"It's the kind of name people forget… until the fire reaches their door," Huozhen said with a calm, cutting smile.
Astra's grip tightened around the sword. She raised it and pointed the blade squarely at him.
"Whatever. Just leave. Or else—"
"Or else what?" Huozhen tilted his head, amused. "A mere human thinks she can defeat me… just because she's holding a sword?"
He laughed—dry, mocking.
Astra's eyes narrowed. Slowly, she lowered the sword. "Right," she said, taking a small step back, eyes lifting to meet his. "I can't defeat you."
Huozhen's brow drew into a slight frown.
"But I can sure kick you."
Before the words fully left her lips, she pivoted with precision—and her foot slammed into his chest with a sharp gust of wind. His eyes widened, disbelief flashing across his face as the force of the impact sent him flying backward.
He crashed through the outer stone wall with a deafening crack, debris scattering. Then through a second wall, deeper into the shell of a ruined, abandoned house—each layer collapsing as he tore through them, vanishing in the dust.
Ryoma's jaw dropped. "…You kicked him just like that?" But he didn't wait for an answer. The firelight shifted flickering brighter from the shrine.
Ryoma rushed forward and caught Astra's wrist before Huǒzhēn could reappear. "Come on."
They ran, slipping into the burning shrine. The air was thick with smoke and the crackling roar of fire. Astra hesitated, eyes darting to the flickering forms—figures slumped and unmoving, trapped in some kind of trance.
Ryoma didn't wait. He stepped forward, formed several rapid hand signs, and swept his sleeve through the air with a sharp motion. A pulse of spiritual energy burst outward.
The fire bent away, and the spell shattered like glass. The figures jolted, gasping awake, eyes snapping open as reality came rushing back.
"AAAAHHHHHH—!"
Shion clutched his head. "Seiya, what are you screaming for?!"
Seirou elbowed him hard. "Open your damn eyes!"
Shion blinked—and froze.
Flames raged across the shrine walls, crawling like hungry beasts. His mouth hung open.
Kaen, unfazed, calmly turned still holding Xue in his arms.
Xue tilted his head, blinking at the chaos. Then he huffed once—just a soft, unimpressed breath.
The air dropped.
In an instant, frost snaked across the burning floor. Walls hissed. Fire sputtered and died, turned brittle and frozen. The shrine's heat snapped into eerie silence as the flames were replaced by creeping ice.
Everyone stared.
Shion pointed a finger. "I KNEW IT! He's a—"
Kaen slapped a hand over his mouth. "Shut up."
Shion nodded rapidly beneath his hand.
Then he looked past Kaen and saw them—Ryoma bloodied, Astra barely standing.
He rushed over. "Just what happened here?!"
Ryoma didn't waste a breath. "No time. Seirou, Shion, Seiya—take Astra and Xue. Get out of here. Now."
Seiya frowned. "Wait, what about you? And Kaen?"
Ryoma glanced at Kaen. Just one look. One subtle shift of his hand an old, coded sign only Kaen would recognize. Kaen's eyes widened in horror. No argument followed. He silently handed Xue to Shion, who took him without protest.
"Leave. Now!" Ryoma barked. "Don't stop. Don't look back!"
Astra stepped forward, lips parting as if to protest—but her legs gave out. She collapsed.
"Astra!" Seirou caught her just in time, arms wrapping around her limp form. He turned to Seiya. "We should do as they said. Let's move—now."
Shion's ears twitched. His expression shifted. "Wait—"
He paused, then tensed. "I hear something. Heavy footsteps… It's coming this way."
Ryoma's fists clenched. His gaze turned cold. "Move."
He stepped forward alone.
From the far end of the shattered shrine, through the lingering steam and fractured ice, Huǒzhēn emerged—fire rippling violently from his shoulders, cloak torn, his movements more ragged… more unstable. Each step left behind scorched marks as the flames around him flared higher, out of control.
The others froze. Flames licked up the walls again.
Ryoma didn't flinch. "Go! What are you all waiting for?!"
That snapped them back. Without another word, Seirou tightened his hold on Astra, Shion on Xue. Seiya grabbed Shion's shoulder, and together without looking back—they ran.
After running for what felt like hours, they finally stopped gasping for air, hearts pounding like drums in their chests.
The abandoned shrine was long behind them now, reduced to a distant blur of fire and ash. Smoke no longer followed. Only the heavy silence of the path ahead remained, broken by ragged breaths.
Seirou gently set Astra down beneath a tree, brushing the soot from her cheek. His eyes caught the cut on her neck—thin, precise, still bleeding faintly. His brows furrowed.
Seiya, panting and struggling to keep his balance in the tattered remains of his pink robe, snapped. "Of course. Of course it's because of her again!"He pointed accusingly at Astra. "She probably pulled something reckless and dragged all of us into it!"
Without waiting, he knelt beside her, grabbing her shoulders. "Wake up! What was that?! Who was that man?! What did you do?!"
Seirou quickly stepped in, his hand closing around Seiya's wrist. Seiya looked at him, breathing hard. Seirou shook his head, eyes grim.
Seiya stiffened, yanking his hand back, lips pressed tight. He stood up slowly, turning away from the group. His jaw clenched as he stared back toward the direction of the flames. "We nearly burned alive in there."
His hands clenched into fists.
"And Ryoma and Kaen are still back there… with him. That thing was throwing flames like a demon from the scrolls."
He turned his face slightly, shadows catching the edge of his cheek. "What if something happens to them?"
Seiya stood tense, worry flickering in his eyes even as his jaw twitched in barely contained fury. His fists trembled, caught between clenching and loosening, like he couldn't decide whether to panic or punch something.
Then—smack!
"Ow—!" he yelped, stumbling forward as Seirou calmly retracted his hand.
"Negative thoughts rot the brain," Seirou said matter-of-factly. "Like mold in old rice. Stop growing fungus up there."
Seiya spun around. "Did you just smack me and give a life lesson?!"
Seirou crossed his arms. "Balance is important. You needed both."
"Are you even listening to yourself?! You're in danger! And we left behind those two with the danger just in front of them!"
Seirou raised a brow. "I know that."
"Then why are you so calm?!"
"Because panicking won't help the situation."
Seiya threw his hands up. "Unbelievable! You're the calm in the storm while I'm the storm about to slap someone!"
"And that's exactly why you're the younger one!"
"Younger? It's you!"
"I'm not—it's definitely you!"
"No, it's you!"
Their voices bounced between the trees, arguments rising like smoke. Shion, standing a few feet away, let out a sigh so deep it nearly dragged leaves with it. "I'm surrounded by idiots…" he muttered, gently placing Xue down on a flat rock. The little boy blinked at him, Shion knelt in front of him, narrowing his eyes.
"…So you're a demon, huh?"
Xue nodded immediately. No hesitation. Like he'd been waiting to say it all day. Shion froze. "You didn't even try to lie about that."
He dragged a hand down his face. "Of course—that explains how you got those injuries back then, looking like a badly beaten, torn-out rag when she found you."
He squinted at him. "Alright then, what kind of demon are you? Snow leopard? Yeti? White bunny of doom?"
Xue tilted his head, blinked once, then made a tiny growling noise.
Shion blinked. "…Wolf?"
Xue shook his head, then raised his hands, making a claw shape like a tiger.
Shion blinked. "….A tiger?"
Xue nodded, pleased.
Shion stared. "You're seriously a tiger?"
Xue puffed out his cheeks like he was proud of it. Shion gave him a once-over. "Figures. That explains why Ryoma wanted to take you in, even knowing the risk."
Shion rubbed his temples as he looked over at the twins, who were still bickering like it was a family dinner and not the aftermath of a fire-drenched nightmare. He groaned and walked over, exasperated.
"Guys. You do realize this is a serious situation, right?"
Seirou crossed his arms. "Tell that to the toddler in pink who thinks he's the responsible one."
Seiya shot back, "I am the responsible one!"
Shion sighed loudly, dragging a hand down his face. "Why do I even try…"
Meanwhile, Xue sat cross-legged on a rock, watching them with wide eyes. He giggled, then suddenly mumbled in his tiny voice,
"Where is… she…?"
Everything froze.
Three heads snapped toward him at once, horror flashing in their eyes.
Seiya's jaw dropped. "He can talk?!"
Seirou didn't miss a beat—he smacked him on the back of the head. "That's what you're shocked about?! ASTRA'S GONE!"
Shion's voice sharpened. "Everyone, search! Now!"
They scattered instantly, checking every rock, bush, and hollow log. They circled the area, calling her name, glancing toward trees and scanning for footprints.
But after a long while, they all regrouped—empty-handed.
"Nothing," Seirou said grimly. "She's nowhere around," Shion muttered. "Where did she go now?!" Seiya huffed, frustrated.
Shion glanced back toward the trees, thinking aloud. "Maybe… maybe she woke up while we were busy bickering. But where could she have gone? She was injured. She couldn't have gotten far."
"Exactly," Seirou nodded. "With that cut, she wouldn't even be able to stand long."
They fell silent, scanning again, until Seiya narrowed his eyes and pointed.
"What if… she went that way?"
They followed his finger—toward the distant horizon. A faint flicker of flames still danced far away, smoke curling violently into the sky.