20 Years Ago
I was four years old when my world ended.
I remember the sound first.
Not screams.
Silence.
The kind of silence that doesn't belong anywhere.
No wind.
No birds.
No voices calling my name.
Just… nothing.
I had only been gone for a little while.
A short walk past the edge of the village.
I thought I'd come back before anyone noticed.
I was wrong.
When I stepped back onto the path…
Something felt off.
The ground was cracked.
Not broken—
Split.
Like something had forced its way through the earth itself.
"…Mom?" I called.
No answer.
I took another step.
Then another.
And then I saw it.
The houses were gone.
Not burned.
Not destroyed.
Gone.
Like they had never been there at all.
Pieces of things were scattered across the ground.
Broken wood.
Shattered tools.
Fragments of lives that had existed just hours ago.
I didn't understand what I was looking at.
"…Mom?" I called.
My voice sounded small.
Too small.
No answer.
I started walking.
Slow at first.
Then faster.
"…Dad?" I called again.
Still nothing.
My chest started to tighten.
Something felt wrong.
Not just around me.
Inside me.
Then—
I saw them.
Two bodies lying near what used to be our home.
I stopped.
My feet wouldn't move anymore.
"…No…" I whispered.
I didn't want to get closer.
But I did.
One step.
Then another.
Until I was standing right in front of them.
My mother.
Her hand was still stretched out—
Like she had been reaching for something.
For someone.
My father was beside her.
Between her…
And everything else.
Like he had tried to protect her.
Like he always did.
"…Get up…" I said.
No response.
I dropped to my knees.
"…Mom…?" I said again.
Nothing.
My hands shook as I reached out.
I touched her arm.
Cold.
Too cold.
I pulled back like I had been burned.
"…No… no… no…" I muttered.
I looked at my father.
"…Dad…?" my voice cracked.
"…you said… you said you'd be here…"
Silence.
The world didn't move.
Didn't respond.
Didn't care.
And then—
I heard something behind me.
Soft.
A voice I recognized.
"…Ren…?"
I turned.
A boy stood there.
One of my friends.
Or what was left of him.
Barely standing.
Blood running down his side.
His eyes barely open.
"…You came back…" he said weakly.
I crawled toward him.
"…I'm here," I said quickly. "…I'm here—"
He smiled.
A small, broken smile.
"…Good…"
His body gave out.
Right in front of me.
"…Hey—HEY—!" I shouted.
I grabbed him.
Shook him.
"…Get up—!"
Nothing.
"…Stop joking—!" I yelled.
My voice broke completely.
"…Please… don't do this…"
Silence.
Just like everyone else.
Gone.
Everyone.
My parents.
My friends.
Everything.
Gone.
My chest tightened until it hurt to breathe.
My hands clenched into the dirt.
"…Why…?" I whispered.
No answer.
"…Why…?" I said again.
Louder this time.
Still nothing.
And that's when it hit me.
Not fear.
Not confusion.
Something worse.
I was alone.
Completely.
There was no one left to call my name.
No one left to come find me.
No one left to tell me everything would be okay.
Because no one was coming.
Tears blurred everything.
I didn't try to stop them.
I couldn't.
"…I don't want this…" I whispered.
My voice shaking.
Breaking.
"…I don't want to be alone…"
That was the moment.
The moment everything inside me collapsed.
And the moment something else…
Started to listen.
The Demon:
I felt it before I saw it.
That same pressure from the sky…
But heavier.
Closer.
I turned.
And that's when I saw it.
It wasn't human.
Not even close.
Its skin was dark—almost absorbing the light around it.
Its body massive.
Twisted.
Its eyes…
Its eyes looked at me like I was nothing.
Like everything I had just seen…
Didn't matter.
"…Still alive?" it said.
Its voice didn't sound surprised.
Just… curious.
Like I wasn't supposed to be there.
I couldn't move.
My legs wouldn't listen.
My chest felt tight.
"…Strange," it muttered.
It started walking toward me.
Slow.
Unbothered.
"…You should be dead."
I tried to speak.
Nothing came out.
I tried to run.
Nothing.
It raised its hand.
"…I'll fix that."
The Moment Everything Changed
Something snapped.
Not outside.
Inside me.
I don't know what it was.
Fear.
Anger.
Pain.
Maybe all of it.
But something answered.
The air around me shifted.
The demon paused.
"…What is this…?"
I felt it then.
Something inside me.
Something ancient.
Something that wasn't mine.
And it was awake.
The First Time I Found It
I don't remember moving.
One second I was standing there.
The next—
I was in front of it.
My hand buried in its chest.
I didn't understand how.
Its eyes widened.
For the first time—
It looked afraid.
"…Impossible…" it whispered.
Then—
Everything went dark.
The Thing Inside Me
When I woke up…
It wasn't in the village anymore.
It was somewhere else.
Dark.
Endless.
And I wasn't alone.
"…So you're the one who survived."
The voice echoed around me.
I turned.
And saw it.
Not a demon.
Not human.
Something else.
Something… greater.
"…What are you?" I asked.
It smiled.
"…A god."
Silence.
"…You're inside me," I said.
"…For now," it replied.
I didn't understand.
But I could feel it.
Its power.
It wasn't calm.
It wasn't kind.
It was overwhelming.
"…Leave," I said.
It laughed.
"…Make me."
The Fight Within
I attacked first.
I didn't know how.
But I did.
And it didn't work.
Not even close.
Every time I struck—
It stopped me.
Effortlessly.
"…You don't control this power," it said.
"…You're just borrowing it."
I hit the ground.
Again.
And again.
I couldn't win.
I knew that.
But I didn't stop.
"…Why do you keep getting up?" it asked.
I forced myself to stand.
"…Because if I don't…"
I looked at it.
"…you will."
Silence.
Then—
It smiled.
"…Good answer."
The Choice
I couldn't defeat it.
So I did the only thing I could.
I took it.
All of it.
I forced its power into me.
The pain—
I can't describe it.
It felt like my body was breaking apart.
Like something was trying to tear its way out of me.
"…You'll die," it said.
"…Maybe," I replied.
"…But you're not staying."
The power surged.
Wild.
Uncontrolled.
But it was mine now.
Not fully.
Not safely.
But enough.
The Ones Who Stayed
After that day…
I didn't go back.
There wasn't anything left to go back to.
So I walked.
No direction.
No plan.
Just… forward.
Days turned into weeks.
Weeks into something longer.
I learned how to survive.
How to fight.
How to stay awake at night when the thing inside me started to feel… restless.
I kept my eyes closed more often than I should have.
It helped.
Not fully.
But enough.
The First One — Aikari
I met her near a river.
She was kneeling at the edge, her hands resting on the surface of the water.
At first, I thought she was just… sitting there.
Then I saw it.
The water was moving.
Not with the current.
With her.
"…You're going to scare the fish away," I said.
She didn't jump.
Didn't panic.
Just glanced at me.
"…There aren't any fish here," she replied calmly.
I looked closer.
She was right.
"…Then what are you doing?" I asked.
She stood slowly.
Water followed her movement—lifting slightly before settling again.
"…Listening," she said.
I frowned.
"…To what?"
She met my eyes.
"…Everything."
Silence.
Then—
"…You're not normal," she added.
I almost laughed.
"…You figured that out fast."
She studied me for a moment longer.
"…You're carrying something," she said.
That made my chest tighten slightly.
"…So are you," I replied.
A pause.
Then—
She smiled.
Small.
But real.
"…Then I'll walk with you," she said.
"…Why?" I asked.
"…Because I want to see where your path leads."
That was it.
She didn't hesitate.
Didn't question it.
She just chose to stay.
The Second — Daiki
We met him in the middle of a fight.
Of course we did.
"…MOVE—!" he shouted.
💥 Lightning slammed into the ground in front of us.
A demon roared—massive and aggressive.
Daiki grinned like he was enjoying it.
"…Finally something worth hitting!" he laughed.
He charged again.
No plan.
No hesitation.
Just power.
He noticed us mid-fight.
"…You two just gonna stand there or what?!" he shouted.
Aikari stepped forward first.
I followed.
The fight ended fast after that.
When it was over—
He looked at us.
"…You're strong," he said.
Then he pointed at me.
"…You're stronger."
A grin spread across his face.
"…I'm sticking with you."
"…That's not really your choice," I said.
"…Yeah it is," he replied.
And that was that.
The Third — Kuroha
We didn't meet her.
She found us.
Days later—
I felt it first.
That presence.
Watching.
Following.
"…Come out," I said.
Silence.
Then—
She stepped out of the shadows.
Like she had always been there.
"…You noticed," she said.
"…You weren't hiding," I replied.
A faint smirk.
"…Good."
Aikari watched her carefully.
"…Why are you following us?" she asked.
Kuroha's eyes shifted to me.
"…Because of him."
"…That's not a reason," Daiki said.
"…It is for me."
She didn't explain further.
Didn't need to.
She stayed anyway.
The Fourth — Shin
Shin was different.
We found him in a ruined outpost.
Surrounded by markings.
Symbols.
Notes.
He didn't look surprised to see us.
"…You're late," he said.
"…Late for what?" Daiki asked.
"…This," Shin replied.
A demon lunged from behind the structure.
Shin didn't move.
He just adjusted his glasses.
"…Three seconds," he said.
We moved.
The fight ended exactly how he predicted.
When it was over—
He looked at me.
Longer than the others had.
"…You're the variable," he said.
"…That supposed to mean something?" I asked.
"…It means I need to understand you."
A pause.
"…So I'm coming with you."
No emotion.
Just logic.
Together
We didn't plan it.
Didn't agree on it.
Didn't even talk about it much.
But somehow—
We became a team.
Not perfect.
Not balanced.
But together.
And for the first time since that day—
I wasn't alone.
Present Day
The forest was quiet again.
But not the same quiet.
This one felt alive.
The wind moved through the trees.
Grass swayed under our feet.
Normal.
Or at least—
It should have been.
"…You're thinking again," Aika said.
I didn't look at her.
"…I always am."
She walked beside me anyway.
"…You get that look when you are."
I exhaled slowly.
"…Just remembering."
She didn't ask what.
She didn't need to.
The Team
Daiki walked ahead, stretching his arms.
"…Man, I'm ready for a fight," he said. "…It's been too quiet."
"…That's exactly when things go wrong," Shin replied.
Kuroha said nothing.
She never did unless it mattered.
"…Something's out there," she said quietly.
That got everyone's attention.
The First Fight
It didn't take long.
The ground shifted.
A low growl echoed through the trees.
Then it appeared.
Not human.
Not intelligent like the one from my past.
This one was pure instinct.
A demon.
"…Finally," Daiki grinned.
He charged.
The others followed.
I didn't move.
Not yet.
The End of the Beginning
They fought well.
Better than before.
But not enough.
The demon pushed them back.
Slowly.
I watched.
Waited.
Measured.
Then—
I stepped forward.
"…Move."
They did.
I ended it.
One strike.
Clean.
The demon didn't even understand what happened.
Final Line
As it disappeared—
I felt it again.
That pressure.
Faint.
But real.
Something stronger.
Watching.
"…This isn't over," I said quietly.
And deep down—
I knew.
It was just beginning.