Ren didn’t believe in fear.
At least, that’s what he liked to say.
That night, he was alone at home. His parents had gone out for dinner. He was lying on the couch, scrolling through his phone, when the Wi-Fi suddenly stopped.
“Seriously?”
He got up to reset the router.
That’s when he noticed something strange.
The house felt… quiet.
Not normal quiet.
Heavy quiet.
The refrigerator wasn’t humming.
The clock wasn’t ticking.
Even the sound of cars outside had faded.
Ren frowned.
“Okay… this is weird.”
He walked toward the hallway.
The lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then stabilized.
He turned around—
Someone was standing near the entrance.
Tall.
Still.
Human shape.
Red eyes glowing faintly in the dim light.
Ren’s breath hitched.
“You broke in?” he forced a smirk. “You know this is illegal, right?”
The man stepped forward.
“You live near him.”
“Near who?”
The lights went out.
Complete darkness.
A cold grip caught Ren by the collar.
Before he could scream—
The world shifted.
Wind hit his face.
Rain.
Concrete.
He was inside the unfinished building.
The same abandoned structure near their neighborhood.
The man stood before him.
Now clearly visible.
Long coat.
Calm face.
Dark presence.
A large scythe rested on his shoulder.
“You are not the target,” the man said.
“Then let me go!”
“You are leverage.”
The scythe lifted slowly.
Ren backed away, heart pounding—
CLANG.
A blade stopped the scythe mid-air.
Sparks scattered.
Akira stood between them.
White hair slightly damp from rain.
Eyes steady.
No fear.
No panic.
The Yami Kenshi tilted his head.
“…You survived.”
Akira’s voice was calm.
“You talk like we were supposed to disappear.”
The scythe swung wide.
Akira stepped inside its range smoothly and blocked.
Metal screeched.
The building trembled slightly.
“You hide well, Kurosawa,” the Yami Kenshi said.
Akira adjusted his grip.
“And you hunt poorly.”
The scythe struck again.
Harder.
Akira parried cleanly.
The blade slid across the scythe’s shaft.
Akira looked directly into his eyes.
“If this is what your kind calls a return…”
His sword pushed the scythe back sharply.
“…you should’ve stayed buried.”
Silence.
Then—
They moved at the same time.
The scythe carved through concrete.
Akira ducked and countered.
Precise.
Controlled.
No wasted motion.
Ren crawled behind broken debris, shaking.
The air felt thick.
Heavy.
In’en pressed against in’en.
Across the neighborhood—
Satoshi sat at his study table.
Books open.
Pen in hand.
But he hadn’t written anything in five minutes.
His chest felt tight.
Then—
He felt it.
A sudden surge.
Two strong in’ens colliding.
His head snapped up.
“That direction…”
He stood slowly.
One presence was dark.
Predatory.
The other—
Sharp.
Familiar.
His heart skipped.
“No… that can’t be.”
He didn’t think.
He ran.
He followed the direction instinctively.
Street after street.
Turn after turn.
Until—
He stopped.
Breathing hard.
He looked up.
The abandoned building stood in front of him.
His stomach dropped.
His dream.
The same building.
“I didn’t mean to come here…”
But his feet had already brought him.
Inside—
The fight continued.
The Yami Kenshi swung downward.
Akira blocked and slid back slightly.
“You protect him,” the Yami Kenshi observed.
Akira’s expression didn’t change.
“He’s irrelevant.”
“Yet you interfere.”
Akira’s eyes hardened slightly.
“You’re the one trespassing.”
The scythe glowed faintly with dark energy.
“Tonight is not conquest.”
The man’s gaze shifted toward the entrance.
“It is confirmation.”
Satoshi stepped inside.
Rain dripping behind him.
And froze.
Akira.
Fighting.
Ren hiding.
A scythe slicing through air.
“Wait—”
Akira glanced toward him for half a second.
Satoshi’s voice shook.
“Akira?!”
The Yami Kenshi slowly turned.
Red eyes locking onto Satoshi.
Interest flickered in them.
“So…”
His voice was calm.
“You finally felt it.”
The air grew heavier.
And Satoshi realized—
This wasn’t just about Ren.
This fight had been waiting for him.
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