Ryuusuke's body hummed with raw energy, the remnants of the blast still crackling through his veins. His hands trembled, the aftershocks of his first true taste of power leaving him weak and disoriented. The apartment was in ruins—the walls were cracked, debris littered the floor, and the air was thick with smoke and dust. Yet, amidst the destruction, there was silence. No more growls, no more monsters.
But that silence felt heavy, suffocating.
Kaito, barely able to stand, limped over to him. His face was pale, his eyes wide with a mix of awe and dread.
"You... you did that?" Kaito's voice was barely a whisper, as though speaking too loudly might shatter the fragile reality around them.
"I... I don't know," Ryuusuke muttered, still staring at his hands, which were still faintly glowing. The power was intoxicating, like a fire burning through his skin. It felt wrong, yet it also felt like the only thing that made sense in a world that suddenly seemed so fragile.
"That thing—was it a demon? A god?" Kaito asked, his voice trembling.
Ryuusuke didn't respond. His thoughts were spinning. The figure—whatever it was—had called him by name. It had known him. And its words echoed in his mind. The multiverse has noticed you.
It made no sense. He was just a college student, living a meaningless life. At least, that's what he thought.
But this? This power? He could feel it now, deep within him. The sensation of something else, something ancient and unfathomable, slumbering inside his very being. Was this what he had unlocked? Was this power truly his? And if it was, how far did it reach?
Kaito staggered back, his gaze fixed on Ryuusuke with a mixture of fear and awe. "We need to get out of here, now. They'll send more after us."
Ryuusuke didn't respond immediately. He was still too lost in his thoughts, trying to understand what was happening to him. How could a single human—someone like him—have this kind of power? His mind raced with a thousand questions.
Kaito's voice cut through the haze of his thoughts. "Ryuusuke, listen to me. We don't have time. The ones who sent that thing—they're not just some random monsters. They're... gods. Or something close to them. And they'll keep coming until they get what they want."
Ryuusuke snapped his gaze back to Kaito, his expression hardened. "What do you mean, 'gods'? Who are they? Why do they want me?"
Kaito shook his head, as if the very concept of explaining it was beyond him. "I don't know. I don't understand it all, but I know enough to say this: you're not just any human anymore. Something's awakened inside you. Something... powerful. And that power is what they're after."
Before Ryuusuke could process the full weight of Kaito's words, there was another sound—the unmistakable hum of distorted energy, like the atmosphere itself was warping.
Ryuusuke whipped his head to the side. The temperature in the room dropped dramatically, the lights flickering as the very air seemed to vibrate. Then, the walls shattered.
Through the wreckage emerged another figure. This one was different—darker, more sinister. It was humanoid, but its skin was like obsidian, reflecting the destruction around it with an eerie, unholy sheen. Its eyes burned a cold blue, devoid of any warmth, of any humanity.
"Ryuusuke Tanaka," it intoned, its voice a low, resonant growl that reverberated through Ryuusuke's very bones. "The first awakening was but a spark. The true trial begins now."
Ryuusuke's breath caught in his throat. The figure's presence was overwhelming, like standing in the presence of something ancient, something far older than human history.
Kaito moved instinctively to shield Ryuusuke, but the moment he stepped forward, the obsidian figure raised a hand. A surge of energy shot from its palm, blasting Kaito into the far corner of the room, crumpling him against the wall like a ragdoll.
"No!" Ryuusuke shouted, rushing to his friend's side. But before he could reach him, the figure's voice halted him in his tracks.
"Do not waste your strength, boy," it said, its gaze settling on Ryuusuke. "You are the one we seek. You are the one who will lead us to the threshold."
Ryuusuke could barely breathe, his body still humming with that strange, all-consuming power. His heart hammered in his chest, and his head spun as he tried to make sense of the figure's cryptic words.
"What do you mean?" Ryuusuke's voice cracked with frustration. "What do you want from me?"
The obsidian figure tilted its head, a slow, calculated movement. "The awakening is merely the first step. The next is your ascent. Your power will reshape this world, and every world beyond it. We are the harbingers of that transformation."
Ryuusuke's heart skipped a beat. As the figure spoke, he could feel the weight of its words settle over him. What kind of power was he dealing with? What did it mean to "reshape the world"?
"I'm not your tool," Ryuusuke snarled, stepping forward, defiance growing within him. "I don't know who you are or what you want, but I'm not part of your plan."
The figure's laugh was chilling, like the sound of breaking glass. "You do not choose this, Ryuusuke. You are chosen. The moment you unlocked that power, you became a part of something much larger than yourself."
Ryuusuke's hands balled into fists. He could feel the energy rising within him again, pulsing in sync with his heartbeat. His fingers began to crackle with power, and an overwhelming instinct to act surged through him.
"Get away from me," Ryuusuke growled, his voice raw with intensity.
The figure smiled, its expression not one of victory, but of curiosity. It took a step back, as if measuring him. "Impressive. But not enough."
And then, in the blink of an eye, the figure lunged, its hand shooting out to grab Ryuusuke by the throat. Before Ryuusuke could react, a blinding surge of energy exploded from his body, flinging the obsidian figure across the room.
Ryuusuke gasped, staring at his glowing hands. The power he had unleashed was more than he could comprehend. It was like tapping into something primal, something infinite.
But that was not the only thing he noticed. As the dust settled, he felt something deeper within him—the stirrings of a force far older, far darker than he could understand. And it was calling to him.
Kaito stirred, his hand gripping Ryuusuke's arm weakly. "You've just tapped into it. The true power. But there's more to this than you know."
Ryuusuke turned to Kaito, his heart heavy with the realization that nothing was simple anymore. This wasn't just a strange occurrence. This was a battle, a war that had been waiting for him to awaken.
"What's next, Kaito?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Kaito coughed, his face pale but determined. "The trial... it's just beginning. You've become the center of something far bigger than yourself. And the powers that seek you won't stop until they have everything you're worth."
Ryuusuke swallowed hard, looking at the shattered figure that had just tried to kill him. He could feel the pull of his newfound strength—could feel it coursing through him. This wasn't the world he had once known. No, this was the beginning of something far more dangerous. And whether he liked it or not, Ryuusuke Tanaka had just become the center of a cosmic war.
He didn't know if he was ready. But he had no choice.