The controller felt warm in his hands.
The soft glow of the screen lit up his face as he leaned forward, eyes focused, fingers moving quickly.
"Come on, come on."
A final move and he would win
Victory.
Kento exhaled and leaned back in his chair. Finally.
For a moment, everything felt normal. Just a game.
Then his mother's voice echoed from downstairs. "Kento, food is ready!"
He paused, staring at the screen for a second longer before sighing. "Yeah, I'm coming!"
He set the controller down and stood up, stretching his arms. His room was simple. Just a bed, a desk, and a few unpacked boxes stacked in the corner.
They hadn't been there long. They never were.
Kento glanced at them briefly. Again.
Five times. They had moved five times in ten years. New city. New house. New life. Over and over.
At first, he used to ask why. But eventually he stopped. Because the answer was always the same.
"It's just better this way."
He never understood what that meant. And lately, it felt like even his parents didn't believe it anymore.
Kento shook the thought away and walked toward the door. "Coming!"
---
The smell of food hit him the moment he stepped downstairs. Warm. Comforting. Familiar.
His mother smiled as he entered. "You took your time."
Kento scratched the back of his head. "I was finishing something."
His father chuckled softly from the table. "Games again?"
Kento shrugged as he sat down. "I won, so it was worth it."
His mother placed a plate in front of him. "Well, you can win again later. Eat first."
He nodded. "Thanks."
For a moment, everything felt normal. They ate together. Simple conversation. Small things. Nothing important. But it was enough. It always had been.
Kento glanced at them quietly. This is fine. He didn't need anything more. Not really.
Then the lights went out.
Darkness swallowed the room instantly. Kento froze. "What?"
His mother looked up. "That's strange."
His father slowly stood. "Probably the building power," he said calmly. "I'll check."
Something in his voice felt off. Subtle but different. Kento noticed it.
His father moved toward the door. Opened it slightly. Looked outside.
nothing. No voices.only the voices of the neighbors,movement.but it was still all dark.
He stepped back inside slowly. Closed the door. Locked it. The click echoed louder than it should have.
Kento frowned. "Dad?"
His father didn't answer. Instead he turned, walked back to the table, and picked up a knife.
Kento's chest tightened. "What are you doing?"
His father's eyes met his. Serious. Sharp. "Kento, get under the table."
Everything stopped. "What?"
"Now."
The tone changed. No room for questions. Kento hesitated for a split second, then moved. He slid under the table quickly, his heart beginning to race.
"What's going on?" he whispered.
His mother stood up slowly. Fear was clear on her face now. "They found us."
Kento's breath caught. Found us?
Before he could ask, the door exploded open.
A loud bang echoed through the house as it slammed against the wall. Heavy footsteps rushed in. Voices shouting.
"Target confirmed!"
"Move!"
Gunshots. Deafening.
Kento flinched violently, covering his ears. His vision shook. Everything became noise. Chaos. Fear.
He could only see shadows from under the table. Feet moving rapidly. Falling. Blood dripping onto the floor.
His breath became shallow. Fast. I can't.
Another gunshot. A scream cut short.
Then silence. Heavy, suffocating silence.
Kento didn't move. He couldn't. His entire body was frozen.
"Mom?" No answer. "Dad?" Nothing.
Slowly, very slowly, Kento crawled out from under the table. His hands shook as they touched the floor. Sticky. Wet.
He looked down. Blood.
His stomach twisted violently. "No."
He stood up unsteadily. The room looked different. Broken. Destroyed.
Then he saw her. His mother. Lying on the floor. Not moving.
"No." His legs gave out and he stumbled toward her. "Mom?"
He dropped beside her, grabbing her arm. Cold. Too cold.
"Wake up. Please wake up." No response. No movement.
His vision blurred instantly. "No, no, no."
He shook her harder. "Please!"
Nothing.
A weak sound came from behind him. A cough.
Kento turned quickly. "Dad?"
His father was leaning against the wall. Barely conscious. Blood covered his body. Around him, two men lay dead. One stabbed. The other shot.
Kento rushed toward him. "Dad! Dad!"
He grabbed him, shaking slightly. "I'm here! I'm here!"
His father's eyes opened slowly. "Kento."
"I'm here! You're okay! You're okay!"
But even as he said it, he knew it wasn't true. His father's breathing was shallow and unstable.
"Listen."
"No, don't talk! Just stay"
"Listen."
Kento froze.
"They won't stop." His voice was fading. "They'll keep coming."
Kento's chest tightened. "Who?!"
His father looked at him. Deep and serious. "The clans."
Kento shook his head. "I don't understand."
"You will." Pain crossed his father's face. "Your blood."
Kento leaned closer. "My blood? What about it?!"
But his father's grip weakened. "Don't let it control you."
"No, don't say that!" Kento shouted, panic rising. "Stay with me! Please!"
"Live."
A whisper. Then his hand fell. Still.
"Dad?" Kento shook him. Nothing. "Dad?"
Silence. Complete. Final.
"No." His voice broke completely. "No, no, no."
He collapsed forward, gripping his father tightly. Tears poured down his face.
"I can't. I can't." His breathing became uneven and broken. "You can't leave me."
Behind him, his mother's body lay still. In front of him, his father was gone. Everything was gone.
Silence filled the room.
Then something shifted.
A cold feeling spread through his chest. Kento froze. "What is this?"
The air felt heavier. Darker. The shadows beneath him moved.
At first, he thought it was his imagination. Then they rose. Slowly. Like smoke. Like something alive.
Kento stared, terrified. "No."
The darkness wrapped around his feet. Climbing. Responding. To him.
His heart pounded violently. "I don't understand!"
Pain shot through his chest. Sharp and burning. He gasped, grabbing his shirt. "Ah!"
It felt like something inside him was breaking open. Forcing its way out.
The shadows surged violently. From the ground, they rose higher. Forming shapes. Unstable. Then hands. Dark hands burst from the floor. One. Two. Three. Four.
They moved wildly at first. Slamming into walls. Scraping the ground.
Kento stumbled back. "What is this?!"
Then they stopped. Turned toward him. Moved with him.
His breath caught. "Me?"
The realization hit. They weren't attacking him but was responding. To him.
The air warped. In an instant, he vanished and reappeared across the room.
Kento collapsed to one knee, gasping. "What was that?"
His mind raced. His body shook. But something inside him was changing. Slowly.
He looked at his parents. Their bodies. Still. Unmoving.
His hands clenched. The shadows responded. Rising higher. Darker.
"They did this." The room grew colder. "They came into our home." The shadow hands twisted violently. "And they killed them."
His eyes lifted slowly. No longer soft. No longer afraid.
"I'll find them." The shadows pulsed. "I don't care who they are." Darkness spread across the floor. "I don't care how strong they are." The air trembled.
"I'll kill them all."
Silence followed. Heavy. Final.
And in that moment, Noritoshi Kento was no longer just a boy.
The Lunar Blood Path had awakened.