The boy was curled into himself, trembling in the void. Rin approached slowly—measured steps, calm and silent. He stopped just short of the boy's personal space and stood tall, letting his shadow stretch over him.
The air around them seemed to cool.
The boy froze. His sniffles faltered. Slowly, he lifted his gaze—and locked eyes with Rin.
Terror. It flickered across the boy's face like a candle about to go out.
He felt it, Rin thought, satisfaction curling under his skin. Good. That means instinct works, even if reason doesn't.
He smiled, cheerful and gentle, the kind you'd give a frightened child.
"Hey. What's your name?"
His voice was warm, almost musical. Rin hated using it. It dripped like syrup in his ears.
The boy blinked. "N-Nariku," he whispered.
"Nice to meet you, Nariku." Rin crouched to his level, tone still sunny. "It's good to make acquaintances."
Be my puppet, Nariku.
Nariku flinched slightly, but nodded. "H-huh? Yeah... okay."
"Good."
Rin's smile held. But inside, his thoughts simmered. *Why is this so hard? Just trust me. Just break. *
"How old are you?" Rin asked gently.
"Fifteen."
"Do you have any family here?"
"N-no. I—I was alone when it happened."
Rin exhaled, a practiced expression of shared pain. "Me too. I guess that makes us a team now, right? You help me, I help you."
Nariku hesitated, then gave a shaky, "S-Sure."
"Perfect." Rin's smile deepened, but his eyes stayed cold. "Let's start by sharing our stats. I'll show you mine—you show me yours. It'll help us know how to work together."
Nariku hesitated. Then he whispered: "Okay."
A flicker of gold light danced between them.
---
NAME: Nariku
AGE: 15
STR: 1 (Common)
END: 2 (Common)
INT: 2 (Epic)
STA: 3 (Uncommon)
MAGIC: 2 (Rare)
TRAITS:
[Sleeping Tiger]
"A calm boy... until claws come out."
[]
[]
---
Interesting, Rin mused, tilting his head. Not strong, but smart. And that trait... dangerous later. Useful now.
He opened his own screen—carefully hiding his trait, [Shadow Planner]. Let Nariku see the rest. Trust needed breadcrumbs.
Nariku blinked at Rin's profile. "You're smart too..."
"Looks like we'll make a great team," Rin said, still smiling.
No, he thought behind the mask. I'll make you great. When I move your strings.