The night felt too still.
Haruki tossed beneath the thin blanket, eyes darting behind shut lids. Sleep had taken him quickly, but peace didn't follow. Somewhere in the haze of his dreams, a fire flickered—soft at first, like candlelight. Then brighter.
He stood alone in a vast, empty field under a starless sky. A single ember floated before him, pulsing like a heartbeat. It drifted closer, spinning slowly, until it split into three burning symbols—ancient, glowing shapes that hung in the air like constellations. They rotated, each one pulling at something deep inside his chest.
His breath caught as the largest of the symbols surged toward him.
It struck his arm—no pain, just heat, a flash of light—then darkness swallowed everything.
---
Haruki shot upright in bed, gasping.
Sweat drenched his shirt. His chest heaved, mind racing. For a moment, the dream clung to him like smoke. He rubbed his eyes, then froze.
A dull warmth pulsed from his right forearm.
Trembling slightly, he pulled up his sleeve.
There, faint but unmistakable, was one of the symbols from his dream—etched into his skin like a gentle burn. Circular lines, woven into sharp, sun-like flares. It glowed faintly in the dark, then faded slowly to a silvery scar.
"What the hell…?"
He touched it. No pain. Just heat. Like holding his hand near firelight.
A knock startled him.
"Haruki! You're gonna be late!" his mom called from outside the door.
Haruki yanked down his sleeve. "Y-Yeah! Coming!"
His thoughts spun as he got ready. Dreams weren't supposed to leave marks. This wasn't a hallucination or a memory—it was real. Somehow, the Ember, or whatever energy lived inside him now, was growing.
And it was trying to tell him something.
---
The school day passed in a blur.
Haruki kept his sleeve down, hiding the mark. His concentration cracked every time a teacher called on him, and he caught Jin giving him the occasional suspicious side-eye.
"Bro, you good?" Jin asked during lunch. "You've been twitchy all day."
"Didn't sleep much," Haruki mumbled, poking at his food.
"You look like you saw a ghost."
Haruki opened his mouth to reply—but something made him stop.
Across the cafeteria, near the far windows, a girl stood alone.
Her uniform was spotless. Her posture straight. She didn't talk to anyone. Just stood there, gazing across the room with eerie stillness.
And she was staring directly at him.
Haruki blinked.
The moment their eyes met, she turned away, walking calmly out of the cafeteria.
"Who's that?" Haruki asked.
Jin glanced over his shoulder. "Oh yeah, forgot to tell you. New transfer student. Showed up this morning. Kinda creepy vibes, though. I said hi and she just blinked at me."
"Do you know her name?"
"Nope. Didn't say a word. The teacher said she was from some overseas school or something."
Haruki stood abruptly.
"Woah. You okay?"
"I'll be right back."
---
He followed the hallway where the girl disappeared. Empty. Just echoing footsteps and the soft buzz of lights.
Then—movement.
A figure turned the corner at the end of the hall.
"Hey!" Haruki called out, jogging forward.
The hallway turned left. He rounded the bend—
Empty.
No doors. No windows.
She was gone.
Haruki stepped back slowly, chills running up his spine. He didn't know who that girl was, but she didn't feel normal. Not in the way Ayame did. Not in the way he was changing.
Something was coming. Watching.
And the mark on his arm had started to warm again.
Next Chapter Teaser:
When Haruki is cornered on a quiet street, the strange mark on his arm reacts with a fiery surge. As power awakens from deep within, he unleashes something he can't control-something dangerous. But he's not alone in the dark. Someone is watching from above... and his true journey is just beginning.