Morning sunlight filtered through the mountain pines.
For the first time in days...
Ren wasn't running.
He stood before an ancient shrine hidden deep within the mountains.
Time had nearly erased it.
Broken torii gates leaned against old stone walls.
The training grounds were cracked with weeds.
Prayer flags fluttered in the cold wind.
Yet...
The place still felt alive.
As if someone had been waiting.
---
Hana stretched her arms.
"Home sweet home."
Ren looked around.
"...This place is falling apart."
She shrugged.
"So am I."
Kaito sighed.
"...She's joking."
Hana grinned.
"...Mostly."
---
At the center of the shrine...
Seven stone statues stood in a circle.
Each carried a different weapon.
Each faced inward.
As though protecting something that no longer existed.
One statue...
Had been completely destroyed.
Only its feet remained.
Ren stepped closer.
"...Who were they?"
Kaito walked into the circle.
"They were the Seven Guardians."
"The warriors who stood against the Seven Calamities."
"The people who gave up everything..."
"...so history could continue."
---
Ren looked around the circle.
"There were only seven?"
Kaito's expression changed.
"...There were."
"...Once."
He said nothing more.
---
They stopped before the first statue.
A woman stood with a massive spear planted into the earth.
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Even after centuries...
The stone around the spear was blackened.
As though it had once burned.
Kaito spoke.
"The Guardian of Flame."
"Her fire wasn't ordinary."
"It burned the very essence of beings born beyond this world."
"Against Realmborn..."
"It was one of the deadliest Arts ever created."
Before Ren could admire it...
Hana proudly pointed at herself.
"Best Art."
Kaito continued speaking.
"...It was also the loudest."
Hana gasped.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
---
The second statue carried twin blades.
Its cloak seemed to flow even though it was carved from stone.
"The Guardian of Wind."
"No battlefield could keep him contained."
"He struck before arrows reached their target."
"They said..."
"...the wind itself struggled to keep up."
Ren stared.
"...Were they really that strong?"
Kaito simply nodded.
"Yes."
---
The third statue.
A giant man carrying a stone hammer over one shoulder.
Half the statue had collapsed...
Yet it still stood.
"The Guardian of Stone."
"No army ever broke through his defense."
"When he stood..."
"...entire villages stood with him."
---
The fourth statue.
A swordsman surrounded by waves carved into the stone itself.
"The Guardian of Tide."
"He never overpowered his opponents."
"He simply..."
"...returned everything they gave him."
"Every strike."
"Every mistake."
"Every drop of blood."
---
The fifth statue.
A warrior holding a long blade toward the sky.
Cracks of lightning had been carved into every inch of the monument.
"The Guardian of Lightning."
"The fastest Guardian."
"They said..."
"...light itself envied his speed."
Even Hana stayed quiet for that one.
"...He was ridiculous."
She muttered.
---
The sixth statue stood apart from the others.
A lone swordsman.
One hand resting lightly upon a sheathed katana.
No decorations.
No armor.
No expression.
Just...
Silence.
Kaito stopped walking.
For a long time...
He said nothing.
Ren noticed.
"...This one..."
Kaito nodded.
"...The Guardian of Silence."
"The man history now calls..."
"...the Silent Blade."
Ren looked at the statue.
"...He became a legend."
Kaito slowly closed his eyes.
"...Legends are written by survivors."
Then...
He walked away.
---
Only one monument remained.
Or rather...
What was left of it.
Nothing but broken stone scattered across the ground.
Ren frowned.
"...Who destroyed it?"
Hana's smile disappeared.
For the first time since they'd met...
She looked away.
"...No idea."
She lied.
Kaito quietly answered instead.
"Someone wanted one Guardian erased from history."
Ren looked between them.
"...Why?"
Kaito's voice was barely above a whisper.
"...Perhaps because remembering them..."
"...would change everything."
---
Silence settled over the shrine.
Until—
Hana picked up an apple.
Threw it at Ren.
Bonk.
Ren rubbed his forehead.
"...What was that for?!"
"You looked too serious."
"...We're standing in a shrine."
"Exactly."
Another apple flew.
Ren caught it this time.
Hana pointed dramatically.
"Ohhh."
"He learns."
Kaito pinched the bridge of his nose.
"...Can the two of you survive one conversation without embarrassing me?"
Hana immediately answered.
"No."
Ren answered at the same time.
"Probably not."
The two stared at each other.
"...Don't copy me."
"...You copied me."
---
Later that afternoon...
The three sat around an old wooden table inside the shrine.
Kaito unrolled a worn map of Japan.
He placed four small wooden markers onto it.
Ren leaned closer.
"...Crimson."
Kaito nodded.
"They are only one piece."
He placed another marker.
"The Black Lotus Syndicate."
"Mercenaries."
"Relic hunters."
"They sell Guardian relics..."
"...to whoever pays."
"They fight for gold."
Not justice.
Not ideals.
Just profit.
---
A third marker.
"The Eclipse Court."
Ren frowned.
"I've never heard of them."
"Almost no one has."
"They believe both the Guardians..."
"...and Crimson..."
"...have doomed this world."
"They seek neither peace..."
"...nor conquest."
"They seek..."
Kaito's expression darkened.
"...an ending."
---
The final marker.
Kaito didn't place it.
He simply held it in his hand.
"...There are others."
"Small clans."
"Ancient families."
"Forgotten swordsmen."
"Some still protect the seals."
"Some seek them."
"Some simply survive."
"The world is much larger than Crimson."
Ren slowly nodded.
For the first time...
He realized...
This wasn't one war.
It was many.
---
That night...
The mountain breeze carried the scent of pine through the shrine.
Ren couldn't sleep.
He walked outside alone.
Moonlight illuminated the seven statues.
Or...
The six that remained.
He stood before the shattered monument.
"...Who were you?"
No answer came.
Behind him...
Hana quietly stepped onto the shrine porch.
She wasn't smiling.
She wasn't joking.
She looked toward the broken statue...
As though seeing someone only she remembered.
Very softly...
She whispered,
"...Idiot."
Then turned away before Ren noticed the sadness in her eyes.
---
That night...
The mountain wind moved through the broken shrine like a quiet breath.
Ren couldn’t sleep.
He stood alone beneath the moonlight, staring at the shattered statue.
“…Who were you really?”
No answer came.
Only silence.
---
Behind him—
Footsteps.
Hana.
She was already eating an apple again.
Crunching loudly.
“You’re still doing the sad staring thing?” she said.
Ren didn’t look back.
“…I’m thinking.”
“Dangerous hobby,” Hana replied instantly.
She walked past him, lightly tapping the broken stone with her foot.
“Don’t overthink dead statues. They don’t answer back.”
Ren frowned.
“You know something, don’t you?”
Hana paused.
Then smiled.
“Yeah.”
She threw the apple core into the air.
It spun.
She caught it behind her back without looking.
“…I know you’re gonna trip on your own sword someday.”
“That’s not—”
“Statistically likely.”
She grinned and started walking away.
“Go sleep, blacksmith.”
And just like that…
She was gone.
---
A long silence settled over the shrine.
Then—
DING.
A bell.
Far away.
Low.
Heavy.
Ren froze.
“…What was that?”
Another sound followed.
DING.
This one closer.
Hana stopped mid-step.
Her head tilted slightly.
“…Huh.”
Kaito appeared at the shrine doorway instantly.
Not calm.
Not dramatic.
Just alert.
“…That shouldn’t be ringing.”
Ren turned.
“What is it?”
Kaito’s hand rested on his sword.
“…A Guardian signal.”
Hana finally stopped smiling.
Not serious.
Not scared.
Just focused in that sharp, dangerous way she only gets when something is actually worth her attention.
“…That bell only rings when something’s broken.”
A pause.
Then Kaito said quietly:
“Get ready.”
And for once
No one joked.
---
End of Chapter 9
---