Night should have been gentle in Nerulia Haven.
Warm lantern-glow. Soft laughter from taverns. Children whispering ghost stories under glowing spirit trees. The hum of magic flowing through the city's new runic network.
But tonight…
The wind carried silence instead.
A cold, sharp quiet that slid along skin like a knife-edge. Even spirit birds tucked their heads under wings, refusing to chirp.
Yuto stood at the edge of the city, cloak motionless despite the breeze. The moonlight caught in his silver-tinged eyes.
He didn't blink.
Couldn't.
There was something out there.
Watching.
Breathing.
Waiting.
Elira stepped beside him, quiet as snow. Her aura shimmered faintly ... moon-blessed, graceful.
"You feel it too."
"Yes."
She hugged her arms, shivering despite her spirit-born resilience. "It's… hungry."
Yuto nodded once. It wasn't fear tightening his chest, it was recognition.
The scent on the wind was one he had felt only once before. Back when he was still raw, new to this second life. Back when corruption chased him through a ruined forest.
A predator.
No , a monster that loved the hunt.
[Bloodlust pattern recognized. Threat level: catastrophic. Estimated survival rate if taken lightly: 3%.]
"Advisor," Yuto muttered, "really not the moment."
[Then do not provoke catastrophic death flags.]
"…Noted."
Elira glanced sideways. "Talking to your system again?"
"Yes."
"Tell him to be nicer."
[Negative. Kindness is an inefficient training method]
Elira's eyebrow twitched.
"…I see why you argue with him."
Yuto smirked, just slightly.
"It's a full-time job."
The humor faded as quickly as it came.
Out in the darkness, a twig snapped.
A long, dragging exhale rolled across the trees.
A whisper, dripping hunger:
"…Spirit…"
Elira stiffened. "Yuto, that voice..."
"I know."
He stepped forward .. instinctive, protective. and she reached out, fingers brushing his cloak.
"Don't go alone."
He paused.
"…I wasn't going to."
[Correction: you were absolutely going to.]
"Advisor I swear...."
A howl tore through the night.
It was not wolf.
It was not beast.
It was a curse given sound , ripping through sky and soul, shaking lanterns, cracking branches, rattling windows.
Children woke screaming.
Guards bolted upright.
Mana in the air trembled, unstable.
Elira clutched her chest, breath shaking.
"Th-that… wasn't ordinary…"
Yuto's hand tightened around the hilt of his spirit-forged blade.
"No. It wasn't."
---
Footsteps approached, sharp, steady.
Seraphina, armor half-equipped, hair loose, eyes blazing righteous light. Behind her, Zarek with his massive hammer and dagger slung over his shoulder, and Mimi, ears flattened, tail puffed, clutching her staff like a lifeline.
"We heard it," Seraphina said breathlessly. "The whole city did."
Zarek cracked his knuckles. "Point me at whatever made that noise."
Mimi swallowed, pale. "Uh… what if it points itself at us first?"
[Statistically likely.]
"HEY system shut up you're scaring me....!"
She yelled...
Yuto lifted a hand .. and they all quieted.
"Tonight isn't a normal threat. Stay alert. Protect civilians. No one wanders alone. If anyone senses corruption, report immediately."
Seraphina nodded, but her gaze lingered on him.
"You're going out there, aren't you?"
"…Soon."
"Don't fight it alone," she urged softly. "We're not your soldiers. We're your friends."
Elira looked at the ground ... then at Yuto ..then gently stepped closer so her shoulder brushed his.
"I will fight beside you."
He didn't move away.
"Not yet," Yuto murmured. "It's testing us. Watching. I won't play its game."
[Strategic decision: correct. Emotional decision: questionable.]
"Please just shut up."
[Denied.]
Mimi shivered. "W-Why do I feel like something is licking the back of my neck..."
Zarek pointed. "Because SOMETHING IS."
Mimi shrieked, spinning around ... only to find nothing behind her.
Fear laughter rippled through the guards. The kind that hides tension, not joy.
Yuto didn't laugh.
His fingers twitched , spirit energy flaring faintly.
A distant chuckle drifted from the woods.
Low.
Mocking.
Intelligent.
"…run… little lights…"
Elira paled. "It's talking again."
"Not talking," Yuto whispered, eyes narrowing.
"Taunting."
---
The city moved into emergency formation quietly, efficiently.
Spirit lanterns brightened into protective orbs.
Runes flared along the walls.
Archers climbed parapets.
Mages linked mana threads like glowing spiderwebs.
Yuto watched.
Proud.
Worried.
Ready to kill.
He felt a tug at his sleeve.
Mimi stood there, eyes still trembling, but chin lifted.
"Boss… if it comes for us… promise you won't try to deal with it alone."
Yuto hesitated.
Elira spoke for him, voice soft and firm.
"He won't. Because if he does, I'll drag him back myself."
Mimi nodded fiercely. "AND I'LL BITE HIS LEG."
Zarek boomed, "AND I'LL THROW HIM THROUGH A WALL TO SAVE HIM."
Seraphina placed a hand over her heart. "And I will shield him, no matter the cost."
Yuto blinked .. startled by the devotion slamming him at once.
"…I appreciate the enthusiasm. But please don't throw me."
"No promises," Zarek grinned.
[New title suggestion: 'Projectile Lord.]
"No."
A ripple of laughter soft, but real eased the fear for a heartbeat.
Then…
The forest went silent again.
A silence too deep.
Too deliberate.
And then ...
A massive shadow flashed between trees.
Fast.
Wrong.
Predatory grace sharper than blades.
Elira's breath hitched.
"It's here."
Yuto's aura ignited .. gentle blue erupting into crackling silver flame.
"Let it come."
The wind answered with the faint scent of iron.
Blood.
---
The Whisper of the Hunt
As the moon reached its peak, a whisper slid along the wall stones like poison smoke.
"…spirit core…"
"…taste…"
"…mine…"
Yuto's eyes turned cold as starlight in winter.
"Stay behind me," he said , not a suggestion, but a vow.
Seraphina lifted her staff. "We stand with you."
"No," Yuto whispered, spirit aura shivering like silver frost.
"You stand because I protect you."
Elira reached for him, then stopped just short, hand hovering by his.
"I believe in you," she whispered.
A rare softness flickered in his gaze.
"And I in all of you."
Then everything froze.
Leaves stopped moving.
Air stopped breathing.
The moon felt suddenly too sharp.
And in the shadows just beyond the treeline…
two monstrous eyes opened.
Glowing.
Yellow.
Starving.
The voice came again, clearer now.
Smiling.
Hungry.
"Found you."
---