Ryuken stares at his hands the whole time. Nothing fazes his attention from it. Not even when his teacher is telling a story of how she met her husband at her uncle's funeral. Everyone in the class laughs with her.

But to Ryuken, any sound coming through his ears is muffled. His chaotic brain is filled with images of his baffling dreams, his bizarre encounter with Kenzaki, and unending questions about his own identity and reality.

Sayuri chuckles along with the class. She looks behind her to see Ryuken's reaction. He looks completely lost in his own thoughts. She couldn't do anything but worry for her friend.

RING!!!

Everyone in class packs their bags to leave. Sayuri goes to Ryuken, still stuck in time.

SAYURI: Ryu-kun?

RYUKEN: ...

SAYURI: (worried, touches his hand)

RYUKEN: (snaps out, looks at Sayuri) ... Sayuri.

SAYURI: Ryu-kun... if you need help, I...

RYUKEN: (smiles faintly) Thank you, Sayuri. But, I'm fine.

SAYURI: Please, Ryu-kun. (tightens her grip) Is there something you can't tell me?

He doesn't respond. He stands up, grabs his bag, and proceeds to leave the classroom.

RYUKEN: I think I'll go back home instead.

SAYURI: I'm coming with you.

RYUKEN: You don't have to, Sayuri. You have clubs to attend to. I'll call in sick.

SAYURI: Don't worry. I'll tell them-

RYUKEN: It's alright, Sayuri. I... I just need to... I need to be on my own... for a while.

He leaves her. She stands alone in the classroom, feeling useless.

...

School hallway.

Kenzaki stands by a window, silently looking outside. Many students are seen leaving the school. He looks focused.

WAKIKO: Sempai. Murakami-san wants to meet you. It's about the upcoming Math Olympiad.

KENZAKI: ...

WAKIKO: Sempai?

Kenzaki spots Ryuken, walking to the gates with the rest of the students.

KENZAKI: I'm sorry, Wakiko. I have other urgent matters that I need to address. I will meet Murakami-san later in my own time.

WAKIKO: Um... okay, sempai.

Kenzaki quickly leaves.

...

Kenzaki goes to the school roof above. He looks out, keeping track of Ryuken. He makes sure that no one is around him.

He pulls out a metal button from his pocket. The button has an engraving of a shield with a sword behind it. In the shield, there is a hand, upside down. He pins it on his torso and touches it for a moment.

The button shines for a second. Blue strings appeared around him. The strings draw closer to his body, forming a fabric around it. In mere seconds, the fabric becomes a blue military uniform, which he now wears.

He touches the silver ring in the middle finger of his right hand right before he leaps off the roof.

...

Ryuken walks alone on the street, quietly thinking to himself.

"Everything seems so crazy. My dream, my hands, I don't know what's going on anymore. I wanted to know, but I don't know where to start?

Nothing feels right. I feel like a mess. And it all starts with that stupid sword."

His eyes widen. He finally thinks of a possible solution:

"The sword... the katana! It all started when I opened it. That Demon... he knows something I don't. I have to talk to him again.

I don't think I can put him away just like that. I need answers. Just enough to make me feel at ease.

I have to meet him again. But... how would I do that?"

From above, Kenzaki is on the roof of a building, tailing him. He watches his every move.

...

The Stone Ape Demon sits on a river, under a bridge. The water hits his hands and flows around it. Some middle schoolers are hanging out on the bridge.

URARA: (looks at the flowing river) Woah! That's weird...

IMAKO: Huh? What?

URARA: Look, Imako-chan! Look at how the water is flowing down there.

IMAKO: (looks down) I can't see the rocks.

URARA: There are no rocks!

IMAKO: What? That's impossible!

MAKI: Hey! What are you doing?

URARA: Maki-chan! Look! Look!

IMAKO: Something's weird with the water...

The Demon notices a familiar sense. He looks straight up.

STONE-APE: ... Master?

Maki goes near the railing and looks down.

MAKI: I don't know what I'm looking f-

A giant splash appears out of nowhere. The girls scream together in fear. The water hits them, drenches them completely. The Demon leaps out of the bridge and moves forward.

URARA: Ahhh! What just happened?!

IMAKO: No! My bag!

MAKI: Ahhh! Let's get outta here!

The Demon, with his arms and legs, runs along the river, creating a line of repetitive giant splashes, alarming the people by the river.

"What was that?"

"Did something explode?"

"Woah, cool"

...

The sound of giant, running footsteps echoes through the town.

Ryuken and the other pedestrians on the street heard the noise and look at the direction of where it came from.

KENZAKI: Could that be a Demon? But... I can't Sense it...

The sound continues on until it finally stops. Everyone is puzzled.

RYUKEN: Huh? That was strange.

BOOM!!!

The Demon drops down from the sky, crushes the street below him and a cloud of dust flies out in the air. The ground and buildings around start to tremble. The windows, cracking, and breaking. Ryuken and the people around him were pushed to the ground from the shockwave. Kenzaki tripped but regains his balance. Everyone in the area starts to panic.

"EARTHQUAKE!"

"TAKE COVER"

"DARLING! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

KENZAKI: The- the Stone Ape?

The Demon rises from the dust, standing upright.

STONE-APE: Master! I am here!

The dust cloud subsides and the Demon sees Ryuken, on the ground, coughing dust out.

Ryuken looks up and sees the Stone-Ape Demon, towering above, looking straight at him. Freaked out of his mind, he can't say a word.

STONE-APE: ... Master?

RYUKEN: (speechless)

STONE-APE: Are you, Master?

RYUKEN: Ah... w- what?

STONE-APE: Master, isn't that body too young and plump for you?

RYUKEN: P- plump?

STONE-APE: ... wait.

Ryuken's entire bones are shaking to its core. No words could come out of his mouth, but the words of his mind are shouting out to the heavens:

"Crap! Crap! Crap! What's going on? What's happening here? What's this rock monkey in front of me? Did it come from the sky? Why is everyone running around it? Can't they see it? Am I going to die?"

STONE-APE: You... are not Master... (reaches his hand to Ryuken)

RYUKEN: I- I am going to die...

As the Demon's hand nears into Ryuken, a dark, blue, solid energy wraps around his arms, resisting his movements. Confused at first, yet the Demon pushes forward, trying to reach Ryuken.

RYUKEN: What- what am I doing? I can't just stay here. I have to- I HAVE TO RUN!

Ryuken quickly stands up and bolts out. The Demon struggles with the energy wrapping.

STONE-APE: Ngghh! What is-

His entire body starts to be wrapped by the blue energy, locking his arms to his body. The Demon can't move a muscle.

STONE-APE: Ngghh...

As he keeps struggling to let go of the restraint, his body starts to crumble into boulders, falling to the ground, slipping from the restraint. The collective boulders then form into a long, slim body of rocks, with his head at the end. It proceeds to chase after Ryuken.

The blue energy dissipates into the air. Kenzaki stands on the roof, with his silver ring, shining.

KENZAKI: Dammit!

Ryuken runs as fast as he can from the scene. He looks back to see if he is safe. He sees the Demon slithering towards him, catching up.

RYUKEN: AH! IT'S A SNAKE NOW!

He runs forward until he turns to a small corner alley. The Demon stops as he couldn't fit the alleyway.

At the end of the path, a forest of trees lays in front of Ryuken. He runs into the forest. Feeling exhausted, he continues running until he trips, tumbling down the hill.

He tumbles and drops into an empty field. He slowly gets up, in pain from the fall. Dozens of boulders are rolling down the hill. He sees them coming his way.

Ryuken braces for impact as the boulders roll past him. He sees the boulders starting to group together, forming an ape body with giant, fist-like hands. The last boulder rolls up to the top of the torso, and twist around, displaying his face. The Demon now looks straight into Ryuken.

STONE-APE: ... what have you done to my Master?

RYUKEN: Your master? Look, I don't know anything, okay? I swear!

STONE-APE: You carry his Sense!

RYUKEN: I don't even know what that means!

STONE-APE: Tell me now...

RYUKEN: I- I don't know what to tell you.

STONE-APE: Tell me!

RYUKEN: I... I...

STONE-APE: (raises his fist) TELL ME!

The Demon punches straight towards Ryuken, stuck frozen. As the fist draws near, Kenzaki dashes between them and conjures up a blue shield, blocking the fist.

RYUKEN: (shock) Ke- Kenzaki-sempai!

KENZAKI: RYUKEN! RUN!

Ryuken, shocked, confused, and scared, after hearing Kenzaki's words, with every little adrenaline left in him, dashes away from them.

STONE-APE: You won't get away!

Kenzaki pushes the shield, forcing the Demon to step back.

STONE-APE: Exorcist...

KENZAKI: Demon.

STONE-APE: I have no business with your kind. I am here only to search for my Master.

KENZAKI: If your business involves harming my kind, then I will not allow it!

STONE-APE: You will NOT stop my pursuit!

KENZAKI: And I will not let you step forward.

Kenzaki forms a blue greatsword from his hands and holds it firmly, preparing to fight.

STONE-APE: YOU'LL WISH YOU NEVER SAID THAT!

The Demon punches directly into Kenzaki, who blocks it with his sword. The Demon readies a hammer fist and slams the ground. Kenzaki dodges it and runs up the Demon's arm to his face, and strongly swings his sword to it.

The sword breaks upon contact, but not without damaging the Demon's eye. The Demon is disoriented for a moment while Kenzaki's sword reforms back to its original state. He dashes to the Demon's legs, slashing both of them. The Demon roars in pain and starts to spin his torso. Knocked down by his spinning attack, Kenzaki fell to the ground. His sword dissipates.

The Demon raises his fist in the air, ready to attack. Kenzaki gets up, whips a blue lasso onto the Demon's fist, leaps into the air, forcing the Demon to lock himself and pulls the Demon down, dropping him into the ground.

The Demon separates into boulders and surrounds Kenzaki. He dodges a rolling boulder by leaping high into the air. He forms a blue bow and aims at the boulders below. He finds his target and shoots an energy arrow into the Demon's damaged eye, breaking it even further.

STONE-APE: AGGHH!!!

Kenzaki lands safely on the ground. The demon forms itself back again, regenerating his eye and his wounds.

STONE-APE: YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT!

The Demon stabs the ground with his hands and lifts a giant chunk of the earth in the air. Kenzaki starts forming a giant spear, shining brightly with energy. The Demon throws the earth and Kenzaki launches his spear at it.

BOOM!

A giant dust cloud appears from the collision and chunks of dirt flies everywhere. The Demon moves through the dust cloud to find his opponent but Kenzaki is no longer there.

STONE-APE: ... Master. I will find you, Master. I, Beirul, will not give up.

...

After running non-stop from the Stone-Ape, Ryuken finally rests in front of a convenience store, catching his breath.

RYUKEN: (pants) I am not... (pants) build for this... (pants)

A group of adult women passes by.

WOMAN 1: Did you hear? There was an explosion near Kabuto Street. It burned the whole place down!

WOMAN 2: What? I heard it was an earthquake and all the buildings collapsed beyond repair.

WOMAN 3: Didn't a playground at Nicho got hit with a meteor?

WOMAN 1: Who would expect these strange things to happen in our town?

WOMAN 2: What has the world come into these days?

WOMAN 3: I should have left with Fuminosuke to America.

WOMAN 1: Can you stop talking about him already?

WOMAN 2: Everyone knows about your one-time fling.

WOMAN 3: My life could have been different!

As Ryuken continuously expels air from his lungs, Kenzaki, now wearing his school uniform again, approaches him from behind.

KENZAKI: Ryuken-san.

RYUKEN: AHH!

KENZAKI: Oh, I'm sorry to surprise you.

RYUKEN: Kenzaki-sempai?! You're... you're...

KENZAKI: We can't waste time chatting idly here. We have to go someplace elsewhere. Follow me.

RYUKEN: Wa- wait! I- I don't know what's going-

KENZAKI: I'll answer whatever questions you have later. But now, you have to come with me.

RYUKEN: ... no. No, no, no, no. I can't do this. I can't... I just... I- I have to go back. I- have to go home. That's what I have to do. I have to go home. I'm... I'm going... (walks away)

KENZAKI: (grabs Ryuken's arm)

RYUKEN: Please... let- let go of me-

KENZAKI: Ryuken!

RYUKEN: Ah?

KENZAKI: You just had a brush of death with a Stone-Ape and saw me fought with it. You are frightened, anxious, bewildered, and stricken. I can only imagine the rush of emotions running around in your head right now. But trust me when I'm saying this. Going home will not make all the problems disappear. That Demon... that giant, is after you.

RYUKEN: Wh- why is it after me?!

KENZAKI: That is why it is important for you to come with me, so we can figure this out together. And... if you do go home... your family, they'll...

Ryuken's eyes widen. Images of his mother flashed in his mind. He looks down, conflicted. Kenzaki lets go of his grip.

KENZAKI: ... you have to trust me, Ryuken.

RYUKEN: ...

Kenzaki runs forward.

Ryuken stands frozen.

Kenzaki stops, looks back at Ryuken.

Ryuken sees Kenzaki, waiting for him.

Clenching his fist, gritting his teeth, he makes a decision.

RYUKEN: (whispers) ... I'm insane.

He moves his legs and chases after Kenzaki.

End of Chapter 6