The room was quiet except for Yuki's slow, shaky breathing.
He lay sprawled across his bed, one arm dangling over the side, the other clutching a cold towel to his forehead. The bandages on his arms still burned from the fight earlier. He'd won… barely.
"You're not ready, Yuki…"
Those words haunted him.
The enemy had vanished, but what he left behind was worse—questions.
Yuki stared up at the ceiling, mind spinning. Why did that guy know his name? How did he even find him?
Knock knock.
Not the door.
The window.
Yuki's eyes shot to the glass, heart already racing.
Standing there, framed by moonlight—her.
The same girl from before. Silent, calm, mysterious. That strange presence that felt too old for her young face.
Yuki got up slowly, wincing from the bruises, and slid the window open. "You again…?"
She stepped in without a word, gaze drifting over him.
"You're hurt," she said quietly.
"Yeah, well. That happens when people come outta nowhere trying to blast you through buildings."
She didn't laugh, didn't smile. Just looked at him.
"You used too much of yourself," she said, almost like she was talking more to the room than to him. "The power you touched—it's not ready. And neither are you."
Yuki frowned. "How do you know that?"
She walked over to the edge of his bed and looked at his aura—he could feel her staring into it, like she could see the fire still burning underneath his skin.
"Because I've seen others lose themselves to power like yours," she whispered. "And you're closer to that edge than you think."
He swallowed hard. "You… who are you?"
She didn't answer. Instead, she walked to the window again, pausing just before stepping out.
"Your name is no longer hidden. That means they'll come. Some to guide. Some to use. And some… to end you."
Yuki clenched his fists. "Then I'll be ready."
The girl gave him a glance over her shoulder—soft, almost sad.
"You will be. If you survive what's coming."
And like before, she vanished into the night, as if the moonlight itself had swallowed her.
Yuki stood alone in the silence, heart pounding.
The wind rustled through the open window.
---
He didn't sleep much that night. And when morning finally came...
---
The city felt muted, like it was holding its breath.
Yuki sat on the edge of his bed, replaying the girl's words over and over in his head. His bandages were fresh, but his mind wasn't. Too many thoughts. Too many questions.
He grabbed his hoodie and stepped out into the cool morning air, needing to clear his head.
But the moment he turned the corner at the end of his street—
A gust of wind slammed into him.
Not just any wind—sharp, deliberate. Controlled.
"Still slow," a voice said from above.
Yuki staggered back and looked up.
Standing casually on a streetlight, one foot balanced on the metal pole like it was solid ground, was Ren.
Sharp eyes. Cloak fluttering in the wind. Calm but always tense, like a sword waiting to be drawn.
"You've been seen," Ren said, voice low. "And not just by her."
Yuki crossed his arms. "You mean the girl at my window last night?"
Ren narrowed his eyes. "You let her in?"
"She didn't give me a choice!"
Ren dropped down from the pole in a smooth motion and landed beside him. "From now on, don't trust anyone that appears without a sound. Not even me."
Yuki looked at him, confused. "...Why? Who is she?"
Ren shook his head. "Not yet."
Yuki scowled. "Why does everyone keep hiding things from me? I just fought someone who knew my name. And now people I don't even know are warning me about 'what's coming.' How am I supposed to prepare if you won't tell me anything?"
Ren stared at him for a moment… then finally spoke.
"You prepare by surviving. And to survive, you need control. Power without control isn't strength—it's noise. Chaos."
He turned away and started walking.
"Follow me."
Yuki blinked. "Where are we going?"
"To a place that isn't bound by humans or walls. If you're serious about surviving what's coming, then your real training starts now."
Yuki hesitated… then followed.
He couldn't help but wonder if Aiko was feeling the same weight of the situation. She had her own knowledge of the mythic world, but she hadn't been around lately. It was unlike her to leave him hanging for long.
He didn't notice the pair of eyes watching from the rooftops, or the faint glimmer of a smile beneath a hood.
The mythic world was shifting.
And Yuki was stepping right into the heart of it.
---
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