Takumi was probably the only crazy one who'd climb a place like this just to scatter some ashes.
"You really were crazy, Grandpa… Who asks to have their ashes scattered in a haunted forest?" he muttered, stumbling slightly over a tangle of roots snaking across the ground like dark veins.
He reached the center and, with a trembling voice, said goodbye as he released the ashes gently, letting the wind carry them away.
"See you, Grandpa…"
Leaning against a tree, he wondered how he would move forward now, without his grandfather's emotional or financial support.
The warmth of the sun and the crisp autumn air wrapped him in a peace he hadn't felt in years.
The weight of grief finally overcame him, and the gentle lull of the wind drew him into a deep sleep.
Despite the rumors and the gloomy atmosphere, the forest gave him a strange sense of calm. The sunlight draped over him like a warm blanket.
Takumi had fallen asleep.
His body relaxed, until his eyes slowly opened again. He was surprised he'd actually drifted off in such a place.
"In the end, coming here wasn't such a bad idea. I don't feel as scared anymore."
It was already getting dark. He gathered his things, switched on his flashlight, and began the descent.
Everything seemed calm. The cold was oddly comforting, and the scent of dried leaves filled the air.
Then—a crack. Followed by hurried footsteps. Birds burst out of the trees in a frenzy. The ground trembled as if struck by a massive earthquake.
"An earthquake?" he whispered.
He had no time to think further. Out of the darkness, a half-dressed girl stumbled toward him, her face twisted in pure terror.
"HELP! A Ghost is chasing me!"
The forest shuddered violently. The air grew heavy and suffocating. A stench of damp soil mixed with blood filled his nose.
The girl's screams echoed as she ran wildly, and then—the creature appeared.
It was enormous. Its twisted body looked like a dried-out log, carved with a grotesque face. Its limbs were sharpened branches, creaking with every step.
Takumi froze. His legs wouldn't move. The woman's desperate screams echoed like the ones he remembered from his grandmother, dragging him back to that night when he'd been just a powerless child.
"Do I help her? What if it kills me? But if I do nothing…"
Part of him wanted to run, but the other part left him rooted in place, legs heavy as stone.
"AHHH!" the girl cried as the creature caught her.
Takumi glanced sideways. Her body fell as if in slow motion, pupils blown wide with terror.
The monster's jaws clamped shut with a guttural growl, its teeth grinding against each other, making a shrill screech. A dry crack followed.
The crunch of bones shot pain straight into his chest—it was the same sound he'd heard when the Ghost's fangs sank into his mother's throat.
Bones snapping. Blood. Screams. It was all the same. The same night his parents died.
His breathing grew ragged. Even when he tripped while running, he barely noticed, dragging himself through the dirt.
"It's the same…"
Through the Ghost's shrieks, for a split second, he saw that same red glint in the green eyes of his mother—identical to the girl now being devoured.
The metallic stench made him gag. Guilt weighed heavy in his gut as he kept running.
Then—his foot caught on a branch. As he fell, more roots shot out of the ground, wrapping tightly around his limbs from every direction.
"What?! Damn it!" He struggled, but there were too many. The branches tore at his clothes and skin, pinning him down with crushing force.
This was the end.
Until someone—or something—appeared, slicing through the roots in a single stroke.
"Stop screaming and get up," a firm voice ordered.
A boy with dark hair and hazel eyes stood before him. His clothes made it obvious—an exorcist.
"…The teenage exorcist…?" Takumi asked, recognizing the boy he'd once seen on TV.
"Move!" the boy barked, calm and commanding.
Shaking, Takumi barely managed to stand.
The creature surged forward again, launching branches like spears. The boy stepped between him and the Ghost.
"Stay behind me," Ryouma said coldly.
Takumi could only nod, watching as the exorcist dodged each strike with inhuman precision while shielding him at the same time.
And then, in a blink, Ryouma crushed the creature as though a massive piano had dropped on it. The Ghost writhed and screamed until it finally vanished into the night sky.
"You alive?" he asked, brows still furrowed.
Takumi said nothing.
"Answer me!" He grabbed Takumi by the collar and shook him. "I don't have time for games."
Suddenly, a giant crow swooped down from the sky, its claws gripping Takumi's shoulders and lifting him off the ground.
Takumi barely had time to scream as the freezing wind cut into his lungs.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!" he shouted, flailing as the bird carried him upward.
Ryouma sat astride the crow as if it were his personal mount. Once they reached solid ground, the bird released them. Takumi crashed face-first into the dirt while Ryouma landed gracefully on his feet.
The crow dissolved into ashes, leaving behind only the faint scent of burnt cinders and the memory of its piercing golden eyes. The ashes swirled around Ryouma, blending into his presence before vanishing into his hands.
"What were you doing there? Don't you know that place is off-limits?"
His tone was stern, edged with reproach.
"I-I just went to leave some ashes."
"Are you an idiot?" Ryouma snapped.
Takumi flinched. Even his grandfather had never scolded him this harshly.
"Pain in the ass…" he muttered.
He's my age, Ryouma thought, noticing the boy's frightened face. But I have to follow the rules.
From deep inside the forest, more Ghosts stirred, their whispers and laughter growing louder.
There was no time to explain. Ryouma knocked Takumi out with a swift blow.
His body collapsed among the leaves, his fear vanishing with his consciousness.
---
Later that day, in the evaluation chamber, Ryouma stood with his superior, analyzing the boy he'd found.
"A Maldito, huh?" a mocking voice echoed. "Chicken legs, noodle arms, a big dumb head, and a brain half the size it should be." The man smirked, mocking every part of the boy. "Still… for a Maldito, he's lucky you found him, Ryouma."
"He's got no one," Ryouma muttered, eyes downcast.
"So? You expect us to adopt him? Protocol Number Four," the man reminded him.
Ryouma was silent for a moment before repeating the rule in a cold, sharp voice:
"All Malditos are to be eliminated—regardless of race, gender, or age. If the rule is broken, the exorcist, Heli, or kojin ikimono protecting them will be executed alongside the Maldito."
"See? Can't argue with the rules."
"…With all due respect," Ryouma inhaled sharply, "those rules are complete nonsense. And with all due respect, you don't follow them either, Kohaku."
The man grinned from ear to ear.
"Ryouma, this is why you're my best student. Get everything ready. We've got ourselves a new recruit~."
Ryouma's eyes softened ever so slightly.
He left in silence, but gratitude lingered in his heart.
The night wind whispered through the trees, calm and serene.
"It's time… Ready, Shiro?" a deep voice murmured from the darkness.
Footsteps echoed nearby. A reddish glow spread from a pair of hollow eyes, casting light across the burn scars etched on his face and neck.