The light inside the Twilight Edge headquarters was unlike any Kaido had seen before. Pale blue lamps hung from the ceiling, glowing like distant stars, casting an ethereal glow across the polished floors. The air carried a metallic sharpness, like a drawn blade held just inches from your skin.
Kaido walked down the corridor in silence, his footsteps echoing faintly. Each wall bore calligraphy and etched symbols from different hunter lineages — traditions stretching centuries back. Though the hall seemed peaceful, Kaido could feel the watchful eyes from behind every wall and mirror.
Waiting at the end of the hall was a tall, elegant woman with silver hair tied into a loose braid. Her presence was commanding, even though she stood with ease, arms folded behind her back. Her gaze was colder than steel and just as precise.
"Kaido Shin," she said, her voice calm but layered with something sharp. "You came."
He stopped a few steps before her and gave a short nod. "You asked for me."
"No," she replied. "I summoned you. There's a difference."
This was Emi Fujimoto — leader of the Twilight Edge, strategist, and known for turning raw recruits into elite hunters or broken failures. Rumors surrounded her like fog, none proven, but none denied.
"Do you know why you're here?" she asked, walking slowly around him.
"Because I'm dangerous," he said simply.
A faint smile touched her lips. "Correct. But not because of what you did. Because of what you might do."
She gestured for him to follow. They entered a wide chamber, open to the sky, where the floor was a smooth ring of obsidian stone. This was no ordinary training arena — the carvings around its edge pulsed faintly with dormant energy.
"I want to see it," Emi said.
Kaido blinked. "See what?"
"Whatever the blood gave you."
He tensed. "I don't control it. Not really."
"Then this is the perfect place to learn."
She drew two short blades from her belt — curved, elegant, humming faintly. "We will spar. You will not hold back."
Kaido hesitated. "Why would you risk that?"
"Because I am not afraid of you. And because if you cannot draw your strength willingly, then you'll never control it."
He stepped into the ring. The air shimmered.
Their clash began like a whisper, steel brushing steel. Emi was fast — faster than he expected. Her blades moved like silver comets, redirecting his attacks before they formed. Kaido's movements, though unrefined, carried power that cracked the obsidian floor.
"Good," she said, sidestepping his punch. "But not enough."
He charged again, more feral this time. Her blades crossed before his chest and pushed him back with a spark of energy.
His breath grew heavy. The scar on his neck burned. He felt the mark on his wrist stir.
"Don't resist it," Emi called out. "Call it. Whatever it is. Let it answer."
Kaido gritted his teeth. For a moment, he saw Yume's charred face, Ryoji's last shout, the white void, the pillars of blood.
The ground trembled. A red aura began to unfurl from his back, like wings made of smoke and flame. Emi stepped back, eyes narrowed, but she did not attack.
Then — the sky shifted.
A tearing sound split the air. But it wasn't a gate.
From the western sky, a black ripple widened, and from it descended figures — not beasts, not hunters. Something else. Long-limbed, mask-faced, silent things that moved with unnatural grace.
Emi was the first to speak: "These... aren't from a gate."
Kaido's aura pulsed. He looked up. "They're not supposed to be here."
The creatures landed at the edge of the arena.
"Test ends," Emi said. Her tone turned lethal. "We fight."
Together, they moved. Kaido's fists collided with masked faces, while Emi's blades flashed like twin moons. The creatures bled black mist when struck — but they didn't scream.
One of them lunged at Kaido with a spear-like limb. He ducked, spun, and slammed his palm into its chest. The mark on his wrist flared. For a heartbeat, the world went still — then the creature disintegrated into ash.
More came.
Kaido and Emi stood back-to-back, fighting in sync. She gave no commands. He needed none.
But then — they stopped.
The creatures turned. As if called by something.
Above, on the edge of the roof, stood a cloaked figure. Not masked. Not hiding.
"So this is him," the figure said. A male voice, soft but thunderous.
Emi tensed. "You crossed the lines."
"I never agreed to them," the man said. His eyes met Kaido's. "We'll meet soon."
Then he vanished — and so did the creatures.
Silence returned.
Kaido collapsed to his knees, panting. The aura faded.
Emi sheathed her blades. Walked to him. "That was not a test. That was a message."
He looked up. "From who?"
"Someone who fears what you're becoming."
---
Later that night, Kaido sat alone in his apartment. The mark on his wrist was quiet now. But his heart was not.
A soft knock.
Outside his door was an envelope — no name, no seal.
Inside: a torn map.
And a note: "Not all gates open by force. Some open by choice. Come find the next one."
Kaido stared long and hard.
Then, without a word, he began to pack.