His friends would pay the dearest price.
After all, this was his fault. He’d opened the gate. Whether he intended to or not, he was the one who had let his father out into the world.
And he was the only one who could banish his father back to the nether realm.
I won’t fail.
His resolve was all he had now. It lived inside him like a breathing person. A hungry fire that consumed his soul.
No one else could do this.
He alone commanded the gates.
You rule the shadows...
He winced at his shadow’s voice again. But it was right.
Kage-taro. Prince of Shadows.
Those words flowed through him. For the first time, he understood what it meant. What they risked.
Ryuichi let out a deep breath as everyone mounted, and they began the journey that some of them wouldn’t return from.
He kept his gaze on Kasumi while Takara rode by his side. Silence rang out so loudly that it made his ears ring. No one spoke a single word. They all knew what was at stake, and that bitter reality hung over them like a pall.
He only heard his heartbeat. Felt the sweat that rolled down his neck and back.
Until he heard the shadows...
Suddenly, everything around him was alive.
Come home, son. You don’t belong with them.
He tightened his grip on the reins. How could his father reach out to him?
“Are you all right?”
He nodded at Takara’s question, even though it was a lie. He wasn’t all right. Far from it.
Ryuichi frowned as he looked around. “Is it just me, or is it getting darker?”
“It’s getting darker.” Koichi kept pace on his right side. “I know you hear the voices whispering.”
That stunned him. “Can you hear them?”
“Not the way you can. I can’t tell what they’re saying. But I assume at least one of them is your father, trying to bargain with you.”
His sensei held insight he wished he possessed. “He’s making some tempting offers.”
Koichi’s expression was priceless.
Ryuichi smiled. “Don’t worry. I’m not taking him up on them. But they are... tempting.”
Suddenly, the baggage on Koichi’s saddle sat up. “You’re all going to die!”
Ryuichi cringed as Haruki finally woke up. “Did we have to bring her?”
“Ask your irritable guardian. Masaru thought it safer than leaving her behind.”
