The rain still hadn't fallen.
The Veilguard Citadel stood at the heart of the city—a towering structure of obsidian and steel, where the world's most powerful exorcists trained and refined their cursed techniques. Its spires pierced the clouds, and its walls echoed with the footsteps of hundreds, each one bound by their oaths to protect the world from Wraithborn and curses.
But Nozai wasn't here to protect anyone.
As his feet touched the polished marble floor of the Citadel's entrance hall, an oppressive silence fell. His shadow, still thick and creeping, followed him like a second skin, a reminder of the monster inside.
The Ritualists moved around him with calculated indifference, keeping their distance. The marked boy, living with a Wraith, was an anomaly. Dangerous. Irredeemable. Yet here he was, forced to stand in the very place meant to save him from the curse he was born with.
Before he could enter the main training hall, a cold, sharp voice broke the silence.
"You really think you belong here, Kuragane?"
Nozai turned slowly.A tall, slender figure stood before him—a Ritualist, just a year older but exuding an aura of power and pride. His crimson eyes glowed under the heavy black hood of his robe, and his thin lips curled into a smirk. His name was Ryusuke Kaen, one of the Veilguard's rising stars, known for his ice-cold demeanor and unshakable resolve.
Nozai didn't respond immediately. Instead, he let Kurozan coil silently at his feet, feeling the Wraith's irritation rise.
Ryusuke took a step forward, his gaze never leaving Nozai's face.
"You think you're above us, don't you?""A cursed child, playing with powers that will destroy you."
Nozai's hand tightened into a fist, but he didn't let the anger take hold. He couldn't—he had to be smarter than that.
"And what do you want, Kaen?" Nozai finally spoke, his voice devoid of emotion.
Ryusuke stepped closer, his smirk widening.
"I want you to understand something. You're not just a threat to us. You're a danger to yourself, to the entire world. The Veilguard Order exists to protect people like you, whether you like it or not."
Nozai's eyes flickered with a brief spark of anger, but then he forced it down. Ryusuke was right, in a way. The Veilguard had kept the world safe from curses for centuries, but they were the same ones who had created him—the same ones who saw him as a weapon. A weapon that needed to be controlled.
"Save your speeches, Kaen. I'm not here to be your weapon."
Ryusuke's gaze hardened.
"Then leave. Walk away. Because if you don't—if you continue this path—you will become exactly what they fear most. A Wraith King."
The air grew still, the tension thickening like a storm.
Nozai didn't flinch. He'd heard it all before—the warnings, the threats. Wraith King—the ultimate transformation. He knew it was his fate to either control Kurozan or become consumed by it.
But that wasn't what drove him.
What drove him was the truth—the truth behind Project Hollow Soul.
Ryusuke stared at him for a long moment, the coldness in his eyes flickering with something darker.
"I hope you understand. There's no going back once you cross that line."
With that, Ryusuke turned on his heel, walking into the depths of the Citadel, leaving Nozai alone once more.
Nozai watched him disappear into the hall.
And then, without a word, he followed.