He woke to silence.
No scent of flowers. No rustle of city wind. Just the quiet hum of something vast and ageless.
Kazuki blinked. The ceiling above him shimmered—white stone etched with ancient, glowing runes that pulsed like stars in the dark. He was lying on something soft, yet cold—like velvet covering granite.
Where the hell am I?
He sat up too fast, and a wave of dizziness crashed over him. His chest burned. The mark still throbbed beneath the skin, slower now… deeper. His shirt was gone. His torso was wrapped in faint, silver-threaded bandages that glowed faintly in rhythm with his heartbeat.
He touched the fabric. It was warm.
Not natural.
Then he heard it.
A voice. Not loud, but sharp. Clear as moonlight.
"You woke faster than I expected. "
He turned.
And there she was.
Standing at the edge of the chamber, silhouetted against a wall of soft, glowing mist — a woman, tall and elegant, with hair like woven starlight cascading down her back. Her eyes… impossible to describe. Silver, but alive. Watching him like someone inspecting an old scar.
She was draped in layered robes that shimmered with color only when she moved — deep purples, starlit blacks, hints of violet flame. A belt of gold, etched with celestial patterns, rested on her hips.
Not human.
Not even close.
Kazuki's mouth went dry.
"Who—"
"I am not your enemy, " she said, walking slowly toward him. "But I am also not your savior. "
He flinched as she knelt before him, studying the mark on his chest.
"Still unstable, " she murmured. "But the bond has begun. "
"The… bond? "
Her eyes flicked up to meet his.
"You carry something that was never meant to be found. Not in this age. Not by human hands. "
Kazuki swallowed. "The runa. "
She tilted her head, amused. "You think it's just a symbol? A tool? That power… belonged to someone who no longer exists. Someone who gave everything to end the war that nearly broke the heavens. "
The air chilled around her words.
Kazuki's hands clenched the sheet beneath him.
"What are you saying? "
She rose, slow and graceful.
"That mark isn't a gift, " she said. "It's a grave. And you—" she stepped back, eyes narrowing, "—are what's left of a god's last breath. "
Silence fell.
He couldn't move. Couldn't breathe.
A god's… breath?
Her gaze softened, just for a moment. "The one you hold inside you… was called Kaer. The God of War. The Wielder of the Black Flame. He died sealing the final gate, sacrificing his body to keep the void from swallowing our world. Only the runa remained — scattered, lost. "
She walked toward the edge of the platform, the mist parting before her.
"I searched for centuries. Waiting. Watching. And then… you appeared. "
Kazuki rose slowly, legs unsteady.
"Why me? "
Her back was turned.
She didn't answer.
Instead, she raised a hand — and the mist coalesced into an image.
Him. Standing in the alley. Arm blackened. Eye glowing red. The Hollow Maw crumbling at his feet.
Aoi, watching.
The silence after.
"Because, " she said finally, "only those closest to death… can carry a dead god's soul. "
Kazuki's heart pounded.
The image faded.
He stood in silence, staring at the floor.
Then — softly, quietly — he asked, "What happens now? "
The woman turned, a faint smile touching her lips — cold and sharp.
"Now? " she said. "Now, you train. "
Kazuki followed her into the mist.
He was barefoot, the cold stone beneath his feet biting with each step. The chamber widened, then rose — massive columns carved with constellations spiraling into a domed ceiling that looked like night itself.
Every inch of this place hummed with age. It wasn't just old — it was eternal.
The woman walked ahead, slow and deliberate, like gravity itself bowed to her.
Kazuki's voice cracked through the silence. "What's your name? "
She paused.
Then, without turning, she spoke:
"Asera. "
The name hit like thunder, not in volume but in weight — as if the air itself remembered it.
Kazuki's breath caught.
He had heard that name once before.
In a half-burned myth buried at the back of a history textbook. The consort of Kaer. A goddess whose flame once lit the sky.
But the texts said she vanished after the fall of the gods.
He swallowed.
"You're her. "
She turned at last. "I was. "
They stood in silence again. Her expression was unreadable.
"I watched him fall, " she said at last, voice hollow. "Watched him burn away every piece of himself to save a world that forgot him. I tried to follow. I failed. "
Kazuki stared at her. "You're the one who's been watching me. "
"For longer than you realize. "
"Why didn't you stop it? The runa, I—"
"You were chosen, Kazuki. Chosen by the death that lives inside you. Not by me. "
His fists clenched.
"This isn't what I wanted. "
She stepped forward, her voice ice and fire. "Do you think he wanted this? Do you think gods choose fate? We are all slaves to it. Even me. "
Kazuki looked away.
His chest still ached. The runa pulsed.
"I didn't ask to be a god's… vessel. "
"No, " she said, "but now you are. "
Then she raised her hand.
The air split.
A burst of white heat exploded in the center of the room. A stone platform surged upward, and from its heart erupted flames — spiraling, dancing, alive.
Kazuki stumbled back.
"What is this? "
"Your first lesson. "
He narrowed his eyes. "You're not going to explain anything first? "
"No. "
Before he could move, Asera stepped forward — and vanished.
Then reappeared behind him.
She slammed a palm into his back.
Kazuki hit the stone, wind knocked out of him.
"What the hell! "
"This isn't school. You don't get lectures. You survive. Or you don't. "
He scrambled to his feet just in time to duck another blow. Her robes flowed around her like shadowed fire. She moved like nothing he'd ever seen — graceful, brutal, relentless.
"I can't fight you! " he shouted, backpedaling.
"You're not fighting me, " she said coldly. "You're fighting yourself. "
The flames around the platform grew higher, closing in.
Kazuki's mark flared. His right arm began to darken.
Asera's eyes narrowed.
"Good, " she said. "Now let it out. "
Kazuki's breath caught in his throat.
The shadows crawled down his neck.
The air vibrated.
And for the first time since the alley — since the Hollow Maw — he chose not to run.
The fire closed in.
Kazuki stood on the stone platform, shadows crawling up his right arm like vines pulsing with their own heartbeat. The mark on his chest burned, but it wasn't pain—not physical. It was pressure, like a scream locked deep inside his ribs, begging to break out.
Asera circled him in silence.
Her footsteps didn't echo. Her eyes never blinked.
"Let it speak, " she said. "The thing inside you. "
Kazuki's breath hitched. "I… don't know how. "
"You don't need to know. You feel. "
The flames surged higher, forming a ring around the platform. They weren't normal. They didn't give off heat. They whispered. Words he didn't understand—old, broken things full of grief and rage.
He stepped back.
The fire moved with him.
"I'm not ready, " he said, voice thin.
Asera's expression didn't change. "No one ever is. "
And then she vanished again.
He barely saw her coming.
Her leg swept under his feet—he hit the ground hard, the wind exploding from his lungs.
He rolled, tried to rise.
A fist slammed into his stomach.
He doubled over, coughing. Blood touched his tongue.
"Stop holding back, " she snapped.
Kazuki's eyes flashed.
"I'm not holding back! "
"Then you're just weak. "
Something inside him snapped.
The darkness erupted.
His right arm ignited in black flame, twisting from shoulder to fingertips. His iris flooded crimson. The wind howled as energy exploded outward—uncontrolled, wild.
Asera slid back several steps, shielding herself with one arm.
"Finally, " she whispered.
Kazuki staggered upright.
His vision blurred.
The fire… was alive.
Whispers filled his skull. Not hers. Not the room's. His own.
He saw flashes—his parents' faces, distant and fading. The crash. The sirens. The orphanage walls. The echo of loneliness. The look in Yurika's eyes when she found him, half-starved, curled under a stairwell.
Then—
A boy's voice.
Familiar.
"You were supposed to die with us. "
Kazuki's eyes widened.
"What—? "
A shadow stepped from the fire.
It looked like him.
Same face. Same hair. But twisted. Empty-eyed.
"You think she saved you? " the thing said, voice low and hollow. "You're just a vessel. A body wrapped around death. "
Kazuki stumbled back.
"This… this isn't real—"
"It's as real as your fear. "
The shadow raised its hand.
Kazuki flinched.
But Asera's voice cut through the storm.
"Don't run from it. "
Kazuki fell to one knee.
The black fire surged, climbing up his neck.
The whispers grew louder.
His body hurt.
His mind fractured.
But through it all… something moved beneath the chaos.
A pulse.
Heavy. Deep.
Not human.
It was Kaer.
The god inside the mark.
Not speaking — but watching.
Testing.
Judging.
Kazuki clenched his teeth.
If you're going to kill me, he thought, then do it.
But I'm not breaking.
Not yet.
He pushed off the ground.
His legs trembled.
The fire steadied.
The shadow disappeared.
Asera stood across from him — arms folded, expression unreadable.
She said nothing.
But she nodded.
Slightly.
Approval, earned.
Kazuki dropped to his knees, panting, heart racing like a war drum.
The fire receded.
The silence returned.
And with it — something new.
A flicker of control.
Just barely.
But enough.
Kazuki sat on the edge of the stone platform, elbows resting on his knees, breathing ragged and shallow.
The flames had died down, replaced by a strange luminescence that rose from the floor itself — soft silver veins glowing in the cracks of the stone, like a heartbeat beneath ancient skin.
His body throbbed.
Everything ached.
His arm, still marked in black, had cooled but not faded. The glow in his eye dimmed but remained faint — a red ember behind his iris.
Asera stood across from him.
Arms folded. Gaze steady.
She had been watching in silence for the last ten minutes. Not in judgment. Not in pity.
Just watching.
"You held back, " she finally said.
Kazuki flinched. "I almost lost control. "
"You should have. "
His head snapped up.
She stepped closer, slow and calm. "What's inside you doesn't bend to fear. It devours it. You don't restrain Kaer's power, Kazuki. You ride it. Like a storm. Like a beast with broken reins. "
He looked down.
"I saw things, " he muttered.
"Good. "
He clenched his fists. "I saw him. A version of me. Hollow. Angry. "
"That was the part of you still afraid. "
Silence fell again.
Then Asera knelt in front of him.
Her presence no longer felt like pressure. Just weight. Real. Human, almost.
"There's something you need to understand, " she said, voice lower now.
Kazuki met her eyes. They weren't cold.
They were tired.
"Kaer wasn't born a god, " she said. "He rose from blood. From war. From every broken oath and burned city. The gods feared him. I… loved him. "
She looked away, as if ashamed to say it.
"I watched him carry the burden no one else would. I watched him break… so none of us had to. "
Kazuki swallowed.
"What happened? "
Asera exhaled slowly. "There was a gate. One that should never have existed. It opened. And the void poured through. We fought for centuries. And when the others fell or fled, he stood alone. The final shield between our world and nothing. "
"And he sealed it. "
"With his soul. "
Kazuki stared at the glowing stone beneath his feet.
"So why did the runa survive? "
She looked back at him.
"Because I refused to let him vanish. "
There was pain in her voice now.
"I bound a fragment of him to the rune — not his body, not his mind… but his fire. His will. "
Kazuki's throat tightened.
"And now it's in me. "
"It chose you, " she said. "Not because you were strong. But because you were empty enough to hold it. "
Silence.
Then—very gently—Asera reached out and placed her fingers over the mark on his chest.
Her hand was cold.
The runa flared beneath her touch.
Kazuki gasped — but didn't pull away.
"I need you to survive this, " she said. "Not for glory. Not for vengeance. But because what's coming… is worse than you can imagine. "
Her touch remained soft, but her eyes sharpened.
"There are others who remember Kaer's fall. Who hate what he was. Who want that void opened again. "
Kazuki nodded slowly.
A flicker of resolve returned.
"I'm not him, " he whispered.
"No, " she said. "But if you live long enough… you might be more. "
The world felt different.
Kazuki stood barefoot on a stone ledge, the wind whispering through the open chamber like the breath of an ancient god. Below him stretched an endless plain of grey and silver — not real earth, but a dimension suspended between time and space, conjured by Asera for training. Nothing lived here. Nothing died. But everything could be felt.
That was the point.
Asera stood behind him.
"Don't look, " she said. "Listen. "
Kazuki closed his eyes.
Tried to focus.
Silence.
Then—faintly—he felt it.
A tremor.
Not in the ground, but in the air. A subtle rhythm, like a heartbeat out of sync with his own. It wasn't natural. It wasn't human. It was something… wrong.
"I feel it, " he whispered.
"Where? "
He pointed to the north. "That way. Far. But moving. "
Asera's voice stayed calm. "Shape? "
Kazuki shook his head. "Blurry. Like fog. But cold. Wet. Like it's… dripping. "
A moment passed.
"Good, " she said.
He opened his eyes.
Asera stepped beside him, arms folded, her long silver hair trailing like smoke.
"What you felt, " she said, "was a Class D. Low cognition. High hunger. No command structure. It travels alone, devours everything, then sleeps. "
Kazuki's mouth went dry.
"You can sense that from here? "
"I don't need to, " she said flatly. "You do. "
The black fire flickered on his right arm again. Just a spark — like a muscle twitching.
He looked at it, then at her.
"I didn't know this was part of it, " he said. "Feeling everything. It's… overwhelming. "
Asera didn't move.
"You think this is power? This is the cost. Kaer once said that real strength was not what you could destroy… but what you could endure. "
Kazuki looked back toward the void beyond the ledge.
"That thing. Is it heading to my world? "
"It's already there. "
His heart jumped.
"What? "
Asera's voice darkened. "That's why you're here. That's why you don't have time to break. "
The room fell silent again.
Kazuki clenched his fists.
The fire didn't rise this time. It waited. Listening, like he was.
He turned to her. "What do I do when it comes? "
Her eyes narrowed.
"You kill it. "
But in another part of the world… something stirred.
Far beneath the city's edge, in the tunnels no one used, a creature crawled.
It was tall, gaunt, covered in sinew and filth. Its eyes glowed green — wrong, insect-like. Acid dripped from its joints. Its tongue flicked the air, tasting it.
It stopped.
Sniffed.
Turned its head toward the surface.
And grinned.
Somewhere above, a pair of human eyes watched it from the shadows.
A male voice whispered:
"So… you're not the only one awakening. "
The return wasn't gentle.
Kazuki crashed into the world like a dropped weight, his feet hitting pavement, his body staggering forward as if reality itself rejected him. The cold night air slapped his skin. Sirens howled in the distance.
He was back.
But something was wrong.
Smoke curled from the edge of a nearby building — not illusion, not memory. Real. Present. Something was burning.
Kazuki looked up.
His breath caught.
Down the narrow alley, near the convenience store two blocks from his home, something moved.
Not walked.
Slithered.
A grotesque figure dragged itself through the street — tall, bent, legs like splintered bone, its skin hanging in strips. The air around it shimmered, like heat waves from an oven.
It hissed — not with sound, but with pressure.
Kazuki stumbled back.
His body screamed. The runa on his chest pulsed.
Boom.
The world slowed.
He wasn't ready.
But the creature had already seen him.
Its head twisted — fully, impossibly — locking its eyes on his.
Green.
Burning.
It charged.
Kazuki raised his arm.
Too slow.
The thing leapt — and the moment it touched him—
The world turned black.
Fire exploded from his spine.
Kazuki's scream was lost in the roar. The mark on his chest lit up like a sun. Darkness poured down his right side, engulfing half his body in armor-like tendrils — twisting, tightening, hardening into a second skin.
His eye turned red.
His fingers became claws.
The impact threw the creature backward. It howled, legs snapping like twigs, acid spraying the street.
Kazuki didn't think.
He moved.
One breath — and he was in front of it.
One strike — and the beast's arm flew off.
The creature shrieked.
But Kazuki didn't stop.
He struck again. And again.
Each blow cracking bone, splashing gore, flattening flesh.
Then…
Silence.
The beast stopped moving.
Kazuki stood above it, chest heaving, the world spinning.
His right arm was drenched in black ichor. His claws trembled.
And slowly…
The darkness began to retreat.
The runa flickered.
His eye returned to normal.
The red glow faded.
He stumbled back — knees buckling — and collapsed beside the corpse.
"…what the hell…"
Kazuki's head snapped up.
Someone stood at the end of the alley.
A boy — tall, clean uniform, perfectly styled hair.
Kazuki recognized him.
Haruki.
Class president.
School prince.
And now—
A witness.
Their eyes met.
Haruki's face showed something Kazuki had never seen before.
Not arrogance.
Not amusement.
Not admiration.
Fear.
The hallway buzzed with morning energy.
Locker doors slammed. Sneakers squeaked on polished floors. Voices overlapped in waves of gossip and complaints about homework. It was a normal school day — on the surface.
Kazuki walked with his hands in his pockets, head slightly lowered.
But everything had changed.
Each step felt heavier.
Each glance — suspicious.
Or maybe… that was just in his head.
He turned the corner and nearly collided with two girls from Class 2-B. They both gasped, then giggled nervously.
"Oh—sorry, Kazuki! " said one, brushing imaginary dust off his shoulder. Her fingers lingered.
The other tilted her head. "Rough night? "
Kazuki offered a faint smile and stepped past them without answering.
He felt their eyes stay on his back.
Then—
"Yo. "
Kazuki froze.
Haruki stood in front of him, leaning casually against the lockers. Arms folded. Grin tight.
But his eyes… weren't smiling.
Kazuki gave a quick nod. "Morning. "
Haruki tilted his head.
"Saw you walking home late last night. You good? "
Kazuki paused. "Yeah. Just… needed air. "
Haruki's gaze lingered.
Then he chuckled.
"Well, whatever you're doing, keep at it. Girls are definitely noticing. "
He stepped aside with a wink.
Kazuki moved on.
But the grin Haruki wore vanished the moment he turned his head. The school prince was watching. Studying.
And remembering.
In class, Kazuki sat by the window — the safest place to look out and pretend to be lost in thought. Except this time, he wasn't pretending.
The memory of the creature's scream still rang in his ears.
The feel of his claws. The look on Haruki's face.
A desk creaked beside him.
He glanced over.
Aoi.
She smiled gently, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Her eyes searched his — carefully, as if trying not to startle him.
"Hey, " she said softly. "You okay? "
Kazuki nodded too quickly. "Yeah. Just tired. "
She tilted her head. "You've… changed. "
"What do you mean? "
"I don't know. You feel… quieter. Like your silence is different now. "
He blinked.
Then she smiled again, softer this time. "But I like it. "
Lunchtime brought a new challenge.
As Kazuki carried his tray across the cafeteria, someone intercepted him.
A tall girl with sharp eyeliner and perfectly styled hair.
Reina.
The school's most notorious flirt.
She blocked his path, leaning in close.
"Wow, dark circles, " she purred. "Did you do something naughty last night, Kazuki? "
He raised a brow. "Not exactly. "
"Pity, " she whispered. "I had a dream about you. "
Her fingers grazed his arm — not subtle.
From the corner of his eye, Kazuki saw Aoi stiffen at her table.
Two other girls whispered.
One of the boys narrowed his eyes.
The air thickened.
Reina leaned in again.
"But if you ever want to make dreams real…"
Kazuki stepped around her.
Calmly. Quietly.
"No thanks. "
Reina blinked — caught off guard.
Then smiled.
The kind of smile that meant: this isn't over.
After school, Kazuki sat alone by the vending machines outside.
The sun dipped low. Shadows stretched.
He pressed his back against the wall and exhaled.
Everything was changing.
Not just his body.
Not just his power.
People.
Their looks.
Their voices.
Their questions.
He touched his chest — over the mark.
And he knew: the next time a creature came…
Someone else might be watching.
It started with a scream.
Not far from the school — just past the rear gardens, near the old train overpass.
Kazuki heard it even through the concrete walls. His pen stopped mid-stroke.
A second scream followed. Shorter. Muffled.
Then—
Silence.
His body moved before his mind did.
He was out of his seat, eyes flicking toward the window, then toward the hallway. The teacher shouted something, but it didn't matter. He was already gone.
The alley near the overpass was quiet.
Too quiet.
Kazuki turned the corner and stopped.
A creature crouched above a collapsed man, its form like a shadow peeled from reality. Thin, tall, jointed backward — eyes like dead moons.
It turned.
Snarled.
Kazuki didn't hesitate.
The runa pulsed beneath his shirt.
Darkness erupted from his right side like water bursting through a cracked dam. In one blink, his arm was covered in blackened armor, claws stretching from his fingers. His eye burned crimson.
The beast shrieked.
And leapt.
Kazuki met it mid-air.
Claws clashed. Sparks flew.
Blood sprayed the walls.
A single movement — a twist — a crushing grip — and the creature's body slammed into the ground with a shattering crunch.
It didn't move again.
Kazuki stood over it, chest heaving, the fire retreating slowly into his skin.
And then—
He heard her.
"…Kazuki…? "
His heart stopped.
Slowly, he turned.
Aoi.
She stood at the end of the alley, her schoolbag fallen, eyes wide.
She had seen everything.
The darkness.
The transformation.
The violence.
Her mouth trembled. But she didn't scream. Didn't run.
She took one step closer.
Then another.
Her voice shook. "Was that… you? "
Kazuki couldn't answer.
He took a step back.
"No, " he whispered. "You shouldn't have seen that. "
Aoi reached out a hand.
"I'm not afraid. "
He froze.
Her eyes — full of fear, yes — but also something else.
Understanding.
Kazuki turned fully toward her, the last of the darkness fading from his skin.
"I'm not normal, " he said. "This… isn't normal. "
She gave a tiny smile.
"Neither is the world anymore. "
They sat on the rooftop of the abandoned factory behind the train line.
The wind was cool. The sky was fading into twilight.
Kazuki sat with his back against a rusted vent, one leg pulled up, the other stretched out. His uniform was stained from earlier. His knuckles were bruised.
Aoi sat beside him.
Not close.
But not far.
Silence stretched between them, not awkward — heavy.
She finally broke it.
"How long have you known? "
Kazuki didn't look at her. "Since the night I touched it. The runa. "
She hesitated. "And the monsters? "
"They came after. Or maybe… they were always there. I just couldn't see them before. "
She looked down at her hands. "You fought it like it was nothing. "
He shook his head. "It wasn't nothing. "
A long pause.
Then—
"Are you afraid of yourself? "
Kazuki turned to her. Slowly.
His voice was quiet. Honest.
"Yes. "
Aoi looked at him, her expression unreadable. "I'm not. "
He blinked.
"I saw what you became, " she said. "And I saw what you did. You didn't lose control. You saved someone. "
Kazuki looked away. "That's what scares me the most. That it felt… right. That when I struck that thing, I didn't feel guilt. I felt—"
He stopped.
Aoi finished for him.
"Power? "
He nodded.
She leaned forward slightly. "Maybe you were meant to have it. "
Kazuki exhaled. "No one's meant to carry something like this. "
Her voice softened. "You don't have to carry it alone. "
His heart twisted.
He had spent years alone. Always keeping distance. Always watching life happen from the outside.
And now — this girl, who had always felt just beyond his reach — was sitting next to him, offering something real.
"I don't want you to get hurt, " he said.
She smiled gently. "Too late for that. I already care. "
The words hit like thunder in his chest.
He looked at her.
Really looked.
Aoi — in the fading light — wasn't just beautiful. She was present. She saw him, truly saw him, in a way no one ever had.
And she didn't flinch.
Kazuki whispered, "You don't know what I am. "
Aoi leaned closer. "Then show me. Let me decide. "
Far above, hidden in the shadows of a nearby rooftop, Asera crouched with her arms crossed. Her golden eyes narrowed.
"So… the girl has spirit. "
She smiled — but it didn't reach her eyes.
"This will make things… interesting. "
It started with a low hum.
Aoi froze mid-sentence.
Kazuki's eyes snapped upward — toward the sky.
The sound grew louder. Not a siren. Not a machine.
A vibration. A pull.
And then — a shadow.
Descending fast.
Slamming into the earth just past the train line.
Boom.
The shockwave cracked nearby windows.
Birds erupted from trees.
And silence fell.
Kazuki grabbed Aoi's wrist. "Run. "
But she didn't move.
He looked at her. "Now. "
Her eyes locked with his — wide, uncertain, but still steady.
"I'm not leaving you. "
Kazuki clenched his jaw.
Then — he turned, body already shifting.
Darkness crawled up his arm. His shoulder. Across his back.
His eye burned red.
He stepped forward — shielding her.
The thing that crawled from the crater wasn't like the others.
It stood tall — easily three meters. Its body was layered in bone-like plates, black as pitch. No eyes. Only a glowing red slit across its face.
It moved slowly.
Deliberately.
Watching.
Assessing.
Kazuki tensed.
This wasn't a wild beast.
It was… sentient.
And it spoke.
A sound like grinding stone echoed from within its core.
"Runa-bearer…"
Kazuki's blood ran cold.
It knew.
He didn't wait.
He charged.
Faster than before.
Claws out. Darkness surging.
He slashed — and the creature caught his arm.
Effortlessly.
Kazuki's eyes widened.
The thing lifted him and threw him like a doll.
Kazuki smashed through a wall and hit the ground, coughing blood.
"KAZUKI! "
Aoi ran toward him — but the creature moved between them.
Kazuki pushed himself up. Limbs shaking.
The darkness surged.
More now.
Across his chest. His ribs. Up his neck.
His body craved release.
His voice growled. "You won't touch her. "
The creature turned. Its voice — colder now.
"She is irrelevant. You are not. "
It lunged.
Kazuki met it mid-air.
Claws clashed with bone.
A burst of energy shook the ground.
Aoi shielded her face as the two forces collided.
Kazuki's scream echoed — half-human, half-something else.
The fight raged.
Kazuki moved like shadow. Like fire. Like vengeance itself.
The creature adapted. Grew faster. Its limbs split, forming jagged blades.
Kazuki bled.
But didn't stop.
His final blow came with a scream of fury — a surge of power bursting from his chest, blasting the creature back into the crater it came from.
The silence after was thick.
Kazuki dropped to one knee.
Breathing hard.
Aoi ran to him.
She dropped beside him, arms around his shoulders.
He didn't push her away.
Instead — he leaned into her.
For a moment — just one — he allowed himself to need someone.
To not be alone.
Far above, Asera stood on the rooftop.
Her eyes narrowed.
"That wasn't a beast, " she muttered. "That was a messenger. "
She reached for the hilt at her back.
"It's begun. "