Amber of its cruelity

Scene: One year later — Kon (now 17) sits half-submerged on a cold stone in the middle of a misty lake deep inside an abandoned garden. He wears loose, soaked white robes clinging to his thin frame. The water is still, except for small ripples from drifting petals and the rotting corpse of a deer at the bank, half its face gone — worms crawling through the wounds. The air hums with cicadas. Victor stands by the shore, silent. Fuko kneels nearby, hand on his blade, watching the water.

Kon (softly, staring at the deer):

> "See it, Victor… see how pretty nature can be — if only it didn't carry the disease of men. Or monsters. Or dreams."

A deer tries to sip the water but its hollow face dips — the wound festers, worms wriggling out. It stumbles and falls, half-alive.

Kon (continues, voice cold):

> "That deer — it never belonged here. Its wounds are nature's way of telling it: 'You're not accepted. Be eaten. Be soil again.' Same goes for all of us, doesn't it?"

Victor remains silent — a single drop of sweat rolls down his neck. Fuko's eyes flick to the lake's edge — a cobra slithers from the reeds, silent, coiling up Kon's shoulder, draping itself around his throat like a black rope.

Victor grips his sword, Fuko shifts to strike —

Kon (without moving, to them):

> "Don't."

The cobra's tongue flicks out — it stares straight at Kon's deadpan face. He raises his hand over the water — a silver fish struggles in his palm.

Kon (to the cobra, tone calm — almost fond):

> "Everything that lives must eat something else. So take your due — eat what was alive, so you may keep crawling."

The cobra strikes — the fish disappears into its jaws, tail flicking before it's gone. Kon slowly lifts his free hand — places a single finger on the snake's head.

Kon (whispers):

> "And now — speak, little thing. What word do you carry for me? About Dracula — the body… his tomb…"

The snake's eyes flicker — its scales shift with a whisper of unnatural magic. Fuko's eyes narrow. Victor holds his breath as Kon leans closer, his wet hair dripping on the cobra's hood.

Scene: The Misty Lake — After the Cobra Leaves

The cobra hisses one last time, flicking its tongue on Kon's fingertip. It slides off his wrist into the water, vanishing beneath the lily pads.

Kon (watching the ripples fade):

> "Good little messenger…"

He slowly stands up on the wet stone, water dripping from his soaked white robes. He tilts his head back, staring at the gray sky through the tangled branches overhead.

Kon (to himself, voice low):

> "Fuko. Victor. You know what must come next."

Victor bows slightly. Fuko clenches his fist, eyes cold.

---

Scene Change: Ancient Tomb of Dracula — Secret Underground Chamber

Moonlight spills through cracks in an old stone ceiling. Moss covers the walls — broken coffins line the chamber. In the center, a massive stone sarcophagus stands open. Kon stands over it, pale hand resting on the carved lid. Victor and Fuko flank him, lanterns casting eerie shadows.

Kon brushes his fingers across the stone, tilts his head, and looks inside: the coffin is empty — dried, blackened rose petals lie scattered where a body once was.

Kon (soft grin):

> "So… this was the real one after all. Not one of the fakes."

Victor leans closer, brows furrowed.

Victor:

> "Someone stole it…? When?"

Kon (still staring into the empty tomb, voice eerily calm):

> "Years ago, maybe. Or just hours ago. Does it matter? A corpse that old — it doesn't walk away by itself."

He turns, walking past broken stone crosses, fingertips grazing the cold marble. His robe drags through dust and old bloodstains.

Kon:

> "Victor… do you remember what I told you? The day I slit Yuna's throat…"

Victor stiffens — Fuko's eyes narrow.

Victor:

> "…You said you found 'something.' You never said what."

Kon (a slight cruel smile):

> "A piece of the puzzle. A tiny shard. And when you put them together…"

---

Scene Change: Kon's Private Chamber — Candlelit, Shadowy

Three strange items lie on a table: the futumi yak's twisted form, its eyes still glassy; Lalo's half-preserved corpse with cracks like stone; and a small, glimmering black gem pulsing faintly in Kon's palm.

Fuko opens a velvet-lined box and places a second gem next to it — red and faintly steaming.

Kon (speaks as he sets the third beside them):

> "Three keys. One: the yak girl — her 'teddy soul'. Two: Lalo's rotten blood. Three: this — what I pulled from Tai's sister the moment her life dripped down my blade."

He traces a circle around the gems with a bloodied fingertip. They hum faintly, vibrations rippling the melted wax.

Victor:

> "…What happens if they merge?"

Kon (voice low, wicked):

> "They form a Gate. Time itself. We walk backwards. We stand where we once crawled. And we tear open whatever we want — even Dracula's corpse, if we wish."

He picks up the black gem, holds it to the candlelight. Its glow flickers like a dying heartbeat.

Kon:

> "Tell me, Victor… Fuko… would you watch the world decay for me again?"

Victor nods, grim. Fuko bows his head.

*Kon's grin grows wider — cold and inhuman.

> "Then let's begin."

Kon (holding the gem, voice calm, wet hair dripping):

> "It'll take four days to merge. Just four days… then it'll be ready."

He sets the gem back into the wet stone bowl, watching it pulse faintly.

Kon (to Victor and Fuko):

> "In these four days, nothing touches this. If it does — you know what happens."

Victor nods. Fuko stands behind Kon, arms folded, silent and loyal.

Kon (still looking at the water):

> "Four days. And then…"

He says nothing else — just smiles slightly at his reflection in the black lake.