The room remained still.
Too still.
Even the lantern flames seemed frozen, as if the air itself was waiting.
Kuroshin Rei slowly released his grip on the blade. The moment his fingers loosened, the faint glow faded, and the pressure in the room lifted slightly.
But not completely.
It lingered.
Like something had changed.
"…The Void has awakened," Rei repeated quietly. "What does that actually mean?"
The old man didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he stood up, turning his back to them as he walked toward the far wall where dozens of sealed scrolls hung in perfect order.
Aika glanced at Rei.
"…You felt it too, right?" she whispered.
Rei nodded faintly.
"…Yeah."
It wasn't just power.
It was something deeper.
Like something inside him had opened its eyes.
The old man stopped in front of a particular scroll.
Older than the others.
The seal on it was worn, as if it had been placed there long ago.
"…There are things in this world," he began, "that should never awaken."
Aika's expression tightened.
"…You're talking about ancient Yokai?"
"No," he replied.
Something in his tone made both of them go quiet.
"Something older."
The scroll trembled slightly as he removed it.
"Before humans learned to name spirits… before hunters existed… there were beings that existed in pure form."
He turned back to them slowly.
"Void is one of them."
Rei's eyes narrowed.
"…So you're saying this power isn't just rare."
"It is forbidden," the man said.
Silence.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
Aika stood up slowly.
"…Then why is he alive?" she asked. "If it's that dangerous, why wasn't he—"
"Destroyed?" the old man finished.
She didn't answer.
But she didn't deny it either.
The man looked at Rei.
"…Because he is not the Void itself."
A pause.
"He is its vessel."
Rei exhaled slowly.
"…You keep saying that."
"Because it is the truth."
The old man placed the scroll on the table and unrolled it carefully.
Ancient symbols covered its surface.
Dark.
Twisted.
And at the center—
A symbol that looked like a broken circle.
Rei's gaze locked onto it.
"…That symbol…"
"It reacts to you," the man said.
Aika stepped closer.
"…What is it?"
The old man's voice lowered.
"The mark of the Hollow Origin."
The moment he said it—
Rei felt a sharp pulse in his chest.
His hand instinctively moved to his heart.
"…Tch—"
Aika noticed immediately.
"Rei?!"
"I'm fine," he muttered.
But he wasn't.
The symbol on the scroll…
It wasn't just reacting.
It was calling him.
Suddenly—
The lanterns flickered violently.
Wind rushed through the room.
The seals on the walls trembled.
Aika's eyes widened.
"…What's happening?"
The old man's expression darkened.
"…It's starting sooner than I thought."
Rei looked up.
"…What is?"
Before he could get an answer—
A loud crack echoed from outside.
Then another.
And another.
Like something breaking through layers of reality.
Aika rushed to the door and slid it open.
Her eyes widened instantly.
"…No way…"
Rei stood up and moved beside her.
Outside—
The sky had changed.
The bright morning light was gone.
Replaced by a dim, unnatural dusk.
The air shimmered like heat waves.
And across the street—
Shadows were gathering.
Not like before.
These were larger.
More stable.
More aware.
"…They're coming," Aika whispered.
Rei's expression hardened.
"…Because of me."
Behind them, the old man spoke calmly.
"Yes."
Rei didn't look back.
"…Great."
Aika turned toward him.
"This isn't normal," she said. "They shouldn't appear in daylight like this."
"They're not appearing," the old man corrected.
"They are crossing."
Rei's eyes narrowed.
"…Crossing from where?"
"The Yoru Realm."
The name carried weight.
Aika clenched her fist.
"…That means the boundary is weakening."
The old man nodded.
"And you," he said, looking at Rei, "are the cause."
Rei didn't deny it.
He could feel it.
The pull.
The connection.
Like invisible threads linking him to those creatures outside.
"…Then I'll stop it," he said.
Aika turned sharply.
"How?"
Rei stepped forward.
"By ending them."
Aika grabbed his arm.
"Wait—this isn't like last time. There are too many!"
Rei glanced at her.
"…Then don't follow me."
Her grip tightened.
"…Idiot."
But she didn't let go.
Instead—
She stepped beside him.
"I'm not letting you go alone."
Rei didn't argue.
They stepped outside.
The moment they crossed the threshold—
The shadows reacted.
All at once.
Dozens of glowing eyes turned toward them.
Focused.
Hungry.
But not random.
Not chaotic.
They were organized.
Watching.
Waiting.
"…This feels wrong," Aika whispered.
Rei nodded.
"…Yeah."
From the center of the group—
One shadow stepped forward.
Taller.
More defined.
Its form didn't flicker like the others.
It was stable.
Controlled.
"…So it begins…" it said.
Its voice was clear.
Not broken like the others.
Rei's eyes sharpened.
"…You can talk."
The shadow tilted its head slightly.
"Of course."
Aika stepped forward, placing a charm between her fingers.
"…State your intent."
The creature's glowing eyes shifted briefly to her.
Then back to Rei.
"…We are not here for you."
Aika frowned.
"…Then why are you here?"
The shadow smiled faintly.
"…We came for him."
Rei didn't react.
"…Figures."
The creature took another step forward.
"The call has been heard."
Aika's expression darkened.
"…What call?"
The shadow's voice lowered.
"The awakening of the Void."
Silence.
Rei's grip tightened slightly.
"…And?"
"And now," it continued, "those who seek it… will come."
Aika felt a chill run down her spine.
"…Seek it?"
The shadow's smile widened.
"Those who wish to control it."
Rei's eyes narrowed.
"…Control me?"
"Not you," it corrected.
"What lies within you."
A pause.
Then—
"Soon… they will arrive."
The air grew colder.
The shadows behind it began to move again.
Slowly spreading.
Encircling.
Aika raised her hand.
"…Rei, we need to end this quickly."
Rei nodded.
"…Yeah."
The creature stepped back.
"…We are merely the beginning."
Its voice echoed.
"A test."
The shadows surged forward.
All at once.
Aika reacted instantly.
"Seal—Crimson Burst!"
Charms exploded into light, tearing through the first wave.
Rei stepped forward.
His shadow rising behind him like a living entity.
"…Then I'll pass."
The battle began.
Shadows clashed against light.
The ground cracked.
The air screamed.
But this time—
Rei wasn't losing control.
He was focused.
Precise.
Each movement calculated.
Each shadow he destroyed…
Only made the others hesitate.
Aika noticed.
"…He's different," she whispered.
Stronger.
Sharper.
Like he was adapting.
Evolving.
The creature in the back watched silently.
"…Yes…"
Then—
It disappeared.
Gone.
Rei stopped for a split second.
"…It left."
Aika frowned.
"…Why?"
Rei's eyes darkened.
"…Because it got what it wanted."
The remaining shadows scattered.
Retreating.
Vanishing into nothingness.
Silence returned.
But it didn't feel like victory.
It felt like a warning.
Aika exhaled slowly.
"…That was bad."
Rei looked at his hand.
The faint darkness still lingered.
"…It's just the start."
Behind them, the old man stepped outside.
His gaze was serious.
"…You understand now."
Rei didn't turn.
"…Yeah."
A pause.
"…They're coming."
The old man nodded.
"Not just Yokai."
Aika looked back.
"…Then who?"
The old man's voice dropped.
"Hunters."
Silence.
"…And worse," he added.
Rei's eyes sharpened.
"…How long do we have?"
The answer came quietly.
"…Not long."
The wind blew softly through the street.
Carrying something unseen.
Something dangerous.
Something inevitable.
The world had shifted.
And now…
Everyone was watching the boy called Void.