The television flickered, its screen filled with the worried face of a news anchor.
*"…increasingly erratic wave patterns… potential for a massive tsunami or cyclone… authorities are urging citizens to remain calm…"*
Kaido barely listened. He stood, walked toward the window. The sky… something about it felt wrong. A deep orange hue swirled across the horizon, mixing with dark, heavy clouds. Lightning flashed in the distance, illuminating the cityscape for a split second.
*"Rain? In the middle of summer? That's weird."*
His phone rang, snapping him out of his daze.
"Hello?"
"Kaido!"The voice on the other end was sharp, irritated. "An hour! At the ramen place! Seriously?"
His breath caught.
Oh no.
His body tensed. He glanced at the clock. He had completely lost track of time.
"Yumi! I— I completely spaced it! I'm so sorry!"
A long silence. Then, her voice, low and dangerous.
"You always pull this."
The line went dead.
Kaido stared at his phone, a sinking feeling settling in his gut. He clenched his fists.
*"Damn it, I blew it. She's my first love, and I keep screwing up. I need to fix this."*
Without another thought, he grabbed his jacket and rushed out the door.
---
The rain came down in sheets, soaking through his clothes as he sprinted through the empty streets. His thoughts raced even faster.
When he finally reached the ramen shop, Yumi was already there, standing under the dim neon light. Arms crossed. Eyes cold.
Kaido opened his mouth to speak—
But before he could, the television inside the shop caught both their attention.
"We interrupt this program for an urgent announcement."
The entire restaurant fell silent as the news anchor's face reappeared, pale and trembling.
"Reports are coming in of a massive creature sighted off the coast of Japan…"
Gasps filled the air.
Kaido turned to the screen, his body going rigid.
The image was blurry, distorted by rain and fog. But the shape in the distance—
It was massive.
Then, the creature moved.
A hand. A giant hand, rising into view.
The camera shook violently. Screams erupted from the news crew.
The screen cut to static. Then black.
A new image appeared.
A military officer sat in a dimly lit command center, his face hollow, eyes dark with something beyond fear. His voice was calm. Too calm.
[Emergency Broadcast – The Truth Japan Never Knew]
*Supreme Military Command, Tokyo*
*"To all citizens of Japan… this is Supreme Commander Saito. There is something you must know."*
"For five hundred years, you have lived in peace. You believed in a world without war, without monsters, without fear. That was a lie. A lie we told you to protect you. A lie we upheld with blood and steel in the shadows of history.
Japan is not the peaceful nation you thought it was. The world beyond our borders is not the world you imagined. There are no great nations, no allies, no diplomacy—only hunger, death, and the horrors that we have kept at bay.
For centuries, the monsters have waited, lurking in the abyss beyond our walls, watching, growing. And now, after five hundred years, they have returned.
We tried to stop them. We fought them in the dark so you could sleep without nightmares. But now… the darkness has come to swallow us all. The first wave has broken through. The defenses built across generations are failing. The cities you call home will soon become battlegrounds.
I do not ask you to fight. You have never known war, and you cannot be expected to face it. But I ask you to survive. Evacuate if you can. Hide if you can. The government is gone. The military is all that remains, and we will hold them back for as long as we can.But may be this is the end...
To those who hear this… know that this is the not end of Japan.
And,
It is the end of the lie.
For the first time in five hundred years… you see the world as it truly is.
This is Supreme Commander Saito… signing off."
May be...
"This… this is the end. We are going to die."
Kaido felt his heart stop.
Around him, the restaurant stood frozen. People weren't just scared. They were paralyzed.
Yumi's hand covered her mouth, her face pale.
Kaido exhaled slowly. His hands trembled.
*"This… it's like…"*
The temple.
A flash of memory. A five-year-old boy, standing amidst carnage. Blood. Screams. The stories of the monks—
All real.
Kaido clenched his fists.
No.
He wouldn't freeze.
Grabbing Yumi's hand, he turned toward the exit.
"We have to go. Now."
Outside, the storm raged.
And far above, in the swirling chaos of clouds and lightning—
The monster's shadow loomed.