Meanwhile at the school, months in advance…
The rain hadn't stopped in two days.
The windows of the upper floor were stained with fog and spit-streaked by the wind, and on the far end of the hallway, one old classroom had its door cracked open.
The lights were off inside.
A single desk was occupied.
Riku Akiyama, 15, sat cross-legged on the floor, hunched over a black-covered light novel with jagged silver font:
"The Crimson Blade That Heaven Banished"
Volume 7: "I'll Kill the Hero Who Left Me"
He flipped the page slowly, eyes narrowed behind the spiky strands of his spiky unkempt red hair. His right hand rested on his cheek. His left hovered over the book, still holding it open like the world was one long, disappointing breath.
Riku (monologuing): "Same trash setup. Hero parties, betrayal, revenge. There's nothing that screams "Real.." Just why does everyone need to have some false reasoning..but i guess they needed a reason to want to be fake these days, heh.. At least the fiction owes it to them.."
Riku (cont.): "But then again, that final slash scene was nice…though it's a shame that the author chickened out at the last second with that whole double kill at the end..Why was the fanservice needed with the orc?... Maybe Next volume, heh."
A scream echoed outside the room.
Two voices.
Muffled. Pained.
Then laughter–cruel and practiced.
Riku didn't move.
But his eyes stopped reading.
We would shift to the school's courtyard about 5 minutes ago.
Haruto and Hina, twins—both 14. Soft-spoken. Ordinary. The kind of ordinary that made them invisible unless something bad was happening.
Right now?
It was bad.
A group of eight students—four girls, four boys—surrounded them like sharks circling prey.
They all wore the same smug expression. Like they were doing a public service by making someone else cry.
Aya (threateningly): "You pathetic little cretins spilled my drink yesterday, didn't you?"
Hina (quietly): "N-no… I was pushed—"
Reiji (mockingly): "She talks like a damn cat who coughed up bones.."
Hayato (mockingly): "Hey, Haruto. Gonna cry? Gonna throw hands?"
Haruto (scared): "We didn't—just let us through—"
Mao (teasingly): "Aw, the twins need each other to speak? Gross."
A boy laughed while pushing Hina forward. She fell to her knees.
That's when a heavy paperback smacked the floor behind them with a loud thud.
They turned.
There he was.
Riku Akiyama.
Holding his book like it was sacred, and looking more bored than angry.
Riku (mockingly): "You idiots are loud. And worse, you're unoriginal."
The group blinked for a moment.
Natsuki (annoyed): "Who the hell are you?"
Riku (deadpan): "The guy who just got pulled out of a halfway decent betrayal story because of your garbage-tier dialogue."
Shun (pissed): "You talk big. Wanna join the floor with these two freaks."
Riku (glaring): "Did I tell you to speak, boy?"
Akaji (irritated): "Are you asking for a death wish..?"
Yue (smirking): "He's in fact asking for one.."
Riku (bored): "You first."
He moved faster than expected.
His hand extended forward, slamming his fist into Shun's stomach. BAM.
He would double over before getting knocked out in a instant.
He turned a bit as he sent his foot down, as he swept it onto Reiji's knee. Crack.
The boy screamed and dropped for a moment.
Riku eyed Akaji and Yue before grabbing their heads and bashing them into each other, knocking them out from the first hit.
Once Riku was done with Akaji and Yue, he dropped them beside Shun and Reiji, before turning to Natsuki for a moment and jumping upwards and twisting his body for a quick roundhouse kick into the shoulder next to the neck, knocking her out.
As Natsuki dropped unconscious on the floor, Mao didn't waste any time to throw a swing over for it to get ducked by Riku at the last second, palming her in the face, and slammed her against the fence gate.
Riku (Serious): "Equal-opportunity violence, princess.."
Riku let go of Mao, letting her drop to the ground, knocked out on Natsuki's body before turning around as Aya lunged at him with a kick only for Riku to sidestep and grab her ankle midair as he then threw her into Hayato, knocking them both on unconscious.
Hina blinked for a moment.
Haruto: "W-what is happening?!"
Riku mounted on Hayato for a moment, holding him down—before slamming his hand into his face.
Riku (Still swinging fists onto Hayato's face): "You think being in a group makes you scary…? You think weak equals target…? But all it means—"
SLAM — Hayato was still getting his face smashed in.
Riku (Cont.) "–is you're too insecure to fight someone who'll actually hit back."
In a minute, Riku got up from Hayato who was bleeding a lot and bruised after Riku was done smashing his face in.
The courtyard was full of groaning, bruised bodies.
Haruto and Hina stood, frozen, untouched.
Riku brushed blood from his knuckles. Picked up his novel. Flipped the page he dropped.
Riku (to the twins): "Next time, stand up earlier. Or don't. I don't care. Just don't bow to idiots."
He started to walk off.
Hina (quietly): "T-thank you…"
Riku (without turning): "I didn't do it for you. I just hate the noise."
He walked away from the courtyard, as he continued reading his novel like nothing happened—vanishing from the distance.
We would shift to the school's main office, somewhat later on in the day.
The Teacher, Ms. Ootake eyed the report and sighed for a moment before staring at me.
Ootake (sighing): "So you're the one who hospitalized eight students?"
Riku (Flat): "...Yeah, so? They were being loud?"
Ootake (groaning): "Because they were loud, so you hit them?"
Riku (Serious): "Yeah?"
Ootake (Serious): "Listen, You have a future to uphold so don't fall for things as inconveniently as that.."
Riku (jokingly): "Like you not being able to find a boyfriend when you are twen–"
Ootoke's face changed for a moment as she clenched her fist—snapping the pencil, causing Riku to sweat a bit in terror, as she then slammed her fist into his head–causing him to rub his head, playfully.
Riku (serious): "So… am I free to go?"
Ootoke (clears throat): "No, since legally I can't let you walk around in the school after you beat those kids brutally so you are suspended for a couple days."
Riku (deadpan): "Cool."
He walked out, novel in hand.
Riku stepped out of the school gates alone.
The sky was cloudy. The streets were wet. His eyes scanned a horizon no one else seemed to notice.
He wasn't looking for peace.
Or power.
Or purpose.
But something was watching.
A flicker in the corner of his eye.
A face he didn't quite remember.
A name he didn't yet know.
But soon…
He would.
…
["Justice isn't what you're told it is. It's what you do when no one's watching."]
[ABYSSAL SHADOW HAS COME TO AN END]