Ren sat cross-legged on the floor in front of Kairo. His dark coat was draped over the back of a chair and his expression was calm and focused.
The rest of the group watched from a respectful distance: Sorine leaning against Mimo, Vey standing with arms crossed. All of them sensed that something important was about to happen.
Ren reached into his coat and pulled out another small, rectangular piece of paper, an ofuda, pale with faint black ink markings that looked ancient. He held it out to Kairo.
"Keep this," Ren said quietly. "You are going to need it. Next time you try to activate your Shugiin ability, it normally does not require this. But yours is still new and hard to control."
Kairo took the ofuda with trembling fingers. The paper felt strangely warm against his skin.
Ren continued. His voice was steady. "Cut yourself and wipe the paper on your wound so it can activate via blood."
He paused. His eyes narrowed slightly as if sensing something outside.
"…And you will need it now."
Ren stood up abruptly. "Everyone, evacuate. Someone is coming. In reality, something."
He moved quickly to the small kitchen area, grabbed a metal fork from the counter, and returned. Before Kairo could react, Ren grabbed his hand and stabbed the fork's tines into the tip of his index finger, a sharp, clean prick that drew blood immediately.
"Remember," Ren said while pressing the ofuda against the bleeding wound, "anything you touch, as long as you are in Kyo space, is rendered."
The ofuda absorbed the blood. The ink markings glowed faintly for a second before fading. Ren released Kairo's hand and stood.
"I am off..."
He turned and walked out the door into the falling snow without another word.
Just then, the front door creaked open again.
The Kyo wearing Ren Fushiwara's face stepped inside. It looked exactly like their teacher, same neat hair, same calm expression, same dark suit, but the eyes were wrong, empty and cold. It scanned the room as if searching for someone.
Vey, Sorine, and Mimo had already slipped into the small storage closet at the back of the cabin. They hid among old blankets and boxes. Their hearts pounded.
Kairo stood frozen in the middle of the room. Blood dripped from his finger onto the floor. The wound suddenly burned white-hot, as if his entire finger had been set on fire. The pain was excruciating, but it also felt like something inside him was waking up.
The Kyo Ren rushed forward. The knife was raised to stab.
Kairo dodged at the last possible second. The blade sliced through the air where his chest had been and missed him by the skin of his teeth. The momentum carried him sideways. He grabbed the Kyo's arm and dragged it backward with everything he had. He slammed it hard onto the wooden floor. The knife flew out of its hand and skittered across the room.
Now unarmed, the fight turned desperate.
The Kyo Ren recovered instantly and lunged at Kairo with bare hands. Its fingers closed around his throat like iron. Kairo gasped and clawed at the grip, but the strength was inhuman. He twisted violently and barely broke free as the Kyo's nails raked across his collarbone and drew blood. He staggered back and coughed.
The Kyo came at him again, faster than before. Kairo barely dodged a punch that shattered the wooden table beside him. Splinters flew. He tripped over a chair leg and fell hard. The Kyo loomed over him in an instant. A fist came down. Kairo rolled at the last moment. The blow cracked the floorboards where his head had been.
He scrambled to his feet. His breathing was ragged. Every movement was by the skin of his teeth. The Kyo was relentless, precise, and far stronger than any human. Kairo threw a wild punch. It connected with the Kyo's jaw, but the impact felt like hitting stone. Pain shot up his arm.
The Kyo grabbed him by the shirt and slammed him against the wall. Kairo's head cracked against the wood. Stars burst behind his eyes. The creature raised its fist again for a killing blow.
In that split second, something inside Kairo snapped.
He remembered the ofuda in his pocket.
With a desperate cry, he slammed his bleeding finger against the paper. The ofuda ignited with faint light. The moment his blood touched it, the power surged.
Kairo reached out and touched the Kyo's chest.
The space tore open.
A jagged, glowing rift ripped through the air where his hand made contact. The Kyo's body convulsed as if reality itself had been torn. Black cracks spiderwebbed across its chest. Its Ren face flickered violently and melted away to reveal Tsubaki's crying, terrified face underneath, mouth open in a silent scream.
Kairo paused for a split second. Horror flashed across his face.
But he did not stop.
He drove his hand deeper into the rift. The Kyo screamed, a sound like tearing metal. Its body began to collapse inward. The rift widened and pulled pieces of it into nothingness. Black dust rose from the wounds and curled upward like smoke.
Kairo shoved harder. The rift expanded with a violent shudder. The Kyo's form disintegrated completely and dissolved into dark particles that drifted toward the ceiling and vanished.
The room fell silent except for Kairo's heavy breathing.
He stood over the empty space where the Kyo had been. Blood still dripped from his finger and the ofuda was now ash in his palm.
He then picked up the discarded knife, and flung it far out into the forest.
"That is for Tsubaki," he said quietly. His voice was raw. I will kill the others too.
He walked back to the storage closet where the others were hiding.
"You are safe now," he said simply.
Vey, Sorine, and Mimo stepped out. Their eyes were wide.
"What happened?" Vey asked. Their voice was sharp.
Kairo gave no response. He just looked at them. The glow in his eyes slowly faded.
"Where is Ren-sensei?" Sorine asked softly.
Kairo did not answer. He simply sat down by the fireplace and stared into the flames as the snow continued to fall outside.
Mimo looked at him with the type of quiet eyes that asked loud questions since no one pressed him any further for answers.