The city slept beneath a blanket of mist and rain. Lanterns flickered, their light swaying with the wind like ghostly whispers. Water pooled in uneven cobblestones, reflecting fractured fragments of neon signs and lonely streetlights.
Zariel and Kaien moved like shadows through the mist—silent, sharp, alert.
They weren't talking. They didn't need to.
Something foul had entered the city.
They could smell it. Taste it in the air.
Something hungry.
Then—a scream.
A woman's voice, cracking with pain.
Kaien reacted first. He blurred into motion, drawing his crescent blade. Zariel followed, a silent wraith with silver eyes.
They turned the corner—and saw her.
A young woman, maybe nineteen. Barefoot. Rain-soaked. Her eyes were black flames. Her mouth stretched wide, too wide, as if something inside her was trying to tear its way out.
"WHERE IS HE."
"WHERE IS THE KEY"
"REIKA. I SMELL HIM."
She launched at them without warning.
Kaien's blade met hers mid-air—metal shrieking.
Zariel swept in low, his palm striking her ribs with a concussive force that cracked the alley wall behind her. But she didn't stay down. She twisted midair, limbs cracking into unnatural angles, and landed like a marionette jerked upright.
Then—her eyes flickered.
Just for a second.
She looked… human.
"Help me…" she whispered.
"Please—don't let it—"
Her mouth gurgled.
The demon retook control.
"You hesitate," it purred. "Good. We'll need you broken later."
Kaien cursed under his breath. "She's still in there."
"New possession," Zariel muttered. "Still unstable."
But it made things worse.
They couldn't go all out. Every strike had to wound, not kill. Every hesitation cost them ground.
The demon slashed wildly—its claws generating afterimages. Kaien countered with a feint, slicing across her leg. Zariel caught her mid-spin and slammed her into the wall—but she laughed, blood in her teeth.
Then Zariel moved.
One strike. Swift. Precision.
His blade carved halfway through her neck.
She fell to her knees, gurgling—black smoke bleeding from her mouth, her eyes, her chest.
The demon peeled out of her like rotted silk from a tear. A shadowy shape hovered above, skeletal wings unfurling.
Its voice was ancient. Cold. Absolute.
"More will come.
The bloodcore will get the key.
Asmodai will accept us beneath the gate.
When it opens… the world will burn."
Zariel's hand flared blue as he slashed it from reality with a holy seal.
The demon shattered like black glass.
And the girl collapsed, barely breathing.
"She's alive," Zariel confirmed, eyes narrowed. "But something's accelerating."
Kaien nodded grimly. "They're not sniffing him out randomly anymore. They know who Reika is."
---
Reika stared at himself in the mirror.
He hadn't slept. Couldn't.
Because something was wrong.
His reflection didn't blink.
His eyes were glowing.
A soft, eerie yellow, calm but weird, like a sandstorm trapped in glass.
"Okay… no. Nope. This isn't normal," he whispered.
His door exploded open. Mira stumbled in, mid-yawn, wearing her oversized academy shirt and mismatched socks.
She blinked.
Then screamed.
"WHY ARE YOUR EYES GLOWING?!"
Farl burst in behind her, holding a bowl of cereal.
"Yo, Reika. Did you eat expired ramen or something?"
Kairo sauntered in next, a book under his arm, unbothered.
"Could be flu. Or some ancient orge infection, you growing a tail?"
Reika backed up, hands raised. "It's nothing—I feel fine!"
Mira frowned. "The nurses need to run scans. This could be a Ren-core malfunction, or a leak—"
Reika stiffened.
"If they scan my Ren, they'll see I'm not human.
If they scan my brain, they'll see the structure's wrong.
Thank the gods Kaien taught me demon physiology…"
"Nope! No nurses. I'm just… radiant."
Kairo raised a brow. "You're pulsing. That's new."
Mira looked concerned. "Reika…"
"I'm fine," he insisted. "Honestly."
He tried to laugh it off. But his eyes still burned like sapphire fire.
[Courtyard – Early Afternoon]
The courtyard buzzed with lazy energy. Some students trained. Others lounged beneath trees, basking in spring sun.
Reika sat with Mira, Farl, and Kairo under the pavilion.
Mira was sketching him. Farl was eating grapes. Kairo was upside down on a bench again.
Then—everything changed.
Gasps. Whispers.
Two figures stepped through the arch.
Zariel. Silent and sharp.
Kaien. Relaxed but deadly.
Mira choked on her water.
Farl's face froze mid-grape.
"Th-those are… those are legends."
Kaien flashed a grin. "Yo. Got fans, huh."
"Where like your biggest fans ever" said farl as she kneeled as if worshiping them, mira was just frozen, mouth open, she couldn't believe it.
"Let me get that for you" Kairo said as he shut mira's mouth with his hands.
Zariel stepped forward, eyes on Reika. "We need to talk."
Reika walked with them in silence, heart hammering.
Zariel's voice cut clean.
"The demon spoke your name."
"It wanted your blood," Kaien added. "Said you were the key."
"The bloodcore. That's you."
Reika clenched his fists. "What does that mean?"
"It means it's time," Zariel said, stopping. "You've seen your Ren begin to awaken. You've felt it. But soon, others will feel it too. Stronger ones. Smarter ones."
Kaien placed a hand on Reika's shoulder. "Time for phase two. Demon training."
"You'll be leaving the academy for now," Zariel finished. "Get your things. Say your goodbyes."
Reika nodded, numb.
Evening – Academy Gate:
His bag was slung across his back.
The sun was melting behind the trees. The air smelled like spring rain and goodbyes.
Mira stood there, arms crossed. Farl stood behind her. Kairo leaned against a tree.
"You're really leaving?" Mira asked, softly.
"Zariel's sick," Reika lied. "They need my help."
She didn't believe it. But she didn't say it.
"I'll miss you, you know."
She stepped forward and hugged him.
His breath caught.
His eyes shimmered—pink this time.
Kairo tilted his head. "Affection? Cute."
Farl gave him a hard clap on the back. "Come back a legend."
Reika turned away as the gates opened.
Zariel and Kaien waited.
The three walked into the horizon.
And Reika never looked back.
His eyes still glowing.
But the color?
No one could name it anymore.