The cold wind stabbed through the bandages into his arm. *Slip.* Dragging his right leg, Ryou pushed forward across the icy rock field. His broken arm was splinted and wrapped in bandages. His greatsword had been swept away by the river. It was gone now. "[whispers]...Ow, ow." The hideout was close. A stone prison, clinging to the rock face like a parasite. Two guards stood before the torches at its entrance. Ryou dropped low. (*Use your head. Not brute force.*) His right hand gripped the cold snow. He squeezed it tight, packing it hard. *—Fwump.* The snowball flew. *Thwack.* It struck a distant rock with a sharp sound. "[surprised]Huh? What was that?" One of them raised a torch and approached. Ryou hid in the shadow of a boulder, grabbing a stone with his other hand. *—Rumble, rumble, rumble...* This time, he kicked a large rock, sending it tumbling down the slope. "Hey, there's something over there too!" The second guard ran off toward the slope. (*Good...*) Ryou crept silently up behind the now-isolated guard. Beneath the bandages, his broken bones creaked. "[serious]Sorry about this." *Thud.* With just his left hand, he struck the man's neck. The guard collapsed. His torch fell into the snow and hissed out. Ryou slowly dragged the body behind the rocks. His breathing was ragged. The freezing air burned his lungs. "[whispers]...One more." He launched another snowball. This time, behind the prison. "[angry]Dammit, what the hell is going on!?" The remaining guard cursed loudly and circled around to the back. Seizing the opening, Ryou slipped his body through the iron-barred entrance. *Creeeeak...* He pushed the cold iron door open with his back. Only moonlight illuminated the depths of the cell. "...Yura." His voice was swallowed by the darkness. Something stirred in the back of the cell. "[cold]...You're late." It was Yura. Beyond the iron bars, short black hair swayed. Yura leaned against the wall, hugging their knees. Their voice was as cold as ever. But. Ryou didn't miss the glistening in their eyes. "[angry]Shut up! I was desperate to get here, and— ah!" *Slip.* His right leg tangled, and Ryou fell to the floor. "[whispers]...You're such an idiot." Yura let out a small laugh. "[scared]W-why are you laughing!? This really freaking hurts, you know!" "[gentle]...Thank you. For coming." Ryou's words caught in his throat. Yura looked up at the ceiling and said nothing. But their fingers, reaching through the iron bars, gently tugged at Ryou's bandages. "[crying]...Idiot." Their voice trembled. That was when it happened. *—BOOM!!* The entrance door was blown off its hinges with a violent crash. "Hyahahaha!! If it ain't the little girl who fell in the river!" It was Kiba. His massive frame stood silhouetted against the moonlight. Gleaming golden eyes, a scar on his left cheek. In his hand, he clutched a ring of keys, and from the pouch at his waist, several fragments of the Reverse Scale glowed with a white light. "So you survived, huh! But this is where it ends!" Kiba shook the key ring mockingly. "I ain't handing these over. You'll die here. Like hell I'm ever going back to my old body!" "[angry]Just try it!" Ryou pressed a hand against the rock and stood. Beneath the bandages, his bones ground together. The pain whited out his vision. But he didn't back down. Ryou lunged at Kiba. "You little brat!" The two of them grappled on the floor. Kiba's fist drove into Ryou's arm, and Ryou slammed into him with his entire body, broken arm and all. That was when it happened. *—Tweeeeeee...* A high-pitched sound. Ryou's pouch and the pouch at Kiba's waist glowed white simultaneously. The Reverse Scale fragments were resonating at close range. His vision warped. "[scared]Wh-whoa...!?" Ryou's body was enveloped in a flash of light. His golden hair stood on end, his skirt billowed. For an instant—a truly fleeting instant—Ryou's form changed. His honey-colored hair shrank to black, his blue eyes shifted into fierce dark pupils. His shoulders broadened, his height shot up, and his bandages nearly burst apart. His original, 19-year-old male form. "[angry]Uwooooooh!!" Ryou pushed back against Kiba's arm with sheer brute force. His teeth clenched, sweat flying. Chiaki saw that face. *—Thump.* Standing at the prison entrance, Chiaki's heart gave one massive leap. Her amber, upturned eyes flew wide open. Her ponytail quivered. (*Ah...*) Chiaki clutched tightly at her own chest. (*That face, those eyes—what is that? Amazing. Too amazing. I had no idea.*) "That fierce look in his eyes—he's totally, one hundred percent my type...! That guy's mine!" Chiaki shouted. Kiba's hand stopped. Ryou, Yura—everyone froze. "[surprised]...Huh?" Ryou's body had already returned to normal. Honey-colored blonde hair, large, drooping blue eyes. Small hands, delicate shoulders. He stared up at Chiaki, mouth agape. "[surprised]Wait a second. What are you—" "It's you, right! That guy just now! He was incredible! Where'd he go? That's the real you, isn't it!" Chiaki marched right up to him and grabbed Ryou by both shoulders. "[angry]This is my body right now, okay!? Which one's the real me—they're both me!?" "No, no! The one I like isn't this one, it's that guy from before!" "[angry]I'm telling you, it's the same person!!" Their argument echoed through the prison. Yura watched the entire exchange in silence. Beyond the iron bars, their expression remained unchanged. But—their ears had turned as red as apples. "[cold]...Hurry up and open this." Yura's low voice resonated through the cell. Ryou snapped back to attention and looked at Kiba. Kiba, too, was dumbfounded by the absurd turn of events, the key ring still in his hand. "[serious]Now!" Ryou snatched the key ring from Kiba's hand. Kiba came to his senses and tried to grab him, but Chiaki stepped in his way. "Kiba, hold on a sec!" "[angry]Whose side are you on!?" "I'm on the side of my love life!" *Clank.* The key turned. The iron bars opened. Ryou rushed into the cell and took Yura's arm. With his bandaged hand, he squeezed Yura's tightly. "[serious]Can you stand?" "[whispers]...Yes." Yura stood, borrowing Ryou's shoulder for support. Then, without a word, they tugged at Ryou's bandages and peered at the wound on his broken arm. "[sad]...Idiot. Why do you always come back with even worse injuries?" Yura said it, looking away. Something warm spread slowly deep inside Ryou's chest. "[whispers]So you were worried about me." "[angry]...I wasn't." Their ears were bright red. "[angry]You bastards... how dare you do as you please!" Kiba roared. Giving in to his rage, he raised a massive fist. His muscles bulged, veins standing out. "I ain't giving up the fragments! This body is mine! I'm never going back to being that miserable little shrimp I used to be!!" Yura quietly pulled away from Ryou's arm. They took one step forward. "[cold]...Kiba. The one you hate is your old self, isn't it?" Yura's voice spread through the prison like a calm settling over water. Kiba's movements froze solid. "[cold]You always said it. That you hated yourself from the 'rock bottom.' That you 'couldn't forgive your own powerlessness.' But—the you right now didn't become strong just to deny the weak person you were." "[scared]Shut up... shut uuuup!!" "[cold]That body isn't armor. It's a place to run away." Kiba's fist fell limply to his side. His golden eyes opened wide. His lips trembled, his teeth chattering. "[crying]...Shut up. Why... why do you understand me...?" The strength drained from Kiba's knees. *Thud.* He sank down onto the stone floor. Ryou stood before Kiba. "[serious]...I'm taking all your fragments." Kiba said nothing. He simply pulled several Reverse Scale fragments from his waist pouch and roughly shoved them against Ryou's chest. "[whispers]...Enough. I'm done." Kiba hung his head and turned his back to the rock. "[surprised]Kiba!? Why are you giving up!? The you I know is way more—" "[angry]Shut up!!" Kiba's rough voice echoed through the prison and faded. Chiaki pouted and turned toward Ryou. "[excited]Oh well! I'm coming with you, by the way!" "[surprised]Huh? Why!?" "If we break the curse, I can get my original body back too, right? And besides—" Chiaki peered into Ryou's face. "[whispers]That version of you earlier was seriously amazing. Thinking I might get to see it again—how could I possibly stay away?" "[scared]You were watching!?" Ryou turned bright red and stumbled backward. That was when it happened. *Smoothly.* Yura stepped soundlessly between Ryou and Chiaki. "[cold]...We're going. The Ancient Dragon won't wait." Yura's voice was clear and brooked no argument. Chiaki looked annoyed for a moment, but meeting Yura's cold gaze, she shrugged. The three of them left the prison. The snow had stopped. In the pre-dawn sky, the peak of Mount Kagaminaki towered above them. The rock face at the summit reflected the light of the Sylvanite, glowing a pale blue-white. Miravolte's nest—the Mirror's Cradle. Inside Ryou's pouch, all fourteen fragments of the Reverse Scale now emitted a silvery-white light. "[serious]...Let's go, Yura." "[cold]You don't need to tell me." Yura walked on Ryou's right. At a deliberately close distance. "Hey, hey, Ryou!" Chiaki called out from behind. Each time she did, Yura would ever so slightly slip their body between Ryou and Chiaki. A tiny movement, one they didn't even notice themselves. Ryou faced forward and scratched his cheek. "[whispers]...Man, this got complicated." But his face—was smiling, just a little. The fragments in his pouch shone with a particularly strong light. As if pointing the way to the mountain's summit. The cold wind swayed the hair of all three as they climbed the icy path.