Juichi stood in the heart of Sakata's domain—Yūgen no Sekai, the world beyond the veil of time. Though it had only been a few days since he collapsed from exhaustion and despair, it felt like weeks in this timeless plane. His body had recovered. But his soul still bore wounds that refused to close.
Sakura's abduction haunted him. The powerlessness he had felt. The weight of a destiny he still didn't fully understand.
Here, the wind didn't blow—it thrummed like a heartbeat. The sky flickered between endless twilight and a burning dawn. The trees bent with sentience, as if listening.
Sakata stood a few paces away, arms folded, his usual smirk gone.
Today, he was serious.
"It's time," he said simply.
Juichi looked up. "For what?"
"The Trial of Elements." Sakata's voice was firm. "You've regained your strength. But that's not enough. You need to transcend your limits. Awaken what lies within—or your journey ends here."
Juichi exhaled slowly. This wasn't just about saving Sakura anymore. This was about becoming someone who could save her. And perhaps… finding the truth about his father.
A memory flickered.
The dragon—the Multiple Elemental Dragon. He had seen it once before, in a strange, liminal moment when his soul was detached from his body. It hadn't spoken in words, but through feeling—rage, sorrow, strength… and longing.
He hadn't understood it then.
But now, the pieces were beginning to fall into place.
"You remembered something," Sakata said, catching the shift in his expression.
Juichi nodded. "When I first arrived in this world, I saw the dragon. It told me I carry something… ancient."
Sakata's eyes narrowed. "You've already seen it, huh? You're further along than I thought."
Juichi stepped forward. "Back then… when I mentioned my father—Kaito—you hesitated. You know something."
Silence.
Then Sakata turned away, his voice low.
"I know enough to say this: your father wasn't just another adventurer. But if you want answers…" He looked back. "You'll have to survive what's coming. The truth is buried deep. And only the strong can reach it."
Juichi clenched his fists. "Then I'll survive."
Sakata gave a single nod. "Let the trials begin."
---
Ka – Fire
The world twisted.
Trees turned to ash. The sky ignited. The ground cracked into molten rock. From the earth rose a creature wreathed in flame—unstable, flickering, roaring heat incarnate.
"Fire is your rage," Sakata's voice echoed. "Your anger. Your pain. Your passion. Control it—or be consumed."
The fire-beast lunged.
Juichi rolled under its claws, the heat searing his skin. He spun and punched—only for his fist to pass through its burning chest.
A whip of fire coiled around his leg and hurled him into jagged stone.
"Damn it!"
The flames pulsed—feeding on his frustration.
"Calm… focus…"
He slowed his breath. Saw the fire not as an enemy, but a mirror. His rage. His pain. His fear of failure.
He stepped forward.
The flames wrapped around his arms—not wild, not hostile. Tamed.
He struck.
A burst of fire surged from his fist, forming a dragon's head mid-flight. It collided with the elemental, bursting it into a thousand glowing embers.
---
Fū – Wind
The fire realm vanished.
Now he stood atop narrow stone pillars suspended in the sky. Below, thunder roared. Above, the heavens screamed.
Blades of air sliced toward him.
Juichi dodged, barely maintaining balance on the trembling stones.
"You can't brute-force the wind!" Sakata's voice rang out. "You flow with it. Become it."
The wind was chaos. No shape. No rhythm.
He stopped resisting.
Opened his arms.
Let the wind lift him.
With a push, he soared—spinning, dipping, learning to ride the storm.
He channeled energy—not into a punch, but a rhythm.
A spiral of wind gathered in his palm.
He struck—
—and the sky split open in a flash of light.
---
Kū – Void
Then… everything ended.
No sky. No ground. No Sakata.
Just the Void.
And the voices.
> "You're not enough."
"You let her get taken."
"You're just his son. Nothing more."
Juichi screamed—but there was no sound.
He fell.
Fell.
Endlessly.
Until—
He stopped.
Not physically. But within.
He faced the truth: he had failed. He had lost.
But he was still standing.
In the darkness, a faint light flickered in his chest.
He reached for it—
And the Void shattered.
---
He gasped, eyes flying open.
He was back in Yūgen no Sekai. Trembling. Drenched in sweat.
Energy coiled around him—elemental, ancient, untamed.
Sakata watched from a stone ledge above, arms crossed.
A smile tugged at his lips.
"You didn't die."
"Good," Juichi rasped. "Because I'm not done yet."
Sakata's eyes gleamed. "Then get ready. The next step? Makes this look like stretching."
Juichi rose to his feet.
Something deep inside him had changed.
The essence of the Multiple Elemental Dragon stirred beneath the surface.
And he was ready to face whatever came next.
To Be Continued...