The armory was a cavernous space, lined with racks of weapons that gleamed under the dim torchlight. The scent of oiled steel and aged wood filled the air as initiates moved through the rows, picking out their weapons for the hunt.

  Ren’s sharp eyes scanned the selections—katanas, naginatas, bows, and even crude but functional spears. He had trained with various weapons under Isamu’s guidance, but now, he needed something that suited him specifically.

  Something that complemented his shadow-binding ability.

  He reached out, testing the weight of a standard katana. It was sharp, well-balanced, and deadly in the hands of a skilled user—but it wasn’t enough.

  He needed something adaptable. Something suited to deception, misdirection, and control.

  A weapon that would allow him to trap his enemies like prey caught in a hunter’s snare.

  As he moved deeper into the armory, his gaze fell upon a lone blade resting on a blackened wooden rack. It was different from the others—its hilt wrapped in dark leather, the guard shaped like curling wisps of shadow. The blade itself was slightly curved, longer than a standard katana but not quite a nodachi.

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  The name engraved on the scabbard read: Kagerou—"Ephemeral Shadow."

  Ren unsheathed the blade slowly, watching as its midnight steel shimmered faintly, almost as if it absorbed the surrounding light.

  A whisper brushed against his mind.

  This… is the one.

  He gripped the hilt, feeling a strange resonance between himself and the weapon. The balance was perfect, the weight familiar—like an extension of his own being.

  Isamu’s voice came from behind him. “Good choice.”

  Ren turned slightly, raising a brow. “You think so?”

  Isamu crossed his arms, leaning against a rack of spears. “That blade belonged to a Hunter who specialized in shadow techniques. It’s not just a weapon—it’s a conduit. The more skilled you become, the more you’ll be able to use its true potential.”

  Ren smirked. “Sounds like my kind of thing.”

  Isamu shrugged. “It’s not a gift. You still have to prove you can wield it.”

  Ren chuckled, running a thumb along the blade’s edge. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  He slid Kagerou back into its sheath and fastened it to his side.

  The weapon was his now.

  And with it, he would carve his path forward—one shadow at a time.