Chapter 1 (Continued): The Awakening

The scent of blood still lingered in the air.

The school hallway was in ruins, lockers dented, glass windows shattered, and the floor smeared with streaks of crimson. The other students had long since fled, leaving only Vieira and the battered exorcist standing amidst the wreckage.

The exorcist left almost like he disappeared but Vieira followed, using the trial of blood left by his injured body. The trial led to the rooftops....

The rooftop was quiet, save for the faint howling of the wind.

Vieira stood at the entrance, staring at the exorcist who had saved him. The man was leaning against the railing, his head tilted back as he caught his breath. The fight had taken a toll on him, his uniform was torn, his sword resting against the ledge, still stained with blackened Shadow blood.

Vieira took a step forward. "Hey."

The exorcist exhaled sharply but didn't turn.

Vieira clenched his fists. His heart was still pounding, but not from fear.... something else was gnawing at him, something wrong.

"What the hell was that thing?" Vieira demanded. "And what the hell are you?"

The exorcist finally turned, his eyes studying Vieira with an unreadable expression. It wasn't just confusion..... it was something deeper.

"You're.... really not afraid, huh?" he muttered.

Vieira frowned. "Why would I be? It was either fight or die."

The exorcist scoffed. "That's not how it works, kid. People freeze. They panic. They run. But you? You jumped in without hesitation. No soul energy, no training, nothing. That's not normal."

Vieira stiffened but before he could respond

A voice interrupted them.

"Now, now, let's not go making baseless accusations, Kenji."

Vieira snapped his head toward the source of the voice.

Someone was standing right next to them.

There had been no sound, no warning..... just the sudden presence of a man, as if he had been there all along.

Kenji, the exorcist, flinched.

"Damn it, Ryo! How many times do I have to tell you to stop doing that?!"

The man, Ryo, adjusted his glasses with an amused smirk.

Vieira's eyes narrowed.

Ryo didn't look like anything special. He was young.... early twenties, maybe... wearing a simple button-up and slacks, looking more like a student than anything else.

But something was off about him.

Kenji scowled. "You were watching, weren't you?"

Ryo shrugged. "I figured you could use some supervision. Good thing I did, too. That was messy work."

Kenji gritted his teeth. "Tch… whatever."

Vieira stepped forward. "Who the hell are you?"

Ryo smiled. "Me? Oh, just a concerned teacher keeping an eye on his reckless student."

Kenji shot him a glare.

Vieira wasn't buying it.

That man.... Ryo..... he hadn't been there a second ago. And yet, he acted as if he had complete control of the situation.

And something about him felt dangerous.

Ryo's eyes flickered toward Vieira, sharp and calculating.

"…Now, let's talk about you, shall we?"