The sky was colorful — and heavy with moisture.
Kouji and Yuusuke walked side by side down a cracked street just outside city bounds. Concrete buildings lined the sides like skeletal remains, all long since condemned. There were no civilians here anymore. Only quiet.
And things that lived in the quiet.
Kouji checked the mission form again.
Target Class: Nightmare
Level: Sub-active
Threat Type: E (Not a Thread)
Instructions: Observe and Clean-up.
He lowered the paper and muttered, "Not the most glamorous first assignment."
Yuusuke gave a short laugh. "You wanted to hunt. Welcome to pest control."
They stopped in front of an old warehouse with half-collapsed doors. Rusted tools and broken crates littered the entrance. Probably left over from someone who wandered in with grief clinging to their chest.
Inside, the air felt heavier. Kouji could already feel his skin tingling — the sensation of suppressed sadness clawing against his ribs.
"Over there," he said quietly.
A shimmering ripple pulsed above a broken mirror in the far corner. Like smoke underwater.
Yuusuke stepped forward and calmly raised a small chip between his fingers — looking lika a poker jeton.
It pulsed.
The Nightmare twisted — shrieked silently — and faded out of existence.
Kouji blinked. "That's it?"
Yuusuke yawned. "That's it. Welcome to your first win."
They stepped back outside into the fading light.
Yuusuke stretched. "You wanna grab something to eat on the way back? We're technically off the clock—"
Then Kouji noticed him stop walking.
There was a man standing at the edge of the street.
Middle-aged. Ragged jacket. No shoes. Hair like tangled wire. He swayed slightly where he stood, staring at the two of them.
"Drunk?" Kouji guessed.
"Probably," Yuusuke muttered. "Stay here."
He approached slowly, hands open.
"Hey, man. You alright?"
The figure didn't respond.
"Sir? You shouldn't be out here. We're with the—"
The man's arm moved like a whip.
CRACK.
Yuusuke flew backward, skidding along the ground, coughing hard.
Kouji's eyes went wide. That wasn't a drunk. That punch had nearly dislocated Yuusuke's jaw.
The man — no, the thing — cracked its neck and began to walk toward them. Its body was human. But too balanced. Too dense. Like something had reinforced it from the inside.
Yuusuke was already back on his feet, spitting blood.
"Okay," Yuusuke grunted. "Not drunk."
Kouji focused.
His Blessing surged to life. The world sharpened — lines, tension, angles.
"He's wide open between attacks," Kouji called. "Right side, rib movement slows. Use it after a fake."
Yuusuke nodded once.
He lunged — feinted high — then spun low with a sharp kick that connected hard. The man staggered but didn't fall. Instead, he grabbed Yuusuke's ankle and yanked him sideways into a wall.
Kouji moved before thinking.
His hand darted out — and with a flicker of instinct, metal pulled itself from the air.
A rod formed, mid-run, thick and heavy. He gripped it just in time to block the monster's descending fist, sparks flying on impact.
It was like trying to hold back a car with his arms.
He gritted his teeth and shoved upward, breaking the contact.
Yuusuke recovered, eyes narrowing. "We're doing this together."
Kouji nodded, tossing the rod aside and stepping back.
"Three-second opening window. I'll mark it. Just trust me."
The two moved in sync now.
Kouji used his Blessing to read each movement, each flaw, each micro-shift in balance. Yuusuke followed the callouts, striking fast and hard.
It took four minutes. Long, brutal minutes. But finally, the man slumped, unmoving.
Still breathing.
Yuusuke knelt beside him, feeling his pulse.
"Still human," he muttered.
"Then what the hell is he?" Kouji asked, panting.
Yuusuke stood up slowly.
"Not a Demi-Human," he said. "No aura flares, no Contract. Just... raw power."
He looked at his own bruised arm, then at the unconscious man.
"Feels like a normal human... with Nightmare enhancements. Nothing specific. Just stronger."
Kouji stared down at the body, frowning.
Then Yuusuke blinked — his gaze locked on something behind Kouji.
"Wait. Look at that."
Kouji turned.
A streetlamp stood at the corner of the sidewalk. Its metal pole was bent inward — warped, twisted unnaturally, like something had peeled it from the inside.
Metal was missing. From the middle.
Kouji looked at the rod still lying on the street, half-melted from the fight.
"...No way," he said.
Yuusuke crossed his arms, expression unreadable. "You pulled that metal from there?"
"I didn't mean to."
"But you did."
Kouji didn't have an answer.
They stood in silence a moment longer.
Then Yuusuke let out a slow breath.
"Let's report it. And maybe... not mention that part yet."
The train back to HQ was almost empty.
Flickering lights hummed overhead as the city blurred past outside the windows. Kouji sat by the window, a small scrape on his cheek, his jacket still dusty from the fight. Yuusuke lounged across from him, feet propped on the edge of the seat, arms behind his head.
They hadn't said much since reporting in.
Kouji broke the silence first.
"That guy… the strong one. If he wasn't a Demi-Human… was he a Nightmare?"
Yuusuke cracked one eye open. "Nah. Nightmares don't punch like that."
Kouji turned to him.
"So what are they then? I get that they're dangerous, but... we've never really talked about what they actually are."
Yuusuke sat up a little. The train clacked softly along the rails as he spoke.
"Alright. Listen closely. There are three things you need to understand: Nightmares, Demons, and Devils. They all come from the same place — fear, hate, grief, all the stuff people drown in. But they act real different."
Kouji nodded, silently.
"Nightmares," Yuusuke said, tapping the window with one finger, "aren't alive. They don't think. They don't want anything. They're just... clumps of negative energy that manifest around emotional hotspots. Abandonment, death, trauma, stuff like that. They form like mold — attach to humans, drain their energy."
"So they don't attack?"
"Nope. Not actively. But if you touch one, or stay too long near one, you'll lose your energy. Slowly, like a sickness. Your Body gets weak, but it never kills"
Kouji frowned. "So the person doesn't even notice it happening."
"Exactly. For them its normal getting sick now and then"
"Now, Demons and Devils — that's a different story." Yuusuke's voice lowered. "They think and choose wisely."
"They possess people?"
"If they can. If someone makes a contract — willingly or not — then yeah. That human becomes their vessel. Sometimes it's for power, revenge, even love. But if the vessel isn't compatible... things go bad."
"Like what?"
"Like the Demon starts taking over. Bit by bit. The vessel starts hearing things, seeing things. Gets stronger, but more unstable. It's slow. They blend into society while they're changing. You can't always tell, not until it's too late."
"And when it's too late?"
"They're gone. And the thing in their skin isn't human anymore."
Kouji stared at the floor.
"So the guy we fought today…"
"Didn't have a Curse. No aura signature, no contract signs. He didn't speak. He just hit like a truck."
"Then what was he?"
Yuusuke leaned back again.
"Honestly? My guess... someone took a Nightmare and somehow forcefully put it into a Human's soul. Technically that's impossible. Not a Pact, not a Curse. Just... raw power"
Kouji looked out the window again, silent.
The city lights flickered past, distorted in the glass.