It was supposed to be a normal walk home.
But nothing was ever normal anymore.
Ren and Kiyomi stepped out of the library into dusk. The sky was a velvet blue fading into night, streetlights flickering to life one by one.
They didn't talk much. Ren was still processing her "I woke up with wings in a crater" story. Kiyomi, as usual, looked like she was waiting for someone to attack her at any moment.
Which, to be fair, was pretty good insti
nct.
Because something was watching.
From above.
From beneath.
From be
tween.
They passed an alleyway when Ren stopped.
"...Do you hear that?"
Kiyomi nodded. "The air just dropped three degrees. That's never a good sign."
From the alley, a sound like wet static echoed. Like a broken TV made of meat.
Then it crawled out.
🐙??? ???
It didn't walk.
It oozed.
A twisting tangle of smoke, shadow, and black limbs. It had seven legs, four mouths, and too many eyes in the wrong places. It looked like it glitched halfway through being born.
> [Unknown Entity Detected]
[Classification: Aberrant]
[Threat Level: Moderate – If You're Smart. Catastrophic – If You Panic.]
Ren immediately panicked.
"OH HELL NO," he yelled, already backpedaling.
"Don't scream," Kiyomi said.
"It has a mouth on its elbow!"
Kiyomi flicked her wrist. A blue sigil flared in her palm. "Focus up. We take it down together."
Ren took a breath. Focused. Centered—
The creature screeched — a warbled sound that cracked the streetlights.
Ren flinched.
His pulse spiked.
His eyes glowed.
Then—
> ⚡ [Skyborne Instinct Triggered]
Fear spike detected. Emergency burst engaged.
Ren's body flared with raw energy.
He didn't throw a punch.
He exploded.
💥 KABOOM
A blast of sky-blue force threw Kiyomi back ten feet and launched the Aberrant into a parked car, which folded like origami.
Smoke. Cracks. Power residue.
Ren staggered, glowing, eyes unfocused.
"Did I do that?" he asked, dazed.
"Yes," Kiyomi coughed, brushing dust off her jacket. "And I will slap you later. But first—"
She pointed.
"—i
t's not dead."
The creature pulled itself up, mangled but still twitching.
It roared and leapt—
Then a wooden ladle flew through the air and smashed it in the face.
It fell flat.
Ren blinked. "Was that—"
"Yo!" a voice called out. "You kids need help beating up the evil jellyfish, or what?"
Uncle Jin walked around the corner, ladle in one hand, apron flapping like a cape.
🍜 Jin's Real Side
Ren had never seen him like this.
Back straight. Eyes sharp. No goofy grin.
This was not ramen-shop Jin.
This was martial monster Jin.
He took off his apron and dropped into a stance.
"Alright, you oversized mistake. Let's dance."
The Aberrant hissed and lunged—
Jin moved faster than anyone should at his age.
A blur.
A thunderclap punch to its core.
CRACK.
The thing folded in half, screeched, and imploded into itself.
Gone.
😵 Aftermath
Ren was speechless.
Kiyomi dusted her coat. "Your uncle is terrifying. I like him."
Jin tossed the ladle over his shoulder. "Just another Thursday."
Ren coughed. "That… thing. That wasn't a Spectral, was it?"
"Nope," Jin said. "That was something from the Rift Between Realms. Means the seal's weakening."
He looked Ren dead in the eyes.
"They're coming for you faster than I expected. We need to accelerate your training."
"...How much more accelerated can we get?!"
Jin cracked his knuckles. "Tomorrow you fight Kazuki again."
"Oh come ON—"
From the shadows, a familiar cluck echoed.
Kazuki. Watching. Judging. Waiting.
🌀 Chapter 8 Teaser:
> Kiyomi has a nightmare… or a memory? Jin explains the truth about the Rift Between Realms — and Ren's role in keeping it closed. Meanwhile, in the shrine, The Watcher summons something far worse than a shadow beast… a "Sky Eater
."