The night Kaizen first saw the shadow, the world was unusually quiet.
No wind.
No distant traffic.
Not even the sound of dogs barking in the streets.
It was the kind of silence that didn't feel peaceful…
It felt like something was waiting.
Kaizen stood on the balcony of his apartment, staring at the city lights below. From up there, everything looked normal. Calm. Alive.
But his chest burned.
He pressed his palm against his heart.
The mark again.
A faint black symbol just beneath his collarbone, barely visible — like ink trapped under skin. It had appeared three years ago… the same night his parents died.
He still remembered the fire.
The screams.
The way his mother pushed him into the hidden basement.
The way his father looked at him — not afraid, but guilty.
"Whatever happens," his father had said, gripping his shoulders tightly,
"Run. Don't look back."
Kaizen had looked back.
And what he saw that night had never left him.
A towering figure made of darkness… with burning white eyes.
Not human.
Not alive.
A Shinigami.
"Still thinking too much?"
Kaizen didn't turn around. He already knew the voice.
Yoji Zurai leaned against the balcony door, arms crossed, calm as always. His black jacket moved slightly in the night breeze.
"You're staring at nothing again," Yoji continued. "That's either deep thinking… or you're losing your mind."
Kaizen smirked faintly. "Maybe both."
Yoji walked beside him, resting his elbows on the railing.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
They had been friends since childhood. Fought together. Trained together. Survived together.
If anyone could handle the truth about Kaizen… it would be Yoji.
But even he didn't know everything.
"Your mark acting up again?" Yoji asked quietly.
Kaizen froze.
"…It's nothing."
Yoji didn't push. He never did.
That was the thing about him.
Strong enough to kill an Upper Level Shinigami alone.
Calm enough to keep secrets.
Loyal enough to never ask questions you weren't ready to answer.
Suddenly—
The air shifted.
Not wind.
Pressure.
Like the sky itself became heavier.
Yoji's eyes sharpened instantly.
"You feel that?"
Kaizen nodded slowly.
And then they heard it.
A sound like glass cracking… but in the sky.
They both looked up.
Above the city, the clouds twisted unnaturally. A thin black tear split across the air itself.
And from that tear—
Something began to descend.
Long limbs.
Cloaked in shadow.
White, hollow eyes glowing in the darkness.
A Lower Shinigami.
But something about it felt wrong.
It wasn't hunting randomly.
It was looking.
Searching.
For something.
For someone.
The mark on Kaizen's chest burned violently.
He dropped to one knee.
Yoji immediately stepped in front of him.
"…So it's finally starting," Yoji muttered.
The Shinigami's head slowly tilted.
And then—
Its glowing eyes locked directly onto Kaizen.
Not the city.
Not the crowd below.
Him.
Kaizen's breathing grew uneven.
Inside his head—
A voice whispered.
Deep. Ancient. Calm.
"My vessel…"
His vision flickered.
For a split second—
The world turned black.
And behind the Lower Shinigami…
Something far larger stood.
Watching.
A crown of darkness above its head.
The Shinigami King.
The creature screeched and lunged downward toward the building.
Yoji stepped forward, pulling out his Soul-Sever blade in one smooth motion.
"Stay back," he ordered.
Kaizen tried to stand—but the voice inside him grew louder.
"Awaken."
The mark spread slightly across his skin.
Black veins forming like cracks.
Yoji leaped into the air, blade glowing.
The Lower Shinigami swung its claws—
Metal clashed against shadow.
The impact shook the balcony.
Below them, people began screaming.
The war they had trained for…
Had just arrived at their door.
Kaizen forced himself up, gripping the railing.
His heart pounded.
Not from fear.
From something else.
Recognition.
Like this moment was always meant to happen.
The Shinigami screeched again—
And Yoji, calm as ever, smiled slightly.
"Guess I'll warm up first."
He dashed forward alone.
Far above the city…
Beyond the clouds…
Beyond sight…
The Shinigami King watched silently
And for the first time in centuries
It smiled
The Lower Shinigami's scream tore through the night like metal grinding against bone.
People below scattered in panic.
Cars crashed.
Windows shattered.
But up on the rooftop—
It was just Yoji… standing alone against death.
The creature swung its elongated arm, shadow claws slicing through the air. Yoji ducked smoothly, his blade glowing faint blue as he countered in one clean motion.
Steel met darkness.
Sparks exploded mid-air.
The Shinigami recoiled, its hollow eyes widening slightly.
Yoji didn't hesitate.
He stepped in close.
Spun.
And drove his blade straight through the creature's torso.
For a second—
Everything froze.
Then the Shinigami let out a distorted screech before its body cracked like broken glass and dissolved into black fragments.
Silence returned.
Smoke drifted across the rooftop.
Yoji exhaled slowly.
"One hit would've been enough," he muttered. "Overkill feels better though."
Behind him—
Kaizen was still on one knee.
Breathing heavily.
The mark on his chest hadn't faded.
In fact—
It was spreading.
Thin black lines crawled outward like veins made of ink.
"Kaizen?" Yoji turned, instantly serious.
Kaizen's vision blurred again.
The world around him dimmed—
And suddenly—
He wasn't on the rooftop anymore.
He stood in complete darkness.
No sky.
No ground.
Just endless black.
Footsteps echoed behind him.
Slow.
Heavy.
Ancient.
Kaizen didn't need to turn to know who it was.
A massive presence stood there.
Wings of shadow stretching infinitely.
A crown floating above its head like a broken halo.
The Shinigami King.
"You feel it now," the King's voice echoed calmly.
"The barrier is weakening."
Kaizen clenched his fists. "Get out of my head."
"You are not separate from me."
The King stepped closer.
"You are my Vessel."
Kaizen's chest burned like fire.
"I'm not yours."
For the first time—
The King's glowing eyes narrowed.
"You were chosen the night your parents died."
Images flashed violently around Kaizen—
Fire.
Blood.
His father standing in front of him.
A circle carved into the floor.
A ritual.
His mother crying.
The King's shadow descending.
"You were not a survivor," the King continued quietly.
"You were an offering."
Kaizen's heart stopped.
"No…"
The darkness cracked like glass.
And suddenly—
He was back on the rooftop.
Yoji was gripping his shoulders tightly.
"Kaizen! Stay with me!"
Kaizen gasped, sucking in air.
The mark slowly faded back under his skin.
But his hands were shaking.
Yoji stared at him.
"…That wasn't normal."
Kaizen looked up at the sky.
The tear in the clouds had closed.
But he could still feel it.
Something bigger was coming.
"This was just a scout," Kaizen whispered.
Yoji's jaw tightened slightly.
"…An Upper rank won't come alone."
For a moment—
Neither of them spoke.
The city below was in chaos.
Sirens wailed in the distance.
The Soul Defense Corps would arrive soon.
But something felt wrong.
That Lower Shinigami hadn't attacked randomly.
It had locked onto Kaizen.
Specifically.
Yoji noticed it too.
"…It saw you," he said quietly.
Kaizen didn't answer.
Because deep down—
He knew the truth.
It hadn't just seen him.
It had recognized him.
Far beyond the human world…
In a realm of endless black towers and drifting ash—
The Shinigami King stood silently.
One of his generals knelt before him.
"The Vessel is awakening," the general said.
The King's voice was calm.
"Yes."
A faint ripple of dark energy spread across the realm.
"Prepare the Upper ranks."
Back on Earth—
Kaizen looked at his trembling hands.
For the first time…
He was afraid.
Not of dying.
But of what he might become.
And somewhere in the city—
Mira felt a sudden chill…
Without knowing why—
She whispered his name.