-s2m-002- Kou Minefuji - Encore Vol 2

When Kou approached, the ground trembled. A voice, deep as a cavern, reverberated: “ Only one who has walked the waters, learned the knowledge, and felt the wind can claim the earth’s heart. ”

A spectral figure stepped forward—a , his translucent robe shimmering with ink. His eyes were hollow yet full of curiosity.

Kou thanked the scholar, and the ghostly choir swelled into a harmonious chant, echoing through the library’s halls as he exited. The Stormspire Tower rose like a needle into the sky, its spire piercing the clouds. The area around it was perpetually bathed in gusts, as if the tower itself exhaled a constant breath. -S2M-002- Kou Minefuji Encore Vol 2

Kou’s eyes snapped open. The city was bathed in silver, and the moon hung low, a silver coin perched on a velvet sky. He felt a tug—an invisible thread pulling him toward the of Sakura‑Shin, a place that had been sealed for decades.

“This is the ,” the man whispered. “It once sang the first note of the Encore . The fragment you seek is hidden within its melody.” When Kou approached, the ground trembled

The Earth Fragment merged with the Kage‑Koto, completing the quartet of elemental fragments.

The sphere pulsed, and a soft voice resonated: “ Knowledge is a song, and knowledge is a key. ” His eyes were hollow yet full of curiosity

Kou’s heart thumped. “What does it want?”

He raised his Kage‑Koto, and the strings sang a chord so pure that the very air shimmered. The notes formed a visible wave, traveling like a ribbon of light through the library. As the wave passed, the books opened, their pages releasing golden glyphs that floated upward, converging into a luminous sphere hovering above a marble pedestal.

End flashback.

Kou nodded, thanked the vendor, and slipped away, the Moonlit Bazaar dissolving behind him as the moon rose higher, bathing the city in silvery light. The Crimson Library stood in the district of Higashi‑Kō , an imposing brick building with scarlet shutters and towering arches. Its doors were always locked, except on nights when the moon aligned with the ancient Song‑Star —the night of the Midnight Bloom Festival, when the city’s collective song reached its crescendo.