The words hung in the air like glass shattering.

Kentaro's body locked up, breath snagging in his throat. His eyes stretched wide, pupils trembling as if refusing to focus. Attacked? The words didn't register the moment they were conveyed to him. For a second, the world around him collapsed into silence; only the hammering of his own pulse in his ears remained.

"W–w–what do you mean… Attacked? But they-" His voice cracked, each syllable dry, brittle, breaking under the weight of disbelief.

Tenka's face hardened in an instant, no room for hesitation. Fury carved itself into her eyes as she spun on her heel."They've been attacked. I don't have time to talk. Now move!" Her voice wasn't just sharp; it cracked the air like a whip. She tore his door open, the slam of wood and metal ricocheting down the hall.

Kentaro stood there, trembling, a half-step behind reality. Guilt surged up his chest like acid, burning the back of his throat. Serica. Aria. His fault? Of course it was.

"I should have just gone instead."

He thought to himself. They were caught in a dangerous orbit, and now, blood might already be soaking into the ground. He couldn't think, couldn't breathe, every thought turning to blame, every image flashing with crimson.

He jammed his feet into his shoes wrong, hands shaking as he tugged them straight. His heart was sprinting, colliding against his ribs so hard he thought it might shatter bone. The key rattled in the lock as he twisted it shut. Every second made him feel more guilty, like he was abandoning them with his slowness.

He burst into the night after Tenka, who had rushed ahead.

The streets of Oshawa were black and merciless, neon signs flickering with indifferent static. The air was damp, reeking faintly of ozone as if a storm had passed but left its teeth behind. Tenka was already ahead, her figure cutting through the shadows with ruthless purpose.

Kentaro chased, the pavement jarring up his legs, lungs burning, guilt howling inside his skull.

"Damn it, DAMN IT!" The cry tore out of him raw, bouncing off the concrete walls. "Is this Spire's doing? How could Reiden get back on his feet after the damage his company took from the Tokyo incident? Or is this Cradle? His voice cracked, desperation breaking free with every step.

*

After volunteering to fetch ingredients, Serica and Aria slipped on their shoes and waved goodbye to Tenka and Kentaro. The night was still young, the streets washed in the pale glow of streetlights. Without them, the walk would've been a maze of shadows.

Serica paused mid-step, tapping her chin with a finger as she squinted at the path ahead.

"Hmmm… Kentaro went this way, then that way… Or maybe this way, no, wait, that way?" She spun her arm in a series of wild, conflicting gestures.

Aria, a few paces ahead, stopped and turned. Her lips curved into a quiet smile as she tilted her head, watching Serica's"navigation dance."

"Maybe we should ask Kentaro to write the directions down," she suggested gently, voice light with amusement.

Serica froze mid-point, then swung her hand toward Aria with a smug grin. "No need! I, the Navigator, have already cracked the code and will take us there without any problems!" She puffed out her chest, confidence radiating.

Aria's soft laugh slipped free, dry and sweet at the same time. She raised a finger to her chin in thought. "Are you sure? The last thing we want is Kentaro worrying about us."

Serica's grin shrank into something smaller, almost sincere. "Don't worry. I won't let us get lost. Besides… I'd feel bad dragging him out when he could just be relaxing."

Aria nodded at that, and together they began their little journey to the convenience store.

The cicadas filled the air with their restless hum, a thin blanket of noise that warded off the silence. But the flickering of old streetlights gave the street an edge, their uneven glow gnawing at Aria's nerves. She edged closer to Serica, clutching at the space between them. Serica, outwardly unfazed, kept a casual smile and even hummed under her breath, but inside, her heart raced. The alleyways reminded her of that horror game Tenka once showed her, the one where a faceless, tall figure stalked you while you collected scraps of paper through a dark forest, though they weren't in this dark forest; it definitely gave her the same feeling, if not worse, since this was now real life. She swallowed. Keep it together. Aria'snervous enough.

Up ahead loomed the shortcut she dreaded: the alley. Kentaro had mentioned it before-"shaves off four minutes if you'rein a rush." His words replayed in her head as she stared at the dark throat of the passage. No lamps. Just moonlight. And the sour stench of garbage seeping out.

Aria peered over Serica's shoulder, her voice quivering. "Serica… Are we really going through there?" Her hand pressed against Serica's back, and Serica could feel the quick thrum of her heartbeat.

Serica forced a smile. "W-we don't have to, but… Kentaro said it's faster. Only four minutes saved, but… Better than taking the long way, right?" She injected as much false confidence into her tone as she could muster.

Aria's brows knit. Her gut screamed no, but her head reminded her that Kentaro would fret if they lingered too long. She straightened, her brow damp with sweat, and grasped Serica's hand. Her soft voice steadied. "Let's take the shortcut. We can't let Kentaro worry too much."

Moonlight kissed her features, and for a moment, Serica blinked in awe. Then she shook it off, nodding."Yeah. Let's go."

They stared down the alley together, nodded once in unison, and shouted:

"YEAH!"

Rustle.

"I DON'T WANNA GO!!!" Aria shrieked, leaping behind Serica and burying her face in her back. She clutched Serica'sshirt like a lifeline, nearly sobbing, after hearing a rat move around near the bins.

Serica's eyebrow twitched. "What… Happened to all that confidence…" She muttered, trudging forward with Aria practically glued to her spine.

They went further in until the cicadas had gone silent. The bins reeked of old waste, mostly smelling like manure, the air growing heavier with each step. The deeper they walked, the more the world resembled that horror game Serica swore she wasn't thinking about, though she was still grateful this was a back alley and not some random dark, creepy forest. Thankfully, to her joy, the store's corner wall was in sight. One last turn and they'd be out, and they could leave this scary place.

"Serica… Are we almost there?" Aria whimpered, her pace quick and uneven, still hiding behind Serica like she was a human shield.

"Mmhm," Serica replied, forcing levity. "Just one turn and this nightmare is-"

Bang.

Serica froze so abruptly that Aria smacked into her back, groaning. "Ow! Seri! Why did you stop now? We'reso close, aren't we?" she whispered, rubbing her forehead.

But Serica didn't respond. She didn't even blink. Her entire body was locked, rigid as stone.

Aria peeked over her shoulder, and the breath left her chest.

A figure staggered out at the alley's end, their silhouette warped by shadow. The sound they made was neither a word nor a groan but something caught in between, distorted, scraping the walls as they lurched sideways and knocked a bin clean over like they were drunk or something close to it.

Aria clutched Serica's sleeve, her eyes were wide as she whisper-shouted into her ear. "S-S-Serica! What do we do?!"

Serica's laugh came out jagged, brittle. "M-maybe if we stand still, they won't notice us?"

"That'll NEVER work!" Aria hissed, panic spiking.

Serica inhaled. "We could just ru-"

"Who's there?" The voice came at them, deep, cracked, too distorted to be normal. It sounded like a man's voice, unless it was a woman with a throat scraped raw.

Just hearing that voice, along with the terrifying atmosphere, made Aria's blood go cold. She didn't wait for the rest. She knew what Serica was about to suggest.

Serica barely moved her lips; she slowly nodded her head, glancing at Aria. "On three. Ready?"

Aria nodded, tears prickling.

"Three. Two… One-"

Their hearts thundered, sweat slicking their palms as they waited for the last number.

"RUN!" Serica screamed, spinning on her heel. They sprinted.

"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING!" The warped voice roared, and in an impossible blink, the figure was already ahead of them.

The streetlight's spill revealed him at last: a man in a chef's jacket, smeared with red and white stains. His eyes rolled back, his grin twisted, his words broken nonsense. "Ufill…killyou…enf-"

Aria clung tighter to Serica, her whole body trembling as she made eye contact with the man, or what looked like and sounded like a man. "I'm scared, Serica…"

Serica's throat bobbed as she swallowed. Terror burned through her bones, but she still forced out the words.

"Me too, but something tells me we have to face him..."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.