The world was trembling — not around Riku, but inside him. Every breath felt like it scraped against glass. Every heartbeat sent sparks of blue light crawling under his skin.
He fell to one knee on the cracked asphalt, the air around him rippling like heat haze.
"Riku!" Lira's voice cut through the static. Her phantom form flickered beside him, her long silver hair lifting as if in a storm. "Stop channeling! Your soul's overloading—"
"I can handle it," Riku gritted out, forcing his body upright. "It's just resonance backlash."
But it wasn't just backlash. The power that had flared awake during his fight with the gang captain still clawed inside him — wild, hungry, unchained. He'd bonded with Lira, but not fully. Their connection was unstable. Every time their emotions spiked, the phantom bond devoured his life force like a starving flame.
Lira appeared fully beside him, translucent feet hovering above the ground. Her golden eyes glowed with both anger and fear. "You're lying to me."
Riku looked up at her. "Wouldn't be the first time someone called me out."
Her glare softened for half a second, then turned cold again. "You humans never learn. The more you crave power, the faster it eats you alive."
He coughed, crimson light escaping his lips like mist. The ground shimmered with fragments of phantom energy, forming faint circles — ghostly basketball courts, overlapping like echoes of forgotten matches.
The air thickened. A presence approached.
From the shadowed alley ahead, three figures stepped out — each wearing Soul Bracelets etched with crimson glyphs. Their spirits shimmered faintly behind them: a skeletal wolf, a giant hand made of stone, and a faceless dancer made of threads.
"Looks like the rumors were true," one said, smirking. "The Phantom Queen has a new master."
Riku steadied himself. "You picked a bad night."
Lira's gaze sharpened. "Soul Hunters," she whispered. "They track forbidden spirits like me. They'll try to rip me from you."
The leader cracked his knuckles, and the ground beneath him glowed with red sigils. "We don't try, Queenie. We succeed."
In an instant, the alley exploded into chaos. The wolf spirit lunged, leaving streaks of black mist. Riku twisted aside, his footwork instinctive, his old streetball rhythm returning — not as sport, but as survival. The ball in his hand wasn't real; it was conjured from his own soul energy, a manifestation of his drive.
He spun past the attack, letting the phantom ball's motion anchor his balance. The wolf crashed into a wall, the impact scattering spectral shards.
"Lira!" he shouted.
Already there — her shadow spread beneath him, crawling up his arm like liquid ink. Her voice echoed through his mind. Resonance Level: 42%. Want to risk more?
"Do it."
"Then don't blame me later, fool."
The world ignited.
Dark flame-like aura erupted from Riku's body, forming spectral wings that pulsed with violet light. His eyes turned gold — not human, not spirit. When he moved, time itself seemed to hesitate.
The next moment, he was behind the first Hunter. A single phantom dribble cracked the air, shattering the man's spirit barrier. The impact sent him flying into the wall.
But it wasn't victory. The second Hunter's thread-dancer spirit lashed out, wrapping Riku's arm, draining his aura. Lira screamed in his mind. He's severing the Link!
Riku's vision blurred. His soul felt like it was splitting open.
No… not again.
Memories flooded back — the night his old team had died. Their screams, their spirits burning away in corrupted flame. His helplessness.
That pain lit the fuse inside him.
His eyes cleared, and he whispered, "Lira. Phantom Sync — now."
Her voice was sharp as glass. "You'll die if you push it that far."
"Then I'll die on the court."
The world flashed white.
For a heartbeat, human and spirit merged completely. The alley filled with spectral echoes — a thousand phantom balls spinning around them, forming a storm of light. Riku's body glowed with ethereal markings; Lira's shadow form overlapped him, her arms guiding his movements like a ghost coach.
They were one.
The threads snapped, the wolf disintegrated, the stone giant roared and shattered under a slam that cracked the earth.
The final Hunter fell to his knees, trembling as his bracelet fizzed out. "What… what are you…?"
Riku stood over him, eyes still burning gold. "A player who doesn't quit."
The man bolted, disappearing into the mist.
When silence returned, Riku dropped to his knees, gasping. The light around him flickered and died. His arm smoked where soul energy had burned through flesh.
Lira hovered beside him, her voice trembling. "Idiot. You nearly erased yourself."
He smirked weakly. "But we won."
She stared at him — then looked away, her translucent hand curling into a fist. "Next time, don't make me watch you die."
Rain began to fall, soft and cold, the drops passing through her like through mist. For the first time since she'd awakened, she looked… human.
"I don't understand you," she murmured. "Every player who ever tried to control me… they all begged for mercy before the end. But you…"
Riku closed his eyes. "Maybe I'm just too stubborn to be scared."
Lira's eyes glowed faintly, a whisper of a smile flickering on her lips. "Or maybe… you're the kind of fool worth following."
As he slumped against the wall, exhausted, she turned her gaze upward — past the rooftops, past the clouds. Somewhere beyond the storm, a faint pulse of divine energy shimmered.
Unseen eyes were watching.
Far away, within a cathedral of floating courts, a voice spoke — cold, divine, calculating.
"So the Phantom Queen awakens again… and she's chosen a mortal. How interesting."
The sound of a basketball bouncing echoed across the divine court — once, twice, thrice — before a hand caught it midair.
"Let's see how long he survives," the voice said, as the ball burst into light.
And below, Riku slept — unaware that his fight had just made him the target of gods.
To be continued....