EPISODE 17 — Hunters in the Smoke
Osorebound: Vessel of Fear
The morning after the encounter with the Shadow Children, the school felt… wrong.
Students walked through the gates in clusters, chatting loudly, laughing, scrolling through their phones—yet everything came to Takeru as if from underwater. His eyes kept drifting to the corners of the courtyard, expecting to see a small pale face staring back.
They didn't appear.
But the Fear God inside him wouldn't calm down.
You should have run when you had the chance, it murmured. Now eyes are on you.
Takeru didn't know if it meant the Shadow Children… or something worse.
He headed toward the shoe lockers, trying to shake off the unease—until he noticed someone waiting inside the hallway.
Two people, actually.
A tall boy with silver hair tied back into a loose ponytail, wearing a school blazer over what definitely wasn't a school-approved shirt. Beside him stood a girl with tiny braids and sharp brown eyes, tapping a notebook against her leg.
The moment their eyes landed on Takeru… they straightened.
"There he is," the girl whispered.
Takeru stopped walking. "Um… do I know you?"
The boy stepped forward, studying him with a strange intensity. "Takeru Minamoto?"
"…Yes?"
"Good," the boy said quietly. "That saves time."
He reached into his coat—and pulled out a carved wooden tag marked with a symbol Takeru had never seen before. The wood shimmered with faint smoke.
The Fear God tensed.
Hunters.
The girl flipped open her notebook. "Subject 07-K. Vessel class: high potential. Manifested ability two nights ago. Confirmed interaction with remnants." She glanced up at Takeru. "That means the Shadow Children, right?"
Takeru's breath caught. "How do you know about them?"
The boy gave him a flat look. "Because the moment you interacted with them, you triggered a disturbance large enough for every hunter organization in Kamihama to feel it."
He stepped forward until they were nearly face-to-face.
"You're not the only vessel in this city, Takeru. But you might be the one we need the most."
Takeru backed away. "I don't understand what you're talking about."
The girl muttered something under her breath. "He's clueless, like all new vessels."
The boy sighed. "Alright. Guess we'll do this the hard way."
He snapped his fingers.
Smoke erupted in a ring around them—thick, swirling, almost alive. Students nearby didn't notice; the smoke curled around them like camouflage, bending their perception. Within seconds, Takeru realized he'd been cut off from the rest of the hallway, trapped in a circle of shifting gray fog.
"What is this?" Takeru demanded.
"A barrier," the girl replied. "Shadow Children like to come out during the day if they find a new vessel. We're making sure you don't get snatched."
Takeru felt a chill run down his spine. "They can appear… here? In school?"
"Oh, they love schools," she said. "Full of easy targets. Doors everywhere. Old memories. Denial. Perfect breeding ground for remnants."
The boy folded his arms. "Listen carefully. I'm Kaito. This is Yume. We're from the Ametsuchi Division—one of the two major hunter organizations in the city."
"The other is our enemy," Yume added casually. "You don't want to meet them."
Takeru swallowed hard. "What do you want with me?"
Kaito stared at him—really stared, as though looking past skin and bone, directly into whatever shook inside Takeru's chest.
"We want to keep you alive. Because whatever fear god you've bonded with… it's not weak. It's sealed. Half-asleep. But the moment it wakes up…"
Kaito's expression darkened.
"…you become a threat. To us. To the Doors. And to whatever is pushing from the other side."
Before Takeru could respond, the barrier suddenly trembled.
Yume spun around. "Kaito… something's entering the perimeter."
"Already?" Kaito hissed. "We just set the damn barrier!"
Fog split open behind them.
A figure stepped through.
Not a child.
Not a remnant.
Not a student.
A man dressed in a black coat marked with crimson talismans. His eyes glowed faint red, like burning embers trapped behind human irises.
Yume cursed under her breath. "Scarlet Rite faction…"
Kaito stepped in front of Takeru. "Of course they'd come after him first."
The man smiled, tilted his head slightly… and reached into his coat.
"Minamoto Takeru," he said calmly. "Our master has been searching for you."
The Fear God roared inside Takeru's chest.
Run.
But there was no escape.
Not anymore.