A chilling silence settled over the alleyway as the last echoes of the creature's growl faded into the night.
Kaito stood frozen, his body drenched in sweat, his chest heaving. His fingers trembled as he stared down at them—claws. Black, razor-sharp claws.
His heart thudded violently in his chest.
"What… what am I?" he muttered, falling to his knees.
His vision swirled. Memories that weren't his own—images of blood, darkness, and a world swallowed by shadow—flashed through his mind like a storm.
Suddenly, a scream.
Rina.
Kaito's head snapped up. He staggered to his feet, stumbling through the shadows until he found her—cornered, trembling, eyes locked on him with terror.
"Rina, it's me! Don't be afraid," Kaito called, his voice rough and deeper than before.
She didn't move.
"Y-you… what happened to your face…?" she whispered.
Kaito reached up and felt the sharp contours of a muzzle forming, fangs protruding from his mouth. His reflection in a broken glass nearby confirmed it—his eyes glowed gold, his skin was pale, and dark fur was beginning to cover parts of his neck.
"I… I lost control," he said, voice shaking.
Suddenly, another growl echoed behind them. A second beast, leaner but faster, darted from the shadows.
Kaito didn't think.
With a roar that echoed through the alleyways, he lunged, driven by instincts not his own. The fight was brutal—claws slashed, teeth gnashed. Kaito overpowered it, but not without cost. Blood—his own—splattered the walls.
When it was over, silence returned.
Rina slowly approached, her eyes wide with fear and awe.
"Was that… you?" she asked.
Kaito nodded, barely able to stand.
"You saved me."
"I don't know how long I can control this," he whispered. "Something inside me is… waking up."
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