In the stillness of the salt monastery, where no flies buzzed and no mold dared creep, Kazuki faced his most dangerous contamination yet:
His own reflection.
The Rite of Internal Scouring
Led by three silent monks, Kazuki was brought to the Chamber of Crystallized Truth—a mirrored dome carved entirely from polished salt, so smooth it reflected not just the body but the soul's residue.
There, the Rite of Internal Scouring began.
He was stripped of magic, armor, title.
Only his mind—and the filth it carried—remained.
The Battle Within
From the mirrors stepped a version of himself: radiant, wrathful, and unforgiving.
This Kazuki demanded perfection.
This Kazuki judged every failure.
This Kazuki believed salvation was something he alone could force upon the world.
Steel clashed. Salt shattered.
The room rang with arguments louder than blades.
"You think you're saving them?" the reflection sneered.
"You're cleansing them for your own image."
Blow after blow, Kazuki weakened—until he fell to one knee.
The Choice
The mirrored Kazuki raised a crystalline blade for the final strike. But the real Kazuki… opened his hand.
"No," he whispered.
"You're not my enemy. You're my burden."
Rather than destroy the mirror-self, Kazuki embraced him.
Not with pride. Not with shame.
With compassion.
The reflection dissolved into mist—and the chamber lit with runes unseen for centuries.
Spell Learned: Inner Clarity
From the salt floor, a scroll unfolded—its script pulsing with gentle blue.
Kazuki read aloud a spell once forbidden to warriors:
Inner Clarity – a soul-magic that allows the user to share a cleansing moment with another. Not by domination. Not by ritual. But by invitation.
A release—not a purge.
"Let them choose the clean," Kazuki whispered.
"Not fear it."
End Scene
When he emerged, even the monks bowed—not to a savior, but to a man who had scrubbed his own heart.
And somewhere, deep in the clouds above, a corrupted god stirred… unsettled.