Kento had come to Tokyo seeking a better life, away from the small town he'd always known. The lights, the noise, the promise of something bigger—it was all too much at first, but he adapted. The city was everything he'd dreamed of. Until the night everything changed.
It started with the dreams. Horrible dreams. At first, he tried to ignore them. A figure—half dragon, half wolf—hunted him, its dark eyes locked onto him as it moved through thick forests and empty streets. But there was nothing in Tokyo like that. No monsters here. No nightmares chasing you down alleys.
Then, it wasn't a dream anymore.
It was after a late night at the convenience store. Kento stepped out into the cold and fog, his breath curling in the air. His apartment was a ten-minute walk away, but tonight felt different. The city seemed empty, quieter. He pulled his coat tighter, wanting nothing more than to get home.
A rustle behind him. He froze.
Nothing.
He tried to laugh it off. He turned the corner, but stopped when he heard it again—a low growl, something primal. Kento wasn't sure why, but he couldn't move. His heart pounded. A few more steps, and it came. The thing appeared in his peripheral vision—just a blur at first—but he saw it clear enough: scales, fur, eyes that glowed yellow in the dark.
The creature was fast. Faster than anything Kento had ever seen. It pounced at him, its claws scratching at the pavement as it tore down the alley after him. Kento didn't think, he just ran. His body moved on instinct, though it didn't feel like his own.
It was close. Too close.
Kento's foot hit something slick—maybe oil, maybe blood—and he fell hard, his body slamming against the concrete. He scrambled to his feet, but the thing was there, right above him, sniffing the air. It moved, its jaws snapping close to his face. Kento barely had time to scream.
The next few hours were a blur of terror. He ran, he hid, but it was always there, circling, waiting. Sometimes he thought he heard the sounds of the city, but when he looked, everything felt hollow. The streets stretched on, empty. People were gone. Kento didn't know if he was even in Tokyo anymore.
Finally, exhaustion took over. He couldn't run anymore. He couldn't even move. The creature came closer, its jaws parting to reveal teeth like knives. Its breath stank of rot and fire. Kento shut his eyes, but nothing helped.
His body disappeared that night.
------
A week later, his parents came to the city, searching for their son. They asked around, showed photos, told anyone who would listen. But no one had seen him. The police offered little help, their reports vague, full of questions that didn't matter.
The alley where Kento was last seen? It was clean, as if nothing had ever happened there. No blood. No sign of a struggle. Nothing.
Days passed. Then weeks. His parents returned home, broken. The questions remained unanswered. And Tokyo, with its lights and promises, never stopped moving.
They still think about him sometimes. They wonder if he's still out there. But they never stop looking. Not really.