The night air was cold. Sharp against Noritoshi Kento's skin as he walked alone down the empty street.
He didn't look back. Not once.
The house was behind him now. Everything was behind him.
"I can't stay here." His grip tightened around the strap of his bag. "They'll come back."
His father's words echoed in his mind. They won't stop.
Kento exhaled slowly. "Then I need to leave first."
The city lights stretched ahead of him, bright and alive and unaware. But he didn't feel safe. Not here. Not anywhere.
He kept walking. Faster. Blending into the quiet night.
---
After a while, the streets began to thin. Fewer people. Less noise. More shadows.
Kento slowed down slightly as he reached a narrow alleyway. He paused.
"This should work."
The alley was dark, Hidden and Perfect.
If I stay out of sight, they won't find me easily. At least, that's what he told himself.
He stepped inside. The walls were damp, the ground uneven. Trash bins lined the sides, and the faint smell of metal and rain lingered in the air.
Kento leaned against the wall briefly, catching his breath. His mind was still racing. Everything felt unreal.
He looked down at his hands. They said it's my blood.
The shadows beneath him shifted slightly. Responding.
He clenched his fist. "I don't even understand it."
A sudden sound cut through his thoughts. A sharp thud. Then another.
Kento looked up instinctively. Above him, a figure moved. Fast. Jumping from one building to another.
"What?"
Before he could react, the figure dropped right in front of him.
Kento stumbled back as the impact echoed through the alley.
A girl. About his age. Maybe slightly older.
She straightened quickly, brushing off her arm like nothing had happened.
"Hey," she snapped, annoyed. "Watch where you're standing."
Kento blinked. "What?"
Before he could finish, she grabbed his bag. Fast. Too fast.
"Hey!" Kento shouted. "That's mine!"
But she was already moving. Turning. Running. Without even looking back.
Kento stood there for a split second, stunned. Did she just?
Then, "Hey! Stop!"
He took off immediately, sprinting after her. "What the hell?!"
She didn't slow down. Didn't respond. Didn't even turn. She moved like she had done this a hundred times. Light. Fast. Effortless.
Kento pushed himself harder. "I just got that bag!"
His breath grew heavier as he chased her through the alley, turning corners, jumping over obstacles.
He didn't notice. Not yet. The shadows. The movement behind them. The ones chasing her.
---
The girl glanced back briefly. Still following me?
She smirked slightly. Persistent.
But she didn't stop. Didn't warn him. Didn't care.
---
Kento kept running. Faster. His heart pounding. His legs burning.
I'm not losing that bag.
Something inside him shifted. The shadows beneath his feet reacted.
Before he understood what was happening, he stepped and vanished.
The air warped. In the next instant, he reappeared right in front of her.
The girl stopped abruptly. "Oh?"
A small smile spread across her face. "Well, that's new."
Kento stumbled slightly but steadied himself. "Give me my bag," he said, breathing heavily.
She tilted her head. "How did you do that?"
Kento frowned. "What?"
"You just moved," she said. "That wasn't normal."
Kento hesitated. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Her eyes sharpened slightly. "You have a Blood Path."
The words hit him.
Before he could respond, movement. All around them.
Figures dropped from rooftops. Landed silently. Surrounded them.
Kento's eyes widened. "What is this?"
The girl exhaled softly. "Of course they caught up."
Without warning, one of them lunged straight at her. Fast. Deadly.
She moved instantly. Dodged. Countered. Struck.
The fight exploded into motion. The assassins ignored Kento completely. Focused only on her.
Kento stepped back slightly, confused. "What is going on?"
His eyes moved and found his bag lying on the ground nearby.
"There."
Without hesitation, he ran forward and grabbed it, clutching it tightly. "Got it."
Behind him, the sounds of combat echoed. Fast strikes. Impacts. Bodies hitting the ground.
Kento turned slightly, just in time to see the last assassin fall.
The girl stood there, breathing steadily. Unharmed. In her hand, a pair of knuckle weapons. Metal. Sharp. Effective.
She rolled her shoulder slightly. "That's the last one."
Kento stared. "You took them all down?"
She glanced at him casually. "They were weak."
Kento blinked. "Weak?"
Before he could say more, far away on top of a distant building, a figure watched. Still. Silent.
Ruo.
He placed the box beside him carefully. Then reached into a case, pulling out a sniper rifle. Precision-built. Deadly.
He assembled it smoothly. Efficiently. Like second nature.
Then his eyes changed. Glowing faint red. His Blood Path. Vision sharpened. Expanded. Locked.
He could see everything. Every movement. Every breath. Every target.
Found you.
Through the scope, he saw Kento. Clear. Perfect. Centered.
The crosshair settled right on his head. His finger rested on the trigger. No hesitation. No emotion. Just the mission.
---
Back in the alley, the girl stepped closer to Kento.
"You shouldn't be here," she said.
Kento frowned. "I didn't ask to be"
"We need to leave," she cut in.
Kento tightened his grip on his bag. "I'm not going anywhere until you explain what's going on"
Her expression shifted. Serious. "Now."
---
On the rooftop, Ruo exhaled. Slow. Steady. Finger tightening. Trigger about to break
BANG.
The bullet tore through the air. Fast. Invisible. Unstoppable.
Kento didn't even see it coming.
But something did.
The shadows beneath him surged violently. In an instant, a hand rose. Dark. Solid.
The bullet slammed into it and stopped.
The impact echoed sharply. Fragments scattered. The shadow hand held firm.
Silence.
Kento froze. "What?"
The girl's eyes widened. "No way."
---
On the rooftop, Ruo's eyes narrowed slightly. Blocked it?
For the first time, something changed in his expression. So it's true.
---
Kento stared at the shadow hand. It slowly lowered, returning to his shadow like nothing had happened.
"I did that?" His breathing became uneven.
---
Ruo's phone rang. He answered immediately.
"Master."
"Have you killed him?"
A pause. "No."
Silence. Then, "He has awakened his Blood Path."
On the other end, fury. "You fool! Kill him before he learns to control it!"
Ruo's gaze returned to the scope. Cold. Focused. "Understood."
He adjusted his aim. Again.
Back in the alley, the girl grabbed Kento's arm.
"We're leaving."
Kento snapped out of it. "What?"
"If you want to live," she said sharply, "move."
Her tone left no room for argument. Kento hesitated, then nodded. "Fine."
But as they turned, the shadows beneath him stirred again. More violently this time. Like they knew. Like they were warning him.
Above them, Ruo prepared his next shot. More precise. More deadly.
And this time, he wouldn't miss.