The Special Grade curse towered over the rooftop, its body a writhing mass of twisted metal and screaming faces, it swung one massive arm in a wide, crushing arc, Ken Flash barely dodged. The edge of the swipe still caught him across the chest, blood sprayed into the night rain as the force hurled him backward, he crashed through a water tank and slammed hard onto the wet concrete below.
Ken rolled to his feet, coughing blood, his ribs were cracked, breathing painful, the curse roared above him, voices chanting regrets in stolen tones.
He ran, boots pounding across slick rooftops, blood trailing behind him, the curse gave chase, each heavy step cracking the concrete. Ken dropped down fire escapes and leaped between buildings, trying to lose it in the narrow alleys below.
His side burned with every breath, he needed distance, then he saw the boy.
A teenager, soaked and frozen under a flickering streetlamp, staring up at the chaos, no time to explain.
Ken landed hard in front of him, knees buckling. Blood dripped from his mouth as he shoved a small, jagged fragment wrapped in faded cloth into the boy's hands, the object pulsed with dangerous cursed energy.
"Take this and run," Ken rasped.
"Don't look back, don't stop, just go!"
The curse roared again, its massive arm smashed down, shattering part of the rooftop edge above them, Ken pushed the boy backward, hard. "GO!"
He turned and leaped back toward the monster to buy time, Ryu stumbled, the fragment burning cold in his grip, he should run, he knew he should, he could hear the sound of an unknown creature approaching them but for a second, his legs wouldn't listen, behind him, the sounds of battle grew louder crashing concrete, inhuman screams, and the wet rip of something tearing.
Ryu finally broke into a sprint through the narrow alley, his lungs burned, but stopping wasn't an option, something that shouldn't exist was coming after him now, he didn't look back, he just ran as fast as his legs could carry him.
The curse had split off a smaller hunter from its main body, it moved on too many joints, arms stretching into dripping black threads, It whispered in voices that weren't voices. *You left her. You always leave.*
Ryu's was shocked it could speak, He didn't know who the monster was talking about, he didn't want to, he cut left, shoulder slamming into a rusted dumpster, pain flared, but he kept moving. Strange energy flickered under his skin like static before a storm, normal people couldn't see this, normal people didn't get chased by it.
The alley ended in a chain-link fence, dead end.
"Shit."
He spun just as the smaller curse lunged, its body unfolded skin like crumpled, tear-soaked letters, it wasn't as strong as the big one, but it was still deadly.
Ryu grabbed the fence and vaulted over, the curse smashed into the metal, links snapping, one arm whipped through and sliced his calf open, cold fire shot up his leg, he hit the ground running, blood mixing with rainwater, the market square opened ahead, neon signs bleeding pink and green into the downpour. A few late-night drunks staggered under umbrellas, completely unaware. Ryu weaved between them, heart pounding.
*Don't stop. Don't think. Just run.*
The whispers followed, crawling inside his skull. *Empty boy. Empty vessel.*
Ryu frown while running, he wasn't empty, he just didn't know how to feel it.
A low gurgle rose behind him, the curse was gaining, limbs multiplying as it fed on his fear.
He darted into a darker side street, trash bags burst under his feet, broken glass cut his palm, he didn't slow down, at the end of the alley sat an old wooden crate, half-collapsed under the rain. A faint blue glow leaked through the slats.
He shouldn't touch it, every instinct screamed no.
The curse screamed louder, Ryu skidded to a stop, breath ragged, the thing was right behind him.
No time, he ripped the lid off the crate.
Inside was the same jagged fragment the bleeding sorcerer had given him, the moment his fingers brushed it, the world tilted.
Raw cursed energy flooded into him like ice water in his veins, his vision flashed white, strange techniques and voices slammed through his mind.
Copy.
Understand.
Replicate.
The curse crashed into him from behind, claws raking down his back.
Ryu screamed but the scream changed. His hand moved on its own, forming a crude seal he had never learned, blue energy coiled around his fist like glowing chains.
He spun and slammed the glowing fist straight into the curse's core. BOOM!!!
The impact tore through the creature like punching a mirror made of pain, the curse shrieked, its body fracturing apart, black smoke exploded outward, and the whispers died.
Ryu dropped to his knees in the filth, chest heaving, rain washing blood down his face, the fragment still burned cold in his grip.
A calm, emotionless voice echoed faintly in his skull.
*Not bad for the first breath but vessels break easily.*
Ryu's vision blurred, footsteps approached from the street measured, unhurried.
A man's emerging from the rain
"Kid, drop the fragment. Slowly."
Ryu looked up, vision swimming. The tall figure in the dark coat stood at the alley mouth the same sorcerer who had shoved the fragment into his hands. He looked worse now, bloodied and breathing hard, eyes sharp even in the dark, behind the man, more shadows moved and the fragment in Ryu's hand pulsed again, stronger this time, and then a voice echo, I'm back.