The night had grown even deeper.
Inside the abandoned building, the air was thick with the scent of dust and cold energy. Yoru and Sairi were still at it.
"Again," Sairi said. Her voice didn't show a hint of tiredness.
Yoru wiped the sweat from his forehead, his breath coming in short gasps. "How many more times...?"
"Until it's perfect."
Yoru didn't argue. He closed his eyes and pulled from the darkness inside. A black aura slowly began to bleed from his skin, wrapping around his limbs.
It was stable now. No longer flickering like a dying flame, but humming with steady power.
Sairi watched him closely. "Better."
"Now, move," she commanded.
Yoru took a step. The aura flowed with him, sticking to his skin like a second shadow. It felt natural. He threw a punch into the empty air.
BOOM.
The air itself seemed to ripple from the impact.
"This... is control..." Yoru murmured, staring at his glowing hands.
"Now you understand," Sairi replied, her expression softening just a fraction.
Suddenly—Yoru froze.
The hair on the back of his neck stood up.
"Wait..."
"Do you feel it?" Sairi asked instantly. She had already shifted into a defensive stance.
Yoru slowly turned his head toward the far corner of the room, where the shadows were the thickest.
"We aren't alone..."
Silence fell over the room. It was so quiet they could hear the sound of their own heartbeats.
Something moved in the dark.
Sairi didn't hesitate. "Show yourself."
For a few agonizing seconds, nothing happened. Then, the rhythmic sound of slow footsteps echoed against the concrete floor.
A boy stepped out of the darkness.
He wore a clean white shirt that looked out of place in this ruin. His face was calm, almost bored, but his eyes were like chips of ice.
"Relax," the boy said casually, raising a hand. "I didn't come here to attack."
Yoru didn't lower his guard. The red in his eyes flared. "Then what are you doing here?"
"Observing."
Sairi leaned closer to Yoru, her voice a low warning. "Yoru... this isn't right. Look at his aura."
Yoru looked. There was a strange shimmer around the boy. It wasn't dark like his, but it wasn't human either. It was... something else.
"Name?" Yoru demanded.
The boy smiled, but the expression didn't reach his eyes. "Akira."
"You two are interesting," Akira said, his gaze settling on Yoru. "Especially you... the thing that lies within you... it's rare."
Yoru's face hardened. "How do you know about that?"
Akira's answer was direct. "Because I can see it. It's hard to miss something that loud."
Sairi took a step forward, her hands frosting over. "That's enough. Leave."
Akira raised both hands in a mock gesture of surrender. "Relax. I'm not your enemy."
"Give me one reason to believe you," Yoru snapped.
Akira's smile widened, becoming something sharper. Something dangerous. He took a slow step toward them.
"If I were your enemy..."
He paused, the air around him vibrating with a sudden, overwhelming pressure.
"...neither of you would still be breathing."
Silence.
The weight of his words was enough to choke them. For a few seconds, no one moved.
Then, just as quickly as he had appeared, Akira turned and began to walk away into the blackness of the hallway.
"We'll meet again..." he said without looking back. "...Yoru."
In the blink of an eye, he vanished. Not a sound. Not a trace.
The room fell silent once more.
Yoru stood there, his heart still racing. "Who the hell was that...?"
Sairi took a deep, shaky breath. "Trouble. The kind we aren't ready for."
Yoru clenched his fist, feeling the dark energy pulse beneath his skin.
"Good..."
A faint red glow flickered in his eyes, more intense than before.
"The more problems I have... the stronger I'll have to become."