EPISODE 2 — The Echo in the Dark
Riku didn't sleep that night.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw it—
the black fog, the ancient murmuring,
the towering silhouette with shifting eyes…
And the voice.
Always the voice.
> "Wake, vessel. Wake and listen."
He jolted upright in his bed, drenched in sweat. His room was silent except for the wind pushing lightly on the window. His alarm clock blinked 4:12 AM. Too early. Too dark. Too quiet.
He hugged his knees, trying to calm his trembling fingers.
"W–What are you?" he whispered into the dimness.
The voice answered from nowhere and everywhere, low and echoing like a temple drum struck in a cave.
> "I am Osoramaru… the sealed fear of mankind. And you, boy… are my key."
Riku flinched so violently that he almost rolled off the bed.
"This isn't real. This isn't real…"
But then his chest burned—right where the kanji sigil had appeared during the ritual. A faint glow, like embers beneath skin.
He covered it with his hand, heartbeat hammering.
The god hummed inside him, amused.
> "Fear feeds me, boy. Do not hide it."
---
✦ Morning Misery
By the time Riku reached school, he looked like a ghost pretending to be a student. Half-asleep, pale, jittery.
Students stared. Some snickered. Some whispered.
Aya Kurogane stood by the school gate, watching him from the corner of her eye. She pretended not to care, but her fingers tightened around her bag strap.
The sigil was real, she thought.
Riku is involved in something dangerous… and I need to know what.
She followed him inside.
---
✦ Strange Sightings
Second period was History, but Riku couldn't focus on anything except the strange changes happening around him.
Shadows were… darker.
He could see tiny movements in the corners of rooms—like faint silhouettes trying to form into shapes but melting again.
And every time someone near him felt scared—like when a teacher slammed a textbook or a girl screamed at a spider—Riku felt a pull, like their fear was a warm breeze brushing against his skin.
It terrified him more than anything.
But the worst was lunchtime.
---
✦ The Hallway Incident
Riku tried to escape to the far side of the building where nobody hung out. But Daichi Ren, the cocky boy from Episode 1, saw him walking alone and smirked.
"One-second rule, nerd," Daichi said, blocking Riku's way. "Your little friends aren't here. Try walking through me."
Riku swallowed. His palms trembled.
He wanted to avoid conflict, but the god inside him stirred.
> "This insect dares to stand above you… allow me."
"No," Riku thought desperately. "Stay quiet."
Daichi shoved him.
Riku stumbled — but before he hit the wall, something impossible happened.
Daichi suddenly froze, eyes wide in horror.
His breath came out sharp, his face draining of color as he stared at Riku like he was witnessing a monster.
"Wh— What… are you…?"
Riku blinked in confusion. He hadn't done anything.
But Osoramaru chuckled.
> "I showed him his truest fear. A taste only. Consider it… self-defense."
Daichi collapsed to his knees, shaking uncontrollably.
Students rushed over, shouting:
"What happened?"
"Is he having a panic attack?"
"Why is he staring at Ayanagi like that!?"
Riku backed away slowly, horrified.
Aya watched from the end of the hall, eyes narrowing.
So it's true… he's awakened something.
---
✦ Nightfall — The First Hunter Appears
After school, Riku wandered the city trying to clear his head. But he kept hearing whispers—
shadows that flickered in alleys,
echoes behind him even when no one was there.
And then he felt it:
A presence following him.
He turned a corner and stood face-to-face with a man in a dark jacket, a red rope talisman wrapped around his arm, glowing faintly.
His eyes were sharp—hunter's eyes.
"I've been tracking the resurgence of the seal," the man said. "And now I see it clearly… you're the vessel."
Riku stepped back.
"W–Who are you…?"
The man drew a curved dagger with sacred markings.
"I am Hibiki Kaoru, of the Kansen-Juu Order."
He pointed the blade at Riku.
"And I'm here to eliminate the god inside you."
Riku's heart exploded with fear.
And Osoramaru awakened fully.
> "Finally… prey."
The sigil on Riku's chest ignited, burning through his shirt like black fire.
Shadows rose like smoke around him.
Riku screamed—
but his voice overlapped with the god's ancient growl.
Hibiki's eyes widened. "So this is… the God of Fear…"
The two forces clashed—hunter against awakening deity, divine terror against sacred steel.
And in the middle of it all…
Riku struggled to breathe.
Struggled to think.
Struggled to stay himself.
---
✦ Episode 2 End Scene
Riku collapsed to his knees as Hibiki aimed the blade at his heart.
Osoramaru hissed:
> "You are mine. Without me, you would be nothing. Let me fight."
But then—
A paper charm sliced through the air and slapped onto Hibiki's arm, shocking him backward.
Aya appeared at the end of the alley, panting, a second talisman glowing between her fingers.
"Don't touch him," she shouted.
Hibiki scowled.
"Kurogane… so you interfered."
Aya stepped between Riku and the hunter.
"He's not your target. Not tonight."
Hibiki lowered his blade reluctantly.
"This changes nothing. The organizations have sensed the seal weakening. More gods will awaken soon… and your boy there—"
he pointed at Riku trembling on the ground
"—will be the center of all chaos."
He vanished into the shadows.
Riku clung to the wall, terrified and shaking.
Aya knelt beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Riku… what happened to you?"
He looked up at her, eyes glowing faintly with Osoramaru's lingering influence.
"I… I don't know anymore."
Fade out.