The sky bled.
Leon shoved his face to the glass, peering out as the red moon climbed above Neo-Veridia like a fresh cut splitting the sky.
Three days after he got ranked F. Since then, folks kept eyein' him like he was trash plus the guilds wouldn't stop hittin' up his inbox nonstop.
"It's gorgeous," Maya murmured next to him, her breath misting the pane.
Pretty? Nah. The moon's skin twisted with shapes like they were breathing, painting the town in a red glow so strong it made lamps seem weak.
News outlets said you'd see it for three hours. Instead, folks witnessed a glowing wound in the sky - night lit up like fire streaked dawn.
Leon, shut the curtains. His dad's metal fingers drummed on his thigh. The broadcast told folks to keep indoors
The sirens started.
Not your typical loud alarm or sudden scare. These felt lower somehow like a rumble behind the ribs. A signal hitting you hard, whispering things had snapped past fixing, way beyond any comeback.
Leon's datapad lit up, alarms blared one after another
CRITICAL: BARRIER FLUCTUATION
ALL CITIZENS REMAIN INDOORS
DEFENSE FORCE MOBILIZING SECTORS 4, 7, 9
Sector Seven. That was his turf - belonged to him outright.
The building shook.
Leon, get over here! his dad called out
Yet Leon stood by the window, staring at a stretch of brick - suddenly, down the street, concrete blew apart in flashes. In that opening, they appeared.
Crimson Hounds.
They burst forward, rushing like floodwater after a cracked dam - twisted shapes, bloated from moon rays. Some as big as compact vehicles. Skin stained dark, like dried blood under dust. Gaze lit up with raw, empty craving.
More kept coming.
"The market," Leon breathed. "The evening market."
Where crowds browsed stalls. Where his siblings stood earlier, joking about that odd crimson moon.
I'm lending a hand with getting folks out. Dad had nearly left by then, even though Mom kept arguing.
Leon snatched his coat - be right there
"The hell you are...."
"Dad." Leon met his eyes. "You can't fight. I can't either. But we can help people reach shelter."
His dad seemed ready to fight back - then gave a quick nod instead. "Stick nearby; if the dog comes our way, we bolt - got it?"
They ran.
Streets turned wild. Screams broke out while folks darted every which way, Hound cries bouncing off walls. Cops in heavy gear shoved through, guns buzzing low. Over there, Leon spotted a C-Rank tank slam a Hound right through glass.
This way!" Dad tugged him along - heading straight for the market.
Some pitched in however they could, yanking folks out of flipped carts, shoving through crowds toward safe spots, hauling along a grandma who'd sprained her foot. That red moon cast freakish colors everywhere.
Soon enough, Leon picked up the sound.
One voice - then another. Both known well. Shouting at once.
"Lily! Maya!"
His blood went cold. Then he whirled around, chasing the noise through a narrow path behind the stalls. His dad followed close - muttering under his breath.
The twins had their backs to the wall, plastic bags everywhere. Ahead of them stood three Crimson Hounds blocking any way out. The tiniest hound dropped down, ready to leap.
Leon didn't think.
He picked up a rusty pipe near broken bricks then rushed forward.
"HEY!"
The Hounds turned their heads at once - red eyes fixed on a fresh target. Then, without warning, the little one charged.
Leon threw every ounce into the swing. The pipe hit the but jolted right through him. That thing didn't flinch. Was already straightening. Spinning again, dead set on killing.
Dad yanked the twins back. Yet the remaining pair of Hounds blocked their path. Stuck - every single one.
I'm gonna die, Leon figured, sharp and clear. Everyone's headed that way instead.
The Hound jumped forward once more. This time, Leon lifted the pipe though he realized it wouldn't help. His F-Rank power just wasn't strong enough; no core meant no real defense either. He could feel it, he wasn't making it out alive.
The world exploded.
Pain shot up his back, cold as snowmelt. Something huge, old beyond years, opened up inside his ribs, filling the empty space there. The red moon's glow sharpened. Right then, shapes appeared, sharp angles that stung his eyes, math written in a tongue from before cities rose.
Next thing, something hallowed in his vision.
[ HOST SYNCHRONIZATION COMPLETE ]
[ ANCIENT BLOODLINE RESONANCE DETECTED ]
[ SHADOW EXTRACTION SYSTEM ACTIVATED ]
Leon's sight split apart. Time dragged, inch by inch. Tiny specks hung still in space. The Hound's talons dropped slow, clear down to every line. A rush hit his Hollow Center - thick, black energy, solid night pouring in.
[ MONARCH'S HEIR DETECTED... ]
[ AWAKENING PROTOCOL: ECLIPSE INIT -
The signal stopped. It broke up. Then vanished.
—IATED ]
A see-through blue layer popped up, sitting right on top of what you actually see
╔════════════════════════╗
║ SHADOW EXTRACTION SYS. ║
║ STATUS: INITIALIZ... ║
║ ║
║ HOST: LEON VALE. ║
║ LEVEL: 1. ║
║ CORE: SHADOW (AC. ║
║ ║
║ ANALYZING THREAT. ║
╚════════════════════════╝
Time snapped back.
Fangs just shy of his nose. Yet Leon's gut took over - no thinking, no delay. He spun sideways. Air whooshed past as claws missed by a hair. Metal whistled through space, arcing true, smashing the spot where neck bones vanish into head.
The break sounded awful.
The Hound fell down, jerking. Still alive. But fading fast. Yet Leon sensed a new feeling - scary, but also thrilling.
Hunger.
[ HOSTILE NEUTRALIZED ]
[ SHADOW EXTRACTION AVAILABLE ]
Check extraction needed? Yes or no
He wasn't sure why, yet it made sense somehow. The fading beast carried what his soul craved. Just grab it - that's all.
Leon's fingers shifted - slid closer to the dog. Then his gut throbbed, just one beat.
The beast's shade, though it had no right showing up in that harsh red glow - ripped away like smoke caught in a storm.
Flowed into him.
The feeling? Impossible to put into words. Out of nowhere, strange memories poured in - racing under silver trees, the tang of iron on his tongue, the rush when chasing prey. These abilities, never learned by him, sank deep into his nerves, changing how he worked.
[ EXTRACTION SUCCESSFUL ]
[ ABILITY UNLOCKED: SHADOW EXTRACTION ]
[ SKILL GAINED: LESSER AGILITY (PASSIVE) ]
[ Power up by 3 points ]
[ Speed boost five levels up ]
The last pair of Hounds just stood there, frozen.
Stay behind me." Leon's words were quiet, sharp. "You take the kids and go."
"Leon, what?...."
"GO!"
The Hounds rushed at once - Leon charged straight into them. The pipe whistled mid-swing. He moved like water, somehow smooth and sharp. Every hit landed right, shaped by split-second reads, juiced by borrowed speed. His Empty Core burned with shadow-stuff.
One Hound dropped. After that, so did the next.
[ EXTRACTION AVAILABLE ]
[ EXTRACTION AVAILABLE ]
He took both in. Dark shapes poured - smooth, steady - like water filling a glass. New flashes of the past. A deeper power now.
"Leon?" Lily whispered. "Your eyes..."
He saw himself in a cracked piece of glass. His eyes shone dimly red - just like the moon's hue. While he looked, the shine slowly died out.
Footsteps clattered down the street. Around the bend came three enforcers, guns in hand - grips eased once they spotted the fallen beasts. Their bodies lay still, no twitch, no breath.
"Civilians, report! Who took them down" The lead officer stopped, staring at Dad. "Vale? That you?"
"Jenkins." Dad's voice was tight. "Got lucky. High-ranker passed through, cleared out before moving on."
The lie slipped out without effort. Way too smooth. Leon looked into his dad's gaze. Noticed curiosity there - also recognition. His old man got what it was like to hold strength he couldn't make sense of.
"Lucky indeed," Jenkins said, eyes lingering on Leon. "Get to shelter. This isn't over."
Something set to show up.
He woke up different. Yet everything around him felt gone.
Down in his ribs, the once-hollow Shadow Core throbbed - fueled by borrowed strength.
This is just the start.