Echoes of the past

The rest of the school day passed in a blur, but Haru couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that had settled in his chest. The shadowy figure he thought he saw in the auditorium lingered in his mind, blending into the chaos of his strange morning on the train. Was it connected to the mysterious voice that spoke to him, or was his imagination just running wild?

He wasn't sure. But he knew one thing—he couldn't tell anyone. Not yet, anyway.

After school, Haru found himself walking alone through the park where he had first woken up that morning. The cherry blossoms swayed gently in the breeze, their soft petals floating through the air like whispers of something ancient. Normally, this place would calm him, but today, it only made him feel more on edge.

As he neared the center of the park, he saw her.

Miyuki Sato, the transfer student.

She was sitting on a bench, her face turned up toward the sky, seemingly lost in thought. There was something about her—something mysterious, as if she didn't quite belong in this world of mundane routines. Her long, dark hair framed her face perfectly, and she carried herself with a quiet strength that made her stand out. Haru had seen her around school but had never really spoken to her.

Not until today.

"Miyuki,"

He called, walking toward her without really knowing why.

Her eyes flicked open, and she turned her gaze toward him. For a moment, Haru felt a chill run down his spine. Her eyes were intense, like she could see through him, past the awkward exterior he wore and into something deeper. Something he wasn't even sure of himself.

"Haru Inuzaku,"

She said calmly, as if she had been expecting him.

"You're late."

"Late?"

Haru blinked, stopping a few feet away from her.

"What do you mean? I didn't know I was supposed to—"

"You've been avoiding the truth."

Her voice was cool and measured, almost unnerving in how direct it was.

"Something happened to you today, didn't it?"

Haru felt a lump form in his throat. How could she know? His instinct was to deny it, to brush off the strange occurrences that had happened earlier. But something in the way Miyuki looked at him made him pause. She wasn't asking for gossip or small talk. She wanted answers.

"I…"

He hesitated, looking away for a moment.

"Yeah, something weird did happen. But I don't really understand it myself."

Miyuki's eyes softened slightly, but there was still a sharpness to her gaze.

"You will soon. The world you think you know is only a shadow of what truly exists. There's a reason why you've been feeling this way. It's because you're not like the others."

Haru scoffed, though his heart wasn't in it.

"Not like the others? I'm just a regular guy. I'm not anything special."

"That's what they want you to believe."

Miyuki stood up, her presence suddenly imposing as she faced him.

"But you are special, Haru. You're a descendant of one of the strongest warriors the world has ever known. The blood that flows in your veins is not ordinary. And soon, you'll need to embrace it, or you'll be consumed by it."

For a moment, Haru felt a flicker of something deep inside him—a mix of fear and excitement, as if her words had unlocked a door he didn't even know existed. But his instinct was still to deny it. He didn't want to believe that he was anything more than who he had always been. It was easier that way.

"I don't want to be part of some legend,"

He muttered, crossing his arms.

"I just want to live a normal life."

Miyuki sighed, her expression softening.

"It's not about what you want. It's about what you're meant to do."

Haru opened his mouth to argue, but before he could respond, the air around them seemed to shift. A heavy, suffocating pressure filled the space, and suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement—something fast, something unnatural.

Before he could react, a dark figure lunged toward him, faster than his eyes could track. His body froze, his mind screaming at him to move, to fight back, but his limbs were locked in place by fear.

Miyuki, however, was already in motion. In a blur, she intercepted the figure, her hand catching it mid-strike. The force of the collision sent a shockwave through the park, and the figure—a man dressed in a black cloak—was thrown backward with a sharp grunt.

"Stay back!"

Miyuki shouted, her voice firm as she stood protectively in front of Haru.

The cloaked figure growled, his red eyes gleaming with malice as he rose to his feet.

"You think you can protect him, girl? That brat is ours."

Miyuki's eyes narrowed.

"Not while I'm here."

The man lunged again, this time with even more ferocity. But Miyuki was ready. She blocked his strikes with precision, moving with the grace of a seasoned warrior. Haru could only watch in awe, frozen in place as the two clashed in a display of skill and strength he had never seen before.

This wasn't normal.

This wasn't high school drama or a simple misunderstanding. This was real. And Haru was right in the middle of it.

As the fight continued, something inside him began to stir. The same sensation he had felt on the train—the surge of energy, the feeling that time itself had stopped—began to bubble up again. His heart pounded, and a strange warmth spread through his chest, awakening something he had buried deep inside.

"Get out of here idiot!"

Miyuki shouted over her shoulder as she parried another blow.

"You're not ready for this!"

But Haru couldn't move. His legs felt like they were glued to the ground. And then, before he knew it, the cloaked figure shifted his focus toward him, breaking away from Miyuki.

The man's eyes locked onto Haru's, a twisted grin forming on his face.

"You're coming with me, brat!."

Time slowed again. Haru's vision narrowed, the world around him fading into the background as the figure lunged at him. His body acted on instinct, a force he didn't understand taking control.

Without thinking, Haru raised his hand, and in an instant, a blast of energy erupted from his palm, sending the cloaked figure flying backward into the trees.

For a moment, everything was silent.

Miyuki stood there, her eyes wide with shock, as Haru lowered his trembling hand. The air was thick with the aftermath of the sudden surge of power, and Haru could hardly believe what he had just done. He had fought back. He had defended himself.

He had acted like someone stronger than the weak, ordinary boy he had always thought he was.

"Haru…"

Miyuki's voice was quiet, but there was a new respect in her tone.

Haru stared at his hands, the trembling subsiding as he slowly processed what had just happened. Something inside him had changed, and for the first time, he didn't feel like running away.

For the first time, he felt like he had the power to stand up and fight.

---

The encounter ended as abruptly as it had begun. The cloaked figure had vanished into the shadows, leaving the park eerily quiet once more. But the impact of the battle lingered, and Haru knew his life would never be the same.

As they walked in silence back toward the city, Haru stole a glance at Miyuki. She had saved him—there was no doubt about that. But there was also no doubt that he was different now.

"guess i'll have to accept my fate,"

He said quietly, almost to himself.

Miyuki didn't reply at first, but then she gave a small nod.

"Good. Because from here on out, you won't have the luxury of being weak."

Her words sent a shiver down Haru's spine, but instead of fear, he felt something else.

Determination.

Whatever was coming, he wouldn't hide from it anymore.

It was time to stop acting like he wasn't capable. It was time to step into the legacy he had been given, whether he wanted it or not.