The wind was different today. Lighter. As if the weight of the past had finally begun to fade.

  Ishin stood at the edge of the city, overlooking the skyline as the first rays of the sun bathed the world in gold. He took a slow breath, feeling the crisp morning air fill his lungs. For the first time in years, he wasn't running.

  Beside him, Rin leaned against the railing, arms crossed. "So," she murmured, "what now?"

  Ishin exhaled, glancing at the distant horizon. "I don't know."

  And that was the truth. Revenge had been everything—his fuel, his purpose. But now Kuroya was gone. The chains of the past were broken.

  Freedom.

  It felt… strange.

  Rin studied him for a moment before smirking. "You could disappear. Start fresh. Be whoever you want to be."

  Ishin chuckled. "And you?"

  Her gaze flickered toward the city. "I've never been the 'quiet life' type." A glint of mischief danced in her eyes. "Besides, there's always another monster lurking in the dark."

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  Ishin turned his hands over, staring at the scars that lined his skin. He had spent so long looking back—trapped in the nightmare of his past. Maybe it was time to look forward.

  He reached into his pocket, fingers brushing against something cold. The old silver emblem—the serpent coiled around a dagger. The symbol of the ones who had controlled everything from the shadows.

  Kuroya had been just one part of the story.

  Ishin smirked, slipping the emblem into his coat.

  "Looks like I won't be disappearing after all."

  Rin raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

  Ishin's eyes gleamed.

  "There's still work to do."

  And as the sun rose over the city, Ishin walked forward—toward the unknown, toward a future that was finally his to shape.