The silence did not last.
Hiroto felt it first not through shadow, but through the stone beneath his knees. A distant vibration rippled outward from the sealed wall, subtle but unmistakable, like a bell struck far away.
The seal held.
But the city above had heard the echo.
Goro helped Hiroto to his feet, his grip firm. "We don't have much time."
Hiroto nodded, still unsteady. His chest burned where the talisman's light had struck him, and his shadow clung closer than usual, as if reluctant to let go.
Yui wiped her eyes, trying bravely to smile. "Is the scary thing gone?"
"For now," Hiroto said gently.
Goro glanced at the cracked seal. "Define 'gone.'"
The tunnels trembled again lighter this time but accompanied by sound.
Footsteps.
Lots of them.
"Hunters?" Hiroto asked.
Goro listened, grim. "No. Too many. And too organized."
Hiroto's stomach sank. "City guards."
"And worse," Goro added. "Clan men."
As if summoned by his words, torches flared at the far end of the chamber, orange light spilling into the darkness. Armored figures poured into the space some wearing Kanezawa's insignia, others bearing unfamiliar clan crests stitched in silver thread.
At their center walked a man in layered robes of deep indigo, his posture calm, deliberate. His hair was bound neatly, his expression composed almost bored.
Hiroto felt a chill.
"That one's trouble," Goro muttered.
The man stopped several paces away, surveying the chamber with sharp, calculating eyes. They lingered on the cracked seal then on Hiroto.
"So," the man said mildly, "the rumors were understated."
Goro stepped forward, blade half-drawn. "State your business."
The man smiled faintly. "I am Lord Masanori of House Kuroda. Adviser to the Kanezawa Council."
Hiroto's heart pounded. A council adviser… already here.
Masanori's gaze flicked to Yui, then back to Hiroto. "And you must be the boy."
Hiroto swallowed. "What do you want?"
"To talk," Masanori replied. "Preferably without further structural damage."
Goro snorted. "Funny place to talk."
"On the contrary," Masanori said. "This is precisely the place where truth lives."
He gestured subtly.
The guards spread out, not aggressively, but deliberately cutting off escape routes without raising weapons.
A trap without teeth.
Yet.
Hiroto felt it keenly.
"You felt the disturbance," Masanori continued. "A seal cracking beneath our city tends to attract attention."
"You sent hunters after us," Hiroto said.
Masanori raised an eyebrow. "Mercenaries act independently. I do not approve of sloppy methods."
"Convenient," Goro growled.
Masanori ignored him. "You awakened something ancient. Something the Council believed dormant."
Hiroto's voice was steady despite his racing heart. "I sealed it again."
"Partially," Masanori corrected. "And temporarily."
His eyes sharpened. "Which means you can do it again."
Silence stretched.
Yui shifted closer to Hiroto.
Masanori noticed.
"You have leverage," he said calmly. "And so do we."
Goro's sword slid free an inch. "Careful."
Masanori smiled. "Violence would be… unfortunate. Kanezawa is already nervous."
Hiroto took a breath. "Say what you want."
Masanori clasped his hands behind his back. "The Council wishes to ensure the city's safety. That seal whatever it guards cannot be allowed to fail."
"And you want me to fix it," Hiroto said.
"Yes."
"And if I refuse?"
Masanori's gaze flicked to the guards. "Then the Council will classify you as an existential threat."
Goro barked a laugh. "So either way, they want to chain him."
Masanori's smile faded slightly. "Control is not the same as chains."
Hiroto clenched his fists. "You want to use me."
Masanori met his gaze unflinchingly. "We want to contain disaster."
Hiroto felt the Sentinel's echo stir faintly within him.
They fear what they cannot command.
"I don't belong to you," Hiroto said.
"No," Masanori agreed softly. "You belong to history."
That was worse.
A Choice Under Stone
The guards waited.
The city waited.
Hiroto felt the weight of centuries pressing down on him.
Goro leaned close. "Kid. Whatever you decide, make sure it keeps Yui safe."
Hiroto nodded slightly.
He looked at Masanori. "If I help you… what happens to us?"
Masanori considered. "You will be given protection. Status. Resources. Education."
"And my sister?"
"Untouched," Masanori said immediately. "She will live comfortably. Away from danger."
Hiroto's jaw tightened. "Away from me."
Masanori did not deny it.
"And if I refuse?" Hiroto asked.
Masanori sighed. "Then others will try to control the seal without you."
Goro stiffened. "That's suicide."
"Yes," Masanori said. "For the city."
Hiroto closed his eyes.
He saw his village burning.
His mother falling.
The Sentinel waiting.
Running didn't save anyone.
He opened his eyes.
"I'll help seal it," Hiroto said slowly. "But I won't be your prisoner."
Masanori's eyes gleamed. "Terms?"
"I move freely," Hiroto said. "My sister stays with me. And you don't use my power without my consent."
Goro added, "And anyone who tries gets their teeth rearranged."
Masanori actually laughed. "Bold."
He studied Hiroto for a long moment.
Then nodded.
"Very well," he said. "Temporary cooperation."
Hiroto didn't trust that word.
The City Above
They emerged into Kanezawa under heavy guard.
Word had already spread.
Crowds whispered. Windows shut. Priests murmured prayers as Hiroto passed.
Some looked afraid.
Others… hopeful.
"That's dangerous," Goro muttered.
Hiroto felt it too.
Hope turned into expectation very quickly.
They were brought to a fortified estate near the city's inner district, old, heavily warded, and unmistakably important.
Masanori gestured toward the building. "You will stay here for now."
Yui clutched Hiroto's sleeve. "Brother…"
He knelt, meeting her eyes. "I'm not leaving you. I promise."
She nodded, trusting him completely.
That trust felt heavier than any chain.
Whispers of Power
That night, Hiroto could not sleep.
He sat by a paper window, watching lanterns sway in the distance.
His shadow stretched along the floor quiet, attentive.
"You didn't like that deal," Goro said from behind him.
"No," Hiroto admitted. "But I don't see another choice."
Goro leaned against the wall. "Power never gives clean choices."
Hiroto looked down at his hands. "The Sentinel answered me. That means others like it might too."
Goro's expression hardened. "And that makes you valuable."
"And dangerous," Hiroto said.
"Yes," Goro agreed. "To everyone."
A faint pulse ran through the city then, barely perceptible, but unmistakable.
Hiroto stiffened.
"That wasn't me," he whispered.
Goro's eyes narrowed. "Then someone else is poking the Gate."
Hiroto's shadow rippled warning, not fear.
Outside, temple bells rang suddenly, sharp and urgent.
Alarm bells.
Hiroto stood.
"They're trying something," he said.
Goro drew his sword. "Looks like your cooperation period just got tested."
Hiroto's gaze hardened.
If Kanezawa wanted to use him.
Then Kanezawa would also learn what it meant to stand beside him.