Upon sensing an unfamiliar presence, Makoto was already outside the Grand Opera House, walking past its edge and toward the forest beyond.
He slowed-then stopped.
The night was silent. Too silent.
Makoto turned his head slightly toward a tree off to his side.
That was when he saw it.
In the distance, a single tree burned in a violent black aura. Dark energy clung to its trunk like wildfire, writhing and consuming the space around it. Then-fingers slowly crept out from behind the bark. Long. Unnatural.
Finally, an eye emerged.
Dead in appearance, yet its gaze was sharp-piercing. A black iris surrounding a white pupil stared back at him, unblinking.
Kiss X Reaper
Chapter 14: Horror town, Mystery Kid
As they walked, Sui led the way, with Yukie following just a few steps behind. Her expression was calm, casual even-but her thoughts were anything but.
Sui suddenly stopped. He raised his arm and pointed straight ahead.
"I can… sense him," he said quietly.
Before them lay an abandoned town. Yet it looked strangely intact clean, untouched as if it had never lost its soul.
"Here?" Yukie thought.
"…This place is barren. I don't sense the timid spiritual residue humans usually leave behind."
"However…"
She stepped past Sui, continuing forward.
Sui watched her from behind.
"It feels really cold around her," he murmured. "…But not the kind that makes you feel unsafe. It feels like being sealed away. Like a room perfectly isolated from the outside world... A cold that feels, like safety..."
He clenched his hands, then moved again-following Yukie into the silent town.
The town felt like home. Lights glowed warmly from the houses, with a few distant apartment buildings standing quietly beyond the town's edge.
Yukie opened her palm-not raised, only turned upward beneath her. She closed her eyes. No Natural Energy answered her call. None drifted through the air. None lingered nearby.
However--
A faint black aura slowly swirled above her right hand. It was barely visible, yet unmistakable.
She opened her eyes.
"Dark energy… A deviant," she whispered. "Most likely."
"A… deviant?"
Sui thought from behind her.
Yukie lowered her hand.
"Could you tell me," she asked calmly, "what happened to your father? How this situation began. And how…"
She paused.
"…this town feels alive and dead at the same time."
Her bangs concealed her eyes completely. Only her lips were visible-still, unreadable.
"W-well…" Sui stuttered.
The memory surfaced.
The door opened.
"Sui, I'm home."
"Dad!"
The two met inside their small apartment.
"Did you get the promotion?" Sui asked, a faint smile forming on his lips.
His father scratched the back of his head, a bead of sweat sliding down his temple.
"Well… not yet. But within this week, surely!" he said brightly. "So don't worry, kiddo. Pop's got your back!"
He flashed a peace sign, smiling wide.
Sui nodded. His smile lingered-but something inside him felt lighter.
"He's still only nine, afterall."
his father thought.
"After my wife died, we both fell into despair. Depression nearly crushed us. But we fought back. Even if only a little. So
I can't let him down. Ever."
"So every day he came home,"
Sui continued softly, "I'd ask… 'How was your day?' and 'Did you get promoted?'"
He swallowed.
"I never gave up hope. Because that one 'yes' would change everything. Paying off our debts. Eating properly. Just living normally."
He always smiled faintly infront of him.
"That alone would've made me happy. Even more than myself will ever expect."
Days passed quietly. His father would come home late, scratch the back of his head, or raise a finger-always reassurance, always optimism.
"But one day…"
Sui's voice faltered.
That night, he waited by the door.
It was late. Far later than usual.
He stood by the entrance. Sat at the table. Lay on the sofa. Even on the floor. Waiting.
Then--
The door creaked open. Slowly.
"Dad!" Sui called, his smile returning.
Something was wrong.
His father's figure was dark-unnaturally so. His head hung low. His arms moved stiffly, as if his body was functioning without purpose… without life.
"S… soul… bearer…"
his father whispered. His voice was faint-barely audible.
"Dad…?" Sui asked, worry creeping into his voice. No response.
His father didn't move.
"Dad-"
Suddenly, Sui froze.
His eyes widened. His cheeks puffed as he covered his nose. A tear welled in his right eye.
"What is this smell…?
"This stench… it's so strong. Where is this coming from--"
"Dad?!"
Slowly, his father lifted his head.
Black irises. Pupils burning orange. His gaze darted wildly-inhuman. Fangs jutted from his teeth. His expression was something no living person should ever wear.
He exhaled.
"Soul… bearer…" he whispered once more.
"D-Dad…?" Sui breathed.
The world went white.
He collapsed to the floor.
"…And that's all I remember," Sui thought as
the present returned. Yukie turned her head forward again. Her eyes remained hidden.
Only her lips were visible-still, unreadable.
While walking ahead, it was silent. A gentle breeze passed through the streets, tugging softly at Yukie's long skirt as it fluttered with the wind, brushing against Sui's bangs as well.
"This town has been always mysterious. Sometimes you'd see people here but sometimes it's empty. The lights in each houses have been kept open. But nothing in particular has changed from its feeling. It has always felt like a small peaceful town."
He paused.
"Too peaceful..."
Sui paused, his gaze drifting forward as the last words left his mouth.
Yukie lifted her right arm slightly, positioning it in front of Sui as if instinctively shielding him.
"I will be honest with you, Mikoto boy. You're able to sense shifts in natural environment. Which means-"
She turned her head to the right. Her right eye glowed faintly in light blue.
"You're capable of sensing Natural and Dark Energy. You're... A natural bearer"
Yukie finished.
And-- everything went black.
"I've always been aware of this unnatural sensing of mine."
Sui's voice exclaimed in the dark.
"I've even saw, met, and spoke with wandering spirits or even unnatural creatures themselves back when I was younger. I didnt think they were real."
Images surfaced-Sui as a child, speaking with pale white figures and shadow-shaped humans, grotesque creatures sketched by reality itself, and tens of hands emerging from the ground, reaching toward him.
He continued.
"Or perhaps, I didnt wanna believe they were. Less than my imaginations. It's what I always thought. Because I didnt wanna be seen diffrent by other people. Because I'd definitely be alone. But-"
His voice wavered, stopping short.
The scene shifted.
We pan out to Sui's past. He stood alone in the heart of a forest. It was night, yet the surroundings glowed vividly-dark green light filling the air as fireflies drifted lazily between trees. The breeze passed through gently, carrying an unfamiliar calm.
His right hand rested against something warm.
A massive creature knelt before him. Its fur was a mix of brown and white, thick and soft. Its eyes were closed, its entire form radiating a dark green glow that illuminated the forest. Behind it, nine enormous tails swayed slowly.
The Ancient Eye of Nine Tails.
The present returned.
Sui lowered his gaze, shoulders tense. Yukie remained still, alert, her presence firm and unwavering.
Then- A sudden image forced itself into both of their minds. Two pairs of orange eyes, darting wildly up and down, burning into their thoughts without form or body-watching.
Perceiving the eyes within their minds, Sui's eyes widened. Sweat formed quickly as his mouth fell open-clear, unfiltered fear. Yukie, however, remained unshaken.
Her expression stayed firm, serious, unmoved.
Then suddenly--
Two worm-like creatures, nothing but twisting bodies and gaping mouths, spiraled into existence around them and lunged from both the left and right.
"We're dead! They were too fast, I didnt even sense them coming!"
Sui's thoughts screamed as the two creatures closed in.
However-
"Frozen Stasis: Snowflake"
Yukie's voice recited.
"Tich."
A sharp sound rang out. Faint blue mist spread through the air.
Two massive frozen snowflakes manifested instantly-one to the right, one to the left. The worms crashed into them, their mouths biting down, only to freeze mid-motion along with the ice itself.
With a swift swipe of Yukie's hand, the snowflakes shattered-along with the creatures trapped inside them. Ice shards burst outward, scattering through the air.
Yukie's expression did not change, her gaze lifting calmly upward. Behind her, Sui stood frozen in shock, eyes darting around in disbelief, caught between fear and awe.
"This deviant has seemed to turn this entire small town as its... Faint resource"
She thought.
Then, in one fluid motion, she extended her right leg back. Her upper body remained tight and forward. Her right hand rose upward, her left arm extending ahead. A unique ritual-like stance. Beneath her feet, light shone.
A snowflake pattern bloomed beneath her-rapidly growing, expanding, engulfing the ground as it spun violently.
"Frozen Stasis: Snow Thieves"
Her voice whispered as the light intensified.
"Thinking about it, I am using the system Shirogane once explained. However, I do not carry or rely on cherished materials, nor do I bind myself to spirits. Like him, I shaped my abilities through my own system-but that is where the difference lies. I am neither human nor spirit. I depend on no external source. I rely only on myself. Because I am… a life force." She thought.
Her gaze snapped left-then upward.
The world shifted to black and white.
The point of view surged through the town, racing along the ground, weaving between houses, rising sharply as it locked onto a shadowed figure.
"Found ya."
Yukie whispered, her pink lips curving into a faint smile.