Chapter 194: Roundabout

Ishiki looked at the ghost like figure in a daze… unable to think of anything.

It was Renji.

Yuki’s older brother. Ishiki had always maintained his distance from this seemingly calm monster. But he was the reason that Ishiki was captured and put into the prison not too long ago.

Renji sat on the couch with a perfect posture, his face catching the warm orange glow of the candle Ishiki had brought. His face was emotionless, like a blank canvas.

“You can lower that,” he said, gesturing at the Jian. “If I wanted you dead, you wouldn’t have heard me speak first.”

Ishiki didn’t lower Sorrow’s Edge. ’When did he come here? Why didn’t I detect him? It’s as if he simply became present here! ’

“How did you get in here?” He demanded, voice sharp.

“Through the door.” Renji’s tone suggested this was obvious. “How else does one enter a room?”

Ishiki’s mind raced. ’Through the door? But didn’t he just appear out of thin air? Was… that just a show? How long has been here?’

“I would have detected you.” He finally said, his eyes narrowing.

“Would you? Detection has prerequisites. What happens when those prerequisites aren’t met?” Renji replied looking down at the documents. “I have been here for the last 20 minutes.”

Ishiki’s jaw tightened. Renji was speaking in riddles already, deflecting his questions rather than answering. He forced himself to breathe slowly, maintaining focus despite the wrongness of this entire situation.

“Why are you here?” Ishiki asked, changing approach.

“Same reason as you.” Renji gestured at the scattered documents covering the table and floor. “Searching for things. Though I suspect we’re looking for different answers.”

“Are we?”

“Aren’t we?” Renji’s head tilted slightly. “Can you read these?” he asked again, returning to his original question. His hand gestured toward the documents before him.

“Some of them,” Ishiki admitted cautiously.

“Some?” Renji’s expression didn’t change. “Then why are you bothering with all of them in the first place?”

“What do you want, Renji?” Ishiki lowered the Jian slightly, though he didn’t dismiss it. “You didn’t come here just to ask if I can read ancient text.”

“No.” Renji leaned back in his chair, movements fluid and economical. “I came to ask what you think you’re accomplishing.”

“Excuse me?”

“With all this.” Another minimal gesture encompassing the documents. “This search for historical truth. What exactly do you hope to gain?”

Ishiki frowned. “That has nothing to do with you.”

Renji was silent for a long moment. “Are you looking for clues to defeat the dragon?”

The question hung between them, more complex than it initially appeared.

“Maybe yes.” Ishiki said carefully.

“I see…” Renji’s eyes… shifted. For a fraction of a second, something glowed behind his pupils. Then it was gone, so quickly Ishiki couldn’t be certain he’d actually seen it.

Ishiki’s grip tightened on Sorrow’s Edge. “What happened to your eyes just now?”

“What do you think happened?” Renji’s expression remained perfectly neutral. “Did you see something? Or did your mind, create something that doesn’t exists?”

More riddles. More deflection.

“Stop answering questions with questions,” Ishiki demanded, frustration bleeding into his voice. “If you have something to say, say it directly.”

“Why?”

“Because—” Ishiki stopped himself, recognizing the trap. Renji was deliberately provoking him, maintaining control of the conversation by refusing to engage on Ishiki’s terms.

He took a breath, forcing calm. “Fine. Let’s try this differently. What did you gain from stabbing the Angel’s heart?”

The charming guy frowned at the question. “Oh… What did ’I’ gain from that?” His fingers drummed once against the table’s surface, a single deliberate tap. “But before I answer, let me ask you something. Why do you assume I gained anything?”

“You climbed the statue and stabbed the Angel’s heart. That required effort, risk. People don’t take risks without expecting reward.”

Renji didn’t speak. It was as if he was in deep thought.

Growing impatient and frustrated Ishiki left that question and instead asked a different one. “Did you know? Did you know that the people here were not real?”

“Yes I knew. I knew it the moment you and Yuki entered this cursed place.” He simply answered the question this time.

A chill ran down Ishiki’s spine. So he indeed knew everything. ’The moment we entered this place? ’

“Don’t try to be cryptic…” Ishiki said slowly.

“Am I being cryptic?” Renji said, apparently reading Ishiki’s expression “Words are interesting things, Ishiki. Sometimes they carry more meaning than intended. Sometimes they reveal truth their speaker didn’t consciously recognize.”

Ishiki switched topics again, hoping to catch Renji off-guard. “Why did you kill Jules and try to kill Kenji?”

The question made the handsome guy frown once again. “That’s an interesting question to ask.”

Renji stood up and slowly walked towards the door of the chamber. Ishiki slowly backed away, circling away from him. To Ishiki, this guy was even more dangerous than the dragon.

At least the dragon’s attacks could be seen and intercepted… but this guy was a total mystery and pairing that with his skill. He was a total monster.

Renji’s form stopped at the threshold. “Do you know about his current whereabouts?” He asked in a slow voice.

“No, I haven’t met him in person.”

“I see…” Renji began moving again and he walked out of the door. Ishiki slowly followed to check of he was really going and he found no one when he looked out. It was then that he heard his voice again. “Be careful around your dear friend, Ishiki. Be careful around anyone who survives too consistently. And most importantly…”

His voice came from everywhere and nowhere.

“…be careful what you learn. Some knowledge doesn’t free you. It just shows you the shape of the cage you were already in.”

Then he was gone.

Ishiki stood alone in the chamber, Sorrow’s Edge still raised and Ghost Blade still activated. His skill showed no trace of Renji’s presence or departure—as if the conversation had never occurred, as if Ishiki had been speaking to himself the entire time.

Ishiki lowered the Jian slowly, mind churning through riddles and questions that refused to resolve into answers. He didn’t do him any harm so it was not something to be concerned about right now.

He shook his head, forcing focus back to the present. He couldn’t afford to get lost in speculation about Yuki’s brother.

He turned back toward the scattered papers—

And heard footsteps.

Ghost Blade expanded frantically, identifying the newcomer before they appeared.

Nina.

Ishiki’s stomach dropped. “Nina?” he called, moving out the doorway. “What are you doing here?”

She appeared moments later, slightly out of breath. Her expression brightened when she saw him.

“Big Brother Ishiki! I brought you food! I thought you might be hungry since—”

“You came here alone?” Ishiki snapped. “In the middle of the night, to a place you know is dangerous? Actually why did you even come here? Did you see anyone just now?”

Nina’s smile faltered. “I… I was careful. I made sure no one followed me. I went to your house first but didn’t find you so I thought you would be here. And no? Why would anyone be here? I didn’t see anyone else.”

Ishiki had a strong urge to cover his face with his palm. She was indeed just a child.

“I appreciate the food,” he said, gentler now. “But you can’t take risks like this.”

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

’Sigh…’

“Did you do what I asked?” he said. “Did you tell Filch to meet us here?”

Nina nodded quickly. “Yes! I told him to come. He would be coming soon.”

“Good.” Ishiki gestured toward the chamber. “Come inside, then. Since you’re already here, we might as well—”

“Oh!” Nina interrupted, reaching into her pocket. “I almost forgot. I found something outside. Near the entrance steps.”

Ishiki’s frowned. “Found what?”

“A page. It was just lying there on the ground.” She pulled out a folded piece of paper. “It looked important, so I picked it up to show you.”

She unfolded it, holding it up to catch the Silver Moonlight streaming through gaps in the ceiling. Her eyes scanned the text, lips moving as she worked through the words.

“It’s strange,” she said. concentrating. “It says…”

“’How are you doing, Memory Reaper?’”

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