Time: 9:18 p.m.
The city lights flickered like fireflies as Haruki sat alone in his room, the soft hum of the night broken only by the distant rumble of a passing train. His schoolbag lay open beside him, its contents scattered across the floor-books, pens, and that envelope.
The one his father had left behind.
He had stared at it so many times, but never dared to open it. Not until now.
Ayame's words echoed in his mind.
"You should be careful. Some things are better hidden."
But if that pendant was reacting, and if she saw it-then hiding wasn't an option anymore.
With a slow, steady breath, Haruki picked up the envelope. The seal, though faded, still held a strange warmth to it. Not heat exactly... more like a pulse.
Like it was waiting for him.
He broke the seal.
Inside were two things: a folded letter and a hand-drawn map. The letter came first.
My son, If you're reading this... it means I'm gone. And it means the power has awakened in you.
There are things I could never say while l was with you. Things I was forbidden to share until the time came. I come from a long line of protectors-Shadow Warriors, sworn to guard a flame that fell from the sky thousands of years ago. A piece of the sun itself. A living ember.
I failed in my duty the day I left. But I had to. I had to hide you from what was coming.
You may feel lost, afraid, unsure. But listen you were born with this flame in your blood. The pendant was my final gift to you. It will guide you, awaken your strength, and if needed... protect you.
The map will take you to Kuroyama Shrine.
The place where all this began.
They're watching now, Haruki. The ones who seek the ember for their own ends.
Stay hidden, stay sharp-and when the time is right...
Remember who you are.
Your father, Ryouji
Haruki sat still, eyes fixed on the page. The silence in the room deepened.
Something cracked in his chest-grief, awe, maybe even a flicker of rage.
His father had known.
All those years of silence. Disappearance. Emptiness. It hadn't been abandonment. It had been protection.
And now, the responsibility was his.
He unfolded the map. It was rough but detailed, marked with symbols he didn't understand-except one.
The crest from the pendant. Burned into the corner in dark red ink.
He reached for the pendant again, holding it in his palm.
This time, it glowed.
A soft, golden light-pulsing like a heartbeat. Warm. Alive.
And far beyond his apartment walls, in the shadowed corners of the city, others were watching.
One, seated behind a glowing screen with a photo of Haruki open on the display.
Another, stepping into an alley, speaking quietly into a communicator.
"The bloodline has awakened. Prepare the team."
Next Chapter Teaser - Chapter 5: The Flame Within
As Haruki follows the strange pulse of his pendant into the depths of the forgotten forest, he stumbles upon a place long lost to the world-and the truth hidden within his bloodline begins to stir. In the heart of an ancient shrine, something powerful is waiting... and it has been watching him for a long, long time.