Cold. The rock freezes him to his very core. Ryou lies face-down on the rocky shore, having dragged himself up from the river. His blonde hair is drenched, tangled with mud and pebbles. "[whispers]……Ngh." He tries to move his arm. —*Crack.* The sensation of broken bone grinding inside flesh. Pain shoots through him, and his vision explodes into white. His right leg is still bent at a sickening angle. He tries to push it forward, wills strength into it. But it won't budge. The hem of his skirt is torn, blood seeping from his thigh, spreading a red stain across the rock. Snow has begun to fall. Tiny white grains descend silently from the sky. They settle on Ryou's wet blonde hair, cling to his cold skin, and melt. "[scared]……Move." He grabs the rock. With his left arm—the one that isn't broken—he drags his body. *Scrape.* He inches forward. Once more. *Scrape.* ……That's all he can manage. His arm trembles, strength draining away. He slams face-first into the rock. The taste of blood from his chin. He tried to stand, over and over. Reaching out, clinging to the rock. Trying to get his knee up, forcing power into his right leg. But each time, it buckles, and he collapses into the mud and snow. "……Gh." Yura's face floats into his mind. The name he desperately called out in that smoke. The hand he reached out—it grasped nothing. (*Then me shielding them… meant nothing.*) Kiba's words echo in his head. *"I'll smash that Reverse Scale fragment to bits."* False information. But to Ryou, it was the truth. The fragment can't be used anymore. Even if he saves Yura, he can't return to normal. It was all for nothing. "[crying]……Dammit." Normally, the tough-guy words would come out on their own. Tonight, not a single one would come. Mid-mountain. The stone prison is cold and damp. Water seeping from the walls has formed black stains on the floor. Yura sits in the corner of the cell, bound with rope. Short black hair disheveled, narrow black eyes glaring into the darkness. *Creeeak…* Beyond the iron bars, a door opens. A large figure slowly approaches. Bushy reddish-brown hair, gleaming golden eyes. The scar on his left cheek twists grotesquely in the torchlight. It's Kiba. "[laughing]Gyahahaha! Still sitting there, huh?!" Kiba bangs loudly on the iron bars. "Pathetic! Your partner, that little girl—fell in the river and died!" Yura's expression doesn't change. "[cold]……Liar." "Like hell it's a lie! Falling from that height into those rapids—no way she survived!" Kiba spits as he leers into Yura's face. "And I'll tell you something else. That Reverse Scale fragment you had—I smashed it to pieces!" Yura's eyes widen, just slightly. But they narrow again immediately. "[cold]That person will definitely come." Yura's voice is quiet. In the dripping cell, that voice alone rings clear. "[angry]Hah!? Based on what—" "[cold]Do I need a reason?" Yura looks straight up at Kiba. "[cold]I said so. So they'll come." Kiba falters for a moment. But he immediately bares his teeth in a grin. "[laughing]Fine by me! If she comes, I'll just smash that little girl's body to absolute pieces! Look forward to it!" Kiba turns on his heel triumphantly. —*WHAM!!!* A dull thud. "[angry]GYAAAAAA!! That hurts! Dammit, this stone floor!!" Kiba has slammed his pinky toe hard against the floor and hops up and down on the spot. All his dignity from moments ago is instantly ruined. *Slam.* The door closes. Silence returns to the prison. Yura is alone. Leaning back against the wall, they let out a deep breath. "[whispers]……Will you really come?" A voice no one else can hear. Not bravado. Genuine trust in Ryou. And that's exactly why the anxiety lurking beneath it slowly tightens around their heart. Yura squeezes their own right hand tightly. (*I couldn't protect them.*) The snow grows fiercer. On the rocky shore, Ryou is on his knees. He can no longer stand. "[crying]Yura…" Tears spill down, one after another. He can't stop them, even if he tries. "[crying]Yura, where are you… I can't… anymore…" His voice is swallowed by the snow, vanishing. Only echoing through the mountain. Everything up until now has collapsed. The frustration of his changed body. His inability to wield the greatsword properly. The maddening feelings toward Yura. The pride that refused to acknowledge his own weakness. It all crumbles at once, and Ryou screams and cries in the mud. "[crying]I'm… a hunter, right… so why can't I move…" He slams his arm against the ground. The broken bone screams again. "[crying]Without Yura, I'm no good… without Yura…" At the words that left his own mouth, Ryou catches himself. (*Did I just… say that?*) Something deep in his chest clenches tight. Without Yura, he's no good. That's not just the words of someone worried about their partner. (*Am I… in love with them?*) In this moment at rock bottom, he's forced to realize it. Just how much his own heart needs this one person named Yura. The tears wouldn't stop. How long did he cry? Ryou absently reaches into his skirt pocket. His frozen fingers touch something hard. —Paper? He pulls out a small, folded paper packet. On top of it sits a single piece of hardtack. With trembling hands, he opens the paper. There, in meticulous handwriting, slightly slanting upward to the right: *"I'll definitely come back. You're not alone."* Yura's handwriting. Before they left the valley, they must have secretly slipped it in. Ryou would never check a skirt pocket. That makes it safer—maybe that was Yura's calculation. "[crying]Why… why, at a time like this…" Sobbing uncontrollably, Ryou shoves the hardtack into his mouth. He can barely taste it. It's hard, dry, soggy with tears, and he can't swallow it properly. But his body can move, just a little. "[crying]……*hic*……*sob*…" Still unable to stop crying, Ryou stuffs the letter into his chest pouch. And then, slowly, he stands. His right leg hurts. His arm hurts too. His greatsword was swept away by the river, nowhere to be found. He has no usable weapon. But. The reason he has to go burns hot in his chest. "[serious]……Wait for me, Yura." Ryou takes a step forward into the snow. Using his broken arm to brace against the cold rock wall. Dragging his injured leg behind him. Even so, he moves forward, without a doubt. His destination: mid-mountain. Kiba's hideout. One girl, completely unarmed, storms a massive prison. The partner she must save—just one.