The forest was silent.
Watashi stood alone in the clearing, facing the unknown beasts.
Their dark bodies pulsed under the moonlight. Strange veins ran across their skin, and their glowing eyes locked onto him without blinking.
Watashi did not move.
One of the creatures stepped forward.
The ground cracked beneath its weight.
It attacked without warning — faster than any normal animal.
Watashi reacted instantly.
Steel flashed in the night.
Clang!
The creature's claws met his blade.
The force pushed him back a few steps, but he held his ground.
Another beast lunged from the side.
Watashi twisted his body and avoided the strike by inches.
He slashed across its side.
The wound was deep.
But slowly…
The flesh began to heal.
Watashi's eyes narrowed.
"So that's how it is…"
The creatures were not normal beasts.
They regenerated.
This was something far beyond anything in Ochisuita.
One of them roared and charged again.
This time, Watashi's expression changed.
He exhaled slowly.
Then, for a brief moment…
His eyes turned ash gray.
The world around him seemed to slow.
Lines appeared in his vision.
Weak points.
Structural flaws.
A faint glow on each creature's chest.
Watashi whispered:
"There…"
He moved.
Fast.
Precise.
His sword pierced directly through the glowing mark on the first beast's chest.
It froze.
Then collapsed.
The others growled in confusion.
Watashi turned toward them calmly.
"This power…"
Jaruken activated fully.
The beasts' weak spots were now clear in his sight.
The other creatures hesitated.
They felt it.
Fear.
Watashi turned toward them calmly.
He did not look angry.
He did not look cruel.
Just determined.
"I don't know where you came from," he said quietly, "but you won't disturb this land."
The remaining beasts growled… but did not attack.
Watashi lifted his sword slightly.
His voice became firm.
"Leave cause i know your weak spot, its heart "
The creatures stepped back.
For the first time, they felt something stronger than instinct.
They slowly retreated into the darkness of the forest.
One by one, they disappeared between the trees.
Watashi did not chase them.
He did not want to fight more than necessary.
Most importantly…
He did not want to wake Koi.
The night became silent again.
Watashi looked down at the fallen beast at his feet. That vanished after it.
Only one had been killed.
The others were gone.
He returned to the house quietly.
Inside, Koi was sleeping peacefully, unaware of what had happened.
Watashi stood by the window for a moment, watching the forest.
"These creatures…"
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"They are not ordinary."
Tomorrow was the day of the school tryouts.
The selection for Aeris Vallen's academy.
Watashi looked toward the sleeping boy.
He smiled faintly.
"Sleep well… Koi."
Because soon, the world would no longer be peaceful.