EPISODE 3 — Shadows That Whisper
The night after the incident felt heavier than any Riku had ever lived through.
He lay on his bed staring at the ceiling, but sleep never came. Each time he blinked, he saw Hibiki's dagger coming at him… or Aya's sharp, terrified eyes when she shouted his name.
But above all, he heard him.
> "Do not resist me, boy. You will break before I do."
Riku grabbed his pillow and pressed it hard over his ears.
"Shut up… just shut up."
The voice only laughed.
---
✦ The Morning After
When Riku walked into school, everyone was staring.
Some out of curiosity.
Some out of worry.
Some out of fear.
Most whispers circled around Daichi Ren — who hadn't returned to school since the hallway incident.
"His mom said he kept screaming last night…"
"Like he saw something horrible."
"They said it started when he bumped into Ayanagi…"
Riku felt sick.
"Did I… do that to him…?"
Osoramaru answered softly in his mind:
> "Fear is a mirror. I simply showed him what already lived inside."
"That doesn't make it okay."
> "Morality is a human luxury."
Riku shut his eyes, pushing the voice away.
---
✦ Aya's Confrontation
Aya waited for him at his shoe locker.
She didn't smile. Didn't greet him. She just looked at him—really looked at him—like she was piecing together the person he used to be with the person he was becoming.
"Riku," she said quietly, "we need to talk. Somewhere private."
He nodded.
They walked to the back of the school near the old garden shed. Few students ever passed there.
Aya turned to him with serious eyes.
"First… are you okay?"
Riku swallowed. "I don't know."
She took a breath. "Riku… what's happening to you isn't normal. I saw the sigil glow. I felt something when Hibiki attacked you."
She lowered her voice.
"What exactly is inside you?"
Riku hesitated.
Then, as if sensing he was about to reveal their secret, the god whispered:
> "Tell her, vessel. Let her know what hunts her."
Riku's voice shook.
"It's… a god. The God of Fear. He's inside me."
Aya's eyes widened.
So it was true.
---
✦ Aya's Hidden Past
She sighed heavily and leaned against the shed.
"My family… we're part of a hunter lineage," she began. "Not the same organization as Hibiki's. We operate under The Silent Veil Order. We specialize in tracking emotional gods before they awaken."
Riku stared in shock.
"You're… a hunter?"
She nodded slightly. "A trainee. I wasn't supposed to tell you. But after what I saw last night… I don't think the old rules matter."
Riku's mind spun.
She continued.
"Riku… these gods are dangerous. When they awaken, they destroy families, cities… entire regions. They warp reality around their vessels. And the God of Fear—"
She paused, swallowing.
"He's one of the worst."
Riku's hands trembled. "So you're saying… I'm dangerous?"
"No," she said firmly.
"You're Riku. And I'll protect you. But the god inside you…"
Her eyes darkened.
"He must not fully awaken."
---
✦ Echoes of the Awakening
The wind suddenly shifted. Cold.
Riku felt a spike in his chest.
A faint whisper echoed through the schoolyard:
> "I k a r i…"
Osoramaru's voice trembled — not with pride, but recognition.
> "Rage is awakening…"
Riku gasped as visions slammed into him—
a red glow,
a burning street,
a silhouette screaming,
a fist cracking the ground.
He stumbled back, clutching his heart.
Aya grabbed his shoulders.
"Riku! What's wrong?"
"The… the God of Rage… he's waking up…"
Aya's face drained.
"Already!? His seal isn't supposed to break for weeks!"
The ground vibrated.
A metal trash bin nearby rattled and suddenly dented inward as if punched from the air.
Riku and Aya stared with wide eyes.
"Riku," Aya whispered, "someone at this school… might be the vessel."
---
✦ A New Vessel Appears
Loud shouting erupted from the main building.
Students rushed toward the commotion.
"Someone's going crazy!"
"He flipped a whole table!"
"Is that… Ren Akazawa!?"
Aya and Riku pushed through the crowd.
At the center of the chaos stood Ren Akazawa, the school's infamous delinquent — muscular, hot-tempered, always suspended for fighting. But now…
Red aura crackled around him like living fire.
His eyes glowed the color of molten metal.
Veins throbbed across his arms like they were about to burst.
"STAY BACK!" he roared, punching a locker so hard it exploded off its hinges. "EVERYTHING PISSES ME OFF!"
Students screamed and scattered.
Aya gasped.
"That aura… it's the God of Rage."
Riku felt his body shake uncontrollably.
Osoramaru whispered:
> "Ikari-no-Ō… brother of war… rival of fear…"
Ren turned slowly toward Riku, eyes narrowing with violent instinct.
The two vessels locked eyes.
A pressure wave rippled between them — Fear vs Rage.
Ren took a step forward, cracking his knuckles.
"So you're the one I'm sensing…" he growled.
"The weak little vessel of fear."
Riku stepped back.
Osoramaru hissed inside him:
> "Let me out. Let me match him."
"No," Riku whispered. "Not here… not now."
Ren smirked darkly.
"That thing inside you is trembling. Pathetic."
He raised his hand — muscles swelling with divine strength.
"Come on, Fear Boy…
Let's see which god is stronger."
Aya stepped in front of Riku, talisman glowing in her hand.
"That's enough!"
Ren's eyes blazed brighter.
"I DON'T TAKE ORDERS FROM HUNTER SCUM!"
He lunged.
Riku screamed—
And Episode 3 ends on a cliffhanger.