Raiyo Sneaks Out

By the time Raiyo reaches the house, he's exhausted. He drops the bestiary near the front, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Hey, old man! I got dinner."

Jin steps outside, eyeing the massive creature. He nods in approval. "Good work."

Raiyo beams, stretching. "I'll be in my room."

"Do something useful while I cook."

"Yep."

He immediately goes upstairs and flops into bed.

Hours pass. He's deep in a dream when—

"Raiyo!"

His brows twitch. He buries his face in his pillow. "Mmmph…"

Jin's voice is louder this time. "I told you to go do something. Not sleep!!."

Raiyo groans, dragging himself up. He stumbles out of bed, rubbing his eyes as he makes his way downstairs. His gaze lands on the plate of food on the table, and he immediately perks up.

He sits down, golden eyes glowing as he takes a bite. The warmth of the meal spreads through him, and he sighs happily.

Jin sits across from him, arms crossed. "Enjoying yourself?"

Raiyo nods, still half-asleep. "Mmhmm."

Jin shakes his head, exhaling.

Raiyo continues eating, his drowsy smile never fading. Worth it.

__

Week Later

The night air is crisp, and the forest hums with life. Raiyo moves like a shadow, feet barely touching the wooden floor as he sneaks past Jin's room.

He clutches his blanket close, muffling any noise. His breath is slow, controlled. One wrong move and Jin will hear him.

With careful steps, he reaches the door, slowly pushing it open. A faint creak makes his heart jump, and he freezes.

Silence. He listens for any movement from Jin's room—nothing. Stifling a grin, he slips outside, his body instantly relaxing as the cool night air washes over him.

He stretches, adjusting his blanket around his shoulders like a cape, then takes off into the forest, his pace lazy yet determined. Tonight is a no-training night.

The forest at night is alive in ways it never is during the day.

The trees whisper, the grass shifts, and in the distance, low growls rumble. Monsters lurk.

Raiyo sighs dramatically, hands in his pockets. "Why are there so many of you guys at night?"

A pair of glowing red eyes stare at him from the shadows. A beast—a hulking, wolf-like creature with elongated fangs—steps into the moonlight, its breath fogging up in the cold air. Another set of eyes appears. Then another.

"Ah… I see how it is." Raiyo tilts his head, giving them a drowsy smile. "It's a whole family gathering, huh?"

The beasts lunge.

Raiyo moves like a ghost, slipping past them as though he's dancing. His hand brushes the ground, aura flaring.

His movements are sharp yet effortless, as though he's simply going through the motions of a choreographed dance. Fists meet fur, claws swipe past his skin, but never land. He's fast, too fast, and each precise hit sends another creature collapsing.

Still, they keep coming.

Despite his complaints, a grin tugs at his lips. Fighting in the dead of night, testing his strength—it sends a thrill through his veins. But he has a goal tonight, and it's not fighting.

Finally, he reaches it: his tree. The same one from yesterday.

Climbing up, he settles into the branches, pulling his blanket over himself. The world blurs as sleep takes him.

Morning comes slowly. The first thing Raiyo registers is warmth. The second is… something wet.

A tiny noise makes him stir. Something small nudges his cheek again. Raiyo groans, peeking one eye open.

A tiny bestiary stares at him, its large, round eyes filled with curiosity. It's small—probably a newborn. Its fur is soft, dark with glowing white spots like a miniature night sky.

"… Cute."

The creature makes a squeaky noise, nudging his hand. Raiyo chuckles, giving it a lazy scratch behind its ear. More rustling. More tiny bestiary emerge from the bushes, climbing up onto the tree, onto his lap, curling up against him.

Raiyo blinks, slightly overwhelmed. "Hey… since when did I become a daycare?"

But he doesn't push them away. He plays with them, letting them crawl over him, nipping at his fingers. He laughs—genuine, carefree.

Then he feels it.

A sharp, suffocating killing intent.

Raiyo's body tenses. His golden eyes flick toward the direction of home.

"Uh oh."

Raiyo jumps up, making the bestiary run away, He snatches his blanket, jumps down from the tree, and bolts.

His feet barely touch the ground as he sprints, weaving through trees, trying to put as much distance between himself and Jin as possible. His heart pounds, not from fear—but from sheer anticipation.

He doesn't get far.

Raiyo barely makes it a few steps before a hand snatches his ankle, flipping him upside down like a caught rabbit.

"Ahhh! Wait, wait, wait—!" Raiyo flails, his blanket slipping from his grasp.

Jin, his mentor, glares up at him, holding him effortlessly by the leg. "Skipping training again?" His voice is calm but sharp, like a blade barely unsheathed.

Raiyo crosses his arms despite being upside down. "I didn't feel like it today."

Jin lets out a slow breath through his nose. "You say that almost every week."

Raiyo shrugs. "And you always find me anyway. It's like a game at this point."

Jin's grip tightens, and Raiyo winces. "You really want to test me? Fine. Today's lesson is about Endurance."

Raiyo stops struggling. His golden eyes widen slightly. "...Endurance?"

Jin nods. "Yes."

"No..." Raiyo mumbles.

"...Yes." Jin retorts.

"You like running away so much," Jin says, arms crossed. "Let's make it training."

Raiyo squints. "That's not how this works."

"That's exactly how it works."

Jin drops a small wooden bell into Raiyo's hands. Before he can ask what it's for, Jin flickers out of sight. A chill slithers down Raiyo's spine as he hears monstrous growls echoing from the woods ahead.

"The rule is simple." Jin's voice floats through the trees. "Survive until the next sunrise."

Raiyo blinks. "Survive?"

A bloodcurdling screech pierces the air. From the shadows of the forest, red eyes glimmer. Creatures shift in the darkness—hunters sensing fresh prey.

Jin's voice hums with amusement. "You're free to run… but if that bell rings, I'll double the number of beasts chasing you."

Raiyo stares at the bell in his hand.

"I'll just kill those."

"That's forbidden. If you even try it, you'll have no desserts for the rest of the month," Jin tells him making Raiyo tighten his fingers around the bell

The moment the words leave his lips, a shadow lunges at Raiyo.

Raiyo jumps back, barely dodging razor-sharp claws that dig into the dirt where he stood. A massive wolf-like creature, twice his size, snarls, eyes glowing with bloodlust. It's not alone. More monsters emerge from the treeline—some slithering, some bounding forward on multiple limbs.

"Oh, come on." Raiyo groans but his heart races in excitement.

Then—he runs.

Bare feet against the cold earth, he bursts forward, weaving between trees. The air is thick with growls and rustling leaves as the beasts give chase. He can feel their presence closing in.

The first beast leaps—Raiyo ducks, rolling across the ground before springing back up. Another snaps at his side, but he twists mid-air, dodging just in time. His movements are fluid, almost lazy, but each dodge is dangerously precise.

Yet, the creatures aren't slowing down.

His breath quickens. His legs burn. He swerves past thick branches, kicks off tree trunks to gain speed, but the monsters relentlessly close the gap.

"Jin, you psycho!" he shouts into the air. "How many of these things did you let loose?!"

Jin's voice drifts through the trees, mocking. "Enough to make it fun."

Raiyo grits his teeth. He hates how much he's actually enjoying this.

Minutes blur into an hour. Raiyo keeps running, leaping over rivers, dodging strikes, never stopping. His breath grows ragged, sweat dripping down his face, but his golden eyes remain sharp.

He zigzags up a rocky incline, his movements swift despite exhaustion creeping in. A beast snaps at his heels, nearly grazing his leg. Raiyo twists mid-air, landing on a slanted tree trunk before pushing off it with a burst of speed.

His body feels lighter. He's pushing past his limits, yet his instincts scream at him to keep going.

His legs tremble. His heartbeat pounds against his ribs. He can't stop now, but his body begs for rest.

Then—a new sound enters the forest.

Not growls. Not footsteps.

A metallic chime.

Raiyo's heart drops.

The bell rang?!

A horrifying wave of killing intent floods the air. From the depths of the forest, a second horde of beasts stirs.

"…Jin, you bastard." Raiyo forces himself forward, his exhaustion drowned by adrenaline.

More shadows break through the trees. Bigger. Faster. Stronger.

They swarm him.

One slashes at his chest—he barely dodges, feeling the sharp wind from its claws. Another lunges from the side—he grabs a branch, using it to swing himself over the beast. He lands in a roll, immediately pushing himself into another sprint.

But they don't stop coming.

Raiyo grits his teeth. His body screams for rest, but his heart sings in excitement.

The Final Sprint

The sky begins to shift. Darkness softens into a dim glow—the sun is rising.

Raiyo sees a clearing ahead. If he makes it past that line, he wins.

The beasts charge forward—all at once.

Raiyo's feet dig into the ground.

He jumps.

Time slows.

He twists mid-air, avoiding claws that slice the wind itself. A wolf snaps at his ankle—he kicks off its head, using it as a platform to propel forward.

The world blurs past him.

Then—he lands.

The beasts halt at the treeline, unable to step past.

He made it.

Raiyo collapses onto his back, panting, drenched in sweat. His vision swims, but his lips curl into a lazy grin.

Jin appears above him, smirking. "Tired?"

Raiyo glares up at him, still breathless. "Go… to hell."

Jin crouches, tapping Raiyo's forehead. "Not bad. But you still rang the bell."

Raiyo groans. "That wasn't my fault!"

Jin shrugs. "Your punishment is doing it again tomorrow."

Raiyo freezes.

"…What?!."

Jin grins. "That's the spirit."