- Afternoon of the next day. Birds fly through the calm sky as a gentle breeze passes through the trees -

  - Inside the house, Ryusui and Retsu sit together on the sofa. A small table stands in front of them, steam rising from two tea cups as they slowly drink their tea -

  - Ryusui suddenly looks at Retsu with a smile on his face -

  Ryusui: "Hey, the weather looks perfect. Let's go for a walk in the market."

  Retsu: "Out of all places... why the market?"

  Ryusui: "I want to buy something, and I really want to show you that sword."

  - Retsu masks her concern, trying to remain as calm as she can be, but even after trying hard, her tone betrays what she wants to hide -

  Retsu: "No—no! If you want something, I'll get it for you!" (In mind: "I don't want you to go to the market again!")

  Ryusui: "Please, let's go together."

  Retsu: "No!"

  Ryusui: "You're being mean to me! Why can't we go together?"

  Retsu: "You have been chopping trees for two hours straight. You need to rest first."

  - In the backyard, where ten massive logs lie perfectly split into four. The cuts are far too clean for someone who isn't even a woodcutter -

  - A frown emerges as anger flashes across Ryusui's pouting face -

  Ryusui: "Chopping trees is nothing! If you don't want to go, I can go there alone!"

  Retsu: (In mind: "What should I do now? I can't let him go there alone!") "Okay, okay! But with one condition... I'll go along with you."

  - The frown and the pout vanish instantly from Ryusui's face. He jumps up as excitement bursts across his face -

  - Retsu smirks, her eyes softening as she stares at Ryusui's childish excitement -

  Retsu: (In mind: "You haven't changed a bit... I want this happiness of yours to last the rest of your life.")

  Ryusui: "Yay! Just tell me what your condition is!"

  Retsu: "We will not go near the sword shop."

  Ryusui: "Why?!!"

  Retsu: "No whys! If you agree to this condition, I'll go along with you."

  Ryusui: "But..."

  - Retsu narrows her eyes, staring at Ryusui with a sharp gaze. Ryusui immediately understands he has no chance of winning this argument with her -

  Ryusui: "Alright, alright, you win! Now let's go to the market, ma'am!"

  - They go to their rooms to get ready for going to the market -

  -Ryusui steps out of his room wearing a simple white tee under an unbuttoned blue shirt, the sleeves rolled up slightly. He pairs this with semi-formal brown pants and heads straight toward the main door. He stands tall by the frame, waiting for Retsu with a look full of pure, warm happiness -

  - Few minutes later, Retsu comes down from the stairs and heads toward the main door -

  - Retsu reaches the main door. The moment Ryusui sees her, his eyes widen. He stands frozen, staring at her as if he can't take his eyes off her -

  - She is wearing a flowy white dress adorned with a delicate green floral print. A small, sky-blue bow tied neatly at her collar, and she carries a small brown handbag. The look on her face is elegant -

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  - After seeing Ryusui staring at her, Retsu becomes embarrassed and nervously adjusts the handle of her handbag -

  Retsu: "Hey—hey! Why—why are you staring at me? Do I look bad?!"

  - Ryusui shakes his head as he regains his composure -

  Ryusui: "No, no! You are looking magnificent."

  - Retsu looks down as a rosy hue spreads across her cheeks -

  Ryusui: "Let's go!"

  - They leave the house and begin their journey following the mountain path. As they reach the bottom, they approach the market -

  - As they enter, they are met with very lively scene: horse-drawn carts rumble past, children walk by tightly holding their parents' hands, and shopkeepers call out loudly to attract customers -

  - After walking around for several minutes, Ryusui leads the way. Since Retsu has no idea where the sword shop is located, he quietly takes advantage of her lack of direction, guiding her down the road that leads straight toward it -

  - After reaching the area, they see an empty field with a single tree standing tall. They are now a little far from the market; everything is silent and the sun is slowly setting -

  - Ryusui's eyes widen, his forehead tightening as a look of deep confusion flashes across his face. Staring at the empty field, he whispers to himself, his voice barely a breath in the silent air... -

  Ryusui: "What?! This is exactly where I saw the sword shop yesterday!"

  - Retsu looks at Ryusui as a little cloud of confusion lurks around her face -

  Retsu: "Huh?! Where are we?!"

  - Retsu watches him closely, noticing his lips moving as he continues to mumble something -

  Retsu: "Ryusui! Are you hiding something from me?!"

  Ryusui: "No—no! It's... it's nothing!"

  Retsu: "Hey! I can see it written all over your face—you are hiding something!"

  Ryusui: "I'm sorry! This is the place where I saw the sword shop, but now... I can't find any trace of it!"

  Retsu: (In mind: "Ryusui, you fool! Why don't you ever listen to me! But still... it's crazy to think that San built an exact blueprint of the market in the spiritual realm, even with only a small piece of his power.")

  - Retsu sharpens her gaze as a flash of anger crosses her face -

  Retsu: "You broke our promise, Ryusui! As punishment, we'll head home right now!"

  - Suddenly, mist emerges from everywhere, grasping everything except the small area of ground where they stand. The sun has fully drowned, and the moon begins its slow, nocturnal conquest. The atmosphere turns freezing and eerie, conquered by a pin-drop silence -

  Retsu: "Huh?! Mist?!"

  Ryusui: "What is happening?!"

  - Suddenly, they hear the rhythm of bells and the heavy thud of footsteps. A shadow emerges from the depths of the mist, slowly drawing toward them -

  - An old man steps out of the mist, his movements are a rhythmic sequence of an ancient dance. His long beard and hair rustle with every step. His body is draped in a torn, lightweight tunic and a crimson South Asian sarong, with ankle bells made of dried seeds that rattle at every moment. In each hand, he grips a shaker, his gaze sharp and intense -

  Old man: "It looks like you have inherited his fate."

  Old man: "I see... you also carry an extremely powerful spirit deep inside you. His spirit."

  Old man: "Boy... your fate has already been written; you can't hide from it, even in the depths of the world!"

  Ryusui: "Spirit?! My fate?! What do you mean, old man?!"

  - Retsu's eyes widen as her face tightens with a combination of fear and deep concern -

  Retsu: "He's just a crazy old man, Ryusui. Ignore him!" (In mind: "Who is he?! How does he know?!")

  Old man: "You can ignore me... but not my words. Both of you cannot hide from what destiny has written for you."

  Old man: "Be aware... a wave of vast danger is approaching toward both of you!"

  Ryusui: "Danger?!"

  - Retsu becomes desperate to get out of there as soon as possible. She breathes heavily as she grabs Ryusui's hand and starts to pull him away -

  Retsu: "Ryusui! Before it gets any darker, let's head home!"

  - Retsu is desperately pulling Ryusui away, her feet slightly trembling as they hurry toward the market -

  Ryusui: "Hey, hey! Wait!"

  - Before they leave the area, the old man suddenly stops his dancing. A terrifying smile spreads across his face as he slowly raises his right hand and points his finger directly toward Ryusui -

  Old man: "Hey, you... you have lost too many precious things in your life."

  Old man: "Don't rest easy; the cycle of losing is still in motion. There's nowhere for you to hide from your fate. Hash... Hasha... Hashasha!"

  - The moment Ryusui hears the old man's caution, he forcefully pulls his hand from Retsu's grasp and stops his feet -

  Retsu: "Hey!!"

  Ryusui: "Do—do you know who I was in the past? Who am I, actually? Losing precious things? What do you mean by this?!"

  - Without a single word, the old man falls silent. He turns his back to them and begins to walk toward the thick mist. Without leaving a single trace, he slowly vanishes into the white veil. As soon as he disappears, the cold and eerie atmosphere returns to normal and the mist begins to dissolve, revealing the whole empty filed -

  - Ryusui desperately shouts toward the direction where the old man vanished -

  Ryusui: "Where did you go, old man?! Please... please! Answer my questions!"

  - Retsu quickly masks her desperation. Dissolving her own fear, she tries to comfort Ryusui -

  Retsu: "Ryusui! Don't... don't let his words get into your head. He was just a crazy old man talking nonsense. See? It's getting darker... we have to hurry."

  - They finally reach the exit of the field. Following the main road, they leave the crowd behind and pass through the main exit -

  - After a long, half-hour walk, they reach the house. Retsu opens the door lock, and they both step inside -

  Retsu: "You look exhausted... go take a rest in your room. I'll call you once dinner is ready."

  - Ryusui remains standing in silence beside the open door. Losing himself in his thoughts, he bows his head as he stares at the wooden floor. Retsu notices him and slowly shakes him. The movement snaps him back to reality -

  Ryusui: "Huh?! What—what?! Did you say something?!"

  Retsu: "I told you to take some rest in your room, I'll call you once dinner is ready."

  Ryusui: "Alright! Got it!"

  - Ryusui heads to his room, and Retsu goes to the kitchen to prepare dinner -

  - Alone in the kitchen, Retsu begins to prepare the meal, her voice barely a whisper as she speaks to herself -

  Retsu: "Why—why is everything leading back to the point where he'll remember his hellish past?! If this doesn't stop... I won't be able to protect him anymore! Just thinking about it... my heart aches!!"

  - Meanwhile, inside the throne room of the mysterious person's castle, he calls for his servants -

  Mysterious Person: "Worms."

  - Two figures immediately enter and kneel before him, bowing their heads. They look like living shadows, their forms shifting like waves, with crimson eyes that match the eyes of the mysterious person -

  Mysterious Person: "Worms, I have a task for you."

  Both servants: "Certainly, Your Majesty."

  Mysterious Person: "Ryuma Yamamoto is still alive. Find him... and bring him to crawl beneath my feet."

  Both servants: "We will bring him to you as soon as possible, Your Majesty."

  Mysterious Person: "The game of hide-and-seek is over. The hunt begins! This time, I will make sure to finish you off without a single mistake, Ryuma Yamamoto. Bah... Bah... Bahahaha!"

  [ The demon sleeping in the depths of the darkness has made his first move ]