The late afternoon sun spilled across Karakura City, catching the edges of buildings and reflecting off windows in brilliant flashes. The streets were alive with the usual chaos: the hum of traffic, the chatter of pedestrians, and the occasional bark of a dog. Hachi Kurobane carried a crate of rabbits in one arm, balancing it with the backpack slung across his shoulder.
He had grown used to this rhythm, his normal life, ordinary yet grounded, with the sanctuary providing a small, steady anchor in the storm of the city. Hachi had always been a calm presence, the kind of person who could absorb chaos without being overwhelmed. Even in college, his classmates often described him as quiet, unflappable, someone who moved through the world with measured confidence. That steadiness had saved him more than once when dealing with frightened animals at the sanctuary.
The alleyways near the sanctuary were less orderly than the main streets, filled with discarded furniture, broken crates, and piles of cardboard. Hachi often took these shortcuts to avoid traffic, to give his charges a quieter path to safety. On this particular afternoon, his sneakers crunched against gravel as he navigated a narrow alley, the crate of rabbits balanced carefully in his hands.
It was then that something caught his eye, a faint gleam from the shadows. At first, it was easy to dismiss it as sunlight reflecting off trash, but curiosity pricked at him. Hachi set the crate down with a soft clatter, brushing dust off his sleeves, and crouched to investigate.
Beneath a pile of old cardboard boxes lay a metallic object, partially buried in the dirt. It was sleek, polished, and oddly out of place among the detritus. Hachi reached out and brushed the soil aside, revealing a belt-like device. The metal was cool under his fingertips, perfectly smooth, with intricate engravings etched into the surface; symbols he had never seen before.
The moment his fingers made contact, a faint vibration pulsed through his arm. It was subtle, almost imperceptible, but it carried with it a sense of presence, as though the object itself were alive. Hachi froze, his instincts flaring in quiet alarm. Something about the device felt purposeful, deliberate, and… waiting.
"Where did you come from?" he whispered, half to himself.
The hum grew slightly, rhythmic and resonant. It wasn't loud, but it was profound, vibrating not just through the metal but through Hachi's bones. A low, almost musical tone thrummed in the air, making the alley feel smaller, charged with potential energy. Hachi hesitated, fingers hovering over the device, his curiosity at war with caution.
He picked it up and began to mess with it, his natural curiosity taking over completely, and started fiddling with the sleek metal of the driver. His fingers glided across the cold metal, and when his fingers touched the middle of the driver, he activated the drive.r
Immediately, the alley around him erupted in light. A brilliant white glow enveloped him, so intense that Hachi had to shield his eyes. The world seemed to warp, the edges of buildings stretching and bending as if reality itself had become fluid. The vibration in the belt intensified, resonating in harmony with the rapid beat of his heart.
Then, as suddenly as it began, the light softened. Hachi blinked, disoriented, and realized the belt was now securely around his waist. It felt perfectly weighted, snug but not restrictive. He flexed his fingers, marveling at the sensation—a strange, pulsing energy coursing through his body, aligning with his heartbeat, syncing with his very instincts.
A voice spoke, smooth and calm, inside his mind.
"Beastia driver activated, welcome to the Kamen Riders", a female voice spoke. ke
Hachi staggered, taken aback. The voice wasn't audible in the normal sense; it was as if it had been implanted directly into his thoughts. His pulse quickened, a mix of fear and wonder surging through him.
"Who… who are you?" he asked aloud, almost laughing at the absurdity.
"I am the Bestia. I am your partner, your guide, and the key to your awakening."
Hachi froze, gripping the belt tightly. A talking belt—this was insane. Yet the warmth in his chest, the electric thrill running up his spine, told him that this was no hallucination. This was real.
"…I accept," he whispered, more to himself than anything else.
The belt seemed to pulse in response, the engravings along its surface glowing softly, then brighter in a rhythmic pattern. The hum in the metal became a steady pulse, vibrating up through his legs and torso. He felt a shift within himself, subtle but undeniable. His senses sharpened—the faint rustle of leaves, the distant honk of a car, the tiniest shift in air currents. It was as if his body had become finely tuned to the world around him.
"Good. Now, stand tall. Let instinct guide you. Let the beast within awaken."
Hachi's breath caught. "The… beast within?"
"Yes. Your power is not just physical. It is instinct, perception, and the bond between you and the forces that guide you. Now, rise."
Instinctively, Hachi obeyed. He straightened, taking a cautious step forward—and felt lighter, faster, more aware. Every muscle in his body seemed to hum with readiness. He flexed his fingers, testing the limits, and discovered he could leap over the low fence at the end of the alley effortlessly. The landing was silent, precise, controlled. He felt the power, the coordination, the instinct guiding him as if it had always been part of him.
"Good. Sense the world as it truly is."
Hachi's gaze swept the alley. A discarded soda can quivered slightly on its edge, responding to the faint currents of air around him. He could sense subtle vibrations in the ground, track minute shifts in energy, and detect motion before it occurred. His instincts were alive, heightened, and demanding acknowledgment.
"This… this is… incredible," he muttered, a nervous laugh escaping him. He had never imagined anything like this; not in his wildest thoughts, not in any story he had read. And yet, here it was: undeniable, overwhelming, and exhilarating.
"Insane?" the belt's voice asked, almost amused. "Congratulations on awakening your instincts."
Hachi shook his head, gripping the belt with both hands. "Thanks,"
Hachi began to feel weird; his senses were being overloaded, and he felt as if everything was moving much more slowly than normal. He didn't feel stronger, itwas more on the lines of alertness. He can feel everything happening on and in his body, the feeling of the wind, his own pulse, the quiet thumping of people stepping on concrete; he could feel and hear everything.
"Do you feel that?" the voice asked. "That's the feeling of your senses being dialed to eleven."
It feels incredible... but it's so much... too much.
Hachi staggered against the alley wall, one hand pressed over the belt as the tidal wave of sensation threatened to pull him under. It wasn't just hearing or sight or touch anymore; it was everything. The quiet flutter of wings high above. The delicate vibration of a spider weaving its web nearby. The warm pulse of his own blood moving through his veins. The weight of existence itself seemed to press down on him, a flood of signals crashing through every nerve ending.
Among the chaos of his own senses, he saw something happen in front of him, something he didn't even believe he saw, and just hallucinated it.
The thing crouched in the alley just a few meters away, claws dragging against the asphalt with an ear-splitting screech. Its eyes burned gold, wide and unblinking, fixed on him with the cold hunger of a predator. The silver fur covering its body bristled as it exhaled in sharp huffs, lips peeling back to reveal teeth too long for its feline maw.
Hachi blinked rapidly, his breath catching. "Am I… hallucinating?"
"No hallucination," the voice of the Bestia cut through the storm in his head. Calm, precise, unshakable. "This is a Kaijin. The Ferel Genesis Virus corrupts its host, merging flesh with animal instinct until nothing human remains. You are prey to it, Hachi Kurobane."
The Kaijin took a slow step forward, shoulders low, muscles tense. The gravel beneath its feet crunched in sharp detail, each sound piercing Hachi's heightened hearing like a gunshot.
His pulse spiked. He wanted to run, but his body wouldn't move.
The Bestia's tone hardened. "You are not prey. You are a hunter as well. Stand."
Hachi pressed his back tighter against the wall, forcing words through his dry throat. "Hunter? I-I don't even know what I'm doing!"
"You know enough. Instinct guides you. Trust it."
The Kaijin lunged.
Time slowed.
The alley warped with the pressure of the moment, every detail stabbing into Hachi's brain: the angle of the creature's claws, the ripple of muscle in its shoulders, the spray of pebbles as its feet launched off the ground. It was going to be on him in less than a second.
His body moved before thought. He ducked, rolling to the side as the Kaijin's claws slashed through the space where his chest had been. The sound of steel on brick rang out as sparks scattered from the wall.
Hachi scrambled back to his feet, adrenaline and terror locking together in his veins. His senses screamed at him. Attack incoming! And he twisted just as the monster's tail whipped through the air. It grazed his shoulder, the impact enough to knock him off balance.
"You can't dodge forever," the Bestia said sharply. "Use my power. The Driver waits for its first bond."
As if summoned by her words, light flared at the edge of his vision. A card materialized before him in a shimmer of silver and black, spinning lazily in the air. Across its face was an image: a wolf, fangs bared, with red fur, its eyes burning red with primal ferocity.
Hachi's breath caught. "What… what is this?"
"Your first instinct made manifest. Wolf Fang. Take it."
The Kaijin roared, preparing another charge.
Hachi's hand shot out, gripping the card. It thrummed against his palm like a living heartbeat, wild and eager. His instincts howled louder than his fear, telling him exactly where it belonged.
"Use it," the Bestia commanded. "Now!"
The Kaijin leapt, closing the distance in an instant.
Hachi slammed the card into the slot on the Driver.
BESTIA DRIVER - WOLF FANG ENGAGE! HENSHIN
Light erupted from the belt in a swirling storm of silver energy, wolf howls echoing all around them. Plates of black armor snapped into place across his body, clawed gauntlets locking over his hands. A lupine visor sealed over his face, glowing red eyes igniting behind it.
The Kaijin's claws slashed downward—only to be caught mid-strike by Hachi's armored gauntlet. Sparks flared. For the first time, Hachi didn't stumble back. He stood his ground.
He growled beneath the helmet, the sound not entirely human anymore. Power surged in his veins, hot and instinctive, his body thrumming with the rhythm of the wolf spirit that had bonded with him.
"…Kamen Rider," he breathed, voice distorted into a low snarl. "Wolf Fang."
The Kaijin hissed, retreating a step.
Hachi lowered into a stance, claws flexing, eyes locked on his prey. The fear hadn't gone away - but now, it was sharpened into something else. Something dangerous.
For the first time, the hunter in him stirred awake.