Shattered Threads

Takami's body still ached from the last fight, but his mind refused to rest.

The bounty.

The system's warnings.

The figure who saved him.

All of it pointed to something bigger.

And now, he was being hunted.

The evening breeze cut against his skin as he walked home, hoodie pulled up. He stuck to well-lit streets, but deep down, he knew It wouldn't make a difference.

The feeling was back. That eerie shift in the air. That crawling sensation beneath his skin.

Like unseen eyes were watching.

DING!

[Warning: Player is being observed.]

His breath caught.

This was new.

The system usually only warned him of direct threats, not silent watchers. Whoever or whatever, was out there wasn't just another bounty hunter.

Takami exhaled slowly, masking his tension.

His heartbeat remained steady, but his mind raced through the possibilities.

Bounty hunters? No. They wouldn't be this subtle.

A spirit? Maybe. But even spirits had patterns.

Then his vision blurred.

The world distorted. Like reality had been carved apart and stitched back together wrong.

A sick feeling washed over him.

Then he saw it.

A lone figure stood beneath a flickering streetlight.

His edges blurred, as if he wasn't fully bound to this plane. A black hood concealed his face, but the weight of his presence sent a deep, primal warning through Takami's body.

He wasn't just watching. He was testing.

Takami's fingers twitched. His body tensed like a drawn blade. "And who the hell are you?"

Silence.

The streetlights buzzed, flickering like dying stars.

Then, a voice barely above a whisper: "The pieces are falling into place, Avatar."

Takami's chest tightened.

DING!

[Warning: Unidentified Entity Detected. No Data Available.]

That was all he needed to know.

This thing wasn't something he could fight yet.

"I'm not an Avatar," he muttered, but even as the words left his mouth, doubt stormed.

He turned, ready to leave but before he could make sense of what was happening the figure was suddenly in front of him.

His blood ran cold. "What tha..." He hadn't even seen him move.

"You're not ready," the figure murmured. His voice echoed unnaturally. "But you will be soon."

Then Darkness everywhere.

The street. The air. Even the lights themselves collapsed into shadows.

Takami saw something beyond the void, shapes writhing, twisting, unnatural.

Something was watching from the other side.

Then It was all gone.

Takami stumbled back, his breath unsteady.

The world was normal again. The street intact. The figure gone.

But his words lingered in the air. "You will be soon."

Takami clenched his fists.

Something worse than bounty hunters was coming.

And he had no idea if he could stop it.

By the time he got home, exhaustion clung to him like a leeche.

Yosuke had already passed out in bed, and Tomoe was hunched over her homework.

"Need help?" He asked playfully

She pouted. "Math sucks."

Takami sat beside her, looking at the page. "Alright, what part?"

As they worked, her frustration turned into focus.

A small moment of normalcy.

He noticed his mom didn't eat dinner with Tomoe and Yosuke, so he decided they eat together. But something was off.

Their mother smiled, but her hands trembled as she reached for her glass.

She thought he wouldn't notice. She was wrong.

Later, he found her in the kitchen, back turned, staring into the sink.

"...Mom?" He said as he stood by the kitchen door.

She flinched.

Quickly, she turned on the tap, splashing water on her face before forcing a fake smile. "I'm fine, sweetheart."

Takami exhaled. "No. You're not."

She stiffened.

"Your hands. The redness in your eyes. You're barely holding it together."

Her lips quivered. She tried to hold it in. She really did.

But the moment his hand rested on her shoulder... The dam broke.

Tears spilled as she collapsed against him. She didn't need words. He already knew.

After she calmed down they sat on the floor, backs resting against the counter.

Then finally, she told him everything.

Yosuke and Tomoe were on the verge of being dropped from school. The landlord was evicting them next week. She was drowning in debt.

And the worst part?

Her doctor had prescribed stress medication to prevent seizures and pass-outs.

Takami stared at the prescription slip.

His voice was unreadable. "How much?"

She hesitated. "Takami, I don't want you to—"

"How much."

A pause. Then, in a low voice she said, "...650,000 yen."

Takami stood up. "Alright." He grabbed the prescription slip. "Get some rest."

"Takami, where are you—"

"I'll be back in a week."

And with that, he left.

Okutama.

A town swallowed by spirits.

Population down by 60%.

Overrun. Abandoned.

More safer in the day than night.

Takami stepped out of the taxi, hoodie pulled up, backpack slung over his shoulder.

The air was wrong. Even the old innkeeper hesitated when handing him the room key. "A week?" The man frowned. "Kid, people try to leave. And you're walking in?"

Takami didn't respond. Just took the key and left.

As night fell, they came.

Takami had already prepared and left for a nearby stream.

DING!

[Spirit Zone Detected: Okutama_

[Detected: 3 Spirit Dorms]

| Low-Class Dorm

| High-Class Dorm

| High-Class 2 Dorm (Coded: Orange - Hard)]

[New Objective: Survival_

Reward:

| Forge Skill

| Velis "The Nightfang"

| 20,000 yen per Low-Class spirit

| 35,000 yen per High-Class spirit

| 60,000 yen per High-Class 2 spirit]

Takami cracked his neck.

The full moon cast shadows over his face.

His dark amber eyes gleamed in the darkness, like a predator watching down it's prey 

The first spirits appeared, shifting shadows with glowing red eyes. Low-Class.

They snarled, lunging.

Takami drew his Slayer Blade.

Then he moved.

SLASH.

One spirit was cut apart before it even realized what happened.

DING!

[Kill Confirmed.]

[Grant extraction denied—corrupt spirits detected.]

[Only High-Class and above can enhance player's grant level and stats.]

Takami said nothing.

No reaction. No emotion.

Just a shift in stance.

Waiting. Calculating.

His voice cut through the silence like a blade. "Who's next?"

The spirits hesitated.

Because now they knew.

They weren't hunting him... He was hunting them.

And none of them were making it out alive.

-CHAPTER 11: VEIL OF THE UNSEEN-