The headquarters was silent.
Note just quiet—suppressed.
Ren felt it the moment they crossed the gates. No trainees sparring. No chatter echoing through the halls. Even the air felt dense, as if the building itself was aware of what had returned with them.
Master Tsuchi Shiro was already waiting.
He stood at the inner hall, hands behind his back, posture relaxed, eyes half-closed. Not fragile. Not weak. Just… immeasurable.
"You're late," Tsuchi Shiro said.
Kaiden rubbed the back of his neck. "Ran into complications."
The Master opened his eyes.
"And yet," he said calmly, "you're alive."
His gaze shifted—directly to Ren.
Mei exhaled. "We defeated the Soul Eater."
Tsuchi Shiro didn't react.
"Which one?" he asked.
"The one at Mount Utako," Mei replied. "Same class as the one Kaiden fought before."
A slow breath left the Master's chest.
"So it has begun."
Ren frowned. "Begun what?"
Tsuchi Shiro turned and walked deeper into the headquarters. "Come."
They followed.
The chamber he led them into was circular, its stone walls carved with ancient markings. Symbols Ren couldn't read—but his flame mark reacted instantly, pulsing beneath his skin.
"Sit," Tsuchi Shiro ordered.
They did.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then Ren felt it.
Pressure.
Not killing intent. Not hostility. Just weight—like something massive had settled into the room.
Mei broke the silence first.
"Master," she said, "that presence we felt after the Soul Eater was sealed—what was it?"
Kaiden leaned forward. "That flash of light wasn't normal."
Tsuchi Shiro's eyes sharpened.
"So you noticed."
Ren swallowed. "It wasn't calm. It felt reckless. Loud. Like it didn't care if we sensed it."
The Master studied him for a long moment.
"That presence," Tsuchi Shiro said, "was a Watcher."
The room froze.
"A high-ranking existence," he continued, "that rarely interferes."
Kaiden opened his mouth. "Was it—"
"No," Tsuchi Shiro cut in. "Names are not for this chapter."
That ended the question.
"The Soul Eater you fought," Tsuchi Shiro went on, pacing slowly, "was not acting alone."
Mei's fists tightened. "So there are more."
"Yes."
Ren's chest tightened.
"The one you defeated was a scout," Tsuchi Shiro said. "A test."
"A test for what?" Ren asked.
The Master stopped walking.
"For you."
Silence.
Ren blinked. "Me?"
"The Soul Eater who commands the others," Tsuchi Shiro said, "has already marked you."
Kaiden stood abruptly. "That makes no sense. Why would—"
"Because Ren's will output," Tsuchi Shiro interrupted, "exceeds recorded divine limits."
Mei stood slowly. "Master… explain."
"There are three stages of willpower," Tsuchi Shiro said.
He raised one finger.
"Stage One: Manipulation. Attraction and control of an existing element."
Second finger.
"Stage Two: Creation. Generating your element from nothing. Sustaining it freely."
Kaiden nodded. "That's the level gods reached."
"They reached its ceiling," Tsuchi Shiro replied.
He raised a third finger.
"Stage Three: Assimilation."
Ren's flame mark burned.
"At that stage," the Master said, "will is no longer something you use. It becomes what you are."
Mei whispered, "That stage was never achieved."
"Correct," Tsuchi Shiro said. "Because it is broken."
He lowered his hand.
"Gods who approached it were destroyed. Their bodies failed. Their minds collapsed."
Ren clenched his fists. "Then why tell us this?"
Tsuchi Shiro met his eyes.
"Because Ren has the potential to unlock it."
Kaiden shook his head. "That's impossible. Even gods—"
"—were vessels," Tsuchi Shiro said coldly. "Perfect ones. But still limited."
He stepped closer to Ren.
"You are not a vessel."
Ren swallowed. "Then why can't I even properly create fire?"
"Because potential is not control," Tsuchi Shiro replied.
He turned to the others.
"Ren is currently below Stage One."
Mei stared. "Below…?"
"He draws power instinctively," the Master said. "Violently. Inefficiently. Like a storm without form."
Ren's jaw tightened.
"So what happens now?" he asked.
Tsuchi Shiro didn't hesitate.
"Ren is restricted from missions."
Ren shot up. "What?!"
"You will train," the Master continued. "Until your body, mind, and will can survive Stage One."
"And if he fails?" Kaiden asked quietly.
Tsuchi Shiro's eyes darkened.
"Then the third stage will consume him."
Silence swallowed the chamber.
Outside, the wind howled.
"This is no longer a small conflict," Tsuchi Shiro said. "The Soul Eater who once defeated gods has begun to move."
He turned away.
"And time," he added, "will not wait for you to be ready."