's lying. That aura… it came from something darker. Deeper. He's hiding something.

Still, he didn't press further.

"Anyway," Raiga said, turning to the rest of the group. "Now that you've all awakened—except Rei, whose soul-bond already formed—you're ready."

Rei tilted his head. "Ready for what?"

Raiga's tone sharpened.

"Your first official mission."

The air around them shifted.

"You'll be accompanying someone you already know—my sister."

Yuki blinked. "She's joining us?"

Raiga nodded. "She insisted. And she's serious. This mission will be her first test too."

Raiga crossed his arms. " You've all just awakened your weapons. You've already fought real demons and survived. That makes you the best team to guide her through this."

"But what's the actual mission?" Rei asked.

Raiga's face turned grim.

"You'll find that out once you meet her. She has the details."

Yuki raised an eyebrow. "Why not just tell us now?"

"I have other duties," Raiga replied. "This mission is time-sensitive, and I won't be around to monitor it."

He paused, letting the silence settle.

"One warning: this is a mirror-afflicted zone. It's starting to corrupt. If mirror objects spread too far or a demon kills someone inside, a breach can open."

Rei's expression turned serious. "A real breach?"

Raiga nodded.

"Yes. If that happens, a link between realms begins to form—what we call a mirror vein. You must stop it before that happens. Destroy all mirror artifacts. End any remaining threats."

Itsuki let out a long exhale. "Okay, okay, so where are we going?"

Raiga looked over his shoulder, his tone quiet but commanding.

"My sister knows . She'll meet you at school. Follow her lead."

He stepped back slightly—his voice lowered, more serious.

"One more thing…"

They looked at him.

Raiga's eyes narrowed.

"Don't let Raizen see you leave."

Rei blinked. "Raizen?"

Raiga's tone darkened.

"He doesn't want her involved in field missions. The day she requested this assignment, he resisted it."

this mission must remain hidden from him. Understood?"

They nodded, tension rising.

Raiga's hand dropped to his side. A faint ripple moved across the ground like ink on water.

He spoke one last time—his voice like steel:

"This mission… will be more terrifying than you expect."

Then—

SHRRRIP—

A vertical tear split the air beneath him—his shadow tearing like dark paper.

Black mist surged upward.

Raiga turned his head slightly,

"Be Ready"

then stepped backward— —and vanished into the shadow as the tear sealed shut behind him.

Silence fell again.

And the wind whispered… like it already knew what was coming.

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