The room fell silent, as everyone waited with bated breath to see who - or what - would emerge from the shadows. Nova's eyes locked onto the doorway, her heart pounding in her chest.As the footsteps grew louder, Ryker's eyes narrowed, his gaze fixed on the doorway. "Who dares to interrupt me?" he spat.Maya's eyes locked onto Nova's, filled with a mixture of confusion and concern. "I don't know," she whispered. "But I don't think it's going to be good."As the footsteps reached the doorway, a figure emerged from the shadows. Nova's eyes widened in shock as she took in the sight of the newcomer.It was a woman, tall and imposing, with long silver hair and piercing green eyes. She was dressed in a flowing black robe, and her presence seemed to fill the entire room.Ryker's eyes narrowed, his gaze fixed on the woman. "You," he spat. "I should have known you'd show up eventually."The woman's eyes locked onto Ryker, filled with a fierce determination. "Ryker," she said, her voice drippin

As Nova and Maya walked through the bustling streets of Tokyo, they were unaware of the danger lurking in the shadows. Ryker had sent one of his most trusted spies to follow them, and the spy had been tracking their every move.The spy, a tall and menacing figure, watched as Nova and Maya stopped to ask for directions. He smiled to himself, knowing that he had them right where he wanted them.Without warning, the spy signaled to his accomplices, and a group of rough-looking men emerged from the shadows. They surrounded Nova and Maya, their eyes gleaming with malice.Nova's eyes widened in shock as the men attacked. She tried to defend herself, but there were too many of them. Maya jumped into the fray, fighting off the attackers with her martial arts skills.But despite their bravery, the two girls were vastly outnumbered. Maya took a vicious blow to the stomach, and she crumpled to the ground.Nova screamed in horror as she saw her friend fall. She tried to rush to Maya's side, but t

Tokyo stretched before them like a living circuit board, every neon sign a flickering pulse, every alleyway a vein feeding into a vast and restless heart. Nova kept close to Kaito as they crossed the street, though she doubted anyone else could sense the tension humming beneath the pavement. People laughed, shopped, filmed holograms dancing over intersections—blissfully unaware that something ancient and hungry was stitching its claws through the city.Kaito moved with quiet certainty, each step purposeful. His coat shifted around him like it refused to cling to just one shape; the faint glow in his eyes hadn’t fully faded since the alley. Nova wasn’t sure if she was following a man… or a storm pretending to be one.They slipped between two izakayas, steam billowing from kitchen vents as cooks shouted orders. Lanterns glowed red overhead, stringing the passage in warm light—until a pulse rolled beneath the ground. The lanterns flickered. The warmth vanished.Nova’s skin prickled.“Tha

The city had grown quieter since the encounter at the river bridge, but the stillness carried a weight heavier than any crowd. Nova followed Kaito through the backstreets, the shard in her hand pulsing faintly like it had a heartbeat of its own. Each step echoed with the memory of the corrupted kami and the warning it had left behind.“They weren’t kidding,” Nova muttered, keeping her voice low. “The shard… it’s changing me.”Kaito didn’t respond immediately, eyes scanning the alleys and rooftops like they could see the invisible lines where the world was tearing. “It’s not just you,” he said finally. “The shard amplifies what’s already inside. You’re not just a carrier—you’re a key. And the thief who stole the Eye… he knows it.”Nova’s grip tightened. “Then what do we do? Run? Hide? Or… fight?”Kaito’s gaze met hers, storm-gray eyes bright with quiet determination. “We fight. But carefully. One misstep, and the city itself will collapse around us.”They slipped into a narrow corridor

Tokyo’s streets were deceptively quiet that night. The neon lights shimmered off wet asphalt, but the calm was false—a taut silence that hummed with anticipation. Nova’s senses were on fire, each pulse of the shard in her hand echoing like a heartbeat through the city’s veins. Somewhere in the shadows, the other transformed one was moving, closing the distance.Kaito led her through a maze of alleyways, the city beneath them alive with whispered tension. Above, holographic billboards flickered, half their images corrupted by unseen forces. Even the wind carried a metallic tang, warning her of danger before it arrived.“They’re close,” Kaito murmured, eyes scanning the rooftops. “Can you feel it?”Nova nodded, the shard thrumming with intensity. “Yes… like they’re right behind me, and I can feel them watching.”Kaito’s hand rested briefly on her shoulder. “Good. Use that. Anticipation can be as powerful as attack. But remember—you’re not invincible yet. The shard responds to emotion as