Kato jolted awake with a sharp gasp, his body lurching forward as if he were falling.
His heart hammered violently in his chest, breath coming out in ragged bursts. For a split second, he couldn't tell where he was, only that the image was still burned into his mind.
His mother.
Her body twisting, shadow spilling from her skin, her eyes empty as she turned into a shadow monster right in front of him.
"No—" he muttered under his breath.
Kato's hands trembled as he forced himself to look around.
Cold night air brushed against his face. He was lying flat on rough concrete, staring up at an open sky where the city lights barely reached. As his vision steadied, he realized he was on the rooftop of an unfinished building. Exposed steel beams jutted upward around him like skeletal ribs, and the wind whistled softly through them.
That's when he noticed it.
He wasn't wearing his clothes.
Instead, he had on a loose white and black hoodie with a new pair of pants draped over his bruised body. It smelled faintly of metal and rain.
He pushed himself up slightly, wincing as pain flared through his ribs.
Above him, two figures stood.
Both were masked.
One leaned casually against a pillar, hands in his pockets. The other stood a little closer, arms crossed, as if she'd been watching him the whole time.
The man spoke first.
Masked Guy: (flatly) That's my hoodie. I'm letting you borrow it since your clothes were torn up. You'd better return it after this.
Kato blinked, still trying to piece together reality.
The girl let out a quiet breath, as her posture eased.
Masked Girl: Honestly, I'm surprised you survived that attack from Jason. Would've been a shame if you died before our date, Kato.
That snapped him fully awake.
Kato: …Date? (his eyes darted between them) Who are you? And how do you know my name?
The girl hesitated for a moment, then sighed.
Masked Girl: You really don't remember anything, do you?
She reached up and slowly removed her mask.
Moonlight fell across her face.
Kato's breath caught in his throat.
Kato: M… Mira?
Standing in front of him was Mira Smith, the same girl he'd argued with, laughed with, and nervously asked out. The same girl he was supposed to go on a date with before everything went wrong. The only difference now was that she had pointed ears like shadows did.
His mind reeled.
Before he could say anything, the masked man beside her clicked his tongue and pulled off his own mask.
He had navy blue hair and sharp, unreadable eyes, someone Kato had never seen before.
Kato stared at them, his thoughts spiraling.
Kato: Mira…? (his voice cracked slightly) What are you doing here?
The rooftop suddenly felt smaller.
The world he thought he understood, Shadows, Clarions, right and wrong was already starting to fracture.
And somehow, Mira was standing right in the middle of it.
Mira: Hey, Kato… it's me. (she gestures to the man beside her) And this is Isaiah. We're the ones who saved you.
Kato stared at her, his mind refusing to catch up with what his eyes were seeing.
Kato: You're a Shadow?
Mira closed her eyes and let out a slow breath.
Mira: (quietly) Yeah. I am. I know that's… a lot to process, but—
Kato suddenly let out a bitter laugh which cut her off.
Kato: A lot to process? (his voice rises) I get turned into a Shadow, kidnapped by a psychotic group, beaten half to death, and now the girl I asked out on a date turns out to be a Shadow too? (his fists clench) And my mom's still out there, in danger. Yeah... "a lot" doesn't even begin to cover it.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Isaiah tilted his head slightly, unimpressed.
Isaiah: A "thank you" would be a good place to start. You'd be dead if we hadn't stepped in.
Kato shot him a glare but didn't respond.
Mira took a step closer, her voice softer.
Mira: Kato, I'm sorry. I really am. I never wanted you to find out like this. (hesitates) I couldn't tell you. If anyone knew what I was… I would've been hunted. Or worse.
Kato looked away, as anger and confusion filled his head in that moment.
Kato:So what then? (turns back to her) If you're a Shadow… were you planning this from the start? Were you getting close to me so you could turn me? My mom too? Is that why you stayed around me all this time?
Mira's eyes widened in disbelief.
Mira: What?! No! (shakes her head quickly) Kato, I would never do that to you. Or your mom. You have to believe me.
Her voice cracked slightly.
Mira: I became your friend because I wanted to. Not because of what you were or what you might become.
Kato didn't answer right away.
The silence stretched, heavy and uncomfortable. The truth was standing right in front of him.
Isaiah on the other hand begun to wear a disgusted look on his face.
Kato: How can I believe that? (his voice shakes) All of this happened right after I asked you out. Is that just a coincidence, or—
Mira: Kato...
Isaiah moved before she could finish.
He grabbed Kato by the front of his hoodie and drove a punch into him, sending Kato stumbling back across the rooftop.
Mira: Isaiah!!! What are you doing?!
Kato barely had time to react before Isaiah was in his face again, with eyes burning with anger.
Isaiah: Do you have any idea how dangerous it was to save you with a Level 1 Hunter right there?!
Kato struggled to steady himself, as his ears began to ring from the punch he received earlier.
Isaiah: We could've left you there. We should've because I don't give a damn about you. But Mira wouldn't shut up about her friend going missing and she refused to let you die in their hands once we found out where they held you and this is how you repay her?
Mira grabbed Isaiah's arm.
Mira: Isaiah, please stop!
He yanked his arm free, never taking his eyes off Kato.
Isaiah: You really think she had anything to do with what happened to you? You think she planned your shadowfication? Planned your mother being in danger?
He scoffed.
Isaiah: You're out of your mind.
Kato clenched his fists.
Kato: Are you seriously trying to play the victim here? You want to pretend like I don't have any reasons to have these thoughts? Are you going to pretend like like shadows aren't what's wrong with this world?! All you people have done is poison the world itself and now you're playing the victim?!
Kato grabbed Isaiah's collar and then headbutted Isaiah with full force which made him let go of Kato. However, Kato's body was still weak from the attacks he received earlier and he fell on his ass afterwards.
But Isaiah wasn't done talking.
Isaiah: You're judging us because the world taught you to.
Because it told you Shadows are monsters.
His voice lowered, sharp and bitter.
Isaiah: They told you that we're the reason everything's broken. That all we do is bring pain and destruction.
He gestured broadly to the city below.
Isaiah: You act like we're the source of every problem in this world.
A pause.
Isaiah: Sure, some Shadows are dangerous and I'm not going to deny the fact that some do terrible things. But do you really believe all of us are evil?
He leaned closer.
Isaiah: And that you (a humorless laugh) you people in the light are the saints? Let me break it down for you, we're all humans and the things you people point fingers at us for are the same things people have done over and over again. You all just use Shadows because it becomes easier for everyone to point fingers and shift the blames on anyone but themselves.
The wind howled across the rooftop, carrying the weight of his words.
Kato said nothing as he slowly realized that he wasn't wrong but a part of him wasn't just willing to accept everything just like that.
As Kato stood there, still reeling from Isaiah's words, a sudden presence made the air shift.
Someone else was there.
A man with tan-colored hair tied back into a loose ponytail stood a short distance away, hands tucked casually into his pockets as if he'd always been there.
Ervin: I leave you all alone for a few minutes and you're already trying to kill each other?
The casual tone made Kato flinch.
He hadn't heard footsteps and he hadn't sensed anyone approaching.
Kato: Who...?! Who are you?
Isaiah clicked his tongue.
Isaiah: You're awfully late, Mr. Ervin.
Mira let out a tired sigh.
Mira: Were you seriously just standing there the whole time, Dad?
Ervin scratched the back of his head and laughed.
Ervin: Yep. Practicing stealth. Looks like it worked perfectly!
(throws his head back) HA HA HA!!
Mira and Isaiah turned on him instantly.
Mira & Isaiah: AT LEAST ACT LIKE A CLAN HEAD!!!!!
Kato's brain stalled.
Kato: (shocked) Dad…? That's her dad?!
Ervin's laughter faded as he turned his attention to Kato. He walked over and crouched down in front of him, bringing himself to eye level.
His gaze was calm and showed no signs of hostility.
Ervin: So… you're finally awake, huh? (smiles faintly) I was hoping I'd be the first one to talk to you when you woke up, but it seems these two beat me to it.
He glanced briefly at Isaiah.
Ervin: Isaiah's methods were… questionable. (Isaiah scoffs) But everything he said was true.
Ervin looked back at Kato.
Ervin: And honestly? I can't really blame you for thinking the way you do. The world's done a great job teaching you that Shadows are something to fear.
Kato stayed silent.
His thoughts were tangled, emotions pulling him in different directions. He didn't even know where to begin,, anger, confusion, disbelief, or fear.
Ervin nodded, as if he expected that.
Ervin: You know what I think?
Kato glanced up at him warily.
Ervin: I think this whole mess can be resolved… if we're all willing to sit down and actually talk.
Kato blinked.
Kato: …Huh?!
Ervin: It sounds absurd, doesn't it? (chuckles softly) But I believe that if people actually made an effort to understand one another, there wouldn't be a need for all this bloodshed… or this divide that's been festering for centuries.
Kato stared at him like he'd just heard the most naïve thing imaginable.
Kato: I'm sorry, but… that belief is straight-up fantasy.
Ervin paused.
Then he laughed.
Not mockingly but with the quiet amusement as those were words he had heard more times than he could count. He straightened to his full height.
Ervin: You really think so? (smiles knowingly) You're right about one thing, talking alone isn't enough to change the world.
He glanced over the edge of the building, the city stretching endlessly below.
Ervin: But it is the first thing that has to happen if change is ever going to take root. (turns back to Kato) Still… we'll save that debate for another time.
The warmth in his voice faded.
The air itself seemed to tighten as Ervin's demeanor shifted, playfulness giving way to something far more serious. Even Isaiah straightened, sensing it.
Ervin's eyes locked onto Kato.
Ervin: Right now, you probably want an explanation for what happened to you, don't you?