Morning light spilled through the curtains, soft and golden. Sachu stirred awake, every muscle aching like he'd been trampled by a truck. The ceiling fan hummed lazily above him, the only sound in the still room.
Then came the sound of soft breathing.
He turned his head and froze.
Mia was asleep beside him, her hair spread across his pillow, one arm draped over his chest like she owned the place.
"…Oh, crap," Sachu whispered.
Bits of memory returned in flashes—the fight, the walk home, collapsing from exhaustion. She'd said she'd "just stay to make sure he didn't stop breathing again."
He didn't remember agreeing to this part.
And then—
Knock. Knock.
"Sachu?" his mom's voice floated through the door. "You up yet?"
Sachu's soul left his body. "Uh—yeah! Just… changing!"
Mia stirred, mumbling. "Five more minutes…"
"NO MINUTES!" he hissed, flailing. "Hide!"
"What—why?" she yawned, rubbing her eyes.
"Because my mom will literally murder me if she finds a girl in my bed!"
That woke her up fast. "Oh… crap."
She scrambled out of bed, tripping on his blanket and crashing into his desk. The cursed sword clattered to the floor with a loud clang.
"Everything alright in there?" his mom called.
"YEP! Just… fell while stretching!" Sachu winced. "Practicing balance!"
"…Since when do you exercise?"
"Since now!"
The footsteps faded down the hall. Both of them let out a shaky sigh of relief.
Mia laughed quietly. "You're so bad at lying."
He glared. "You almost got me killed!"
"Relax," she said, straightening her messy hair. "I'll sneak out the window."
"You're insane."
Then she winked, swung her legs over the sill, and dropped down into the yard below with catlike grace.
Sachu sighed, staring at the ceiling. "I survived a cursed sword, but she's gonna be the one that actually ends me."
By afternoon, the chaos of the morning felt like a weird dream. They were back on the school rooftop, sharing instant noodles and a bottle of cola, watching clouds drift lazily over the city.
"Hard to believe we fought a literal pyromaniac last week," Mia said, slurping a noodle.
"Yeah," Sachu muttered.
The next morning, Sachu woke up to find his phone buzzing nonstop.
VIDEO: SHADOW SAVIOR?
Mystery boy saves child from armed man.
New vigilante? Real or hoax?
Mia's text came seconds later:
OMG YOU'RE TRENDING!!!
He opened the video. It was grainy, filmed from a rooftop—the camera caught only glimpses of his silhouette, the black tendrils of shadow erupting around him as he vanished into the dark.
His face wasn't visible. Thank god.
Still, the comments were ridiculous.
"Looks like CGI."
"Is this some kind of movie promo?"
"Whoever he is… dude's got style."
Sachu groaned. "What the hell…"
Bit by bit, the memory of the night returned.
After the battle with Viran, he thought it was over.
They made it back to their city, exhausted but alive. The streets were quiet, washed in the cold blue of streetlights. Everything felt normal again—almost.
Then he saw it.
At the corner of an alley, a grown man was shoving a child to the ground, his hand raised to strike again. The kid's cry cut through the air—sharp, desperate.
Sachu didn't think. His body moved before his mind caught up.
A blur of shadow, a single strike—the man dropped to his knees, gasping, frozen in terror as the darkness around Sachu rippled like living smoke. The kid scrambled away, unharmed but terrified.
Mia called out softly, "Sachu—"
He turned, eyes still glowing faintly.
"We can't stay."
They ran before anyone could see them—before anyone could understand what they'd just witnessed. But as they vanished into the night, a red light blinked silently from above.
A security camera.
Sachu groaned, burying his face in his pillow. "I hate this planet."
When they met later that day, Mia was practically glowing. "We have fans!"
"We have problems," Sachu corrected. "The more people notice me, the more dangerous it gets."
"Oh please," she teased. "You're like Batman. Broody, dramatic, allergic to fun"
"I'm ignoring you."
"And secretly adorable."
He sighed. "Definitely ignoring you."
That evening, they decided to take a walk through the park. The air was cool, filled with the scent of wet grass after a light rain. Streetlights flickered on one by one as dusk deepened into night.
A quiet voice broke the stillness behind them.
"You handle that sword well."
They turned.
A girl stood under the lamplight—tall, poised, her pale blue hair catching the glow like frost. Her uniform wasn't from their school. She wore a dark coat over it, her expression calm but unreadable.
Sachu tensed immediately. "Who are you?"
"My name is Ayazme," she said softly. "And I've been looking for you, Shadow User."
Mia stepped forward, defensive. "You one of them? Another psycho with a murder blade?"
Ayazme didn't flinch. "I'm a sword user, yes. But not your enemy." Her gaze flicked to Sachu. "I saw the video. Your face isn't clear, but I figured it out."
Sachu frowned. "Let me guess you sensed me."
She nodded. "Exactly. Our kind resonates through the void. Once you've held a cursed sword long enough, you start to feel others."
Mia crossed her arms. "Okay, creepy but cool. What do you want?"
Ayazme hesitated before speaking, her voice calm but heavy. "I need your help. There's another user—one stronger than any I've encountered. His name is Rio. A lightning wielder."
The air seemed to hum faintly at the mention of his name, as if static crackled in the distance.
Ayazme continued, her eyes hard. "He doesn't just kill to feed his blade. He drains life whole crowds at once. He burns districts to ash and leaves no survivors."
Sachu's grip tightened on his sword instinctively. "…So he's another one feeding for immortality."
Ayazme nodded slowly. "Yes. But far worse. He's taken hundreds of lives—stolen decades, maybe centuries of lifespan. Ordinary weapons can't hurt him, and the police are helpless."
Mia frowned. "We already know that. Only another sword user can end one of us."
Ayazme gave a faint, approving nod. "Then you understand how dangerous he is."
"Dangerous," Sachu said quietly, "but not invincible."
For a moment, none of them spoke. Only the hum of streetlights and the whisper of wind filled the silence.
Finally, Ayazme stepped back, her tone softening. "You don't have to answer now. If you're willing to help, meet me tomorrow at the old shrine on Hozuki Hill. At dusk."
Then she turned, her coat brushing past them as she walked away, vanishing into the dark path without another word.
For a long moment, only silence remained.
Finally, Mia exhaled. "She's definitely dramatic enough to be one of us."
Sachu rubbed his temples. "Yeah. And if what she said is true, we're in trouble."
Next day.
The old shrine stood silent at the edge of the forest, half-swallowed by vines and time. Candles burned faintly along the stone steps, placed carefully by Ayazme.
When Sachu and Mia arrived, she was already waiting—calm, as if she had known exactly when they'd come.
"So you decided to show up," she said, her voice carrying a hint of satisfaction.
Sachu crossed his arms. "You said you know his place where is he?"
Ayazme met his gaze. "Japan."
Mia blinked. "Wait… we're going to Japan?"
Ayazme smiled faintly. "If you're ready to fight a god made of thunder, yes."
Sachu exhaled slowly, gripping the hilt of his cursed blade. " Yes "
Mia nudged him with a grin. "Another country, huh? Better pack snacks."
Ayazme turned toward the darkening sky. "Then it's settled. We leave at dawn."
The wind rustled through the shrine's trees, carrying the faint scent of rain and something electric on the horizon.
Sachu glanced up, his reflection shimmering faintly in the blade's dark steel.
He could almost hear it whisper.
The storm is waiting.