The evening sky was painted in shades of deep orange and purple, the last remnants of sunlight fading as the shadows lengthened across the city streets. Abeni's footsteps echoed off the cracked pavement as she sprinted through the winding alleys. Her breaths came in sharp, panicked bursts, her heart racing with each step. She couldn't shake the guilt gnawing at her; she was supposed to walk home with her friend Tayo, but the unexpected conversation with Hiroki and Takeshi had held her up.
Why did I waste so much time? Abeni thought, cursing under her breath. The earlier text messages from Tayo had grown increasingly frantic:
"Hey, where are you?"
"I think someone’s following me."
"Abeni, I’m scared—"
"There’s something wrong, please hurry!"
The last message was sent just five minutes ago, but the silence since then felt like an eternity. Abeni’s mind raced with worst-case scenarios. She could still remember the way Tayo’s voice had trembled during their last phone call earlier that day.
Her instincts screamed at her to run faster, to move like her life depended on it. And when she turned down the familiar path that Tayo usually took home, a chill swept through her body. The faint sound of screaming echoed from somewhere up ahead.
No... please don’t let it be her...
Abeni rounded the corner, her eyes widening in horror. There, in the dim glow of a flickering streetlight, stood a monstrous figure—a grotesque, nightmarish creature that seemed to be made entirely of writhing black tendrils and countless gaping mouths. Voragos, the Gluttonous Maw, as it was named, loomed over Tayo, who was cowering on the ground, her eyes wide with terror.
Abeni’s stomach twisted into knots. The sight was surreal, like something out of a fever dream. But it wasn’t just fear that gripped her. It was something else—something primal, something instinctual. She could feel it pulsing within her, an energy that was both foreign and familiar.
Abeni’s Wraith, still a faint presence in her mind, suddenly flared to life. It wasn’t speaking to her in words, but she could feel its intentions as if they were her own. It was urging her to fight, to strike back against this monstrosity that was threatening her friend.
Her body moved before her mind could catch up, a surge of adrenaline pushing her forward. She didn’t know what she was doing—she had no training, no experience. But as the energy pulsed through her veins, her muscles seemed to move on their own.
“Get away from her!” Abeni screamed, throwing herself at the rogue Wraith with all the force she could muster. For a moment, she thought she saw a flicker of light crackle along her fingertips, a brief surge of power that made the air around her hum.
But just as quickly as it appeared, the light was snuffed out.
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Before Abeni could reach Voragos, everything went black. It was as if the world had been swallowed by an impenetrable void. One moment she was running forward, her hand outstretched, and the next she was suspended in a cold, suffocating darkness.
Her breath hitched, the air around her growing thin. She couldn’t see, couldn’t hear—there was nothing but the crushing weight of emptiness pressing in on all sides. The chill seeped into her bones, and a wave of nausea washed over her.
And then, in the midst of the darkness, a figure appeared.
Abeni’s heart skipped a beat. The figure was faint, hazy, like a silhouette made of shadows. It was a boy—young, almost childlike, with a soft, disarming smile that sent a shiver down her spine. He was just standing there, as if waiting for her.
“W-who are you?” Abeni’s voice trembled, barely more than a whisper. The boy’s smile widened, but he didn’t respond. Instead, he took a step closer, his hand slowly extending toward her.
Abeni wanted to move, to back away, but her body refused to listen. It was as if the darkness itself had frozen her in place, her muscles locked in place by some unseen force. The boy’s smile was calm, almost kind, but there was something behind it—something empty, something wrong.
A primal fear took hold of Abeni, a fear that had no source, no logic. It was the kind of fear that lived in the deepest, darkest corners of her mind, the kind that whispered of things that lurked beyond the edge of reason.
The boy’s hand was inches away from her now, and she could feel a cold, suffocating aura emanating from him. It felt like her soul was being sucked out, like the life was being drained from her with each passing second.
“Stop... get away...” Abeni tried to scream, but the words died in her throat. Her vision blurred, her knees buckling as the strength drained from her limbs. She slumped to the ground, her consciousness slipping away.
But just before everything went dark, a flicker of light flashed in the corner of her vision—faint but growing brighter.
The city streets were bustling with the usual evening traffic, the hum of engines and the glare of headlights casting long shadows on the pavement. Takeshi drove through the city in his sleek black sedan, the low purr of the engine a comforting sound in the quiet of his car. He was heading home, or at least that’s what he told himself. But his mind was elsewhere, replaying the strange conversation he had with Hiroki and Abeni on the rooftop.
Meanwhile, Hiroki was making his way home on his old, beaten-up bicycle. The rhythmic squeak of the pedals filled the air as he weaved through traffic, his thoughts a chaotic mess. Arkan’s voice kept flitting in and out of his mind, making snide remarks that Hiroki tried his best to ignore.
But then, in an instant, everything changed.
Both Takeshi and Hiroki felt it at the same time—a sudden, sickening pressure in the air, like the world itself had taken a breath and was holding it. Hiroki skidded to a halt, nearly losing control of his bike, while Takeshi slammed on the brakes, the tires screeching against the asphalt.
“What the hell...?” Hiroki muttered, his heart pounding in his chest.
From his car, Takeshi narrowed his eyes, scanning the horizon. It was subtle, but there was a faint, swirling darkness in the distance, almost like a black mist rising above the rooftops. It was coming from the direction of the alleyways. Without thinking, he made a sharp turn, racing toward the source.
Arkan’s voice buzzed in Hiroki’s mind, a rare note of urgency in its tone. “Kid, you feel that? That’s no ordinary Wraith. We need to move. Now.”
Hiroki didn’t need to be told twice. He pushed off on his bike, pedaling as hard as he could to keep up with the sleek car speeding through the streets. He didn’t know why he was following Takeshi or what they were headed toward, but something deep inside him told him this was where he needed to be.
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As they approached the source of the disturbance, the air grew colder, the shadows darker. Takeshi parked his car hastily at the entrance of the alleyway, while Hiroki skidded to a stop next to him.
“There,” Takeshi said, pointing toward the swirling mass of blackness that seemed to writhe and pulse like a living entity. “That’s a rogue Wraith—a powerful one. Its name is Voragos, the Gluttonous Maw. It feeds on emotions, especially despair and fear, until its victims are hollowed out.”
“What the hell...?” Hiroki stared at the creature, his eyes wide with a mix of horror and disbelief.
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Takeshi glanced at him, his usually composed demeanor cracking slightly. “Listen to me, Hiroki. This thing is no joke. Keep your distance and be careful. If it gets inside your head—”
But before Takeshi could finish, the darkness surged forward, swallowing both of them whole. Takeshi’s eyes widened in shock. “Damn it, it’s faster than I expected!”
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Inside the darkness, the world twisted and contorted. Hiroki and Takeshi found themselves disoriented, the ground shifting beneath their feet. The air was thick with an oppressive weight that seemed to press down on their chests, making it hard to breathe.
Voragos’s many mouths began to whisper, each one speaking in a voice that sounded like nails on a chalkboard, dredging up fears and insecurities.
Takeshi gritted his teeth, his eyes narrowing as he felt the pressure building. “Alright, let’s see how you handle this,” he muttered under his breath.
Drawing on Umbrel’s power, Takeshi released Gravitational Pressure, increasing the weight of the darkness around him. The rogue Wraith seemed to recoil, its tendrils slowing as the gravity around them intensified. Takeshi followed up with Kinetic Gravity Field, releasing a burst of force that created a shockwave, momentarily pushing the darkness away.
“Keep moving, Hiroki!” Takeshi shouted, his voice strained as he struggled to maintain control. “Don’t let it get inside your head!”
But it was too late for Hiroki. The whispers grew louder, clawing at the edges of his mind. Brief, disjointed flashes filled his vision—scenes from his past that he had tried so hard to forget. He could see the faces of people he once called friends, but their laughter had turned into silent, mocking smiles. Their mouths moved, but no sound came out, and the emptiness in their eyes chilled him to the bone.
“What... what is this?” Hiroki gasped, clutching his head as the memories swirled faster. The sense of abandonment and loneliness he had buried deep within himself came rushing to the surface, threatening to drown him.
“Hiroki, snap out of it!” Takeshi shouted, but Hiroki could barely hear him.
The darkness wrapped tighter around him, the oppressive energy squeezing the air from his lungs. He could feel himself fading, his strength draining away like water slipping through his fingers.
That’s when Arkan’s voice cut through the chaos like a bolt of lightning. “Kid, listen to me! This thing is feeding on your fear. You have to fight back!”
“I... I can’t,” Hiroki whispered, his voice barely audible. “I don’t know what to do. I’ve never trained for something like this.”
“Training be damned,” Arkan growled, a rare hint of desperation in its tone. “This thing is using arcane energy to trap you. But guess what? That’s your fuel now! You’re surrounded by more energy than you’ll ever see again. You just need to ignite it. Let it burn.”
Hiroki shook his head, his eyes filled with tears. “But... I’ve never done that before. That’s something only Soul Smiths with years of training can do!”
“Forget about training,” Arkan urged, its voice steady and commanding. “Right now, you just need to trust me. You’ve got the power—you just need to light the fuse.”
Taking a deep breath, Hiroki closed his eyes. He let go of the fear, the doubt, the endless swirl of memories that threatened to consume him. He focused instead on the raw energy pressing in on him, the arcane currents swirling through the darkness.
“Alright, Arkan,” he whispered. “Let’s do this.”
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The darkness around Hiroki seemed to pulse in response, as if sensing his resolve. And then, in an instant, everything changed.
A brilliant explosion of orange flames erupted from Hiroki’s body, pushing back the shadows that had enveloped him. The alleyway was suddenly bathed in a dazzling light, the flames dancing and crackling with arcs of lightning. The oppressive darkness that Voragos had created was torn apart, the rogue Wraith recoiling as if it had been burned.
Takeshi turned, shielding his eyes from the intense light. “What the...?” he muttered, his voice tinged with awe.
In the center of the inferno stood Hiroki, his eyes glowing with a fierce, determined light. The flames around him seemed almost alive, crackling with bursts of electricity that made the air hum with power.
Arkan’s voice echoed in Hiroki’s mind, filled with a strange mix of pride and satisfaction. “There you go, kid. Now let’s burn this bastard.”
Hiroki, his body now enveloped in the arcane energy he had drawn in, lunged forward, his fists wreathed in flames. Voragos shrieked, its tendrils thrashing as it tried to pull away, but it was too late. With a powerful strike, Hiroki’s flaming fist connected, setting the rogue Wraith ablaze.
In the cold, suffocating void, Abeni lay slumped on the ground, her vision a blur of shadows and flickering lights. The whispers had grown louder, each one drilling into her mind with promises of release, of peace if she would just let go. She tried to move, to push back against the oppressive weight, but her limbs felt like they were made of lead.
In the distance, she could see the figure of the boy again, his smile widening as he came closer. His outline was hazy, his features indistinct, but his eyes glowed with an unsettling hunger. There was something so deceptively innocent about him, like a child who had never known fear.
Abeni’s breath hitched as the boy extended his hand toward her. She could feel the cold aura around him, a black miasma that seemed to drain the life from everything it touched. The closer he got, the weaker she felt, her own Wraith’s energy flickering like a dying candle.
“Is this it?” Abeni thought, tears welling up in her eyes. “Am I really going to be hollowed out by this thing?”
But just as she was about to give in to the despair, something flickered in the corner of her vision—a flash of brilliant orange light, like the first rays of dawn piercing through the darkness. The cold grip of the miasma began to loosen, the whispers fading to a dull hum.
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The boy’s form began to waver, his smile faltering as the darkness around him caught fire. The black miasma that had wrapped itself around Abeni’s body started to burn away, the oppressive cold replaced by a sudden, intense heat.
“What...?” Abeni’s voice was barely a whisper, her eyes widening in shock. The darkness was peeling away like paper in a flame, and through the blinding light, she saw him—a figure wreathed in fire, his silhouette crackling with arcs of lightning.
It was Hiroki.
The flames around him danced wildly, each burst of energy sending ripples through the air. The rogue Wraith, Voragos, shrieked in agony as the purifying fire tore through its twisted form, burning away the shadows that made up its grotesque body. Hiroki's eyes blazed with determination, his expression fierce and unyielding.
“Hiroki...” Abeni muttered, her voice filled with disbelief. She had seen him earlier, just a quiet, awkward boy who seemed like he wanted nothing more than to be left alone. But now... now he was like a beacon of raw, untamed power, a force that couldn’t be ignored.
The illusion of the boy that had been tormenting her was gone, replaced by the sight of Hiroki standing tall amidst the inferno.
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Suddenly, Abeni felt herself being lifted off the ground, the world around her spinning as a pair of strong arms scooped her up. “I’ve got you,” Takeshi’s voice said, calm but with a hint of urgency. He had swooped in just in time, grabbing both Abeni and her unconscious friend, Tayo, from the clutches of the dissipating darkness.
Abeni clung to him, her mind still reeling from the onslaught of emotions. As Takeshi leaped away from the crumbling shadows, she couldn’t take her eyes off Hiroki, who was still fighting in the heart of the inferno. His flames were like a living thing, consuming the rogue Wraith with a relentless hunger.
“Who... who is he?” Abeni whispered, her voice barely audible.
Takeshi spared a glance back at Hiroki, his usually cold eyes showing a rare glint of something that almost looked like respect—or perhaps, wariness. “Someone who’s more powerful than he realizes,” Takeshi muttered under his breath.
Hiroki’s fire and lightning coalesced into a single, massive burst, a final, cleansing strike that burned through Voragos’s core. The rogue Wraith let out one last, earsplitting screech before it disintegrated into ash, the oppressive darkness finally lifting.
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As the flames around him died down, Hiroki stumbled, his energy completely spent. The intense glow in his eyes faded, replaced by exhaustion. The fire that had surrounded him flickered out, leaving only the faint crackle of residual lightning dancing along his fingertips.
“Hiroki!” Abeni shouted, but her voice was drowned out by the sudden roar of silence that filled the alley.
Takeshi watched as Hiroki’s legs gave way, the boy collapsing to the ground. “Idiot,” Takeshi muttered, though there was no malice in his tone. He turned to Abeni, who was still trying to catch her breath. “Stay here with your friend,” he instructed before dashing back toward Hiroki.
As Takeshi reached Hiroki’s side, he could see that the boy was barely conscious. His breaths were shallow, his body trembling from the aftereffects of using so much power without training. Takeshi knelt down, his eyes narrowing as he examined the scorch marks that still lingered on Hiroki’s skin.
“Not bad, kid,” Takeshi said softly, a rare hint of approval in his voice. “But don’t push yourself too hard. You’re not ready yet.”
Hiroki’s eyes fluttered open for a brief moment, his gaze unfocused. “Did... we win?” he muttered weakly.
“Yeah,” Takeshi replied, standing up as he watched Hiroki’s eyes close again. “We won. But you’ve got a long way to go.”
Arkan’s voice echoed faintly in Hiroki’s mind as he drifted into unconsciousness. “Not bad for your first fight, kid. But next time... we’ll really show them.”
As Hiroki’s breathing evened out, Takeshi looked back toward Abeni, who was kneeling beside her unconscious friend, Tayo. For the first time in a long while, Takeshi felt a spark of something he hadn’t felt in years—hope.
Maybe, just maybe, with him, they might be able to survive the coming storm.