Soya's back hit the locker hard, his black hair moving wildly from the whiplash. There was laughter as he fell down to his knees. Multiple kids in the hallway stopped to look at the scene unfolding.
"Man. You're honestly so pathetic Soya."
Soya kept his head down. He kept staring at the concrete under him.
"Hey, look at me when I speak to you!"
In that exact moment Soya felt his head rocket back and into the hard metal locker behind him.
"That's more like it!"
Soya's eyes widened with fear as he felt a warm liquid drip down from his nose. He quickly raised his hand and touched his nose and saw the bright red liquid on his hands.
"No. No. NO!" He shouted out in fear, his usual soft spoken personality gone.
His bullies chuckled and looked down at him. "Aww, what's the matter?? Is poor little Soya hurt?? Is he going to cry to his mommy?!"
Then the bullies' voice changed from mocking to one of disgust. "Oh, I forgot. You don't have a mom that you can run to."
"No, you don't understand, it's gonna–"
But before he could finish his sentence the boy lifted up his boot and began stomping on his face.
"Who said you could speak worm?!"
Soya sank lower onto the floor, nose bleeding even more but one thing remained the same, that fearful look in his eyes never changed. In fact it got worse.
"What have you done…"
Soya said as he shut his eyes, praying to whatever was out there that it wouldn't come out. Praying that it wouldn't happen again. Praying that it–
***
"Soya Senju is a danger to us all! He is unstable, he's dangerous! He is a ticking time bomb, that everytime it explodes it builds itself back up to blow again!"
The room went silent as the old man shouted. He took a deep breath, calming himself down and running his hands through his grey hair.
"But…but Nakamura-sama, he's just a child–"
Nakamura's eyes shot open, his eyes piercing into his colleagues' eyes.
"A child with multiple Kinshin! The kid's a threat to everyone around him, and he proved that time and time again!"
The room went silent once more. Not because they were too scared to speak up, but because everything he said was true, Soya was a danger.
"I want Soya Senju…captured and brought to our facilities at any cost! We've been letting him run a muck for far too long, it's time someone put that BEAST down. For good."
***
Soya stumbled forward, his breath ragged, eyes wide as he took in the carnage.
The walls dripped with blood. Bodies, slumped over desks, tangled in chairs, sprawled across the polished floors, painted the hallways in grotesque reds. The silence in the air was heavy, pressing down on him like a weight.
His shoes squelched in the puddles of red as he walked, each step sending ripples through the mess. His white school uniform was soaked in it, splattered across the front like an abstract painting, sticky and warm. His face, pale and hollow, was streaked with the same crimson, his black hair matted to his forehead.
Soya's lips trembled as he whispered, "No...no...I didn't mean to..."
He hugged himself, arms shaking.
Then–
BZZT! BZZT!
The piercing wail of the school's emergency sirens shattered the stillness, echoing through the halls. Red warning lights flashed, painting the scene in an eerie pulse of colour–red, dark, red, dark, like the slow beating of a dying heart.
Soya flinched, his ears ringing.
Then he saw her.
At the far end of the hallway.
A woman.
She stood, completely still, like a ghost. Her uniform was immaculate, untouched by the blood around her. In her hands, she held a katana, a sleek, obsidian blade that gleamed beneath the flickering lights. Her long black hair fell over her shoulders, her face blank, almost doll-like, her eyes hidden behind her bangs.
Soya's heart jumped in his throat.
"H-Hey!" he called out, voice cracking. "W-Wait! Please! I don't want to fight! I–I'll turn myself in, I swear!"
No response. Her footsteps echoed in the hallway, slow, deliberate.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Soya's breath hitched.
He took a step back, then spun around.
His stomach dropped.
At the opposite end of the hallway stood a man. Older, taller, his face half-hidden by a mask. He gripped a katana too, he had the same aura as the girl, though he felt heavier, more brutal.
Soya froze, the blood draining from his face.
"W-What...?" he stammered.
The man with the katana scoffed, shaking his head as if it were obvious.
"I don't know what you did, kid...but you really pissed the higher-ups off."
He glanced around the ruined hallway, stepping over bodies with a grimace.
"Honestly, from the looks of it? You're a frickin' psycho."
Soya's lips parted, trying to speak, but the boy kept going.
"They're offering a huge payout for you. Honestly? That's a steal. So be a good little monster and come quietly."
"Wait, please!" Soya pleaded, hands raised, trembling. "I–I don't want to fight! I can turn myself in! Just...please, don't hurt me. Don't make them come out again–"
But they weren't listening.
The man with the katana grinned, eyes glinting with excitement.
Beside him, the woman's blank face twitched, just slightly.
Then they charged.
Fast, way too fast.
Soya barely had time to flinch as the man's blade screamed through the air, aimed straight for his neck–
CLANG!
A massive hand, gray and gnarled like ancient stone, shot out from the blood-soaked floor and caught the blade an inch from Soya's face. The hallway shook from the impact, cracks spiderwebbing across the walls.
Soya's breath hitched. His eyes widened in horror.
The Shikagami had emerged.
Standing over three meters tall, the creature towered above the mercenaries, its form like a twisted, hulking demon, with bulging arms, jagged plates of bone-like armor, and hollow, glowing eyes that pulsed like dying embers. Its breath came out in ragged, unnatural gasps, filling the air with a low, guttural growl.
The man's grin faltered.
The woman's eyes narrowed.
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me..." the man muttered. "This is what we're dealing with?"
Soya's breath came in shallow gasps as the Shikagami lunged forward.
The hallway erupted into chaos.
The Shikagami swung, its massive arms tearing through walls like paper. The woman dashed forward, blade flashing, slashing at the beast's limbs, fast, precise, her expression eerily calm. The man ducked low, aiming for its legs, his blade carving through the floor in a shower of sparks.
Soya stumbled back, tripping over the wreckage, trying to get away. He got up off the floor and turned around, running the opposite way. He turned the corner but he barely made it five steps before–
WHOOSH!
A shadow blurred past him.
Soya looked up, and there he was.
Standing in the middle of the carnage like a statue carved from stone.
Older, maybe in his forties. Broad-shouldered and face scarred. His presence was suffocating, like standing too close to a predator in the dark. His black combat gear was worn and practical, a katana sheathed at his side. His eyes locked onto Soya.
No words.
No hesitation.
He moved.
Soya's heart stopped as the man dashed forward, impossibly fast, his katana unsheathed in a blur of silver.
SHINK!
Soya screamed, throwing up his hands, but before the blade could strike–
CRASH!
The Shikagami burst through the wall, arm outstretched to protect Soya.
The man twisted mid-strike, dodging the massive hand by a hair, then kicked off the creature's arm, sending it staggering back with a grunt. His katana flashed in an arc, slicing across the Shikagami's chest in a spray of black ichor.
Soya's eyes widened in horror.
His Shikagami, his monster, was being matched?!
The older man turned back to Soya, his blade raised.
Soya stumbled back as only a desperate broken sob escaped his lips.
Then the sword stopped.
An inch from his face.
"... Woah there."
A hand caught the blade.
Casual. Effortless.
Soya's breath hitched as his wide, tear-filled eyes darted up.
A tall figure stood between him and death.
Barehanded–barehanded, the man held the blade still, fingers clamped over the steel as if it were nothing more than paper.
He was young, maybe in his early twenties. His blonde hair was messy, falling into his face, but Soya could still see his eyes.
Dark blue. Cold. Deep.
But the right one...
Soya's breath hitched.
A star.
His right eye...looked like a star.
The young man's lips curled into a faint smirk.
"Man...you guys are really persistent."
He tilted his head slightly, his voice low and almost bored, but there was an undercurrent of danger in it, like a wolf yawning before a hunt.
Soya's heart raced in his chest.
Who...was this guy?