Withering Cold

In late 1980s, Tokyo, monstrous Eclipses, born from human fear—lurk in the shadows. Hikaru Shimo, a teenage warrior with ice-cold Senzai abilities, fights to protect the innocent, until he accidentally awakens Sora Makizushi, a legendary warrior frozen in time. But Sora’s past is a bloodstained mystery, and his rage threatens to burn the world anew. Hikaru gets saved by Yoru, a bubbly yet ruthless Director. As Hikaru is drafted into the shadowy Peoples’ Protection Agency, he uncovers a war between factions vying to control Senzai energy, some to save humanity, others to reshape it into something entirely borderline horrifying. With a sadistic scientist, a bubbly-yet-ruthless director, and a fanatic rebel faction in the mix, and the curse of his own bloodline, Hikaru stands at crossroads whether to align to one or be the Eclipse-slaying hunter he is. —————————————————— DISCLAIMER: ALL ARTWORK IS OWNED BY ME AS I'VE CREATED IT Withering Cold is primarily a dark fantasy webnovel which inspired by animes/mangas. If you want an overpowered edgy main character with 10 wives and a broken system, then leave. This isn't for you. There will be complex and mature themes (both 16+ & 18+), so if you don't like it (assault, gore, violence, trauma and other not so cool stuff), then don't read it. Author's Note: I originally developed an idea for Withering Cold way back in 2022 once I watched Chainsawman and recently Tokyo Ghoul. So if you're fan of animes of that genre this is for you. Moreover, I wanted to see if I could build a balanced yet unreliable power system. Most animes have a power system that's purely for usage but I wanted to explore how power can corrupt people. Plus, to address the inner demon trope (Hikaru-Tsukuyomi), most animes have them established on the first chapter as a living vessel, but I wanted to see how far could Hikaru last before the person inside him awakens when it's too late. It's a slow burn, probably 200 chapters expected give or take. Might end in Mid-Late 2026. Each chapter spans 2000 words and the publishing frequency is 2 or 3 chapters a week (unless if I make a digital art, all available on my discord). It's my faithful tribute to my favourite shonens/mangas and probably something I spent years building, giving depth to my characters. Don't expect outlandish powescaling. Enjoy the story. For more fun facts about the novel + discussion and more join the official discord server: https://discord.gg/8mgFz7RVFm Maybe this will end up well? Who knows. I simply care about the moment. If I screw up your favourite character, I apologise. —————————————————— MAIN CAST: Hikaru Shimo: The protagonist of Withering Cold. A shy, timid 16 year old boy who has a knack for hunting eclipses in the retro 80s Tokyo. He's a local high school student and works odd jobs to sustain himself until he gets a rather meagre pay in the PPA. However, behind his kind behaviour lies a thousand year old curse that runs in his bloodline. Sora Makizushi: The secondary male lead and the Deuteragonist of Withering Cold. He's boastful, arrogant yet a master in his Senzai Arts. Once freed by Hikaru from his unfortunate sealing, Sora lands himself in 1987 Tokyo where he struggles to get used to the modern environment. The story focuses on how Sora regains his now lost power and the mystery behind the Main Antagonist, Tsukuyomi. Yoru: The female lead and the Triagonist of Withering Cold. A ruthless yet bubbly Director of the PPA who took Hikaru into her own arms. Yoru suffers from Stockholm Syndrome, where she knows the PPA is shady yet believes they are the true defenders of humanity. Her arc revolves around the world building in-universe and Yoru trying to atone for her own sins by being the family Hikaru never had. [more info in auxiliary chapters and discord!]