PART 1: SURVIVAL
Ren's body screamed at him to run.
But his legs wouldn't move.
The creature tilted its head, studying him like a cat watching a trapped mouse. Blood dripped from its chin onto the pavement—drip, drip, drip.
"You smell... different," it said, taking a step forward. Its movements were wrong. Too fluid. Joints bending at angles that shouldn't be possible.
Ren's fists came up instinctively. Fighting stance. Three years of training.
The creature laughed—a sound like breaking glass.
"Oh, you're a fighter?" It grinned wider. "Good. I prefer it when they struggle."
It lunged.
Fast. Too fast.
Ren barely threw himself sideways. Claws raked across his shoulder, tearing through his jacket. Pain exploded down his arm.
He hit the ground, rolled, scrambled to his feet.
Move. Think. Do something.
The creature was already on him again.
Ren threw a jab—textbook form, perfect extension—and his fist connected with its jaw.
The impact rattled up his arm. The thing's head snapped to the side.
For a moment, Ren thought—
It turned back to him, completely unfazed. Not even a mark.
"My turn."
Its backhand sent Ren crashing into the alley wall. Ribs screaming. Vision swimming.
I'm going to die.
I'm actually going to die here.
PART 2: THE ARRIVAL
A sharp crack split the air.
The creature stumbled forward, a red line blooming across its back.
Ren looked up.
Akari stood at the alley entrance, breathing hard, blood on her knuckles.
"Get up," she said, not taking her eyes off the creature.
"Akari—what are you—"
"I said get up."
Ren forced himself to stand, legs shaking.
The creature turned to face her, tilting its head. "Another one? This is my lucky night."
"Ren," Akari said quietly. "When I move, you run."
"What? No, I'm not—"
"Run."
The creature lunged at her.
But Akari didn't run.
She moved through the attack—slipped inside its guard, drove her elbow into its ribs with a sickening crack. The thing actually staggered.
"How—" it hissed.
Akari didn't answer. She was already moving again. Low kick to the knee. Palm strike to the throat. Every hit precise. Brutal. Effective.
But the creature was fast too. It caught her wrist mid-strike, twisted, threw her into the wall.
She hit hard. Gasped.
No.
Ren's body moved before his brain caught up.
He grabbed a metal pipe from the ground, swung it with everything he had.
The pipe connected with the creature's skull with a hollow clang.
It barely flinched.
"Really?" The creature turned to him, annoyed now. "You're starting to piss me off."
It grabbed Ren by the throat, lifted him off the ground.
Ren clawed at its hand. Couldn't breathe. Vision darkening.
"Stop squirming. You'll just—"
Akari's kick hit the creature's temple so hard it actually cracked.
The thing dropped Ren, stumbled back, clutching its head.
"What the hell are you?" it snarled.
Akari stood between Ren and the creature, chest heaving.
Something was different.
Her eyes—they looked sharper. More focused. Almost... predatory.
"Ren," she said, voice low. "Close your eyes."
"What—"
"Close them."
PART 3: THE FLASH
Ren shut his eyes.
He heard movement. Fast. Impossibly fast.
A wet thud. A choked gasp.
Silence.
"Okay," Akari said quietly. "You can look now."
Ren opened his eyes.
The creature was on the ground, neck twisted at an unnatural angle. Dead.
Akari stood over it, blood on her hands, breathing hard.
"Are you okay?" she asked, not looking at him.
Ren stared at the body. "What... what was that thing?"
"I don't know." Her voice was flat. Empty. "But it's not the first one I've seen."
"What?"
"Come on." She turned, started walking toward the alley exit. "We need to get out of here before more show up."
"More? Akari, what the hell is going on?"
She stopped. Her shoulders were tense.
"I'll explain everything," she said quietly. "But not here."
PART 4: ASHURA – LATE NIGHT
Master Kuroda sat in his office, arms crossed, staring at the two blood-covered teenagers in front of him.
Ren's shoulder was bandaged. Akari had a nasty bruise forming on her ribs.
"So," Kuroda said slowly. "You killed one."
"It was going to kill us," Akari said.
"I know." Kuroda leaned back. "I'm not angry. Just... surprised it took this long."
Ren's head snapped up. "Wait. You knew about those things?"
Kuroda's expression was unreadable. "Ren. What do you think I've been training you for?"
The room went silent.
"Those creatures," Kuroda continued, "are called Malis. They've been around for a long time. Hiding. Hunting. Most people never see them. The ones who do..." He gestured vaguely. "Usually don't live to talk about it."
"Then why—"
"Why train you?" Kuroda's gaze was steady. "Because someone has to fight them. And fighters—real fighters—are the only ones who stand a chance."
Ren's mind was spinning. "This is insane."
"It is." Kuroda stood, walked to the window. "But it's reality. And now that you've seen one, you're involved whether you like it or not."
"How long have you known?" Ren asked.
"Long enough." Kuroda glanced at Akari. "Tell him."
Akari's jaw tightened. "Master—"
"He deserves to know."
She was quiet for a long moment. Then:
"I've seen them before. Malis. Three times in the past year."
Ren stared at her. "And you didn't tell me?"
"I didn't want to drag you into this." Her voice was barely a whisper. "I thought if I just... handled it quietly, you'd be safe."
"Safe?" Ren's hands clenched. "Akari, I almost died tonight."
"I know." She finally looked at him. "I'm sorry."
Kuroda cleared his throat. "The good news is, you survived. Both of you. That means you have potential."
"Potential for what?"
"To fight back." Kuroda's expression hardened. "Ren, what you felt tonight—when you were about to die. That moment when your body moved on pure instinct. Did you notice anything... different?"
Ren frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Think. Right before Akari showed up. When the Malis had you cornered."
Ren closed his eyes, replaying the moment.
The punch. The one he threw that actually connected.
For a split second, his fist had felt... heavier. Stronger. Like something inside him had—
"I don't know," Ren said. "Maybe adrenaline?"
Kuroda shook his head. "No. That was something else. Something you'll need to learn to control if you want to survive what's coming."
"What is coming?"
Kuroda walked to a small TV in the corner of the office, turned it on.
The news was playing.
"—third body found this week in the shopping district. Police are urging residents to stay indoors after dark—"
Another channel.
"—eyewitness reports describe the attacker as 'inhuman'—"
Another.
"—authorities have no leads—"
Kuroda turned it off.
"They're getting bolder," he said quietly. "More attacks. More bodies. It's only a matter of time before this becomes a full-scale crisis."
Ren felt cold. "How many are there?"
"We don't know." Kuroda's voice was grim. "But enough."
PART 5: THE QUESTION
Later, after Kuroda left to lock up, Ren and Akari sat in the empty gym.
"You didn't have to save me," Ren said.
"Yes, I did."
"Why?"
Akari was quiet for a moment. Then: "Because you're the first person at this gym who didn't treat me like I was fragile. Or special. You just... trained. Pushed yourself. Got stronger."
She looked at him.
"I respect that."
Ren didn't know what to say.
"Besides," she added, a faint smirk tugging at her lips. "If you died, who would I spar with?"
Despite everything, Ren smiled.
Then his expression darkened. "Akari... when you fought that thing. You were faster than usual. Stronger. How?"
Her smirk faded.
"I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"I mean exactly that." She stood, started wrapping her hands. "Sometimes, when I fight... I feel something. Like there's more inside me. And if I push hard enough, it comes out."
"Does Kuroda know?"
"Probably." She didn't look at him. "He's been watching me differently since I was a kid."
"What do you think it is?"
Akari didn't answer.
PART 6: THE WARNING
Ren walked home that night in a daze.
Malis. Monsters. A war happening in the shadows.
And somehow, he was part of it now.
His phone buzzed. A message from Kuroda:
"Tomorrow. 6 AM. Both of you. Training starts for real."
Ren stared at the message.
Then he looked at his bruised knuckles. The bandage on his shoulder. The way his whole body ached.
Three years ago, he'd walked into that gym because he was tired of being weak.
Now?
Now he didn't have a choice.
If I don't get stronger, I'm dead.
He pocketed his phone and kept walking.
Behind him, in the shadows between streetlights, something moved.
Watching.
Waiting.
[END CHAPTER 2]