"What the heck was that?" Risa exclaimed, looking around in confusion.

I stared at them, my heart pounding in my chest. "Did you hear that? A huge boom?"

They both nodded, eyes wide with alarm.

Without another word, I jumped up from my seat. "I'm going outside to check. Stay here."

Risa grabbed her bag in a hurry, eyes wide. "I'm coming with you!"

Sakura stood up too, glancing between me and Risa. "I'll go too... don't want to get lost."

I sighed but nodded. "Alright, but be careful."

We rushed out of the room, leaving the warm, cozy atmosphere behind. The cold air hit me hard, the snow still falling in soft sheets. The streets outside the karaoke lounge were chaotic. People were running in all directions, confused and scared. I could hear sirens in the distance, but something else was far more alarming.

At the end of the street, a car was burning, its wreckage scattered across the road. But what really caught my attention was the creature standing beside it—a massive, black puma. It growled, its golden eyes gleaming in the dim light. And standing there next to the creature was a man, clad in strange armor that looked like it was straight out of the Sengoku era. A samurai, in the modern world, with a sword at his side.

I stopped dead in my tracks, eyes narrowing. The puma—its movements, the way it carried itself—it reminded me of something... or someone.

Ayami.

My heart skipped a beat as I realized what was happening. The puma, that powerful creature, was no normal animal. It was Ayami in her shapeshifted form. And the samurai... I didn't recognize him, but the situation felt strangely familiar.

Risa and Sakura stood beside me, both of them equally stunned by the scene. "What... what is going on?" Risa asked, her voice shaking with fear.

I didn't answer right away. Instead, I watched as Ayami in puma form circled the samurai, her fur bristling. The man made a swift motion, raising his sword, and the puma leaped at him. The clash was intense, and the fight that followed was filled with swift, graceful moves.

I kept my distance, my eyes locked on the action. "Stay back," I murmured, more to myself than anyone else.

Risa and Sakura followed my gaze, their faces filled with confusion and disbelief.

The battle between Ayami and the samurai continued, a blur of speed. And for a moment, I couldn't help but feel like an observer in someone else's fight.

The worker's voice cut through the chaos, frantic and desperate. "Customers! Get inside! It's not safe out here!"

Risa and Sakura flinched, exchanging a quick glance before their eyes flicked back to the unsettling scene unfolding outside. The explosion had rattled everyone, and the sight of Ayami—now in her puma form—engaged in a fierce battle with the samurai only heightened the fear.

I stood frozen, torn between the urge to help Ayami and the very real danger that surrounded us. My gaze shifted to the worker, who was frantically motioning for us to come inside.

"We should go inside," I said quietly but firmly. The last thing I wanted was to get caught in the middle of this chaos, especially with Ayami in her shifted form.

Risa nodded quickly, her usual vibrant energy replaced with a trace of fear. "Yeah, let's get inside before we get dragged into this mess!"

Sakura, who had been eerily silent up until now, also nodded. "I don't want to get hurt. Let's go."

We rushed toward the karaoke lounge's entrance, the worker holding the door open for us. He quickly ushered us inside and slammed the door shut behind us, locking it for extra security.

Inside, the tension was palpable, but the sounds of the battle outside were muffled. We were safe—for now.

Outside, the samurai's voice rang out, demanding something from Ayami. "Answer me, Ayami Tsujimoto! Where is that kid?" His tone was sharp, filled with frustration.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

At first, people might have thought he was just being brave, shouting at a puma. But it wasn't just any puma. This was Ayami in her shapeshifted form, and she was clearly being targeted by the samurai.

The samurai seemed to be looking for someone—someone Ayami was protecting, or perhaps hiding. I couldn't shake the feeling that whoever this was about, it wasn't just a random encounter.

I looked out the window, my mind racing. I didn't know who the samurai was, but I had a sinking feeling this was only the beginning.

The samurai raised his katana high, his figure framed against the darkening sky. The snow falling around him seemed to slow, as if time itself was holding its breath. The tension in the air was thick, and the people inside the karaoke lounge could only watch in stunned silence through the shattered windows.

The samurai swung his katana with terrifying precision, his movement fluid but deadly.

Wsoooh!

The blade sliced through the air, cutting from sky to ground in a blur of motion.

Crank!

The force of the swing shattered every window in the karaoke lounge, the glass exploding outward in a cascade of sharp shards. The snowy street outside was cleaved in two, the path now marked by the violent slash.

Inside, everyone flinched at the explosion of glass, the deafening sound of destruction echoing in the small room. Outside, the samurai stood tall, his katana poised as if ready for another strike.

Ayami, still in her puma form, narrowly dodged the deadly blade, leaping to the side with a low growl of frustration.

"Agh..." She barely managed to avoid the full impact, her body shifting as she landed in a crouch, eyes narrowed and ready for the next move.

The atmosphere was charged with danger, the fight far from over. The air was thick with anticipation, both inside and outside the karaoke lounge.

The room inside the karaoke lounge erupted into chaos. Screams and gasps filled the air as people scrambled away from the shattered windows, backing into corners or ducking under tables for cover. Risa and Sakura were frozen, eyes wide with terror, their hands clutching the sides of their bodies as they stood rigid with fear.

"I... I want to go home," Risa stammered, her voice trembling as she took a few steps back, clearly shaken by the destruction outside.

Sakura, her face pale, was gripping her scarf tightly, her eyes never leaving the scene. "This is... this is crazy," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the panic around them.

Hikaru, however, remained still, his gaze fixed on the samurai outside, his mind racing. The events unfolding were far too surreal, the power emanating from the man in the snow far too unnatural. The swing of the katana, the sheer force of it, the way the snow seemed to react—it wasn't just some ordinary fighter.

Wait...

Hikaru's eyes widened in realization. This wasn't just a man in old-fashioned clothing. The samurai was too calm, too controlled, and the way the blade cut through the street... it wasn't normal. He had seen enough to recognize the signs now.

This wasn't just some rogue warrior from the past.

He's one of them.

The gifted. Those who had been chosen by the gods, those with power that far surpassed the norm. The ones who had caused so much chaos and fear in the world. And now, one of them was here, in front of him, fighting against Ayami.

"Risa, Sakura, get away from the windows!" Hikaru snapped, suddenly moving towards them, grabbing them by the shoulders and pulling them away from the glass. His mind was racing, but his focus remained on the fight outside. "We need to stay out of sight, it's not safe here!"

Risa and Sakura nodded, their fear evident, but Hikaru could feel their panic mounting. His eyes were still locked on the samurai, who now stood almost motionless in the snow, watching Ayami with an unreadable expression.

What's his plan? Hikaru thought, his instincts telling him that this wasn't over. Ayami was quick and agile, but she wasn't invincible. And this samurai? He wasn't someone who would just give up.

The tension in the air grew heavier, the fight on the other side of the broken windows seemingly paused for just a moment. Hikaru knew, deep down, that this was only the beginning.

Outside, the samurai raised his katana once more, his expression cold and resolute.

"It's not over," Hikaru murmured, his voice low. He turned to the girls, his mind working on the best course of action. "Stay down, stay quiet. This is going to get worse before it gets better."

"Heh... did you know, that kid... Hikaru-kun?" The voice came from the puma—Ayami—revealing who she was referring to.

The people watching, initially confused by the puma's movements, were stunned when it spoke in perfect Japanese.

"The puma... can speak Japanese?" someone muttered in disbelief.

She... wait, she's talking about me... I thought, feeling a mix of surprise and dread.

Ayami's eyes glinted with intensity as she continued, her voice clear and unwavering despite her animal form. "Hikaru-kun. He's not going to be on your side. He's going to make a world where magic can no longer exist!"

Her declaration hung heavily in the air, chilling the room even further. The crowd around us grew quieter, the weight of her words settling in.

A poke on my shoulder snapped me out of my thoughts, and I turned to see Risa, her face filled with confusion.

"Did the puma call your name?" she asked, eyes wide.

I wasn't sure if I should reveal anything, but I decided not to. "Maybe it was another Hikaru."

"Oh... so..." Risa trailed off, looking uncertain.

The samurai raised his hands again, and the crowd began to panic.

"Samurai, raise its katana! Be careful!" someone yelled as the people started scrambling to distance themselves from the glass and doors, clearly frightened of what was about to happen.

But I didn't want Ayami to die. I noticed the reflections of the ceiling in the shattered glass—there was enough of a view to the mirror world. I knew I had to help her.

Without thinking, I ran toward the remnants of the glass, ignoring the shouts from the people around me.

"Don't run there!"

I jumped through the glass taking myself in the mirror world.

To Be Continue.