Whispers of Shikiban:The king walks among us-Chapter 5 --

The sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in fiery orange. Long shadows stretched across the training ground, where the air still clung with the harsh scent of sweat, dirt, and blood—reminders of the grueling trials they had just endured.

Some recruits lay sprawled out on the ground, too exhausted to move. Others sat in stunned silence, their minds clearly shattered from the torment. The world felt heavy, suffocating.

Reika remained still. Her chest rose and fell with every ragged breath, her muscles on fire. Every part of her body screamed in protest, but she forced herself to breathe through the pain.

I have to survive. I have to become the strongest version of myself.

The wind swept across her skin, cold and biting, almost like it was mocking her. Pain. Exhaustion. Despair. They clung to her bones, but she clenched her fists into the dirt.

No. I won't let this break me.

A voice suddenly cut through the heavy silence.

"How do you feel after the training?"

Reika flinched, then turned her head to see a trainer standing over her. His silhouette was dark against the fading light, his expression unreadable.

She exhaled through gritted teeth. "Mentally? At peace. Physically?" She forced a dry laugh. "I feel like hell."

The trainer smirked, his eyes glinting with something like approval. "Pain means growth."

Her nails dug into her palms, her body still aching, but the words hit her with a strange clarity. Weakness isn't an option. Right now, she was just another faceless recruit. But soon... they'd remember her name.

A voice broke her thoughts.

"Hey, wait."

Reika turned to see a boy approaching, his messy brown hair and thin-framed glasses making him look out of place in the midst of the brutal training ground. He had an annoyingly cheerful smile, one that didn't seem to fit the atmosphere at all.

"Name's Ishigo Nakano," he said, still grinning.

She stared, unamused.

He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Can we be friends?"

Reika blinked. What?

Ishigo laughed nervously. "I mean... I feel kind of alone here, and you don't seem to have any friends either, so—"

"I'm not interested," Reika said flatly, turning to walk away.

But Ishigo was annoyingly persistent. He matched her pace, falling in step beside her. "Damn. Harsh."

Reika sighed, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. "Why me? There are plenty of people here."

He shrugged casually. "Tch. They're boring."

She raised an eyebrow. "Boring?"

"Yeah. But you? You make people curious."

Reika's brows furrowed. "I don't care about that."

Ishigo smirked. "That's what makes you interesting."

She rolled her eyes. "You're annoying."

"Probably." His grin didn't fade. "But I think we'll get along."

Reika didn't have the energy to argue. She should've shut him down completely, but something about him felt... strangely familiar.

Before she could push the thought aside, Ishigo's voice dropped, a sudden seriousness creeping into his tone.

"Do you know about Souta Arakawa?"

Reika's stomach tightened. "The 'I' Rank Kageshiki?"

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Ishigo's expression darkened, his eyes turning sharp. "You mean Kageshiki no Shinra?"

"Kageshiki no Shinra?" Reika repeated, her voice laced with confusion.

Ishigo lowered his voice, the usual lightness gone. "The true path of a Kageshiki. The 'I' Rank warriors aren't just strong. They wield power beyond human comprehension. Some can control elements. Others manipulate Shikiban. And some... they mess with soul energy."

Reika frowned. "Soul energy?"

Ishigo nodded, his gaze unwavering. "The more you use it, the less human you become. That's why only the strongest survive. The rest?" He let the sentence hang, heavy with meaning.

Unease curled in Reika's gut.

"Then how do they fight?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Ishigo's eyes sharpened. "By killing."

Reika's breath hitched.

"When a Kageshiki slays a Shikiban, its body turns to ash. Left behind is an Energy Flame. It fuses with the warrior's weapon, making them stronger. The stronger the enemy, the greater the power gained."

Reika's fingers twitched at the thought.

A weapon born from the soul...

She absorbed his words in silence, feeling the weight of what he had said sink into her bones. Before she could respond, however, a shadow loomed at the edge of the training field.

A tall figure stepped into view. Silver-white hair. An icy presence that made the air around him crackle.

Souta Arakawa.

He smirked as his eyes met Reika's. "How was your day, Kagetsu-san?"

Reika held his gaze, her blue eyes unwavering. "Well enough."

Souta chuckled, the sound cold and condescending. "Good. Because this was just the warm-up."

Reika's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

His smirk widened, lips curling with dark amusement. "Tomorrow, we enter the Kuroyami Forest."

Reika's stomach dropped. Kuroyami Forest?

Her heart raced. "You're joking."

But Souta didn't laugh. He simply turned on his heel, his footsteps slow, deliberate.

"Let's see if you survive."

The temperature seemed to drop in an instant.

The recruits around her grew silent, their eyes flickering with unease. The name Kuroyami Forest hung in the air like a death sentence.

Reika swallowed hard.

Kuroyami Forest.

The name alone sent a cold shiver down her spine.

No one who entered ever returned the same.