The scent of blood clung to the wind.
Ryuji's breaths were sharp and uneven as he dashed through the darkened forest, his boots crunching against damp leaves. The wound on his shoulder throbbed, a deep gash from the demon's claws. His fingers trembled around the hilt of his sword, sticky with his own blood.
He was slowing down.
Damn it... I can't stop here.
A bestial snarl echoed behind him. The trees trembled. Twigs snapped under something heavy—something inhuman.
The demon was still hunting him.
His heart pounded as he forced himself forward, his vision blurring from exhaustion. He had barely survived the last attack. If he didn't find shelter soon—
A dagger sliced through the air.
Ryuji barely dodged as the blade embedded itself into the tree beside him, quivering from the impact. He froze, gripping his sword, his instincts screaming at him to attack.
Then he heard her voice.
"You're late, Ryuji."
From the shadows, a figure stepped forward, her silhouette framed by the moonlight.
Akari.
Her raven-black hair cascaded down her back, caught in the wind. Her crimson eyes locked onto him, unreadable but sharp, flicking to the wound on his arm. Her katana rested against her shoulder, its steel gleaming under the night sky.
"You look like hell." Her voice was flat, but the concern was hidden beneath it.
Ryuji exhaled heavily, straightening despite the pain. "Did you have to throw a dagger at me?"
"You were slow."
"I was almost killed."
"Then run faster."
Ryuji let out a dry chuckle despite himself. "Still as ruthless as ever, huh?"
Akari didn't smile. Instead, she stepped closer, her gaze narrowing. "What happened to you?"
Ryuji hesitated. He didn't want to tell her. He didn't want to admit what was clawing at the edges of his mind—the voice that had whispered to him when he faced the demon, the dark hunger that had nearly consumed him.
"Nothing."
"Liar." Akari's tone was sharp. "Your mark is burning, isn't it?"
He flinched, unconsciously gripping his chest. He had hidden the curse from everyone for years, but Akari… she could always see right through him.
A gust of wind blew through the trees.
The scent of decay filled the air.
Then—
A deep, guttural growl.
Ryuji's body tensed. From the shadows of the trees, a pair of glowing red eyes emerged.
The demon.
It was larger than before. Its skin was blackened, its claws dripping with the blood of whatever it had slaughtered before coming for him.
The demon sniffed the air, then its lips curled into a sickening grin.
"I smell the same blood…"
Ryuji's body went cold.
It knows.
The cursed mark on his chest burned white-hot, pulsing in sync with his heartbeat. His vision wavered. A violent hunger stirred in his veins, something ancient and unstoppable.
Not now.
Not here.
His fingers dug into his arm, trying to anchor himself.
"Ryuji!" Akari's voice snapped through the fog in his mind. "Focus! We need to—"
But it was too late.
The beast inside him had awakened.
A surge of dark energy exploded from his body, cracking the ground beneath him. The demon shrieked, stumbling back, sensing the shift in power.
Ryuji's pupils thinned into slits.
His sword trembled in his grip, his entire body pulsing with an uncontrollable force. His veins glowed with black markings, twisting and crawling up his neck.
Akari's eyes widened. "No..."
He barely heard her.
The world was drowning in darkness.
Then—
Everything shattered.