Roderic05

In an era where every person is safeguarded by their personal Shinigami — and primal soul reapers that patrol the Earth — Kaito Ryūzaki, an enigmatic and penitent Shinigami, has stayed solitary for centuries, declining to form a master bond. Nurtured by the failure to save his first master, a girl named Hikari, Kaito promised he would form no bond again. But after he meets Emiko Fujimura, a young woman whose life teeters on the edge of a blade, Kaito is shanghaied into another deal.

Emiko’s close call echoes the tragedy of Kaito’s past, and he is determined to save her from a fate he couldn’t prevent. But in a world where eliminating a Shinigami and their master can endow you with incredible power, Kaito’s choice lands both him and Emiko in the sights of competing Shinigami and their masters. Struggling for survival, Kaito will fight the demons of his past and the threat of betrayal around every corner, while Emiko will discover the secret to her link to the Shinigami world.

Sworn to the cause and pursued by adversaries, Kaito and Emiko must endure tests beyond their wildest nightmares to win their place as the most feared Shinigami and greatest master–apprentice pair, or see their bond destroyed by the world’s endless thirst for power.

Soulbound: The Shinigami's Oath

Emiko dropped to the wooden floor of the dojo, soaked with sweat. Her limbs had trembled from exhaustion; her breath had come in ragged gasps. Her every muscle screamed protest in inflation.

"Again," Saya said, standing over her with arms crossed. Those golden eyes were cold, calculating.

Emiko groaned and tried to sit up. "Saya… I think I'm dying."

Saya smirked. "No, you're just weak. And we're going to fix that."

Kaito laughed from his corner against the wall. "Well, at least she stayed longer this time."

Saya nodded. "She's improving. But not fast enough."

Emiko gritted her teeth. Not fast enough. Those words hurt more than the bruises on her body.

She wrenched herself upright again, hands trembling as they clutched the wooden sword.

She wouldn't quit. She couldn't quit.

Not when danger was crawling closer every day.

Saya didn't allow her time to recover.

Saya was in motion the instant that Emiko stood.

A blur. A blur of movement too quick for human eyes to see.

Emiko barely got her sword up in time to block the first strike. The jolt ran through her arms, almost causing her to drop her weapon.

Saya charged ahead, her blows unceasing. Each blow was precise, calculated. Emiko had no space to counter — only to defend, to cling to life by her fingernails.

Something inside her flared back to life.

A voice in the back of her head.

Her body acted before her mind could process. She dodged to the side and narrowly avoided Saya's next attack.

Saya's eyes lit up with interest. "Good. Again."

Emiko exhaled sharply. This… this had been different.

She hadn't just witnessed the attack — she had experienced it.

Her knuckles turned white as she held her sword.

But someone, or something, was lurking just outside the walls of the dojo.

There was unbearable tension in the air. The city streets, generally teeming with activity, seemed… off. Too quiet. Too still.

Golden eyes flashed in the dark.

It was the same view he would get every training session in the past — back on The Hollow Lantern — but up here, from the very rooftop of the same, he couldn't fathom or care about the result.

Emiko's progress. Kaito's tension. Saya's expectations.

Because the decision had been undertaken by the Council.

Calvarian Storm is Coming