The mountain screamed.
Stone tore away from the ceiling.
The floor split beneath Musha's feet as the ancient chamber began collapsing around them.
Katsurane shouted something, but Musha could barely hear him.
Everything had become sound.
The falling rocks.
The cracking chains.
The roar of the dragon above.
Raiden's breathing.
Kaito's heartbeat.
And the thing beneath the black stone.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
The Hollow King's laughter rolled through the chamber.
"Finally."
Musha stood in the center of the storm.
White fire burned around her left sword.
Black fire crawled around her right.
Neither flame felt foreign anymore.
For years, she had feared the darkness inside her.
Every time anger rose in her chest, the black veins appeared.
Every time her power awakened, she feared losing herself.
But now—
She understood.
The darkness wasn't commanding her.
It was listening.
Musha tightened her grip.
"I am Musha."
The Hollow King's red eyes narrowed.
"You carry my blood."
"I carry my mother's."
"You carry my shadow."
"I carry my own."
The creature laughed.
"You still don't understand."
A massive tendril erupted from the ground.
Musha heard it before it moved.
She turned.
One step.
The tendril passed inches from her face.
She swung her white blade.
SHING!
White fire cut through the darkness.
The tendril dissolved.
Katsurane stared.
"She can control it…"
Raiden didn't answer.
Kaito did.
"No."
Everyone looked at him.
Kaito's eyes remained fixed on Musha.
"She isn't controlling the darkness."
Musha looked at him.
"Then what am I doing?"
Kaito smiled faintly.
"Accepting it."
The Hollow King roared.
The entire chamber shook.
Musha's knees nearly buckled.
Something entered her mind.
A thousand voices.
A thousand screams.
Wars.
Burning villages.
Broken temples.
Kings kneeling.
Children crying.
Samurai covered in blood.
She saw mountains falling from the sky.
She saw oceans turning black.
She saw a woman holding a newborn child beneath a blood-red moon.
Queen Aiko.
Musha reached toward the vision.
"Mother…"
Aiko looked directly at her.
But she wasn't smiling.
She was terrified.
"Musha."
The vision flickered.
"Listen to me."
Musha froze.
"Mother?"
Aiko's voice became desperate.
"Never let him—"
The vision shattered.
Musha opened her eyes.
The Hollow King stood above her.
A gigantic mass of black smoke and bone had emerged from the broken stone.
Its body had no clear shape.
Only two enormous red eyes remained constant.
Kaito pulled Musha backward.
"Don't look into its eyes!"
"Why?"
"Because it will show you what you fear."
Musha stared at the creature.
"I've already seen it."
Kaito's expression changed.
"What?"
"My mother."
Silence.
Raiden stepped forward.
"What did she say?"
Musha turned toward him.
"She tried to warn me."
"About what?"
Musha looked at the Hollow King.
"I don't know."
A tremendous crash shook the chamber.
The ceiling began collapsing.
Katsurane grabbed Raiden's shoulder.
"We have to leave!"
Raiden shook him off.
"Not without them."
"You'll kill everyone!"
Katsurane pointed toward the creature.
"That thing is already breaking free!"
Kaito looked at the chains.
There were only a few left.
"We have minutes."
Raiden drew his sword.
"Then we use them."
Kaito looked at him.
"You still think your sword can kill it?"
"No."
Raiden raised his blade.
"But it can buy her time."
Musha heard the words.
Her chest tightened.
"Raiden."
He looked at her.
"You lied to me."
"Yes."
"You hid my brother."
"Yes."
"You knew my mother was alive."
Raiden's expression hardened.
"I knew someone wearing her face was alive."
Musha froze.
"What?"
Katsurane looked at him.
"Raiden…"
Raiden continued.
"The woman in the village isn't Queen Aiko."
Musha's heart stopped.
"She looks like her."
"Yes."
"She speaks like her."
"Yes."
"She knows things only my mother could know."
Raiden lowered his sword.
"And that's what makes her dangerous."
Musha's fingers tightened around her blades.
"Then who is she?"
Raiden looked at the Hollow King.
"I don't know."
The creature suddenly spoke.
Not with one voice.
With hundreds.
"Liar."
Raiden's face changed.
The Hollow King's red eyes moved toward him.
"You know."
Raiden raised his sword.
"Musha, don't listen."
The creature laughed.
"Ask him."
Musha turned toward Raiden.
"Ask me what?"
The Hollow King answered.
"How your mother died."
Musha's breathing stopped.
Raiden closed his eyes.
"Don't."
The creature continued.
"How she screamed."
Katsurane stepped forward.
"Enough."
The Hollow King ignored him.
"How she begged him to save you."
Musha's body went rigid.
Raiden's sword trembled.
Kaito stared at him.
"You never told her."
"No."
"You promised Mother."
Raiden said nothing.
Musha's voice was barely audible.
"Promised her what?"
Kaito looked at Raiden.
"To keep you from knowing the truth."
Musha stepped forward.
"What truth?"
The Hollow King whispered.
"You killed her."
Raiden's head snapped upward.
"That's not true."
The creature laughed.
"Then tell her."
Musha pointed her black-flamed sword at Raiden.
"Tell me."
Raiden looked into her eyes.
For the first time, Musha saw something she had never seen in him.
Guilt.
"I was there."
Musha's voice cracked.
"When?"
"The night your mother died."
Kaito's face hardened.
"You said you arrived afterward."
"I lied."
Musha felt the world tilt.
"You were there?"
"Yes."
"Did you kill her?"
"No."
"Then what happened?"
Raiden looked away.
"Your mother asked me to kill her."
Silence.
Even the Hollow King stopped laughing.
Musha stared at him.
"Why?"
Raiden's eyes returned to hers.
"Because the stone had already awakened."
Musha touched her chest.
"The stone…"
"Your mother knew what you would become."
"She knew?"
"She knew you would eventually awaken both flames."
Kaito stepped closer.
"And she knew what would happen if the Hollow King found you."
Raiden nodded.
"She asked me to take you away."
Musha's voice shook.
"And you did?"
"Yes."
"Then why did she die?"
Raiden looked toward the black stone.
"She stayed behind."
Musha's eyes filled with tears.
"To stop it."
"Yes."
"And you left her?"
"I was ordered to save you."
Musha lowered her sword.
For a moment, she could hear nothing.
Then—
A soft voice.
"Musha."
She looked up.
Kaito was standing beside her.
"You don't have to forgive him."
Musha looked at him.
"But I need to know everything."
"You will."
"When?"
Kaito looked at the collapsing chamber.
"When we survive this."
The Hollow King suddenly moved.
Its enormous body surged forward.
Raiden and Katsurane attacked simultaneously.
CLANG!
Their blades struck the darkness.
The impact threw both men across the chamber.
"Katsurane!"
Musha ran toward them.
The Hollow King followed.
Kaito grabbed her.
"Don't!"
"I can fight it!"
"You can't beat it yet!"
"Then tell me how!"
Kaito pointed toward the ceiling.
"The dragon."
Musha looked up.
The White Dragon hovered above the broken chamber.
Its ancient eyes were fixed on her.
"What about it?"
"It isn't protecting the gate."
Kaito's voice became urgent.
"It's protecting you."
The dragon opened its enormous mouth.
A deep roar shook the mountain.
Musha felt the sound inside her bones.
The white stone beneath the chamber began glowing.
One of the broken chains lifted from the ground.
Then another.
Then another.
They began wrapping around the Hollow King.
The creature screamed.
Kaito smiled.
"The dragon is trying to seal it again."
Musha looked at the chains.
"Then why isn't it working?"
Kaito's expression darkened.
"Because the seal requires your power."
Musha stared at him.
"My power?"
"Both flames."
Musha looked at her swords.
White.
Black.
Two opposing fires.
Two halves of the same power.
"What do I do?"
"Strike the stone."
Musha looked at the black stone.
The Hollow King was trapped against it.
"That's going to hurt it?"
"No."
Kaito looked at her.
"It will hurt you."
Musha stepped forward.
The Hollow King smiled.
"Come closer."
Musha ignored it.
"Where do I strike?"
Kaito pointed.
"Together."
Musha raised both swords.
White fire surged down her left arm.
Black fire surged down her right.
The two flames began moving toward each other.
Her chest burned.
Her heartbeat became thunder.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
The Hollow King began pulling against the chains.
They snapped one after another.
Kaito shouted.
"Now!"
Musha crossed her swords.
The flames collided.
WHITE.
BLACK.
Then—
PURPLE.
A burst of energy exploded through the chamber.
Musha screamed.
The stone beneath her feet shattered.
For a moment, everything disappeared.
No mountain.
No dragon.
No Raiden.
No Kaito.
Only darkness.
Then she heard a voice.
Her own.
"You're afraid."
Musha turned.
A second version of herself stood in the darkness.
Black veins covered her face.
Her eyes glowed red.
Musha raised her sword.
"Who are you?"
The other Musha smiled.
"I'm you."
"No."
"You've spent your entire life running from me."
"I don't run anymore."
"Then why are you afraid?"
Musha looked at her.
The other Musha stepped closer.
"You think darkness makes you evil."
Musha remained silent.
"You think anger makes you weak."
The figure touched Musha's chest.
"You think if you lose control once, you'll become a monster."
Musha lowered her sword.
"What are you?"
The figure smiled.
"Your shadow."
Musha shook her head.
"No."
The shadow looked confused.
Musha raised her hand.
"You're not my shadow."
The darkness trembled.
"You're my strength."
The shadow's smile disappeared.
Musha stepped closer.
"You're mine."
The black veins across the other Musha's face began disappearing.
"You don't control me."
Musha touched her forehead to the shadow's.
"And I don't fear you."
The darkness exploded.
Musha opened her eyes.
She was back in the chamber.
The Hollow King was screaming.
The White Dragon roared.
Kaito shielded his face.
Raiden and Katsurane were on the ground.
And Musha—
was floating.
White and black flames surrounded her body.
But they were no longer fighting.
They moved together.
Like two sides of the same storm.
Musha raised both swords.
"I understand now."
The Hollow King stared at her.
"No."
Its voice shook.
"You cannot."
Musha pointed both blades toward it.
"You wanted a vessel."
The flames intensified.
"But I am not empty."
She stepped forward.
"You wanted my fear."
Another step.
"You wanted my anger."
Another.
"You wanted my darkness."
She crossed her swords.
"And now you have none of them."
The Hollow King's eyes widened.
Musha swung.
"Because they're mine."
BOOOOOOM!
The entire mountain erupted with light.
The White Dragon screamed.
The Hollow King's body was torn apart.
Its smoke scattered across the chamber.
But before it disappeared—
one red eye remained.
It stared directly at Musha.
Then it whispered:
"Aiko…"
Musha froze.
The eye vanished.
Silence returned.
The chains fell.
The black stone stopped moving.
Kaito slowly stood.
"Is it dead?"
Raiden looked toward the darkness.
"No."
Musha lowered her swords.
"It ran."
Katsurane stared at her.
"How do you know?"
Musha closed her eyes.
She listened.
Far beneath the mountain—
something was moving.
Heading deeper underground.
She opened her eyes.
"Because I can still hear it."
Kaito looked at her.
"What are you going to do?"
Musha looked toward the broken tunnel.
"Follow it."
Raiden shook his head.
"No."
Musha turned.
"No?"
"You're not ready."
Musha stared at him.
"I just defeated something you were afraid to fight."
Raiden had no answer.
Musha walked past him.
Then stopped.
"Raiden."
He looked at her.
"You said my mother knew this day would come."
"Yes."
"Then she must have left something behind."
Raiden's expression changed.
"What?"
Musha looked toward the White Dragon.
"An answer."
The dragon lowered its head.
A single tear fell from its eye.
It struck the stone floor.
The ground beneath them began glowing.
A hidden door appeared.
Kaito stepped closer.
"I've never seen that before."
Musha touched the door.
A symbol appeared beneath her hand.
The same symbol that had been carved into her chest when she was born.
The door opened.
Cold wind rushed out.
Beyond it was not another chamber.
It was a staircase.
Descending.
Deeper than the mountain.
Katsurane looked into the darkness.
"How far does that go?"
Musha listened.
She could hear bells.
Donnnn.
Donnnn.
Donnnn.
But this time—
they weren't coming from above.
They were coming from below.
Musha tightened her grip on her swords.
"My brother was imprisoned here."
Kaito nodded.
"Yes."
"The Hollow King was imprisoned here."
"Yes."
"And my mother knew about this place."
"Yes."
Musha looked down the staircase.
"Then that's where the truth is."
She stepped forward.
Kaito followed.
Raiden followed him.
Katsurane sighed and raised his sword.
"You're all insane."
He followed them.
Above them, the White Dragon spread its wings.
The mountain continued collapsing.
But before the dragon disappeared into the storm, it looked toward the distant horizon.
Toward the village buried beneath the snow.
Its eyes narrowed.
Something was coming.
Something old.
Something that had been waiting for centuries.
Far away—
inside the snow-covered village—
a woman stood before a mirror.
She wore Queen Aiko's face.
She touched the reflection.
The face changed.
For one instant, it became something ancient.
Then Aiko's face returned.
A shadow appeared behind her.
"My vessel has awakened," the woman whispered.
A second voice answered from the darkness.
"No."
The woman smiled.
"She has awakened herself."
She turned toward the window.
Beyond it, the snow began falling upward.
"She is stronger than we expected."
The shadow stepped closer.
"Should we kill her?"
The woman laughed softly.
"No."
"Why?"
She looked toward the distant mountain.
"Because Musha is not the weapon."
Her eyes turned completely black.
"She is the key."
A bell rang in the distance.
Donnnn.
The woman smiled.
"And now…"
She opened the door.
"…the kingdom will remember her name."
MUSHA.
The snow swallowed the village.
And beneath the mountain—
something opened its eyes.