I am Kaito Sato, a top student of Restford Academy, and right now, you're probably wondering why I'm blocking my own door. The answer is simple: I saw a ZEN.
A man with a strange mark on his left eye—his pupil burning red—swallowed a person whole. No blood. Nothing. ZENs never leave witnesses alive, not anyone who glimpses them feeding or meets their Rechito eyes. And yet, here I was, frozen in disbelief.
There was a knock on my door. "Sato! Sato! Come out, your friends are here!" It was my mother's voice, cheerful, completely unaware of the nightmare I had just witnessed. My heart pounded. One wrong move, one careless step outside… and it would be the last.
I leaned against the door, breath shallow, mind racing. The red-eyed man… was he alone? Or were there more lurking in Nova City tonight?
I had no time to think. I had to act.
I slowly turned from the door, my mind still replaying the image of the ZEN—the unnatural, red-eyed predator that could end a life in an instant. The thought of what I had just seen made my legs tremble, but I couldn't stay hidden forever. My friends were waiting, and I needed to act normal… at least on the surface.
Sliding the door open, I stepped into the hallway. My mother smiled at me, completely oblivious to the terror that had unfolded just minutes ago. "Kaito! Hurry, your friends are downstairs. They've been waiting!"
"Yeah… yeah, I'm coming," I muttered, forcing a smile. Inside, my heart was still racing. I knew the rules of survival around ZENs. They never appeared in public. Never. They hunted only the isolated, the careless, the wandering souls who dared to walk alone. And always, always at night. The Rechito eyes—their cursed pupils—only awakened under darkness, glowing red, a harbinger of instant death.
As I descended the staircase, my friends waved, oblivious to my internal panic. "Kaito! Finally! We thought you'd bail," called Ren, his usual grin lighting up the dimly lit street.
"Sorry… I was… um… tied up," I lied, my voice shaky. My eyes darted around nervously, scanning the shadows for any movement. The city seemed quiet, too quiet, and the lingering unease gnawed at me.
"Man, you look pale. Something happened?" asked Ayumi, tilting her head with concern.
"Nothing… just tired," I forced, hoping they wouldn't push further. But the truth was gnawing at me. ZENs didn't just kill. They erased witnesses—people who saw their Rechito eyes, people who could later warn others. If anyone ever found out I had seen one… I wouldn't have a second chance.
We started walking through the streets of Nova City, the night wrapping around us like a suffocating blanket. The neon lights reflected off puddles from an earlier rain, casting shadows that twisted unnaturally. I couldn't shake the image of the man with the red pupil—the way he swallowed that poor soul without a trace.
"You're really quiet tonight," Ren said, breaking the silence.
"I'm just… thinking," I replied, trying to sound casual. But deep down, I knew I couldn't ignore what I had seen. ZENs were predators of the night, perfect hunters who moved unseen, striking only when their prey was alone and vulnerable. The rules of their world were merciless, and the streets of Nova City had just reminded me how fragile human life could be.
As we turned a corner, a shadow flickered in the alley nearby. My heart skipped. I forced my breathing to remain steady. "It's nothing," I muttered under my breath, though the unease didn't fade.
Tonight, something had changed. I had seen the predator. And now, the hunter might already know I existed.
"Why not go to Star Shift Mall?" Tokito asked cheerfully, swinging his backpack over one shoulder.
A wave of fear surged through me, raw and unavoidable. I froze in my tracks. "No. We… we won't," I said, my voice tight.
Tokito raised an eyebrow. "Why not? Come on, Kaito. You still scared of some old myth?"
I clenched my fists, my knuckles white. "It's not a myth. I saw one… a ZEN. At Star Shift. I saw him swallow a child."
Tokito's grin faltered for a fraction of a second, but then he shrugged. "You still believe in those stories?"
"Saw him myself," I muttered, the words tasting bitter.
"Sachiro, leave it," Sachiro intervened, trying to keep the peace. "Let's just keep walking."
We continued down the neon-lit streets, the chatter of my friends a faint comfort. But then—my heart dropped. In the narrow, dark gap between two buildings, I saw him.
The same man. The red-eyed predator.
He stood perfectly still, his silhouette blending with the shadows. But his gaze found me immediately. A slow, cruel smile spread across his face, and he raised an index finger to his lips, signaling silence.
I froze. My stomach churned, my mind screaming at me to run, but my legs refused to obey. The ZEN's presence was suffocating, a living shadow that promised death in a heartbeat.
Tokito laughed nervously. "Uh… Kaito? You okay, man?"
I forced myself to step forward, my voice calm but my heart hammering. "Yeah… I'm fine. Let's… just keep moving."
But deep down, I knew it wasn't over. ZENs didn't reveal themselves without reason. And now, the hunter had noticed me.
We finally reached Star Shift Mall, its neon signs flickering softly against the night. The hum of people and the smell of food and coffee offered a brief, fragile comfort. I followed my friends to our usual café, trying to push the fear to the back of my mind.
I picked up my coffee and turned…
And there they were. The red, terrifying Rechito eyes of the same man, staring at me from across the café. They weren't just looking—they were searching, piercing through the crowd, directly into my chest.
My fingers tightened around the cup, nearly spilling it. The world around me blurred, and I felt my knees weaken.
"Hello? Kaito? You okay?" Sachiro's voice pulled me back, grounding me.
I glanced at him, and in that instant, the terrifying eyes in my line of sight… transformed. They mirrored the gentle, familiar eyes of my favorite anime character. Soft. Innocent. Normal.
"What… what the hell?" I whispered under my breath, still trembling.
Sachiro waved a hand at me. "Hey, come on. You've been spacing out all night. Sit, chill. Coffee's hot, don't waste it."
I tried to laugh, forcing the trembling away. "Yeah… yeah, you're right." But my eyes kept darting back. Was it really gone? Or was it just hiding, waiting?
Tokito leaned closer, noticing my unease. "You're acting weird, Kaito. Did something happen outside?"
I shook my head, trying to sound casual. "Nothing… just tired, that's all."
Sachiro frowned but let it go. "Alright… anyway, what are we doing tomorrow? Arcade or movies?"
I wanted to answer. I wanted to act normal. But the memory of those Rechito eyes, the predator's smile, and that silent warning—shhh—clung to my thoughts like smoke. I knew, deep down, that seeing him wasn't coincidence. ZENs didn't appear in public without reason, and now… the hunter had noticed me.
We spent the next few hours at the mall, laughing, playing arcade games, and sipping on sweet drinks. By some miracle—or maybe my own desperate denial—I managed to push the terrifying image of the ZEN from my mind. For a few fleeting hours, it felt like a normal night.
Eventually, I returned home, exhausted but relieved. As soon as I stepped into my room, I locked the door behind me, letting out a shaky sigh. The familiar walls, my desk, my books—they all felt like safety. I thought I could finally breathe.
But then…
A hand clamped over my mouth. Hard. Cold.
I froze, every muscle in my body locking as the air was forced from my lungs. My heart slammed in my chest like a drum of warning. The fingers digging into my face were impossibly strong.
I turned slowly, eyes wide… and there he was. The same ZEN I had seen tonight. The one with the red Rechito eye, the predator who could erase life with a single glance.
His other eye, calm and human-like, studied me as if I were a puzzle, a curiosity to be examined before destruction. The cruel, slow smile returned to his face, and that same silent warning lingered in the air: shhh…
I tried to struggle, but his grip was iron. Panic surged. Thoughts raced—why me? Why now? No one had ever survived being caught off guard like this. And yet, here he was, standing in my room, silent, dangerous, terrifyingly real.
"Who… who are you?" I whispered, my voice trembling despite my effort to stay calm.
The ZEN tilted his head slightly, his red pupil narrowing. No words. Just the weight of predatory intent pressing down on me. I realized, in that moment, that seeing him had already marked me. And now, survival wouldn't be a matter of luck—it would be a battle of wits, fear, and speed.