There was a shift in the air.
Kazuki felt it the moment he stepped onto the school grounds that morning. The usual chatter seemed more hushed, the laughter more restrained, the eyes more frequent on him — watching, measuring, whispering.
He had been watched before. Ever since the incident by the vending machines, people had started paying attention. But this was different. This wasn't curiosity.
It was suspicion.
And something else.
Fear.
He passed a group of second-year girls gathered by the shoe lockers. Their giggles died as he walked by. One of them turned her head slowly, eyes wide, then quickly looked away when Kazuki glanced at her.
Across the hallway, a pair of upperclassmen leaned in close, muttering behind cupped hands.
He tried to ignore it. Kept walking. But with every step, it pressed on him heavier — like an invisible weight.
In class, Haruki leaned back in his chair and stretched with exaggerated casualness.
"Yo, " he said, casting Kazuki a grin. "Big man on campus these days, huh? "
Kazuki shot him a dry look. "You say that like it's a good thing. "
"I mean, it depends. On whether you're secretly a demon, a superhero, or just ridiculously good-looking. "
A few of the girls around them laughed — too loud, too forced. One of them, Reina — a third-year known for her modeling gigs — leaned forward from the desk behind Kazuki and whispered near his ear, "If you are a demon, at least you're a sexy one. "
Kazuki blinked.
Before he could respond, another girl — Sora, sharp-tongued and always competitive — scoffed from two rows away. "You'd flirt with a shadow if it had abs, Reina. "
"At least I don't chase after walking question marks. "
The argument spiraled into snarky barbs laced with flirtation, all orbiting around him like he was the gravitational center.
Haruki raised an eyebrow. "You ever gonna tell us what your skincare routine is, or are we just gonna die of jealousy? "
Kazuki sighed and looked out the window.
Outside, the world moved on. But inside, his thoughts spiraled.
This wasn't attention. It was noise.
And it was dangerous.
After school, he took the long way home.
Not because he wanted to enjoy the fading golden hour.
But because he was being followed.
He wasn't sure when it started — maybe near the footbridge, maybe earlier. But now, walking along the quieter residential streets on the edge of town, Kazuki could feel it. A presence. Heavy. Patient. Close, but not too close. Always just beyond the edge of his vision.
He turned the corner.
The street was empty.
He kept walking.
Then — a whisper of motion. The sound of a shoe brushing gravel.
Kazuki stopped.
So did the sound.
He didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
And in the reflection of a dark window ahead, he saw it.
A figure.
Still. Cloaked. Unmoving.
Watching him.
Kazuki's right hand twitched.
The darkness under his skin pulsed.
But before he could react — the figure vanished.
No footsteps.
No sound.
Just gone.
By the time he reached the flower shop, night had fallen. The lights inside were off — Yurika must've gone to bed early.
Kazuki stood in front of the building for a moment, looking up toward the second floor — his room. The place where, until recently, he'd found peace.
Now… it felt more like a cage.
He didn't go up.
Instead, he sat on the old bench out front.
The moon hung low, framed between rooftops.
That was when he heard the voice.
"You're not hiding as well as you think. "
Kazuki spun around.
A man stood in the alley, leaning against the wall like he'd been there the whole time. Tall, lean, dressed in black. His hair was silver-white, and his eyes… were completely dark. No whites. No pupils.
Only abyss.
"Who are you? " Kazuki demanded, his hand already trembling.
The man smiled.
"You're him. The vessel. Kaer's shell. "
The name struck Kazuki like a bell tolling inside his bones.
"I've waited a long time for you, " the man said, stepping forward. "And I'm not the only one. "
Kazuki backed away slowly.
"Don't worry. I'm not here to kill you. Yet. "
The stranger looked up at the moon.
"Others will come soon. You'll want to be ready. "
And then — he was gone.
Like smoke.
No trace.
No sound.
Kazuki stood frozen for a long moment, the chill in his spine refusing to fade.
Inside the flower shop, a light flicked on upstairs.
Aoi stood at the window.
She had followed him home.
And seen everything.
Her hand trembled as she reached for her phone — but she didn't call anyone.
She just whispered to herself:
"…Kazuki… what are you? "
The night was heavier than usual.
Aoi sat on the edge of her bed, the light from the hallway seeping into her room like a thin silver thread. Her phone rested in her lap, the screen dark, but her fingers hovered above it — trembling.
What had she seen?
Kazuki… no, it wasn't just Kazuki. It was something inside him. The man in the alley had said a name.
Kaer.
She didn't know what it meant. But the way Kazuki had reacted — the sudden tension, the stillness in his shoulders, the darkness that flickered in his eyes — it hadn't been human. It had been something ancient. Something powerful.
And something alone.
Aoi touched her chest, feeling her heart beat unevenly.
She wasn't afraid of him.
She should have been.
But she wasn't.
What she felt was… a pull. Not just curiosity. A connection. Like something had finally clicked into place. As if watching him had confirmed something her heart had already suspected.
She whispered into the silence of her room, "I'll find out who you really are, Kazuki… even if you won't let me in. "
The next morning, Kazuki arrived at school early — not out of habit, but caution. Something about the man from the alley had left a mark. Not physical, but internal. Like a word whispered into the fabric of his soul.
Others will come soon.
He'd heard those words all night, like echoes bouncing inside his mind.
He hadn't slept.
At the shoe lockers, he caught sight of Haruki leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, unusually silent.
"Morning, " Kazuki said, sliding his shoes off.
"You look like hell, " Haruki replied, eyes scanning him.
"Didn't sleep well. "
Haruki didn't joke. Didn't smile. Just nodded slowly.
"You feel it too, don't you? " he asked.
Kazuki paused. "Feel what? "
Haruki tilted his head slightly. "The shift. The tension in the air. People looking at you like you're not quite one of them. "
Kazuki didn't answer.
Haruki chuckled, but there was no amusement in it. "You think I haven't noticed? You show up with bruises, disappear after class, come back with a look in your eyes like you've seen things no one else has. "
Kazuki kept walking.
But Haruki fell into step beside him.
"I saw the report last night, " he continued. "Attack in Nerima. Second one this week. They're calling them 'animal incidents' on the news, but no one believes that crap anymore. "
Kazuki's breath caught for a second.
"I'm going to join them, " Haruki said suddenly.
"Join who? "
"The Hunters. There's a guy recruiting from our district. Said they're organizing properly now — not just random vigilantes anymore. Real equipment. Real training. Real missions. "
Kazuki stopped walking.
Haruki looked at him.
"I don't know what you're into, Kazuki. But if something's coming… I'd rather be ready. "
He said it like a challenge. But also — like a promise.
Kazuki didn't respond.
He couldn't.
Not without revealing everything.
And he wasn't ready for that.
In the hallway, Aoi stood by the window, watching them from afar.
She could feel the rift forming — not just between Kazuki and the others, but around him. A shifting field of energy, of tension. Like the air warped around his presence.
She wasn't the only one watching, either.
Girls gathered near him under the pretense of needing something — to borrow a pen, to ask a question, to pretend to trip and bump into him. Reina flashed him a wink and whispered something suggestive. Another girl grazed his arm "accidentally" and giggled too loud.
But Aoi saw what they didn't.
Kazuki wasn't interested. Not flattered. Not even amused.
He was guarded.
Careful.
Distant.
She narrowed her eyes slightly. What was he hiding?
And why did it feel like she was the only one meant to know?
That night, Kazuki walked home under a sky veiled in low clouds.
He didn't take the long route this time. Instead, he walked directly toward the forest near Akigawa — the place where it all began.
The runa had fallen there.
And even now, the trees seemed to remember.
Branches leaned in. Leaves trembled.
The clearing was quiet. No birds. No wind. Just the memory of that night.
He stood there for a while, letting the silence settle.
Then, behind him, a voice spoke.
"You shouldn't come here alone. "
He turned.
Asera stood at the edge of the trees, arms crossed. Her presence was calm, but her eyes held storms.
"You saw him, " she said.
Kazuki nodded.
"The Herald of the Void, " she murmured. "One of the Seven. They serve the will of something older than even Kaer. If he's come… the rest will follow. "
Kazuki clenched his fists.
"Why didn't you warn me? "
"I didn't think they'd move this soon, " she said, stepping closer. "But now that they've sensed the Flame inside you… they won't stop. "
She reached out, placed her hand gently on his shoulder.
"You're not ready to face them. But you will be. "
Kazuki looked up at her. "Then train me. Now. I want to be ready. "
Asera smiled — not gently, but with fire.
"Then let's begin. "
Kazuki's breath came in short, sharp bursts. The world spun, then stilled, then spun again. His knees hit the forest floor, splashing mud against his pants, as another surge of heat traveled through his chest like a wildfire trying to escape its prison.
Asera stood over him, calm and unmoved. Not a drop of sweat on her skin. Her silver hair danced like moonlight, eyes glowing with divine intensity.
"That's the fifth time you've collapsed, " she said coolly. "Do you want to stop? "
Kazuki gritted his teeth, forcing himself to rise. "No. "
"Good, " she said, and without hesitation, raised her hand.
A streak of golden flame shot toward him. He barely dodged. The fire scorched a line into the tree behind him, splitting bark like paper.
"That wasn't just fire, " Kazuki muttered, panting.
"No, " she replied. "It was my will. "
Kazuki clenched his fists, feeling the dark energy pulse in his right arm — the one marked by the runa. The blackness crawled faintly beneath his skin, an echo of Kaer's dormant power.
Asera stepped closer. "Power without control is just noise. If you can't direct it, it will consume you. "
Kazuki's eyes narrowed. "So teach me how. "
She gave a soft, almost cruel smile. "That's what we're doing. Welcome to your first real lesson. "
At school, Aoi stood by the vending machine, gripping a can of peach tea she hadn't opened. Her eyes were fixed on the hallway ahead.
Kazuki hadn't shown up yet.
She'd waited all morning. Looked for him at the entrance. Checked his classroom. Even passed by the back stairwell where he sometimes disappeared during lunch breaks.
Nothing.
She turned the can slowly in her hand, lost in thought.
"Still thinking about that guy? " came a voice behind her.
It was Reina, leaning casually against the wall, her lips curled into a smirk. She tossed her hair back, the ends curled and shining. Her uniform was perfectly tailored — tighter than necessary, of course.
"I saw the way you looked at him the other day, " Reina added, sipping a soda with slow, deliberate movements. "Kazuki, right? He's… intense. "
Aoi didn't answer.
"You're not the only one who's noticed him, " Reina said, stepping closer. "Even Mizuki from Class 3 tried to get his attention yesterday. Walked right up to him and asked for his number. "
Aoi blinked.
Reina leaned in and whispered, "He said no. "
A strange, hollow flutter bloomed in Aoi's chest. Relief? Jealousy?
Reina stepped back. "He's like a black hole. You get too close, and you either burn up or disappear. Dangerous boys are always fun—until they vanish. "
Then she walked away, leaving behind a trail of perfume and something that felt like warning.
Far across the city, in a run-down warehouse converted into a temporary training site, Haruki tightened the strap on his borrowed vest.
"You sure about this? " asked one of the instructors — a tall, broad-shouldered man with a jagged scar running down his neck.
Haruki grinned. "I've never been more sure. "
"Then get in line, " the man barked. "Today's your first patrol. "
A small group of six trainees stood near the wall, adjusting gear and checking blades. Most were older than Haruki — former security, martial artists, even a retired JSDF soldier. Haruki stood out with his school uniform still half-visible under the armor.
"We've got reports of a Type-B in Setagaya, " the instructor said. "Your job is to follow. Do not engage unless ordered. Anyone who disobeys, we leave behind. Clear? "
Everyone nodded.
Haruki swallowed hard.
He wasn't doing this just for thrill or justice. Deep down, he wanted to understand what Kazuki had become — what he was hiding. And maybe, just maybe… find a way to stand beside him.
Even if Kazuki didn't want anyone there.
Back in the forest, Kazuki slammed into the dirt again.
Asera stood above him with arms folded.
"You still hold back, " she said. "You're trying to protect something. Your humanity, perhaps. Or your fear of what you'll become. "
"I don't want to lose myself, " he muttered.
She crouched next to him. "You already lost who you were. Now you choose who you'll be. "
He stared at the mud on his hands. Then slowly, dark veins curled under the skin of his forearm. The blackness crept upward again, pulsing with a rhythm no human heart could match.
"I can feel it, " he said. "It's like a voice. But it's not mine. "
"It's his, " she whispered. "Kaer's essence. You are his vessel, Kazuki. The runa didn't give you power. It awakened it. "
Kazuki's eyes met hers. "So I'm not even human anymore? "
Asera stood, her expression unreadable. "You're something in between. And that… is what makes you dangerous. "
Lightning cracked in the distance.
Night was falling again.
And with it, the things that hunted in shadows were waking.
The rain had stopped, but the clouds hadn't cleared. A gray dusk covered the city like a shroud, muting the light and smothering the air with a humid tension. In a quiet alley near the outskirts of Akiruno, the scent of ozone lingered — and something else. Something feral.
Kazuki crouched silently on the rooftop of a worn-down apartment building, eyes locked on the alley below.
The distortion had led him here.
He could feel it — that familiar pull in his chest, like the runa vibrating inside him. Something was near. Something monstrous.
And then it stepped into view.
It was tall — nearly three meters — and grotesquely humanoid, with elongated limbs and a hunched spine. Its skin was stretched too tightly over muscle and bone, pulsing with dark veins that glowed dimly purple in the fading light. Its head lacked eyes, but rows of jagged, insect-like mandibles clicked hungrily.
Classification: Type-A — Wyrmclaw.
Threat Level: High.
Tactical Traits: Agile, wall-crawler, emits high-frequency screeches that disorient enemies. Weak to fire-based attacks.
The Wyrmclaw moved with eerie grace, crawling along the walls like a lizard, sniffing the air with invisible senses.
Kazuki steadied his breathing.
He couldn't let it reach the nearby streets. Not with people still out. Not with Aoi—
His fingers clenched.
"Control it, " he whispered to himself.
The runa pulsed. A shadow swept across his right arm as the black veins spread. A faint red glow blinked in his eye — just once.
Then he moved.
Leaping from the rooftop with barely a whisper, he landed behind the creature and launched forward. His foot connected with its back, sending it sprawling into the concrete.
It screeched — a shrill, metallic sound that cut through the air like knives.
Kazuki winced. Blood trickled from one ear.
He reached for the darkness.
It answered.
His arm ignited with black flame. A claw — his own, yet not his — burst forth from his fingers, shadowy and jagged, slicing the air as he dashed again.
The Wyrmclaw leapt sideways, dodging. It clung to the wall and launched toward him with ferocious speed.
They collided.
Kazuki's claw met its mandibles in a storm of sparks and shrieks. Concrete shattered. Sparks danced. Kazuki twisted mid-air, landing with a skid, his chest heaving.
The creature snarled — not in fear, but excitement.
It wanted a challenge.
Kazuki smirked darkly.
"You got one. "
Far away, Aoi stood under the edge of a convenience store awning, clutching her umbrella like a lifeline. She had followed Kazuki from school without being noticed — or so she thought.
She didn't know why she did it. Curiosity? Worry? The way he'd looked lately… like something was chasing him from the inside.
Now she stood still, staring down the alley where she had seen him disappear.
She shouldn't go.
But her legs moved.
The streetlamp flickered above her as she stepped into the gloom. The deeper she walked, the quieter it became. No footsteps. No cars. Just the echo of her breath and the soft thudding of her heart.
And then… a sound. Like metal against bone.
She paused.
The alley opened into a small courtyard — cracked pavement, moss between the stones.
And blood.
It was fresh. Smeared.
Then she saw something move in the shadows.
Aoi froze.
Was it Kazuki?
Or something else?
Haruki knelt behind a rusted truck near an abandoned warehouse in Setagaya. His team had surrounded a building suspected of harboring another Type-B. This was supposed to be recon only — no engagement.
But then something changed.
The instructor shouted. A flare burst in the sky.
And the monster — a bloated, black-skinned abomination with too many limbs — burst from the side of the building, roaring like a dying engine.
The others opened fire with shock-spears and pulse blades.
Haruki moved without thinking.
He wasn't trained for this. Not really.
He dodged a flying chunk of debris and rolled into cover, heart hammering.
Someone screamed.
He peeked out.
One of the older recruits was down — leg torn, trying to crawl. Blood soaked the gravel.
No one moved to help.
Haruki clenched his fists.
His instincts screamed at him — Run.
But another voice, distant and quiet, whispered: Kazuki wouldn't run.
He moved.
Dashing forward, he grabbed the injured man by the shoulders and dragged him behind a crate. A claw slammed down where he had been a moment ago.
The monster shrieked.
Haruki's eyes widened as he stared into its too-human face.
Terror gripped him.
But somewhere in that fear… something sparked.
Resolve.
Kazuki ducked under the Wyrmclaw's spinning strike and drove his claw into its abdomen. The creature shrieked, lashing out, cutting across his shoulder. Blood sprayed.
Kazuki staggered.
Then he smiled.
His eye glowed crimson.
He whispered a word.
"Ignis. "
The darkness on his arm caught fire.
The claw turned red-hot, steaming in the air.
He leapt.
The strike landed — straight through the monster's neck.
A fountain of black blood erupted.
The creature fell, twitching. The body sizzled, steam rising in the rain.
Kazuki stood still, panting, covered in grime and gore.
Then he heard something.
Footsteps.
He turned sharply.
Aoi stood at the edge of the courtyard, frozen in place, her eyes wide with shock.
Their gazes met.
She had seen everything.
Kazuki's breath caught.
Aoi's lips parted.
"…Kazuki? " she whispered.
He didn't move.
Didn't answer.
Couldn't.
In that moment, drenched in shadow and blood, he had never felt more exposed.
Kazuki didn't run.
He vanished.
One blink, and he was gone — swallowed by shadows like a wraith escaping the world.
Aoi stood frozen in the rain-slicked courtyard, her umbrella hanging from her hand like a forgotten object. Her heart pounded violently, not from fear — not exactly — but from the overwhelming flood of images crashing through her mind.
Kazuki.
Covered in blood.
His arm aflame with black fire.
His eye glowing crimson.
That thing — that monster. Dead.
She had seen him kill it.
She had seen something impossible.
And then she had seen something worse — the look on his face when their eyes met. The raw panic. The shame. The fear of her.
Aoi stepped forward slowly, her shoes splashing in puddles that reflected the fractured neon glow from nearby vending machines. The smell of burning flesh still lingered in the air, and her body trembled — not from cold, but from everything else.
"…Kazuki…" she whispered again, though he was no longer there.
Kazuki didn't stop running until he reached the outskirts of the city. Trees blurred past him as he pushed through the edge of the Akigawa forest, his breaths ragged and shallow.
He collapsed against a thick tree trunk and slid to the ground, hiding his face in his arms.
His whole body ached.
Not from the fight. Not from the wounds.
From the look in her eyes.
She had seen it — all of it. The thing he'd tried to hide from the world, the thing he hadn't even come to terms with himself. The darkness. The flame. The thing that wasn't entirely human anymore.
She saw him.
And he hated how much that mattered.
Kazuki clenched his fists until his knuckles cracked.
He wanted to believe she wouldn't hate him. That maybe, somehow, she'd understand. But he knew how this worked. How people reacted to monsters — even the ones wearing human skin.
He had become something else.
And he had dragged her into it.
His phone buzzed.
He flinched, almost forgetting he still carried it.
The screen lit up with a single message:
Aoi: "Are you okay? "
He stared at it. The words glowed like a wound.
He didn't reply.
Asera found him shortly after, her presence like a cold wind before a storm. She didn't speak at first — just stood above him, arms crossed, violet eyes narrowing beneath her silver hair.
Kazuki didn't bother looking up.
"You let her follow you. "
It wasn't a question.
Kazuki exhaled. "I didn't mean to. "
Asera's voice was flat. "Intentions mean nothing in this world. Only consequences. "
He looked away. "I know. "
"You endangered her. You endangered yourself. And worst of all, you broke the one rule I gave you — keep your power hidden. "
He wanted to argue. Wanted to scream.
But instead, he whispered, "I'm sorry. "
Asera crouched beside him. Her hand reached for his chin and forced his gaze upward.
Her voice softened — slightly.
"She saw what you are. And yet she didn't run. "
That struck him harder than any accusation.
Kazuki blinked.
"She stood there, Kazuki, " Asera continued. "Not with fear. But with something else. Shock, yes. But not terror. There's still time. "
He shook his head. "You don't understand—"
"No. You don't understand. " Her voice dropped to a near growl. "You are not some tragic weapon forged by fate. You are Kaer's vessel. His will. His legacy. And every time you run from it, you spit on everything he gave his life for. "
Silence fell between them, heavy as a tombstone.
Then Kazuki asked, "Do you ever regret it? "
Asera froze.
"What? "
"Losing him. "
She looked away. "Every second. "
Kazuki's voice cracked. "Then how do you keep going? "
Asera stood slowly. "Because I must. And now… so must you. "
Then she was gone — melting into the trees like smoke.
Back at school, the atmosphere the next morning felt… off.
Kazuki walked through the front gates like a ghost in his own life, the weight of everything pressing against his shoulders.
Eyes turned toward him — more than usual.
He didn't know if it was the leftover blood he hadn't fully scrubbed from his jacket, or the tension clinging to his skin like smoke.
A group of girls near the entrance paused their conversation as he passed.
One — Reina, the attention-hungry socialite with model looks and a laugh like sugar-glass — tilted her head, biting her lip. "Rough night, Kazuki-kun? " she said teasingly, stepping a little too close.
The others giggled.
Yumi, always watching from the edges, gave a quick, almost imperceptible glare. There was something territorial in it.
Kazuki didn't respond. He just walked past them, shoulders hunched.
Behind him, he heard Reina whisper to her friend, "God, what is it about him lately… It's like he's dangerous or something. "
Yumi muttered, "Maybe that's why we're all looking. "
Across the courtyard, a group of boys stared too.
"Seriously, man. Why does every girl suddenly want that guy? "
"Beats me. He barely talks. Looks like he hasn't slept in days. "
"Maybe that's the appeal, " one joked. "Mysterious loner. The brooding type. "
Kazuki reached his locker and shut it harder than necessary.
He wasn't in the mood.
Then he felt it.
A presence.
He turned.
Aoi stood down the hallway, watching him.
She didn't smile.
Didn't wave.
Just looked.
For a moment, everything else vanished.
The noise. The stares. The tension.
It was just her.
And in her eyes, he didn't see fear.
He saw questions.
And something else.
Hope?
Kazuki's fingers curled around the strap of his bag.
He looked away.
Kazuki didn't expect her to follow him.
Not this time.
Not after what she saw.
But when he reached the rooftop of the school — his usual hiding place, high above the noise of everything — Aoi was already there, leaning against the railing, her arms folded and her gaze fixed on the horizon.
The early morning sky was smeared with golden grey, heavy clouds stretching low across the city like bruises. The wind tugged at her dark hair, sending strands dancing past her cheeks. She didn't move when he approached. Didn't turn. Didn't speak.
He should've walked away.
But he didn't.
"I thought you'd… avoid me, " Kazuki finally said, voice quiet.
Aoi blinked, then turned her head. "Why would I? "
He hesitated. "Because of what I am. "
A small smile touched her lips — the kind that didn't reach her eyes. "And what are you, exactly? "
He didn't answer.
Because he didn't know.
She turned fully now, arms dropping to her sides. Her voice was calm, steady. "Kazuki… I saw something that shouldn't exist. Something terrifying. But I also saw someone standing between that thing and a group of innocent people. And that someone wasn't the monster. "
Kazuki's throat tightened.
"You don't understand what I've become, " he said.
"Then explain it to me, " she said, stepping closer. "I'm not asking for everything. Just… don't shut me out. "
He shook his head. "It's not that simple. "
"Nothing ever is. "
He looked at her — really looked at her — and saw no fear in her eyes.
Only a thousand questions.
And something else.
Not pity.
Not awe.
Something warmer.
It scared him more than anything.
The wind picked up, carrying the distant sound of sirens through the city. Kazuki turned his gaze to the horizon.
Something was wrong.
He could feel it.
Haruki stood in the lower corridor of the west building, phone in hand, watching a strange blip pulse across the tracking app used by local hunter teams. He had convinced one of the junior members to share the tool with him — said it was "just curiosity. "
Now he stared at the red anomaly creeping closer to the school.
A Type-B signature.
He knew the classifications. Aserion-level algorithms. Type-Bs weren't as devastating as the monstrous Type-C beasts that destroyed city blocks… but they were intelligent. Strategic. And above all — silent until they struck.
Haruki narrowed his eyes.
"Why here? "
He turned, headed for the main lobby, then paused. A pair of other students — junior hunter recruits — laughed as they scrolled on their phones nearby.
Haruki approached. "Did you guys get the alert? "
One of them looked up lazily. "You mean that weird pulse on the app? Probably a glitch. "
"You sure? " Haruki pressed. "It's moving like it's tracking something. "
The other boy shrugged. "Relax, man. The real hunters would've flagged it if it was serious. "
Haruki bit the inside of his cheek.
He knew what this was.
Complacency.
He muttered a curse under his breath and turned on his heel. "Screw that. "
He wasn't going to wait for permission.
The street was quiet.
Too quiet.
Haruki jogged down the back path between the residential zone and the wooded lot near the old subway entrance. The signal had stopped moving.
That was the worst sign of all.
He slowed his pace and drew the short-blade hunter knife he kept hidden in his school bag — not ideal, but better than nothing. His breath misted in the cooler air.
Then he heard it.
A low, wet clicking sound.
And then the screech of metal.
He turned sharply, just in time to see the shadow unfold itself from the mouth of the alleyway like a nightmare made flesh.
Its body was twisted, humanoid in shape but unnaturally elongated — arms like serrated scythes, mouth stretching far too wide. The skin looked like melted asphalt.
Its eyes glowed amber.
Haruki's heart slammed into his ribs.
Type-B confirmed.
And it saw him.
Back at school, Kazuki staggered slightly, gripping the edge of the rooftop railing.
His vision blurred for half a second.
His right arm pulsed — the rune, still hidden beneath the skin, thrummed like a heartbeat.
"Kazuki? " Aoi stepped closer, alarmed.
He didn't answer.
He was already gone — sprinting across the roof, leaping the railing, hitting the next building's ledge in a roll, disappearing from her sight like wind through trees.
Aoi's breath caught.
She watched him vanish again.
But this time…
This time, she wasn't afraid.
She whispered, "Come back alive. "
Haruki's breath hitched as the creature lunged.
He barely had time to dodge. The beast's jagged claw sliced through the air where his head had been a second earlier, tearing a thick gash in the metal fence behind him. Sparks flew. Haruki stumbled backward, raising his blade — just in time to parry the next swipe. The impact rattled through his bones.
This thing wasn't just strong.
It was calculated.
Its movements weren't wild — they were precise, like a predator that had hunted men before.
"Okay, " Haruki whispered, forcing a grin. "So this is the real thing. "
He ducked low, rolled under its next strike, and slashed at the creature's leg. The blade grazed the obsidian-like skin — but barely left a mark. The beast hissed, twisting unnaturally, tail lashing. It caught his arm and flung him into a wall.
The air left his lungs.
This isn't a game.
His mind raced. The training simulations. The strategy briefings. All felt like useless theory now. His body screamed in protest as he climbed back to his feet, blood running from a gash in his forehead.
The beast crept forward, slowly this time, eyes glowing like burning coals.
Haruki raised his knife.
If I run, I die.
Then, just as the monster leapt — a shadow tore through the air.
A shockwave erupted, forcing Haruki to the ground.
The beast shrieked.
And from behind it, something — someone — stepped into view.
Kazuki.
But not as Haruki knew him.
His right side was cloaked in black smoke, the skin shadowed and unnatural. His right eye glowed crimson. The curved blade in his hand pulsed with dark energy, almost alive, and the air around him shimmered like heat rising from asphalt.
The creature snarled.
Kazuki didn't flinch.
He dashed forward — and in a single movement, brought the blade down in a wide, arc-like slash. The creature twisted, dodging, but not fast enough. Its arm was severed at the joint, black ichor spraying onto the pavement. It shrieked again, voice piercing like metal on glass.
Kazuki followed through.
Two more slashes.
Each precise.
Each deliberate.
And with the third, the beast's torso split open in a violent burst of black fluid and smoke, crumpling like shattered stone.
Silence.
Only the sound of Haruki's ragged breath filled the alley.
Kazuki stood over the corpse, chest rising and falling.
Then — just like that — he turned, the shadows retreating across his body like smoke caught in reverse wind. His eye dimmed. His expression returned to neutral.
He met Haruki's gaze.
And vanished into the shadows.
Gone before a word could be said.
Haruki lay on the ground, panting. The fight replayed in his mind like a glitching video file. The blur of motion. The darkness. The blade.
The eye.
That eye.
It was familiar.
He swallowed, slowly sitting up, wincing from his bruised ribs.
Was that…?
He didn't want to believe it.
But the figure — the stance — even the way he moved…
"Kazuki…? "
Back at school, Aoi stared out the classroom window, her notebook untouched.
She hadn't seen him since the rooftop.
But she felt it in her chest.
Something had happened.
Something was changing.
The moon hung low over Akiruno, its pale light filtering through the canopy of trees outside the city's edge. Kazuki sat alone on the rooftop above the flower shop, legs drawn up to his chest, arms resting on his knees. The wind played with his dark hair, carrying the scent of late-summer leaves and distant rain.
His right hand trembled slightly.
Not from pain — from something deeper.
A residue.
An echo.
The fight from earlier had left more than blood on his hands. There was something about the way that beast had moved. Something about the way his body had responded — automatically — like instinct born from centuries.
But it wasn't his instinct.
It was someone else's.
Inside him.
Kaer.
Kazuki stared at his palm. Shadows curled faintly at the edges of his fingers, dispersing like smoke when he blinked.
The runa had been quiet for the last few hours. No surge of power. No whispers.
But something else stirred now.
A flicker.
Not from within — but from beyond.
He felt it first as a shiver crawling up his spine. Then a subtle warmth in the center of his chest. Not dangerous. Not hostile. But watching. Ancient. Feminine.
His eyes darted around the rooftop.
Empty.
And yet… not.
Somewhere between consciousness and dream, he felt her. A voice he couldn't hear. A gaze he couldn't meet. But it was there — as if someone long-forgotten had placed their hand gently on his shoulder and whispered, "You are almost ready. "
A faint pulse of energy stirred the night air. The wind shifted.
And then — it vanished.
Gone.
Kazuki let out a long, uneven breath.
I'm being hunted… or tested.
He couldn't tell which was worse.
Across the city, Haruki leaned over his laptop, a bandage around his shoulder. The bruises from his solo encounter with the creature hadn't fully faded, but his adrenaline hadn't either.
He replayed the scene in his mind.
The blur of the black sword.
The crimson eye.
The figure cloaked in shadows.
It made no sense.
No one from the hunter registries matched that description. No official weapon looked like the blade he'd seen. And certainly no one fought like that — with such precision, such ruthlessness — and disappeared into smoke.
He opened a new document and typed:
"Subject Zero: Shadow Warrior. "
Underneath, he wrote:
Appears only during critical moments.
Uses unknown combat style.
Crimson right eye (mutation? ).
Blade resembles curved archaic design — possibly forged through supernatural means.
Saved my life.
He hesitated.
Then added:
Feels familiar.
Haruki leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
Why does he move like… Kazuki?
The next morning at school, Kazuki walked through the courtyard, a hood pulled over his head. He kept to the shadows near the wall, his eyes scanning the students — not out of suspicion, but out of reflex.
Every time he passed someone, he could feel it — tension. The tiniest shifts in how people looked at him. Girls giggling a little too loudly. A few sideways glances. Guys pretending not to stare, then whispering as he passed.
Even Aoi — sitting under the sakura tree with her notebook — looked up the moment he approached the building. Their eyes met for a split second.
And for that moment, everything else fell silent.
He looked away first.
But she didn't.
Aoi tilted her head.
He seemed… different again.
More distant.
But also more burdened.
Like something heavy was pressing down on him, deeper than she could see.
And yet, the strange part was — she didn't feel fear.
She felt drawn in.
As if she had caught a glimpse of a hidden world, and now she couldn't look away.
She closed her notebook.
"I'm going to talk to him, " she whispered to herself.
But before she could stand — Reina and two other girls from class slid onto the bench beside her, pretending to laugh at something.
"Oh no, " Reina said, stretching theatrically. "You were looking at him again? "
Aoi blinked. "Excuse me? "
"I mean, I get it. He's got that whole mysterious-darkness vibe, " Reina added, voice low, "but he doesn't even talk to anyone. "
One of the other girls snorted. "He doesn't need to. That's part of the charm. "
Aoi raised an eyebrow. "You girls gossip about every guy in school or just the ones you're too scared to approach? "
Reina gave her a sideways smile. "Touché. But let's be real — you're not exactly keeping your interest subtle. "
Aoi stood.
"So what if I'm not? "
The other girls fell quiet.
Reina narrowed her eyes, watching her walk away.
Meanwhile, far from the school, deep in the heart of the forest near the runa's impact crater, a woman in a tattered white cloak stood among the trees. Her silver hair floated in the still air. Her bare feet hovered slightly above the mossy ground. Eyes closed.
She opened them slowly.
Gold irises, ancient and bright, gleamed with divine fire.
She had seen him.
Felt him.
The runa had awakened Kaer's vessel — and the boy had survived his first trial.
But he was still fractured. Still resisting the truth of what he was becoming.
Soon, he would need more than power.
He would need memory.
He would need pain.
And when the time came, she would give him both — and train him to bear it.
The goddess looked to the sky.
"Soon, my foolish war-born. "
The classroom was almost empty as the afternoon sun cast long shadows across the desks. Kazuki sat near the window, his gaze distant and unfocused. The weight of the past days pressed heavily on his shoulders, and the silence around him felt suffocating.
Aoi approached quietly, her footsteps barely audible on the worn wooden floor.
"Kazuki, " she said softly.
He looked up, startled by the sound of her voice. "Aoi. "
She sat beside him, folding her hands neatly in her lap.
"I've been thinking… about everything, " she began. "About you. About what I saw. "
Kazuki's eyes darkened. "I didn't want you to see that. "
"You didn't have a choice, " she replied gently. "But it doesn't change how I feel. I want to understand you — not just the power, but the person. "
He swallowed hard. "I'm not sure I'm ready for that. "
"Maybe neither am I, " she said with a faint smile. "But we don't have to do it alone. "
Meanwhile, Haruki stood at the edge of the training grounds, watching the sun dip below the horizon. His thoughts churned like a storm.
The more he dug, the more he realized he didn't understand.
The mysterious figure who saved him.
The glowing rune.
The silent shadows that seemed to follow Kazuki.
He had questions.
Too many.
And no one to ask.
Later that night, Kazuki sat on the roof again, staring up at the stars.
His phone buzzed.
A message.
From an unknown number:
"You can't run from what you are. "
His heart skipped.
He didn't reply.
Instead, he looked to the sky and whispered,
"I know. "
The night had thickened into a suffocating blanket. Streetlights flickered, casting long shadows across the narrow alleyways of Akiruno. The air was heavy, charged with the kind of silence that comes before a storm.
Kazuki moved through the darkness, every sense alert. He could feel it — the weight of unseen eyes, the whisper of footsteps not his own.
Ahead, the soft glow of the runa embedded in his arm pulsed like a heartbeat.
Suddenly, a sharp noise shattered the stillness — a scream.
Kazuki's heart jumped.
He sprinted toward the source, weaving through the labyrinth of streets until he reached the edge of a small park.
There, in the dim light, Aoi was cornered.
A shadow loomed over her — a creature of grotesque shape, tendrils writhing, eyes burning with malice.
"Run! " Kazuki shouted.
Aoi's eyes met his — fear flickering but replaced quickly with determination.
Kazuki stepped forward, dark energy flaring from his arm, the rune glowing fiercely.
The creature lunged.
Kazuki met it head-on, blade slicing through the air, a storm of shadow and flame.
The battle was brutal, every strike a clash between desperation and power.
Behind the chaos, Haruki arrived, breathless, clutching a weapon he barely knew how to use.
He joined the fight, side by side with Kazuki, the weight of their intertwined fates pressing down.
As the creature fell, silence returned — but Kazuki knew it was only the beginning.
The hunt had truly begun.