A faint reddish light entered the natural cavity, touching the deepest point of the cavern, coming from outside. Dawn was slowly taking possession of the sky as Yoichi's meditation came to an end.

That process of discipline and self-control lasted about two hours, during which no wild demon dared to approach the young tamer's hiding place, carefully guarded by the little black dragon.

Beyond Kenji's two sharp horns, Yoichi looked outward, admiring with enthusiasm and a little awe the greenish colors of the swamp.

Thanks to meditation, he had not needed to sleep and his body had been deprived of fatigue. To his left, the ashes of the carnivorous plant lay on the floor due to the absence of wind inside the cave.

Yoichi's enthusiasm was due to the knowledge that he had managed to survive a whole night in a hostile and unknown place, alone and without any kind of help; on the other hand, he was aware that, as the day progressed, he would have to meet Therion and undergo the hardest test of his life in Lumya.

In that timeless and spaceless vision, the Dragon King would wait for him for eternity. He would anxiously await the moment when the heir of his primordial flame would show the will to enhance his powers, thus moving to the next level.

In addition to physical rest, Yoichi's mind was also momentarily clear of cumbersome thoughts. The young Nightblades warrior had put aside Shioko, Princess Sui, the blacksmith Shusaku, and everything else that didn't concern the Tear of Therion. The two Demon Pet System quests were still active, but both would have to wait until the most important quest was successful.

If Yoichi failed to defeat the first of the Guardians of the Whole, his morale would suffer a significant collapse.

"You'll have to guard the cave for a while longer, Kenji. The worst part is behind us, the night is over," he affirmed, speaking to his Oracle and drawing it towards him.

The little dragon let itself be petted, rubbing its sharp forehead on the palm of its tamer's hand and narrowing its eyes. After that soothing gesture, Yoichi spoke again, "I'll see you in a bit. I need Ichiro for something."

After Kenji nodded, Yoichi called it back and summoned Ichiro, stabbing his Demon Tooth into the rocky floor. "Hiii!" waving its mighty hooves, the Inoshuma took shape in the cramped cave.

The thick veins of its legs started from its neck and reached down to its ankles, carrying the blood of the powerful horse demon to all areas of that mighty body. Ichiro's scars were clearly visible against the light and soon met Yoichi's right hand, which brushed against them.

The young tamer was feeling particularly sensitive in those moments, and for the first time, he decided to give a few more seconds of attention to the first demon he had ever tamed.

"Sometimes I wonder who your father was, my friend, and if you had a wife and sons, or daughters. I feel wretched when I think that I tore you from your pack, from your family," Yoichi admitted, sliding his hand down the horse's neck.

"Frrr" Ichiro snorted, swinging its tail and bringing its soft nose closer to its master, waiting for more cuddles. "You've always been loyal and attentive to my needs. I refuse to believe that it's just because of that strange thorn.... I am convinced that our bond is much stronger than that. I remember your eyes as if I had seen them in my previous life," he added, standing up and letting out a long sigh.

The demon horse's red mane and yellow eyes gave Ichiro a proud and regal look. For a few seconds, under the dim light of dawn, Yoichi marveled at the fact that nature had managed to create so much beauty.

Avoiding getting lost in those sentimental details, he opened one of the saddlebags and grasped the Tear's amphora with both hands, careful not to drop it on the stone floor.

The rough container had not lost a single drop of that precious liquid, but it was no wonder: Ryutaro always thought of everything, and, having hidden that amphora inside his old samurai armor, he had already calculated the possibility of carrying the Tear away from the Dojo.

Yochi put the amphora on the ground and petted Ichiro's head for the umpteenth time, calling it back inside its Demon Tooth and switching it with Kenji once again.

With some awe, knowing that his Oracle would guard the entrance to the cave and not fall into a trance as he was about to do, Yoichi sat down in the same spot where he had been meditating until just before. In front of him, the black amphora.

"Vanquished by his last cry," the young tamer spoke, pronouncing aloud the sentence engraved on the sacred object and unlocking the metal hooks that held the lid closed.

*tss* - with a thin whistle, the container made from that strange porcelain let the air out from under the lid. "he has allowed mankind to look upon the dawn" concluded the young warrior, reciting those words as if he was undergoing a sacred ritual.

"Okay, it's time," he stated, squinting his eyes and sighing once more. His voice trembled for a moment and his mind tried to impose limits on his thinking, stopping his brain from overthinking about anything that could go wrong in the process.

The trembling fingers of both hands brushed against the wet edges of the container, and the Tear's drops soaked his dry fingertips. Kenji's outline became increasingly blurry and his gaze more and more clouded.

When the magic liquid reached Yoichi's wrists, his head succumbed to the force of gravity and, in the next instant, it hung from his neck and his senses left his body.

The blond-haired warrior's spirit was projected away from reality, traveling through time and retracing his most vivid memories. As the darkness before his eyes became light, a scent of meadow and wild herbs intoxicated his sense of smell.