The morning sunlight poured over Solaris City like warm honey, slipping between the mirrored towers and glinting across every window. It was the kind of morning that practically commanded people to feel optimistic.
Rai Kuroda felt nothing of the sort.
He yawned loudly as he sat on the railing of his apartment balcony, legs dangling over the three-story drop. A crow perched on the telephone pole nearby.
"…I'm not in the mood today," Rai muttered.
He flicked a pebble at the crow. It hopped out of the way and squawked indignantly.
Footsteps approached behind him.
"You're always in a bad mood," Haru said with a sigh.
Rai didn't bother turning around. "That's because someone wakes me up at six every morning."
Haru Kuroda, older by five years, laughed and ruffled Rai's already messy hair. "If I let you sleep, you'll skip school again, won't you?"
"I don't skip," Rai grumbled. "I just… don't attend consistently."
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Solaris City was unusually lively that day. Vendors opened their kiosks, street signs lit up, commuters rushed through the crosswalks. Children ran down the sidewalks holding pastries.
Rai never cared about any of that. His mind drifted as he walked beside Haru.
Another boring day. Another boring sunrise. Same old routine…
But then—
The sunlight dimmed.
Not gradually.
Not passing behind a cloud.
It simply flickered, like a dying lightbulb.
Rai stopped mid-step. "What… was that?"
Haru froze completely. His eyes widened in a way Rai had never seen before.
"That's impossible," Haru whispered. "It's thirty years too early."
Before Rai could ask what he meant, the sky shook.
A deep, resonant BOOM rolled across the city, loud enough to rattle windows and send birds screaming into flight.
Then everything went dark.
————————————————————
A pitch-black disc swallowed the sun, spreading uneven veins of darkness like cracks in shattered glass. The world dimmed instantly—colors washed out, shadows stretched unnaturally long.
People screamed.
Cars swerved.
Some citizens dropped to their knees, praying.
Others simply froze, unable to process what they were witnessing.
Rai felt a chill seep into his bones.
"Haru… what is this?"
Haru didn't answer. His jaw tightened. His fists clenched.
Then the shadows began to rise.
————————————————————
The silhouettes on the ground, shadows that belonged to nothing, peeled themselves free and crawled upward. Their bodies writhed violently, forming shaking, humanoid shapes. Their mouths opened like ripples in ink.
A chorus of distorted whispers overlapped:
SU//er
Rai stumbled back. His breath caught in his throat.
"What the hell are those?!"
Haru grabbed his wrist. "Run."
"What—why? What's happening?!"
Haru didn't answer. His voice dropped to a tone Rai had only heard once before, the night their parents died.
"Rai. Run. NOW."
————————————————————
The creatures rushed them in a frenzy. Haru stepped in front of Rai, raising an arm—
And his hand glowed.
Pure golden light burst from his palm, forming a solid blade of radiance. Rai stared in shock.
"H-Haru? What… what is that?!"
Haru exhaled slowly. "A secret. One I hoped you'd never have to see."
With a single step forward, Haru slashed at the nearest Umbra. The light blade cut through the shadow-creature effortlessly, splitting it apart like smoke.
Rai stood frozen, watching his brother, gentle, quiet, harmless Haru, fight like a trained soldier.
But there were too many.
And Haru was only one man.
————————————————————
One Umbra lunged toward Rai.
He didn't even have time to scream.
"HOLD ON!" Haru roared, sprinting between them.
Light flashed—
A shadow shrieked—
But in the same moment, another Umbra attacked from behind.
Its claw tore into Haru's side.
Blood splattered across the pavement.
Rai's eyes went wide.
"HARU!"
Haru crumpled to his knees, then fell against Rai's chest. His blood was warm, too warm.
"Stay with me, Haru, stay with me!"
Haru coughed, smiling faintly through the pain. "Rai… listen carefully…"
"No! Save your strength!"
"They are after you," Haru whispered. His fingers trembled as he gripped Rai's shirt. "You are our light…"
"Haru—stop, please—!"
Haru exhaled.
And didn't inhale again.
————————————————————
An Umbra lunged at Rai from behind.
The world blurred.
Something inside Rai snapped.
A blinding force erupted from his body—golden cracks of light tearing across his skin like glowing scars. His vision sharpened unnaturally. His pulse roared in his ears.
His eyes reflected the Eclipse, a golden ring glowing within blackness.
"Get… away from me."
Rai swung his arm—
And reality split.
A jagged tear of sunlight ripped through the air, slicing the Umbra in half.
But at the same time, a black ripple spread beneath his skin. For a moment, his body looked like molten obsidian—dark cracks pulsing with unstable light.
A whisper echoed in his mind.
"…embrace the dark…"
Rai gasped, collapsing to his knees as the corruption faded.
————————————————————
Boots slammed onto the pavement. Three figures appeared, sleek uniforms lined with mirror shards that glimmered even in darkness.
The one in front, tall and broad-shouldered, stared at Rai with disbelief.
"…A Solar Rift?" he muttered. "At his age?"
The girl beside him, silver-haired, eyes calm, knelt next to Rai.
"He's losing consciousness. His Lumina is unstable."
"Grab him," the tall man ordered. "We can't leave him here."
Rai tried to speak, but the world spun.
His vision blurred into streaks of black and gold.
He reached out blindly toward Haru's fallen figure—
"Haru… don't go…"
Then everything went dark.