Do you believe in demons?
I do.
And not those whisper-in-your-ear, make-you-feel-bad-about-your-past kind of demons. I'm talking about the real ones. The ones with claws made from pain and voices like broken glass. We call them Wraiths.
Immortal shadow creatures that feed on human emotions—especially the dark ones. Misery. Agony. Grief. The kind of feelings you carry in silence. The kind that break you slowly, piece by piece.
They've been around for centuries, hiding in plain sight. Untouchable. Unkillable.
Until Japan decided they'd had enough.
The Japan Association—J.A. for short—gathered scientists, warriors, and engineers to form a special military division. People call it Project Eclipse. I call it the Suicide Squad. Every day, someone dies. Doesn't matter how strong your gear is, or how sharp your instincts—if you make one mistake, you'll vanish into shadow.
Me? I'm special.
At least, that's what I tell myself.
I don't belong with humans. And I don't belong with Wraiths either. I exist somewhere in-between—a half-breed freak. And people? They hate what they don't understand.
I was six when I knew I wasn't normal.
Back then, I had a family. A real one. Two loving parents and a brother—well, a stepbrother. Blake Carter. He was older, taller, confident. And for a while, we were best friends. I was adopted to make him feel less lonely, I guess. To fill a hole in his perfect world. But something changed. I saw it in his eyes—confusion, maybe even hate. I didn't know how to respond, so I just... smiled. Played dumb.
Then came the day everything fell apart.
I got sick. Really sick. High fever. Blackouts. My skin turned pale and cold. My parents rushed me to the hospital while Blake stayed behind to watch the house. The doctor who treated me—Dr. Kenji—I'll never forget him. He ran the tests three times.
"You're not fully human," he whispered.
He didn't scream. Didn't panic. He just looked... sad. Like he knew what that meant for me.
Only two people knew the truth: him and my parents.
We came home that night to a trap. It was supposed to kill me. A gas leak wired to a spark plug in the entrance. Blake set it. But it didn't kill me. It killed them.
My mom. My dad. Gone in an instant. And all that was left... was me.
Blake told everyone I was the reason.
He cried at the funeral. He told the police I tampered with the wiring, that I was always "off." That he "tried to protect them." And I? I had no family to defend me. No birth certificate. No history. Just shadow in my blood.
They couldn't throw a seven-year-old in prison, so they did the next best thing.
They threw me into hell.
Ten Years Later
"Zane Carter. Age seventeen. Candidate for Project Eclipse."
I stood straight as the announcement echoed through the yard. The graduation field gleamed under the morning sun, but the metal collar around my neck still felt cold. My uniform was crisp, stitched with black and silver, but my body ached from a decade of scars.
Military school wasn't school. It was war on repeat.
The other kids weren't like me. They came from legacy families, with medals and honor and parents that kissed them goodbye. Me? I was the cursed child. The freak. They called me names—"Shadow-Blood," "Demon Rat," "Blank Face."
They mocked me when I didn't cry. They beat me when I didn't beg. And every year, someone died. But not me.
Because I couldn't die.
Once, in year four, I took a blade through the stomach during a simulation. It should've killed me. But my body... shifted. My hands turned black. My eyes bled light. I fed on the pain—and came back.
I wish I hadn't.
Every revival took something from me. A memory. A feeling. A piece of what made me human. But that's what Wraiths do. We feed on emotion.
I just feed on mine.
The last ten years were lonely. No visitors. No letters. Blake never came. Not once. I told myself he was busy, or guilty, or broken. But maybe he just didn't care.
Still... I hoped. Deep down, I hoped I'd see him at graduation. Maybe clapping from the crowd. Maybe just watching from afar.
But the seats were filled with strangers.
"Congratulations, Soldier Carter," the Head Instructor said. "Welcome to Project Eclipse."
The crowd clapped. My heart didn't.
I forced a smile, shook his hand, and took the badge.
The party would be that evening. A celebration for the few who made it. Only fifteen of us. We were the elite now. The ready. The chosen.
But I didn't feel chosen.
I felt... hungry.
Hungry for answers.Hungry for revenge.Hungry for a reason to still exist.
Tonight, I'd play nice. I'd wear the uniform. I'd drink the bitter punch. I'd even laugh.
But after that...
Let the shadows come.Let them all come.
I'm done hiding.
[End of Chapter 1]