I stood at the doorway, reaching out to open the door, when suddenly it swung open before me. My mother was waiting for us eagerly, her eyes scanning us anxiously.

She approached Ren gently, her voice full of tenderness, and said: “How was your first day of school, sweetheart?”

Ren froze for a second. She swallowed the lump in her throat, as if something heavy was stuck inside her, refusing to come out.

She forced herself to smile—a small, forced but steady smile. “It was really nice.”

I watched her as I muttered to myself: Thank you, Ren, for not telling Mom.

She quickly lowered her eyes, then added in a soft voice, trying to escape the questions:

I’m going to take a shower and change my clothes now.

My mom smiled and nodded gently. “All right, dear, dinner’s ready. Don’t be late.”

Ren headed toward her room with quiet steps, but inside she wasn’t calm—her footsteps were unsteady on the wooden floor. She whispered to herself as she walked:

I mustn’t let my aunt worry. I’ll take a shower first... then learn to cook... and help my aunt.

But before she reached her room, memories of her late father flooded her mind as if she were watching a reel of her life.

Her features trembled slightly, and her eyes drifted into the void. The memories crept in without asking permission.

She saw herself as a little girl running joyfully.

Her voice filled the room. “Daddy... Daddy, look what I cooked for you today.”

Her father appeared in her memory, sitting as he always did, with a warm smile. He took a bite slowly, then pretended to compose himself before laughing.

“It’s too salty... but I’ll eat it all for you.”

The little girl in her memory laughed, and Ren laughed with her for a brief moment...

But the smile wasn’t complete. It broke suddenly.

She felt warm liquid trickling down her cheeks. She placed her hand on her cheek and whispered: Why am I crying?

She quickly wiped away her tears as she smiled, imagining her father’s features, “I promise, Dad... I’ll be okay.”

Then she continued on her way inside...

At the same time...

Elsewhere in the city

In a narrow alley, the howls of a black and white cat echoed, and a dead mouse lay discarded between them, while a black crow perched on the edge of a building across the way watched them calmly.

Shikar stood with cold eyes and pale, suspicious features.

Ghaib sighed coldly, a sneer never leaving his face. He looked at Shikar and said in a mocking tone: “Looks like I’m going to have a little fun... Will you join me?”

Shikar placed his hand on the hilt of his sword; as he raised it a few centimeters, a deep blue aura swirled around him, causing his hair and clothes to dance in the alley. The walls around them shook violently. Dust scattered, and the entire place trembled.

Shikar’s gaze rose coldly. “I don’t play around with the likes of you.”

He drew his sword fully.

The air and his hair stopped dancing, as did his clothes. It was as if everything had gone dark.

The corner of Ghaib’s mouth turned down as he took half a step back. Oh... he said: That look is truly terrifying.

But the sentence went unfinished.

Shikar vanished from the middle of the alley.

In an instant,

he appeared in front of Ghaib as the blade of his sword swung down to slit his throat.

Ghaib’s eyes widened as he muttered to himself: Fast... so fast. He ducked now,

then suddenly bent his body downward.

The blade passed over his head, cutting nothing but air.

But Shikar gave him no time to catch his breath.

He spun quickly with a second strike, low and fast, aiming for his legs.

Ghaib looked down as the sword’s blade came down on him again. He whispered: Damn.

Ghaib jumped upward, retreating backward. Shekar took advantage of the situation.

Shikar sighed quietly as he murmured: “Single Sword Style... Moon Split.”

And at that moment, a violet wave surged toward Ghaib’s body, suspended in midair.

Thoughts raced through Ghaib’s head as he repeated: Now... now.

He raised his arms quickly, and the wave collided with his arms, which were shrouded in a black aura.

Explosion.

The sound echoed through the alley, shattering car windows and shopfronts, while dust swirled like a storm.

Ghaib’s body was hurled at great speed, as if he were a meteor. He crashed into a parking lot, leaving a deep hole in the wall.

A short distance away

“Jin stood looking behind him, his eyes frozen and his cracked lips moving slowly.”

Don’t mess with me... not now.

Before he could finish his sentence, a shadow appeared before him.

A man with short blond hair and suspiciously calm features. His eyes were blue, and white cloth wrapped around his fists.

He whispered in a low voice: Don’t worry about the others... worry about yourself.

A faint smile appeared on his face, but it wasn’t reassuring.

Jin stared at him in surprise. Where did this man come from?

Thoughts raced through his head as he muttered: No, no... I won’t have time.

In an instant, Devi’s fist sliced through the air faster than the speed of sound.

The first blow to the stomach was so powerful it created a shockwave that tore through the fabric of his clothes and knocked the wind out of his lungs.

Devi immediately followed it up with a second blow aimed at the ribs. Jin’s entire body shook as if struck by lightning, and he lost his balance for a moment as consciousness began to fade from his eyes.

Devi didn’t give him a chance to fall; instead, he finished his attack with a swift blow to the face, enough to send him flying through the air like a cannonball.

Jin’s body flew dozens of meters, crashing into a parked car, completely crushing its metal frame and reducing it to scrap.

Sirens blared throughout the area. People screamed as they fled, unaware of what was happening.

“Silence fell for a moment.”

Amid the billowing dust and the sound of the alarms, a completely wrecked car was hurled toward

Shikar from the darkness of the parking lot.

Shikar’s eyes widened as it passed him at tremendous speed, crashing into a wall behind him with a massive explosion.

The ground shook as his clothes and hair fluttered violently.

Then...

A faint chuckle cracked through the air, then grew louder and louder.

Two cracked hands, dripping with blood, emerged from the center of the wreckage.

Ghaib emerged, walking calmly.

He brushed the dust off his clothes as if nothing had happened. He paused for a moment and looked at the scene before him.

Then he smiled a sinister smile as his eyes glowed a deep red.

Shikar stared at him in shock and whispered, “That’s not a human... that’s a monster.”

Ghaib put his hands in his pockets and said, “Looks like I’m going to enjoy myself here.”