The moon hung high in the sky, casting a pale, ghostly light over the world below. Within the team's base, the air was still, quiet with the deep calm of night. But within Haruto Ishikawa, a storm was brewing. Takashi's words haunted him, reverberating through his mind like a drumbeat he couldn't escape. No matter how hard he tried to push them away, they kept coming back, louder and louder.
He tossed and turned in bed, sleep eluding him as doubts festered in his heart. **Was he really as different from his father as he claimed?** Could it be that the blood coursing through his veins was pulling him toward a darker path? And if so, was it only a matter of time before he gave in to the inevitable?
"Power is the only truth in this world," his father had said.
Haruto couldn't help but wonder: Was his father right? Was all the struggle, the pain, the sacrifice worth it if it meant clinging to a false hope?
His chest tightened with a mixture of anger, confusion, and fear. **Was it possible that everyone else was blind to the truth that he was just beginning to see?**
---
### **Part 1: The First Strike**
It was well past midnight when Haruto finally sat up in bed, his decision made. His mind had cleared with a terrible certainty. He couldn't ignore the truth anymore—**power was everything**, and the world was too cruel to be saved by weak ideals like friendship and honor.
He would have to do things his way.
Without making a sound, Haruto slipped out of his bed and into the shadows. He moved silently through the base, the familiar corridors and rooms now seeming foreign in the wake of his decision. Each step felt like shedding a layer of his old self, leaving only the cold, hardened version of Haruto that had been awakened by his father's visit.
His first target was Kai. Haruto knew he would have to strike quickly and decisively—Kai was strong, and if given the chance, he would put up a fight. But Haruto wasn't looking for a fair fight. This was about proving his new path was the right one, and no one was going to stand in his way. **Not even his friends.**
Haruto found Kai sleeping soundly in his room, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. For a moment, Haruto hesitated, a fleeting pang of guilt tugging at his heart. But he steeled himself, pushing the feeling away. **Kai wouldn't understand. None of them would.**
He raised his hand, the air around him crackling with energy. "Spirit Energy: Shadow Strike."
A dark tendril of energy shot from his hand, wrapping around Kai's body and lifting him from the bed. Kai woke with a start, his eyes wide with confusion and pain as the energy constricted around him.
"Haruto... What the hell?" Kai gasped, his voice strained as he struggled against the binding force.
Haruto's face was devoid of emotion as he tightened his grip on the energy. "You wouldn't understand, Kai. I'm done playing the hero. This world isn't worth saving anymore."
Kai's eyes narrowed in defiance as he tried to summon his own energy, but the shadowy tendrils sapped his strength, making it difficult to concentrate. "Haruto, listen to yourself! This isn't you. Whatever your father's done to you, fight it!"
Haruto's expression darkened. "My father showed me the truth. You're all too blind to see it. Power is all that matters."
With a final surge of energy, Haruto flung Kai across the room, slamming him into the wall with enough force to knock him unconscious. Kai crumpled to the floor, motionless, as Haruto stood over him, his chest heaving.
For a brief moment, Haruto felt a pang of regret, but it quickly faded. This was necessary. He was on the right path now—**the only path.**
Without another word, Haruto disappeared into the shadows once more, moving to his next target.
---
### **Part 2: The Vigilante's Descent**
The next target was Sensei Ryu, the man who had trained him, who had given him a purpose beyond his father's cruel teachings. But now, Haruto saw it all for what it was—**a lie meant to pacify him, to keep him weak.**
Sensei Ryu was meditating in the central courtyard of the base when Haruto approached him. The old master opened his eyes as soon as Haruto drew near, sensing the change in his pupil immediately.
"Haruto," Ryu said calmly, his voice steady despite the danger. "I knew this moment would come. I've seen the darkness growing in you ever since your father returned."
Haruto's eyes narrowed, his fists clenched at his sides. "Then you know why I'm here."
Ryu slowly rose to his feet, his eyes filled with sadness rather than anger. "Your father has poisoned your mind. He's twisted your perception of the world, but it's not too late, Haruto. You can still turn back."
Haruto's lip curled into a sneer. "Turn back? To what? More lies? More false hope? You've kept me weak, Sensei. But I see clearly now. This world doesn't need heroes—it needs power. Real power."
Ryu sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly as if the weight of the world rested upon him. "I've failed you, then. I thought I could guide you away from your father's path, but I see now that I was wrong."
Haruto's energy flared, dark and dangerous. "You didn't fail me. You failed to see the truth. And now, I'll show you just how strong I've become."
Before Ryu could respond, Haruto lunged at him, his movements quick and deadly. He summoned his Spirit Energy once more, calling forth a barrage of shadowy tendrils that lashed out at Ryu from all directions.
But Ryu was prepared. With a fluid motion, he deflected the attacks, using his own energy to block and counter each strike. The courtyard was filled with the sound of clashing forces, light and dark battling for dominance.
"Is this really what you want, Haruto?" Ryu called out as they fought, his voice tinged with sadness. "To destroy everything you've built, everything we've fought for?"
Haruto's eyes blazed with fury. "What we built was a lie! And I'll tear it down to the ground if I have to!"
The two warriors clashed again and again, neither willing to back down. But despite Ryu's skill, Haruto's new power was overwhelming. The darkness fueled him, giving him strength beyond anything he had ever felt before.
Finally, with a powerful surge of energy, Haruto broke through Ryu's defenses. He struck Ryu with a devastating blow to the chest, sending the old master crashing to the ground.
Ryu lay there, gasping for breath as Haruto loomed over him. "This... isn't the way..." Ryu whispered, his voice barely audible.
Haruto looked down at his fallen mentor, his expression cold and unfeeling. "It's the only way."
Without another word, Haruto turned and walked away, leaving Ryu lying in the courtyard, defeated and broken. The darkness within him had fully taken hold now, and there was no going back.
As Haruto moved through the base, he could feel the weight of what he had done pressing down on him, but he didn't stop. **He couldn't stop.** This was his new path, and he would see it through to the end—no matter the cost.
One by one, he would confront each member of the team, testing their strength, breaking them if necessary. He had become the vigilante of his own twisted ideals, and in his eyes, the world would bend to his will or be crushed underfoot.
The shadows welcomed him now, and Haruto embraced them fully.