The morning sun did not offer any comfort. It was a pale, sickly yellow that made the cracks in the sky look like bruised veins. Kaito stood in front of his bathroom mirror, splashing cold water on his face. He looked at his reflection. His eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep, and the skin around his knuckles was raw.
He reached into his pocket and touched the cards. They were cold, even through the fabric of his trousers. He felt the Shadow Creeper card he had captured the night before. It felt oily, as if the darkness was trying to seep into his skin. He pushed it to the back of the deck and took out a simple white card. He focused his mind for a second.
The raw skin on his knuckles began to glow with a faint, white light. The pain faded, and the scratches closed into thin, pink lines. It was a basic healing spell, something he had learned to do without summoning a specific entity. It drained a bit of his energy, leaving a dull ache in his temples.
Kaito grabbed his bag and walked out of his apartment. He did not eat breakfast. His stomach felt like it was full of cold stones.
When he reached the school gates, Ryota was already there. He was leaning against a pillar, looking at his phone with a frustrated expression. As soon as he saw Kaito, he straightened up and waved his arms.
Ryota shouted, "Kaito! Hey, Kaito! Do you have any idea how much that Okay hurt my feelings?"
Kaito walked toward him, his face expressionless.
Kaito said, "Good morning."
Ryota groaned, walking beside him as they entered the building. Ryota said, "Good morning? Is that all? I send you a long, heartfelt message about snacks and friendship, and you reply with one word. One! My grandmother sends longer texts, and she does not even know where the space bar is."
Jin joined them near the lockers. He looked at Kaito's hand, his eyes lingering on the pink marks on his knuckles. Jin did not say anything at first. He just nodded.
Jin said, "You look like you did not sleep at all."
Kaito opened his locker and swapped his shoes. Kaito said, "I slept."
Jin adjusted his glasses. Jin said, "There is a difference between closing your eyes and sleeping, Kaito. You look like you have been fighting ghosts."
Kaito stayed silent. He could not tell Jin how right he was. He could not tell him about the Shadow Creeper or the black bird that spoke in his mind. He just shut his locker and started walking toward the classroom.
The morning classes were a blur of voices and chalk dust. Kaito sat in the back, staring out the window. The purple shimmer in the sky was still there, hovering over the industrial zone. It was a wound that would not heal. He felt a tap on his shoulder.
He turned around. Hana was standing there, holding a small blue bottle of sports drink. She looked at him with a mix of concern and shyness.
Hana whispered, "You did not come to the roof this morning. I thought you might be thirsty."
Kaito looked at the bottle. It was cold, and condensation was dripping down the sides. He looked at Hana. She was wearing a small hair clip today, a silver butterfly that shimmered when she moved.
Kaito said, "Thank you."
Hana pulled a chair from a nearby desk and sat down next to him. The teacher had not arrived yet, and the room was filled with the chatter of other students.
Hana asked, "Are you still feeling pale? You left so quickly yesterday."
Kaito took the bottle from her. His fingers brushed hers, and he felt a sudden spark of warmth. It was a strange contrast to the coldness of the cards.
Kaito said, "I had things to do."
Hana leaned closer, her voice dropping lower. Hana said, "You always have things to do, Kaito. Sometimes I think you are living a whole other life when we are not looking. Like a secret agent or something."
She laughed, but there was a flicker of sadness in her eyes. She wanted him to say it was not true. She wanted him to tell her everything.
Kaito looked down at the blue bottle. Kaito said, "I am just me."
Hana sighed, a soft sound that made his heart ache. Hana said, "I know. But even just you needs to rest sometimes. Promise me you will drink that?"
Kaito nodded. Kaito said, "I promise."
Hana smiled, and for a second, the cracks in the sky seemed to disappear. She stood up and went back to her seat just as the teacher walked in.
Lunchtime came, but Kaito did not go to the roof. He went to the old gymnasium behind the school. It was a building that was rarely used, mostly for storage of old mats and broken sports equipment. He needed a place where the air was not so crowded with human emotions.
He stepped inside the gym. The air was dusty and smelled of old wood. It was quiet. He walked to the center of the floor and sat down. He pulled the Ace of Spades from his pocket.
Kaito said, "Kuro."
The black bird appeared instantly, perching on the basketball hoop. Kuro said, "The blue bottle was a nice touch. She really likes you, Master. It is almost a shame you are so miserable."
Kaito opened the bottle and took a long drink. The cold liquid felt good in his throat.
Kaito said, "Is it here?"
Kuro's eyes glowed a deep violet. Kuro said, "It is close. Not a Common this time. I can smell something heavier. Something colder. A Rare grade, maybe higher. It has been lurking in the school's shadow since this morning."
Kaito stood up, his hand tightening around the blue bottle. Kaito said, "Why here?"
Kuro flapped his wings and landed on the floor in front of Kaito. Kuro said, "Emotions, Master. Schools are full of them. Anxiety, love, jealousy, fear. It is a buffet for the things behind the cracks. And you, with your heart locked away, are the most interesting scent of all."
Suddenly, the temperature in the gym dropped. Kaito could see his breath in the air. A thin layer of frost began to spread across the wooden floor, creeping out from the dark corners of the room.
A figure emerged from the equipment room. It was tall and slender, draped in tattered white robes that looked like frozen silk. Its skin was the color of ice, and its hair was a long cascade of silver that reached the floor. It had no eyes, only smooth, hollow sockets that leaked a pale blue mist.
Kuro hissed, his feathers standing on end. Kuro said, "This is not a mindless shadow. This is a Frost Walker. It is a Rare grade, and it is hungry."
The Frost Walker raised a hand. The air in the gym began to swirl, forming jagged shards of ice that hovered in the air.
Kaito dropped the blue bottle. It hit the floor with a dull thud, the remaining liquid spilling out. He felt a surge of anger. That was Hana's gift.
Kaito said, "You should not have done that."
He did not use the Ace of Spades. He reached for a different card, one that felt like a block of ice in his hand.
Kaito said, "Yuki onna. Manifest."
A swirl of snow erupted in the middle of the gym. The light turned a brilliant, blinding white. Out of the storm, a woman appeared. She was beautiful, with skin like porcelain and eyes the color of a winter sky. She wore a kimono made of falling snow, and her presence was so cold that even the Frost Walker paused.
Yuki onna looked at Kaito. Her voice was like the sound of a frozen lake cracking.
Yuki onna said, "You called me to such a dusty place, my King. And for such a lowly creature?"
Kaito pointed at the Frost Walker. Kaito said, "Kill it. Quickly."
Yuki onna turned toward the monster. She smiled, but there was no warmth in it. She raised her hand, and the frost on the floor suddenly turned into massive, crystalline spikes.
The Frost Walker tried to shriek, but no sound came out. Its body was pierced by a dozen ice spears. It struggled for a moment, its robes fluttering like a dying bird, before it shattered into a thousand glittering pieces.
The gym returned to silence. The ice spikes dissolved into mist, leaving only a small, silver card on the floor.
Yuki onna walked over to the card and picked it up. She turned to Kaito and bowed low, holding the card out to him.
Yuki onna said, "It is done. But you are tired, Kaito. Your spirit is fading. You cannot keep using us like this without giving yourself time to breathe."
Kaito took the card. Kaito said, "I have no choice."
Yuki onna reached out, her cold fingers touching his cheek. It was not the painful cold of the monster, but a soothing, numbing sensation.
Yuki onna whispered, "The girl with the blue bottle. She is your anchor. Do not let the shadows pull you too far away from her."
With a final puff of snow, she vanished.
Kaito stood alone in the gym. He looked at the floor. The blue bottle was crushed, and the liquid had frozen into a thin sheet of ice. He felt a deep sense of loss. He picked up the plastic bottle and put it in the trash can near the door.
He walked back to the main building. His heart was heavy, and every step felt like he was walking through deep mud.
In the hallway, he ran into Jin. Jin was standing by the water fountain, waiting for him. He looked at Kaito's clothes. There were small flecks of frost on his hoodie.
Jin said, "The gym is off limits during lunch, Kaito."
Kaito walked past him. Kaito said, "I know."
Jin stepped in front of him, his expression serious. Jin said, "I am not Ryota. You cannot just ignore me. Something is happening, is it not? Something you think we cannot handle."
Kaito looked into Jin's eyes. He saw the intelligence there, the sharp mind that was already piecing things together. He wanted to tell him. He wanted to share the burden.
But he remembered the day his words had caused a tragedy. He remembered the fire and the screams.
Kaito said, "It is nothing, Jin. Leave it alone."
He pushed past Jin and went into the classroom.
The rest of the school day was a torture of silence. Kaito felt Hana's eyes on him several times, but he did not look back. He could not. Every time he looked at her, he felt the coldness of the cards growing stronger. It was as if his two worlds were fighting for control of his heart.
When the final bell rang, Ryota tried to drag them to a new arcade that had opened downtown.
Ryota said, "Come on! They have that new fighting game. Kaito, I bet you would be great at it. You already look like a brooding protagonist."
Kaito shook his head. Kaito said, "Not today."
Ryota looked disappointed, but he did not push. He knew that look on Kaito's face. He turned to Jin. Ryota asked, "You coming?"
Jin looked at Kaito, then at Ryota. Jin said, "Sure. Someone has to make sure you do not spend your entire allowance in one hour."
As they walked away, Jin gave Kaito one last lingering look. It was a look of warning.
Kaito walked toward the exit, but a hand caught his sleeve. He turned around. It was Hana. She was standing there, her face flushed and her breath coming in short gasps as if she had been running.
Hana asked, "Did you drink it?"
Kaito looked at her. He thought about the crushed bottle in the trash can. He thought about the Frost Walker and the silver card in his pocket.
Kaito said, "I did. It was good."
Hana smiled, a look of pure relief washing over her face. Hana said, "I am glad. I was worried it was too sweet for you."
She walked with him to the school gates. The sun was setting, casting long, orange shadows across the pavement. The city was beginning to wake up for the night, the neon lights flickering to life.
Hana said, "My mom wants me to come home early tonight. She says the news is full of strange things lately. People disappearing, weird weather."
Kaito stopped. Kaito said, "Listen to her. Go straight home. Do not stop for anything."
Hana looked at him, her smile fading. Hana asked, "You sound scared, Kaito. Are you scared?"
Kaito looked at the cracks in the sky. They were glowing now, a deep, angry red.
Kaito said, "I am just tired."
Hana reached out and took his hand. Her palm was warm, so warm that it almost hurt. She squeezed his fingers.
Hana whispered, "If you ever need to talk, I am here. I do not care if it is one word or a thousand. I will listen."
She let go of his hand and began to walk away. She turned back once to wave, her silver butterfly clip catching the last rays of the sun.
Kaito watched her until she disappeared around the corner. He felt a lump in his throat. He wanted to call her back. He wanted to tell her to stay with him where it was safe.
But he was not safe. He was a beacon for the darkness.
Kuro appeared on his shoulder, his eyes fixed on the horizon. Kuro said, "The air is getting thick, Master. The Rare was just a scout. Something much bigger is moving in the shadows."
Kaito looked toward the Hanami district. The sky there was darker than anywhere else. He could feel a presence, a vast, hungry intelligence that was staring back at him. It felt like a mountain made of teeth.
Kuro whispered, "Vortelius. He is looking for you."
Kaito pulled his hoodie up. He felt the cold cards against his leg. He felt the silver card he had just won. He was a King, but he felt like a prisoner.
Kaito said, "Let him look."
He walked toward the darkness, away from the warmth of the school and the memory of Hana's hand. He moved through the streets like a ghost, his silence a shield against a world that was slowly falling apart.
As he reached the edge of the Hanami district, he saw a mark on a brick wall. It was a symbol he had never seen before a circle with three eyes inside it, drawn in what looked like dried blood.
The mark was pulsing.
Kaito touched the brick. The wall felt hot, as if there was a fire burning behind it. A voice echoed in his head, a voice that sounded like a thousand people screaming in unison.
The voice said, "We see you, Little King. The banquet is about to begin."
Kaito pulled his hand away. The mark vanished, leaving only a faint scent of sulfur in the air. He stood in the middle of the street, his heart racing.
He took out his phone. He wanted to text Hana. He wanted to tell her he was okay.
But he did not. He put the phone back in his pocket.
Kaito looked at the black bird on his shoulder. Kaito said, "Where is the next one?"
Kuro pointed toward the old park at the center of the district. Kuro said, "The shadows are gathering there. It is going to be a long night, Master."
Kaito began to run. He did not look back at the lights of the city. He did not think about the school or the blue bottle. He focused on the cold, on the cards, and on the battle that was waiting for him in the dark.
He was the Silent King, and his reign was built on the things people chose not to see. But as the red glow in the sky grew brighter, he knew that the silence would not last forever. The world was screaming, and soon, he would have to scream back.