Sirens screamed through the streets below.
Red and blue lights flashed against the school walls, painting the rooftop in frantic color. Rain began to fall again, washing away ash, blood, and the last traces of shadow.
Ryu lay unconscious in Hana's arms.
His body felt cold.
Too cold.
"Ryu… please wake up," Hana whispered, her voice shaking. "You said you'd protect everyone… you can't die now."
She pressed her forehead to his chest, listening.
Thump.
Slow.
Weak.
But there.
Relief flooded her—brief, fragile relief.
Footsteps echoed behind her.
Hana spun around, fear flaring—
A tall woman stood at the rooftop entrance, dressed in a long black coat trimmed with silver. Her presence made the air feel heavier, older. Her eyes glowed faintly violet.
"So this is him," the woman said calmly. "The heir who nearly broke the balance on his first night."
Hana tightened her hold on Ryu. "Who are you?"
The woman approached slowly, unthreatening yet terrifying.
"I am Morrigan," she said. "High Reaper of the Eastern Veil."
Hana's breath caught. "A… Reaper?"
Morrigan nodded once, gaze fixed on Ryu.
"He awakened too soon," she murmured. "And paid the price."
"What do you mean?" Hana demanded. "He saved the city!"
"Yes," Morrigan replied. "And in doing so, he burned years of his life."
Hana froze. "W-What…?"
Morrigan knelt beside them, placing two fingers against Ryu's forehead. Black symbols flared briefly, then vanished.
"He forced a full Reaper manifestation without proper sealing," she said. "His soul cracked."
Hana's vision blurred. "Cracked…?"
"If he continues like this," Morrigan said coldly, "he will become something worse than the demons he fights."
Hana shook her head violently. "No. There has to be a way to save him."
Morrigan studied her for a long moment.
"…There is."
Hana looked up, hope igniting. "Tell me."
Morrigan stood.
"He must be trained. Properly. Immediately."
She turned toward the city skyline, where shadows still lingered unnaturally along the streets.
"The Dawn of Shadows has been accelerated," Morrigan continued. "Other Harrowers will rise. Rogue Reapers will interfere. And something ancient has sensed him."
Hana swallowed. "What thing?"
Morrigan's voice lowered.
"The one who wears his face."
Hana stiffened. "You mean… the Dark Reaper?"
Morrigan nodded.
"When an heir's soul fractures," she said, "their shadow is given form."
A cold wind swept the rooftop.
Behind them, briefly reflected in a broken window—
A figure stood.
Same height as Ryu.
Same face.
But its eyes were pitch black, and its smile was wrong.
Hana gasped and turned—
Nothing.
Morrigan didn't look surprised.
"It's watching," she said. "Learning."
She extended her hand toward Hana.
"Come with me. Both of you."
Hana hesitated only a second, then nodded.
"Whatever it takes."
Morrigan snapped her fingers.
The world folded.
Shadows wrapped around them like a closing curtain, and the rooftop vanished.
Far above the city—
In a place where time moved differently—
Ryu's eyes snapped open.
Not on the rooftop.
But in a vast hall of stone and darkness.
Chains hung from the ceiling. Souls whispered in endless echoes.
And before him—
A massive throne carved from bone and shadow.
A voice spoke from it.
Deep. Ancient. Familiar.
"Wake up, child."
"Your real training begins now."