The air felt wrong.
Not heavy.
Not distorted like before.
But—
Unstable.
Haruki walked a step behind Raizen, his hand resting lightly on the hilt of his newly obtained katana.
Even now—
It pulsed faintly.
Not loudly.
Not demanding.
Just… present.
"…You're still thinking about it."
Karin's voice came from beside him.
Haruki didn't look at her.
"…About what?"
She smirked.
"Your fight."
He sighed.
"…I didn't do anything special."
Karin scoffed.
"You didn't freeze."
"…That's the standard now?"
"For you?" she replied.
"…Yeah."
Haruki rolled his eyes slightly.
But he didn't deny it.
Because deep down—
She wasn't wrong.
He hadn't frozen.
But that didn't mean he was ready.
Raizen stopped.
Instantly—
The atmosphere shifted.
"…What is it?" Haruki asked.
Raizen didn't answer immediately.
His gaze remained fixed ahead.
"…It's close."
Karin's expression sharpened.
"…Another Rift?"
Raizen nodded once.
"Not minor."
Silence.
Haruki felt it.
That distortion again.
But this time—
It wasn't subtle.
It pressed against his senses.
Twisting.
Watching.
"…This feels different," Haruki muttered.
"It is," Raizen replied.
A pause.
"Be ready."
The ground beneath them trembled.
Light flickered unnaturally through the trees.
And then—
It appeared.
A Rift.
Larger than before.
More stable.
More… intentional.
Haruki's grip tightened on his katana.
"…Here we go."
The Rift pulsed once—
Then split open.
Something stepped through.
And immediately—
Haruki felt it.
Pressure.
Not physical—
But mental.
The creature's form was clearer than the others.
Defined.
Controlled.
Its movements weren't erratic.
They were precise.
"…This one's different," Karin said quietly.
Raizen didn't move.
"Yes."
A pause.
"Do not underestimate it."
The creature tilted its head—
Then vanished.
"…What—?!"
It reappeared in front of Karin.
Too fast.
She reacted instantly—
Chains snapping forward to intercept—
But the impact—
Shattered her defense.
"…Tch—!"
She was forced back.
Haruki's eyes widened.
"…That speed—"
The creature turned toward him.
And for a moment—
Everything slowed.
A vision.
Clear.
The creature lunging.
Its strike aimed at his neck.
Haruki moved.
Perfect timing.
He dodged—
Countered—
His blade cutting through the air.
But—
The creature wasn't there.
"…What—?!"
The vision—
Was wrong.
The creature had already moved.
Its attack came from behind.
Haruki barely reacted—
The strike hit.
Pain exploded across his back as he was thrown forward.
"…Gah—!"
He hit the ground hard, sliding across the snow.
"…Haruki!" Karin shouted.
He coughed, forcing himself up.
"…The vision… was off…"
His breathing tightened.
"…No…"
"…It changed."
The creature stood still.
Watching him.
Adapting.
Karin moved again, chains lashing forward—
But the creature dodged effortlessly.
Its movements—
Precise.
Calculated.
"…It's learning," she muttered.
Raizen remained still.
"…Haruki."
Haruki looked up.
"…Don't rely on certainty."
Haruki clenched his fists.
"…I know that."
Another vision flickered.
The creature attacking Karin.
From the left.
Haruki turned—
"…Karin, move—!"
She did—
But the attack came from the opposite side.
"…What—?!"
The creature's strike hit.
Hard.
Karin was thrown back violently, her chains scattering across the ground as she crashed into a tree.
"…Karin!"
Haruki froze.
The visions—
Were wrong.
Not inaccurate—
Unreliable.
"…No…"
His breathing became uneven.
"…I can't—"
Another vision.
Multiple outcomes.
Too many.
Overlapping.
Contradicting.
"…I don't know which one is real…"
The creature moved again.
This time—
Toward Karin.
She struggled to stand.
Too slow.
"…Move…" Haruki whispered.
But she couldn't.
Another vision.
Clear.
The creature finishing her.
Haruki's body refused to move.
"…No…"
Fear gripped him.
Not of the enemy—
But of being wrong.
If he moved at the wrong time—
If he trusted the wrong vision—
He could make it worse.
"…Move!" Karin shouted.
Her voice snapped through his thoughts.
"…Stop thinking and MOVE!"
The creature struck.
And Haruki—
Did nothing.
At the last moment—
Karin forced herself aside.
The attack grazed her instead of finishing her—
But the impact still sent her crashing across the ground.
"…Tch—!"
She coughed, struggling to breathe.
Silence.
Haruki stood there.
Frozen.
"…You hesitated."
Raizen's voice was calm.
Too calm.
Haruki's grip trembled.
"…I…"
"…I didn't know which one—"
"That is irrelevant."
Haruki's eyes widened slightly.
"…What?"
Raizen's gaze was cold.
"You hesitated."
A pause.
"And she paid for it."
Haruki looked at Karin.
She was still trying to stand.
Still fighting.
Despite everything.
"…I…"
His chest tightened.
"…I was trying to get it right…"
Raizen stepped forward.
"There is no 'right.'"
The creature moved again.
This time—
Toward Haruki.
Another vision.
Fragmented.
Unclear.
Haruki's mind raced.
"…I can't—"
"Yes, you can."
Raizen's voice cut through everything.
"You are choosing not to."
The creature attacked.
Haruki's body froze—
Then—
He moved.
Not based on certainty.
Not based on clarity.
But—
Decision.
He dodged—
Barely.
The attack grazed him again—
But he stayed standing.
"…Good."
Raizen stopped.
Karin pushed herself up.
"…About time…" she muttered.
Haruki's breathing steadied slightly.
"…I can't rely on it…"
The visions flickered again.
But this time—
He didn't wait for them to become clear.
He moved first.
The creature reacted—
But Haruki adjusted mid-motion.
Not perfectly.
But enough.
Karin rejoined him.
Her chains igniting again.
"…Don't fall behind again," she said.
Haruki nodded.
"…I won't."
The battle continued.
Faster.
More intense.
But different.
Haruki wasn't waiting anymore.
He was acting.
Even when he wasn't sure.
And slowly—
The balance shifted.
The creature faltered.
Just slightly.
Enough.
Haruki saw it.
Not a vision.
Reality.
"Now!" he shouted.
Karin moved instantly.
Chains wrapping around the creature—
Restricting it.
Haruki stepped forward.
No hesitation.
No doubt.
He struck.
The creature shattered.
Silence.
Haruki stood there—
Breathing heavily.
Karin dropped to one knee.
"…You're slow," she muttered.
Haruki let out a breath.
"…You're still alive."
"…Barely."
Raizen approached.
"…You understand now."
Haruki didn't respond immediately.
"…Yeah."
A pause.
"…If I wait for the perfect vision…"
He clenched his fists.
"…I'll lose everything."
Raizen nodded.
"Your power does not exist to remove uncertainty."
A pause.
"It exists to guide you through it."
Silence.
Haruki looked at Karin again.
"…Sorry."
She scoffed.
"Don't apologize."
A pause.
"Just don't do it again."
Haruki nodded.
"…I won't."
But deep down—
He understood something now.
Something heavier than before.
His power—
Wasn't a solution.
It was a responsibility.
And next time—
Hesitation wouldn't just cost damage.
It could cost everything.