EPISODE 19 — The Vessel Within the Void
Osorebound: Vessel of Fear
Everything went silent.
Not the silence of a quiet room—this was the kind that swallowed sound completely. Takeru felt weightless, suspended in a vast darkness without floor, ceiling, or horizon.
He tried to breathe, but air didn't exist here.
He tried to look around, but the darkness didn't need light.
It saw him.
And then—
it blinked.
Dozens of eyes opened in the void, glowing cold blue, circling him like distant lanterns in endless night. Some were huge and reptilian, others small and needle-like. They stared without blinking, unblinking and ancient.
Takeru trembled. "W–Where am I…?"
A voice answered, echoing from every direction at once.
Inside me, child.
A shape crawled out of the dark—no, not crawled. It emerged, like it had always been there, waiting. A massive shadowed figure formed behind him: half-serpent, half-nightmare, with countless limbs and curling mist. Its eyes softened—not gentle, but familiar.
This is the inner void, the voice said. Your mind. My prison. Our shared boundary.
Takeru backed away, though there was no ground to step on. "You… you're Osoraki… the Fear God."
The creature chuckled, a deep rolling sound that made the void vibrate.
You say it as if I am the villain here.
"You ARE a villain!" Takeru snapped, though his voice shook. "Ever since you came, everything is going wrong. Hunters attacking me. Monsters appearing. A Gate—"
That was not my doing.
The blue eyes sharpened.
The Scarlet Rite seeks to break the ancient seals. I want no part of their madness.
Takeru swallowed hard. "Then why… why does it feel like you're trying to take over my body?"
Osoraki's gaze lowered, as if disappointed.
Because you are weak.
The words stabbed him.
When your fear spikes, the seal strains. When enemies reach for your soul, I react. But if I truly wished to take you… you would not be standing here, talking to me.
Takeru's breath hitched.
Osoraki leaned close, eyes like cold moons.
Listen carefully, vessel. The Scarlet Rite's Gate is dragging both of us in. If I cross that threshold while sealed, we will be torn apart.
Takeru clenched his fists. "What do I do?"
The void pulsed.
Accept me.
Takeru froze. "No. No, no, no—if I accept you, you'll take over my body. Won't you?"
Osoraki let out another deep rumble.
Not fully.
The shadows around him churned like a storm.
I am offering a pact of survival. Partial awakening. A fraction of my power, channeled through you rather than against you.
Takeru hesitated. "Why help me?"
Osoraki growled softly.
Because I refuse to be claimed by the Scarlet Rite again.
A distant roar shook the void.
Osoraki's many eyes narrowed.
The creature is already emerging from the Gate. We are out of time.
Takeru felt something tugging at his chest—as if reality was reeling him back.
Choose, Takeru Minamoto.
Osoraki's voice grew harsher, resonant, urgent.
Die as a powerless boy…
The creature's face moved close, the darkness glowing behind its fangs.
Or live as my vessel.
Takeru's heart pounded.
He thought of Kaito.
He thought of Yume.
He thought of the Shadow Children.
He thought of the Scarlet Rite reaching for him.
He closed his eyes.
"…Fine."
The void stilled.
"I accept. But only enough to survive."
For the first time, Osoraki smiled.
Not kindly.
But approvingly.
Very well.
The creature placed a clawed hand on Takeru's chest. Shadows surged around him, crawling up his arms, his neck, his eyes.
I give you the first form of my power…
Fear Manifestation: Umbra Pulse.
A tremor rippled through the void.
Now go. Do not die. We are not finished.
The void shattered—
—and Takeru's eyes snapped open.
---
Back in the Real World
The hallway exploded in dark mist.
Kaito shielded Yume as a blast of shadow knocked the Scarlet Rite man backward, slamming him into a row of desks. The Gate behind him flickered violently, its red glow unstable.
Takeru stood at the center of the hallway.
But he wasn't the same.
A swirling black aura wrapped around him like smoke. His eyes glowed icy blue—the same shade as Osoraki's.
"Takeru?" Yume whispered. "Is that… still you?"
He didn't answer.
The Scarlet Rite man rose slowly, wiping blood from his lip.
"So," he said softly, "the Fear God stirs at last."
Takeru lifted his hand.
Dark mist spiraled around his arm, forming a pulsing sphere of compressed fear.
Umbra Pulse.
The man's eyes widened. "That ability—!"
Takeru's voice came out layered, distorted:
"Get away from my friends."
He unleashed the pulse.
It hit the intruder with explosive force, ripping apart the floor tiles and slamming him through the nearest classroom door.
The Gate behind him spasmed, shrieking.
Then—
The pulse shattered the Gate's connection.
The red fracture cracked—
collapsed—
and disappeared in a violent burst of static red sparks.
Silence fell.
Kaito stared open-mouthed. Yume clutched her notebook like she might faint.
Takeru gasped and dropped to his knees, the aura fading instantly.
Without Osoraki's presence, the exhaustion hit him like a hammer.
"Takeru!" Yume rushed toward him. "Hey—hey, stay awake!"
His vision blurred. His heartbeat slowed. The world tilted sideways.
Kaito knelt beside him, checking his pulse. "He's stable. But barely. That partial awakening… it burned through his stamina."
Takeru's eyes fluttered closed.
And though the world faded, he heard Osoraki's whisper:
Do not trust the hunters too quickly.
They will judge you… and fear you.
As they should.
Everything went black.