Haruki's legs knees were sore from stance training and his headache was like a massive boulder kept hitting him on his head.
It was evening and they had been training all day since dawn. He went to rest on the smooth floor in the dojo. He was meditating then saw his katana placed in the weapons rack.
It stirred memories from when him and Karin first got their weapons.
The snow had stopped falling.
For once—
The world was still.
Haruki stood at the edge of the clearing, his breath slow, steady, watching as the faint light of morning stretched across the frozen ground.
The forest no longer felt as oppressive as it once had.
But something had changed.
Not outside.
Inside.
"…You're thinking too much again."
Karin's voice broke the silence.
Haruki didn't turn.
"…Can you not read my mind for once?"
Karin scoffed.
"Please. If I could, I'd charge you for it."
Haruki sighed softly.
"…Raizen said we're leaving soon."
"Yeah," Karin replied, stretching her arms slightly. "Which means you'll probably get thrown into something worse."
"…That's reassuring."
"It's the truth."
A faint sound echoed behind them.
Footsteps.
Measured.
Heavy.
Raizen.
"You will not be leaving unprepared," he said.
Haruki turned.
"…Unprepared?"
Raizen's gaze was calm.
"But you are not ready for what lies beyond this forest," he continued.
Karin raised an eyebrow.
"…And you think we are ready now?"
Raizen didn't respond immediately.
Instead—
He turned.
"Follow me."
The dojo stood deeper within the forest.
A place Haruki had seen—
But never truly explored.
It wasn't just a building.
It was a structure carved into the environment itself.
Wood and stone fused together.
Layers of training grounds, open spaces, hidden corridors—
A place built not for comfort—
But for growth.
Haruki stepped inside.
The air felt warmer.
Still.
Controlled.
"…You live here?" Haruki asked.
Karin smirked.
"Took you long enough to notice."
Raizen walked ahead without stopping.
"There are many things you have yet to see," he said.
They passed through several rooms.
Training halls.
Weapon racks.
Empty chambers worn from years of use.
Then—
They stopped.
At a door.
Unlike the others.
It was old.
Heavy.
Carved with faint symbols that pulsed almost imperceptibly.
Haruki frowned.
"…What is this?"
Raizen placed his hand on the door.
"…The foundation of your growth."
The door opened.
And the temperature dropped.
Darkness greeted them.
A long staircase stretched downward—
Leading into something deeper.
Karin's expression shifted slightly.
"…So you're finally showing him."
Raizen began descending.
"Come."
Haruki hesitated for only a moment—
Then followed.
Each step echoed softly.
The deeper they went—
The heavier the air became.
Not oppressive.
But—
Dense.
Like something was watching.
At the bottom—
The space opened.
A vast underground chamber.
Dimly lit by faint glowing lines etched into the walls.
And within it—
Weapons.
Rows upon rows.
Blades.
Chains.
Spears.
Artifacts unlike anything Haruki had seen before.
Each one—
Different.
Each one—
Alive.
Haruki's breath caught slightly.
"…What is this…?"
Raizen stepped forward.
"These are Ganseisha weapons."
Karin crossed her arms.
"Not just weapons," she added.
"They're extensions."
Raizen nodded.
"They do not grant power," he said.
"They reveal it."
Haruki's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Reveal?"
Raizen turned toward him.
"A weapon will not choose you based on strength," he said.
"It will choose you based on truth."
Silence.
Haruki stepped forward slowly.
"…So I just pick one?"
"No."
Raizen's voice was firm.
"You do not choose."
"They do."
Karin smirked.
"Good luck with that."
Haruki frowned.
"…You already have one, don't you?"
Karin lifted her arm slightly.
From beneath her sleeve—
Chains slid out.
Dark.
Slightly glowing.
They moved—
As if alive.
"…I didn't get these easily," she said.
A pause.
"…You won't either."
Raizen stepped back.
"Enter," he said.
Haruki looked at the chamber.
Then stepped forward.
The moment he crossed the threshold—
Everything changed.
The air shifted.
The ground beneath him felt unstable—
And then—
The world twisted.
Haruki's eyes widened.
"…What—?!"
The chamber disappeared.
Replaced by—
Snow.
His village.
"…No way…"
He stood there—
Frozen.
"…This is…"
Memories.
The sound of wind echoed.
Footsteps.
Voices.
People he knew.
People he had lost.
"…This isn't real…" he whispered.
But it felt real.
Too real.
A voice echoed behind him.
"…Then why are you hesitating?"
Haruki turned.
Nothing.
Just snow.
"…You rely on what you see," the voice continued.
"But what will you do…"
"…when what you see betrays you?"
Haruki clenched his fists.
"…This is a test."
Silence.
Then—
The world shifted again.
The sky darkened.
The village—
Burned.
Rift-Beasts.
Screams.
Destruction.
Haruki's breathing tightened.
"…Stop…"
But it didn't.
The visions overlapped.
Past.
Future.
Possibilities.
Too much.
"…No…"
His hands trembled.
The same feeling as before—
Overwhelming.
Consuming.
Then—
He remembered.
Raizen's voice.
You endure them.
Haruki closed his eyes.
"…I'm not running."
The visions surged.
Harder.
Stronger.
But this time—
He didn't push them away.
He stood.
Still.
And endured.
Silence.
Then—
A sound.
A single—
Metallic hum.
Haruki opened his eyes.
The world shifted back.
The chamber.
The weapons.
And in front of him—
One remained.
A katana.
Simple.
But sharp.
Its surface shimmered faintly—
Like fragments of reality itself.
Haruki stepped forward slowly.
"…You chose me?"
The blade vibrated slightly.
A faint pulse.
He reached out—
And grabbed it.
The moment he did—
A surge.
Not pain.
Not power.
Understanding.
Haruki exhaled.
"…I see…"
Outside—
Karin smirked.
"…Took him long enough."
Raizen nodded.
"…Now yours."
Karin stepped forward.
Cracking her neck slightly.
"…Fine."
She entered the chamber.
Instantly—
The world shifted.
Darkness.
Then—
Fire.
Chains wrapped around her.
Restricting.
Burning.
"…Heh."
Karin smirked.
"…This again?"
The pressure increased.
The chains tightened.
Trying to hold her down.
"…You think this scares me?"
Her eyes ignited.
Flames burst outward—
Shattering the restraints.
"…I don't get controlled."
The fire surged violently.
Consuming everything.
And from within it—
Chains emerged.
Darker.
Stronger.
Karin stepped forward.
"…Yeah."
She grabbed them.
The flames settled.
The chamber returned.
Karin walked out—
Chains resting calmly around her arm.
"…That was easy."
Haruki stared.
"…That didn't look easy."
Karin shrugged.
"Skill issue."
Raizen turned.
"It is done."
Haruki looked at his blade.
Karin at her chains.
"…These are… ours now?" Haruki asked.
Raizen nodded.
"They are part of you."
Silence.
Then—
Raizen walked past them.
"Rest."
"We leave soon."
Haruki looked down at his katana.
The faint shimmer still pulsed.
Not overwhelming.
Not silent.
Balanced.
And for the first time—
He didn't feel incomplete.