Phantom Awakening

Vengeance Saga: Chapter 4

It had been weeks since the attack, but the wound Niko's death left in Kujo's heart felt as raw as ever. He'd tried to move forward, to focus on training, on the friendships he'd formed with Mira and the others, but nothing could fill the void. The charm Niko had given him hung around his neck, a reminder of the family he'd lost.

But the anger—cold, simmering beneath the surface—never left. Every time he remembered the attacker's face, the twisted satisfaction in his eyes, that fury threatened to consume him. And Kujo knew he couldn't let it go. Not yet. There was something unfinished, something he needed to do.

Late one evening, Kujo slipped away from the dorms, making his way toward the Academy's holding cells. The man responsible for the massacre was being kept there, locked away until the Academy decided what to do with him. Kujo didn't care what that decision was. He only wanted one thing—answers.

He moved quietly through the corridors, the dim lights casting shadows along the stone walls. Finally, he reached the door to the holding area, where a single guard stood watch. The guard looked up, recognizing Kujo, and hesitated, a glint of pity in his eyes.

"Kujo," he said softly, his voice gentle, as if sensing the intensity in Kujo's gaze. "What are you doing here?"

"Let me in," Kujo replied, his voice cold and unwavering. "I need to talk to him."

The guard frowned, shifting uncomfortably. "You know the rules. He's not to have any visitors until—"

"Just let me in," Kujo interrupted, his tone sharpened by the weight of his loss. "This won't take long."

After a tense moment, the guard nodded, opening the door with a heavy sigh. Kujo stepped inside, his eyes immediately finding the attacker. The man was slumped against the wall, his face battered, his wrists bound in heavy chains. His expression was blank, but his eyes flickered with a faint, mocking glint when he saw Kujo enter.

"Well, if it isn't the little boy who lost his pet," the man sneered, his voice laced with cruelty. "Come to cry over him some more?"

Kujo's jaw tightened, his fists clenching as he forced himself to remain calm. "Where's your family?" he asked, his tone quiet but deadly.

The man raised an eyebrow, feigning innocence. "My family? Why would you want to know about them? Haven't you already had enough fun playing hero?"

Kujo took a step closer, his gaze locked on the man, unyielding. "Tell me where they are."

The man chuckled, leaning back against the wall. "And if I don't? What are you going to do? Hurt me? Haven't you already had your fill of that?"

Without a word, Kujo reached out, his fingers twitching as he summoned the metal embedded in the chains around the man's wrists. The chains tightened, biting into his skin, drawing a strangled gasp from him.

"Tell me," Kujo repeated, his voice as cold and unforgiving as steel. "Or I'll make you wish you had."

The man's smirk faltered, a flicker of fear flashing across his face. But he quickly masked it, meeting Kujo's gaze with a defiant glare. "You think you're any better than me, boy? You think hurting me will make up for what you lost?"

"I don't care about being better than you," Kujo replied, his tone ice-cold. "And I don't care about what it costs me. You took everything from me. So tell me where they are, or you'll spend every day in here regretting it."

The man's face twisted, his bravado slipping as he realized Kujo's resolve was unbreakable. He swallowed, a flicker of fear settling in his eyes. "Fine. Fine. If you're that desperate to know, I'll tell you."

He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a mocking whisper. "There's a small village, two days east from here. My wife and son live there. But good luck getting to them—they'll be long gone by the time you arrive."

Kujo held his gaze, memorizing every word, every detail. "Two days east," he repeated, his voice low. "I hope, for their sake, they're better people than you."

The man laughed, a hollow, bitter sound. "Good luck finding out. But remember, boy—this doesn't bring your precious brother back. It just makes you like me."

Kujo's fists tightened, the fury burning through him, but he said nothing. He turned on his heel, leaving the man chained and broken in the cell, his mocking laughter fading as Kujo stepped back into the hallway.

The guard looked at him, a mix of sympathy and concern in his eyes. "Did you get what you came for?"

Kujo nodded, his expression unreadable. "Yes."

Without another word, he walked back through the Academy, the quiet rage within him hardening into a single, unbreakable resolve. He would find them—the family of the man who had shattered his world. And he would make sure they understood what it felt like to lose everything, just as he had.