Rain hammered Neo-Tokyo like the gods themselves were pissed off. Ren Ito hunched over the handlebars of his battered electric courier bike, black hoodie soaked through, delivery bag slapping against his back. 11:47 p.m., Shibuya Scramble crossing still pulsing with holographic ads even in the downpour.
"Last package tonight," he muttered, checking the glowing nav-screen. Destination: an abandoned Shinto shrine turned luxury condo construction site in the back alleys behind Meiji-Jingu. Sketchy as hell, but the pay was triple because the client wanted it "discreet."
He skidded to a stop outside the chain-link fence. A single security light flickered. Ren vaulted the fence in one smooth parkour motion—years of running from loan sharks had its perks.
The package was small, wrapped in black silk, heavier than it looked. The moment his fingers touched it, the silk burned cold.
A deep, lazy voice echoed straight into his skull.
Finally… a worthy cage.
Ren dropped the box. "What the—?!"
The ground shook. Construction cranes groaned. From the half-built foundation rose a swirling black vortex. Something ancient, hungry, and amused slammed into his chest.
Pain exploded behind his eyes. Ren screamed, collapsing to his knees as shadows poured into his veins like liquid night.
Relax, boy. I am Kurogami. You and I are now one. Try not to die in the next thirty seconds.
Gunshots cracked the air.
Three masked men in black tactical gear dropped from the scaffolding, rifles up.
"Target acquired! The relic activated—kill the host before full merger!"
Ren's vision went monochrome. Every raindrop froze mid-air for a heartbeat. His right arm moved without permission, black tendrils of shadow erupting from his fingertips and whipping the nearest gunman off his feet. The man slammed into a concrete pillar with bone-crunching force.
The other two opened fire.
Bullets ripped through Ren's hoodie. He felt the impacts… then felt the wounds closing almost instantly, shadows knitting flesh like dark thread.
Not bad for Level 1, Kurogami chuckled. Now run or fight. Your choice.
Ren chose both.
He sprinted, parkour instincts on overdrive. Shadow tendrils lashed out, smashing streetlights and plunging the alley into darkness. One thug screamed as a tendril wrapped his ankle and hurled him into the rain.
The last man tackled Ren from behind. They crashed through a wooden barricade into the half-finished shrine hall. Moonlight poured through the open roof onto an ancient stone mirror lying on the altar—the source of the vortex.
The thug raised a combat knife. "Die, Pagan scum—"
Ren's hand shot out. Black fire ignited along his fingers. The knife melted before it touched him. The man's eyes widened in terror as shadows crawled up his arm.
Ren slammed his palm into the attacker's chest. Essence crystal—no bigger than a marble—ripped out of the man's body and flew into Ren's hand. The thug crumpled, unconscious but alive.
The crystal dissolved into Ren's palm. Warmth flooded his body.
Essence absorbed. Level 2 reached.
New ability unlocked: Shadow Step (short-range blink through darkness)
Ren staggered back, breathing hard, rain and blood mixing on his face.
Sirens wailed in the distance.
A soft voice cut through the chaos from the rooftop above.
"Stand down, vessel. I can still purify you before the corruption takes root."
Ren looked up.
A girl in a white tactical coat lined with glowing golden runes stood on the edge of the scaffolding, long silver-white hair (clearly dyed) whipping in the wind. Her eyes were the color of sunrise—warm, determined, and currently aimed at him like twin lasers.
In her right hand floated a spear of pure light.
Ren's heart did something stupid.
She's beautiful, he thought before he could stop himself.
Kurogami snorted. She's a Miracle. They'll try to erase me—and you with me. Cute though.
The girl—later he would learn her name was Aoi Mizuki—leaped down, landing lightly, spear pointed at his heart.
"Last chance. Surrender the demon and I'll make it painless."
Ren wiped blood from his lip, shadows still curling around his fists.
He grinned, adrenaline and something new burning in his veins.
"Sorry, angel girl. I just got started."
He activated Shadow Step for the first time.
The world blurred. He vanished into the rain and reappeared ten meters away on the street outside the fence.
Aoi's eyes widened in genuine surprise.
Ren hopped on his courier bike, engine roaring to life.
As he sped into the neon night, Kurogami's laughter echoed in his mind.
Two hundred chapters from now, boy, you'll be strong enough to make her chase you for entirely different reasons.
Ren laughed despite himself, wind and rain whipping his face.
"Shut up and help me not die tonight, old man."
The city lights blurred past—billboards for idol groups, floating drone taxis, hidden rifts pulsing with otherworldly energy only he could now see.
Level 2.
First night as a Pagan.
And somewhere behind him, a Miracle with sunrise eyes was already deciding whether to hunt him… or save him.
End of Chapter 1