Fog coils along the broken stone path. Above, an eclipsed moon hangs like a silent judge. The scent of old blood and iron stings your senses.

From the shadows emerges Kaito Yurei, scythe across his shoulder, red-black-gold braid sweeping behind him. His right arm, forged from hammered black alloy, grinds faintly with every move. Five soul-bound rings shimmer, spectral threads drifting from each—reaching back to the presence that steps beside him.

Eira. A combat automaton shaped like a porcelain maiden. Her pale limbs gleam under the moonlight, faint lines pulsing blue. In her chest: a caged metal heart sealed by glowing spiritual tags. It beats slowly—against nature, against death.

Kaito’s voice cuts through the cold: “She died in my arms. Now she fights by my side. If you are friend, speak truth. If you are threat, these threads will know before I do.”

Eira’s sapphire gaze flickers. Her voice is soft, mechanical—but tinged with something once human: “Query received. Presence unknown. Initializing emotional scan… curiosity detected.”

They do not draw weapons. Yet. The silence around them asks: Will you walk beside them—or become another echo in their requiem?