The morning sun filtered weakly through the curtains. Ryu blinked awake, feeling a dull ache in his ribs and a throbbing pain across his back. He was in his room, lying in bed. Bandages wrapped his arms and torso. His mother sat at his bedside, eyes red from crying.
"You collapsed near the park," she whispered. "What happened, Ryu?"
He forced a smile. "Just a small accident. I tripped and hit a wall."
She didn't believe him, but didn't push further.
Later that day, Alice visited. She stood at his doorway, serious as ever.
"You survived. That's something. But next time, be smarter."
Ryu chuckled. "Wasn't planning on being reckless."
"And yet, here we are."
After Alice left, Ryu went to the bathroom and took off his shirt. There, on his back, was a new mark: a black sigil shaped like a spiral of thorns.
He touched it. It was cold.
Alice returned moments later, uninvited, sensing what had appeared.
"That wasn't there before," she said. "It's a fragment. The demon's power is carving a path into you."
"Can it be removed?"
"No. But it can be resisted. Just don't let it grow."
The next day at school, Mizuki acted as if nothing had changed. She laughed with classmates, smiled during roll call, and sat right behind Ryu.
"Hey, Ryu~," she whispered. "Did you feel it? The hunger inside you? The way your power screamed to be freed?"
Ryu didn't respond.
"You're starting to understand," she added with a smirk. "Your soul is changing."
That afternoon, Alice intercepted Mizuki near the stairwell. Their eyes met like blades crossing in silence.
"He won't fall," Alice said.
Mizuki tilted her head. "You're protecting him. Cute. But pointless."
"I'll protect him from demons. Including you."
Mizuki leaned in. "And who will protect him from himself?"
That night, Ryu walked alone to an empty lot behind his house. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and tried to summon a sliver of his power without losing himself.
A black orb formed in his hand. It trembled, unstable, but didn't consume him.
"Control," he whispered. "Not surrender."
Sweat dripped from his brow. His knees buckled. But he held on.
In a puddle nearby, his reflection shifted. His eyes briefly turned red, his expression darkened.
But he stared it down.
"If this is my inheritance... I'll master it. I won't let it master me."
The orb dissipated. Silence fell.
And for the first time, Ryu didn't feel afraid of his power.
He felt ready to face it.