The night was Ash’s ally, its shadow swallowing him as he moved through the storm-wrecked landscape, cloaked in the silent embrace of darkness. His heart beat steadily, the only sound beside the distant thunder that seemed to shake the very earth beneath him. With every step he took, the weight of the mission pressed down on him. This wasn’t just a rescue mission anymore; it was a hunt. A hunt for his father—or whatever was left of him—in the heart of Raiju Castle.
Ash whispered a single word into the comms device tucked behind his ear: “Activate Kage no Jutsu.”
The familiar surge of energy washed over him, and in the blink of an eye, he was enveloped in shadow. His form blurred, blending into the environment as if he were nothing more than a flicker in the dark. This was the Shirogiri Shadow Secret Technique—Kage no Jutsu. Mastered over years of discipline, it allowed Ash to move undetected by blending seamlessly with the shadows around him. No light, no trace, no sound. Just the ghost he had become.
Rin-AI’s voice crackled softly in his earpiece, its usual calm tone laced with a hint of urgency. “You’re entering Raiju Castle’s outer perimeter. Guard posts ahead—three of them. I suggest taking the left route. The security camera angles are less direct.”
Ash nodded to himself, though no one could see it. He trusted Rin. The AI’s processing power was unparalleled, and it had already mapped out the castle’s defenses, the guard rotations, and the most efficient paths through the fortress. But even Rin’s precision wasn’t foolproof. There were variables here—variables that Ash couldn’t predict.
As he moved swiftly through the complex maze of concrete and steel, Ash’s heart raced with every passing step. The Raiju Castle loomed above him, a towering monolith of metal and lightning, brimming with danger at every turn. He’d infiltrated enemy territory before, but nothing compared to the scale of the Raiju’s stronghold.
He reached a corner, his shadow blending into the wall, just in time to hear the heavy boots of a guard approach. The guard passed by without noticing him, a mere blur in the air as Ash remained frozen. His pulse thudded in his ears, but he didn’t dare breathe too loudly. His whole existence in this moment was reduced to the quiet tension of being unseen, unnoticed.
“Almost there,” Rin whispered, her voice a calm thread of support in the growing pressure of the moment. “The cell block is on the other side of this hall. Be careful, Ash.”
The hallway stretched before him, and Ash knew the risks were only escalating. The Raiju didn’t hesitate. They didn’t take prisoners unless there was something valuable about them. His father—Ryouma Shirogiri—was no ordinary man. And this place… this fortress of steel and storm, was no place for a prisoner to be kept.
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Ash''s eyes scanned the darkened corridor. His shadowed form moved with the fluid grace of a predator, inching forward, step by careful step. Then, just as he was about to turn a corner, a pair of heavy footsteps thundered from ahead. His heart stopped in his chest.
A guard.
The sound of boots on metal grew louder, closer. Ash’s mind raced. He couldn’t get caught—not now, not after all this time.
Rin-AI’s voice echoed in his ear with a rapid suggestion. “Quick, turn right—there’s a maintenance vent nearby. You can crawl through.”
Ash didn’t hesitate. He darted to the right, slipping into the shadow of a nearby ventilation shaft just as the guard’s light swept the hall. The footsteps slowed, then stopped. Ash held his breath, his body pressed against the cold metal, still as a statue. The guard’s flashlight brushed past him, but didn’t pause. It moved on. A second later, the sound of boots faded into the distance.
Ash exhaled a long, silent breath. His heart still thudded in his chest, but he couldn’t afford to let his guard down. Every moment was a risk now.
He moved forward, crawling through the narrow vent until he emerged in a darkened room just outside the cell block. The layout of the fortress was a labyrinth, but Rin had guided him this far, and Ash could feel the cold, sharp edge of urgency pushing him forward.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he reached the cell block. His shadowed form slid to a stop in front of the reinforced door, the heavy iron creaking with the weight of its history. He had arrived.
He pressed a hand against the cold metal. His eyes flicked over the secure locking mechanism, but before he could make his next move, his breath caught in his throat. His father’s cell—he had reached it. But when Ash peered through the narrow slit in the bars, his heart sank.
The cell was empty.
The walls were cold, barren. There was no sign of life, no sign of anyone having been there at all.
Ash’s breath caught in his throat, a deep, chilling silence suffocating the space. He stepped back, his shadow flickering in the dim light. Something wasn’t right. His pulse raced as he took a cautious step forward, his mind already on high alert.
That’s when he heard it—a voice. Low, soft, as though it came from the very air around him.
“Why are you searching for a ghost?”
Ash’s breath hitched. The voice wasn’t familiar, yet it was as cold and cutting as the darkness around him. The words seemed to seep into his mind, like the echo of something ancient, something beyond understanding.
He froze, instinctively pulling deeper into the shadows, but his mind raced.
The voice was asking a question—a question that made no sense. Why would someone in Raiju Castle, especially in this forsaken cell block, be asking about a ghost?
Ash’s fingers tightened on the edge of his weapons. He couldn’t let his guard down. He needed to find answers. But as the seconds ticked by, and the silence lingered in the air like a weight, he couldn’t help but wonder if he was dealing with something far more sinister than he had ever anticipated.
A ghost? Or something worse?
He wasn’t sure. But he was about to find out.
To be continued…