Before Celia could answer—
The monster appeared.
Not from the corridor.
Not from the shadows.
It was just there.
A sudden, horrifying shift in reality.
Its face—too close.
Ren barely had time to react before it lunged.
The world changed.
The suffocating blackness of the corridors blinked away.
Wood creaked beneath them. The air thickened, rancid and stale.
They were inside a house.
A warped, decayed Edo-period home. Tatami mats stretched beneath them, damp and sagging like rotten flesh. Lanterns flickered from unseen sources. The walls—too close.
Ren barely processed the shift before he moved.
He launched himself at the monster. No hesitation.
A fist swung.
It tilted its head, the blow grazing its face—but it didn't react.
Then it countered.
A clawed hand slashed out. Ren ducked, barely avoiding the strike. He retaliated with a sharp elbow to its ribs, but it was like hitting wet stone.
The monster twisted. Its elongated limbs snapped toward him at unnatural angles, striking too fast.
Ren blocked. His forearm burned from the impact, pain jarring up to his shoulder.
He didn't have time to recover.
The monster's knee shot forward—straight for his gut.
A flash of light—
Celia's shield.
The attack rebounded.
The monster's head jerked toward Celia.
A shudder ran through it.
Then—
A whisper.
"…You stole him…"
The air turned suffocating, thick with the weight of something unseen.
Celia's breath hitched. "What—?"
It trembled, its voice breaking into a choked sob. "You… took him from me."
Its head twisted sharply.
Its lips trembled—then peeled back, revealing blackened, uneven teeth. The sorrow in its voice curdled into rage.
"GIVE HIM BACK."
The walls cracked. The tatami beneath them buckled.
The entire house shuddered, as if about to collapse in on itself.
Ren and Celia barely had time to brace—
Before the world lurched.
Then—
It lunged at her instead.
A voice, raw and trembling, tore through the air.
Celia barely had time to react before the monster was upon her.
"YOU TOOK HIM FROM ME!"
Its claws slammed against her barrier.
A sickening crack.
Celia gasped, stumbling back. Her hands trembled, the glow around them flickering unsteadily. That hit—hurt.
Ren saw it.
The monster saw it.
And it smiled.
A slow, stretching curve, too wide, too wrong.
"YOU STOLE HIM! GIVE HIM BACK!"
Then it moved.
A blur of limbs—too fast, too unnatural.
Ren barely raised his arms before the impact came.
The monster's fist caved into his ribs.
Pain exploded.
Ren wasn't just flung back—he was launched.
His body smashed through the wooden ceiling, splinters and debris ripping at his skin as he burst into the open air.
The night sky spun above him, cold and endless, his breath torn from his lungs.
Wind howled past his ears. He was still rising.
And then—gravity.
His stomach lurched as he fell.
He twisted midair, forcing his limbs to respond—too slow.
A shadow streaked past.
It was already there.
It moved through the air like it belonged there, grotesque and fluid, slithering through the wind with sickening grace.
Ren's breath caught. It's fast.
Then—it swung.
Ren's instincts screamed. He lurched back, his foot slipping against the curved rooftop. His balance wavered, but he forced himself to shift, ducking low as the monster's claws sliced the air inches from his face.
He pushed off the tiles, sliding across the roof, his breath ragged. Stay moving.
It lunged again.
Ren countered.
He twisted into a jab, aiming for its torso—
The monster's head snapped sideways, dodging with unnatural precision.
Ren cursed, barely managing to sidestep its sweeping claws before striking again.
His fist met resistance—its ribs.
For a second, he thought it landed.
Then—cold, sharp pain.
Ren's body jerked.
Claws raked across his shoulder.
His jacket ripped open, hot blood splattering into the night.
Pain.
A strangled gasp left his lips as his balance finally broke.
He staggered, body twisting, before collapsing onto one knee.
"Shit—!"
His hand snapped to his bleeding shoulder, teeth clenched. Move—move—move—
The monster tilted its head.
Then… it laughed.
A low, warping sound, more like a chorus of voices than a single being.
Ren's stomach twisted.
It didn't even flinch.
It was playing with him.
"…He's waiting for me."
Ren's breath caught.
The voice had changed. No longer shrieking. No longer monstrous.
Soft.
A mother's voice.
Desperate.
Hollow.
"He's waiting. I have to bring him home."
The creature took a step closer.
Then another.
Her elongated arms stretched forward, fingers curling like talons, but her eyes—
Deep, black pits of sorrow.
A breath. A whisper.
Then—
"HE NEEDS ME!"
The monster's arms elongated, fingers curling into razor-sharp spears—
A blur of light.
Golden glyphs flashed in the air.
Celia.
She shot upward, hands outstretched, symbols forming around her palms.
"Ren, MOVE!" Celia warned.
Ren didn't hesitate.
He kicked off the air, twisting midair as a blast of golden energy seared toward the monster.
The monster hissed, contorting unnaturally to dodge—
But Ren was already there.
He closed the gap instantly, his fist snapping into the monster's side.
A direct hit.
The creature jerked sideways, its body warping from the force—
That was the opening Celia needed.
She flashed forward, golden chains snapping into place around its limbs.
"Seal!" she shouted.
The sigils glowed fiercely, binding the monster's arms and legs in midair.
For a moment, it struggled violently, thrashing—
Then it twisted.
"YOU THINK CHAINS CAN KEEP A MOTHER FROM HER CHILD?!"
Its limbs stretched grotesquely, flesh peeling away as it tore itself free.
Ren gritted his teeth. "Damn it!"
It lashed out.
Ren barely dodged, sliding back as claws raked through the air, slicing inches from his face.
Celia threw up a barrier, blocking another strike—but the impact sent her reeling.
They were losing ground.
Ren's chest heaved. We need to end this.
Celia read his expression.
Her fingers tightened into fists.
"One more!" she yelled.
Ren nodded.
The monster lunged at Celia.
She didn't run.
Instead, she rushed forward.
The monster swiped—
Celia ducked under the blow, sliding across the rooftop. Her hands flew up—
Golden glyphs erupted around them.
It froze.
For the first time—it looked shaken.
Celia's eyes blazed.
"Bind!"
The symbols collapsed inward, golden chains shooting out like spears, wrapping around the monser's limbs and torso.
It thrashed violently, shrieking—
"NOOOOOOOOOO!"
But this time, it couldn't break free.
Ren didn't hesitate.
He shot forward, teeth clenched, blood dripping from his wounds.
His body twisted midair—
And he struck.
His fist slammed into the it's chest.
It let out a choked wail—
But Ren wasn't done.
He hit it again.
And again.
His knuckles cracked against its ribs, its face, its stomach—each blow landing with a sickening crunch. He didn't stop.
"Just—" His fist smashed into its jaw.
"STAY—" His elbow slammed into its temple.
"DOWN!"
The monster jerked, its body slumping.
Celia's breath hitched. "It's… it's working."
Ren raised his arm for one final blow—
It's head snapped up.
And it laughed.
Not the distorted, warped chorus from before.
A human laugh.
Soft. Fragile.
Like a mother rocking her child to sleep.
Celia's eyes widened. "No. No, no—"
The chains around the monster slackened.
Not because they were broken.
Because they had never been fully formed.
The creature had allowed it.
Had let them believe it was trapped.
Had let them get close.
And now—
The room changed.
The air flashed, and suddenly, Ren and Celia were no longer on the rooftop.
They were inside.
A house.
Dark. Empty.
Tatami mats stretched beneath them. The faint scent of burned incense lingered.
Ren's breath hitched. "What the hell?"
The chains—gone.
The seals—flickering.
The monster was gone.
And then—
Ren's shadow moved.
Not his.
It rose from the floor, twisting, stretching—
His instincts screamed—
Too late.
Something burst upward from his own shadow, claws sinking deep into his back.
Not just sinking—tearing.
Pain—unreal, unbearable pain.
Ren gasped—but the grip only tightened.
Then—it twisted.
His flesh ripped.
A raw, strangled sound tore from his throat as the creature's fingers hooked under his ribs—
And pulled.
It wasn't just dragging him down.
It was tearing him apart.
Ren roared, his body convulsing. He slammed his elbow backward—a direct hit.
The grip loosened—
For half a second.
Then—it came back with twice the force.
His legs vanished into the abyss.
His torso followed.
He was being peeled off reality itself.
"REN!"
Celia lunged, magic flaring—
The floorboards beneath her shattered.
Ren gasped, his throat raw, lungs burning as if he were drowning.
His fingers scraped desperately against the tatami, but the shadows held tight, thick and writhing like living tar. His chest heaved, his ribs screaming with every ragged breath.
"C—Celia—!" His voice was a strangled gasp, barely leaving his lips.
She was dangling.
The monster held her by the throat, one-handed, lifting her effortlessly into the air.
Celia kicked, twisted—her fingers clawing at the monster's arm, her magic flaring erratically around her. Golden sparks fizzled and died, unable to form into a spell.
Her eyes found Ren's.
Desperate. Struggling.
Ren's blood ran cold.
No—no, no, no, this wasn't happening.
He fought against the shadows, his muscles screaming, his nails splitting as he tried to pull himself free.
"Celia—!" His voice cracked. His vision swam.
She gritted her teeth, her arms trembling as she tried to force a seal into existence. A weak glyph flickered over her palm—
The creature laughed.
A horrible, hollow sound.
"My baby….needs me.."
The words were quiet.
Painful.
Almost… broken.
Then, with casual, terrifying ease, it squeezed.
Celia gasped, her body jolting as her breath was stolen from her lungs.
Ren's pulse thundered in his skull.
Just then the air shuddered.
A deep, resonant crack split through the house, like reality itself was tearing apart.
Ren barely had time to process it before—
BOOM.
The monster's head snapped up.
The ceiling fractured, black veins of distortion spreading like broken glass across reality itself. Light bled through the cracks—blinding, searing, unnatural.
The entire roof exploded inward, splintering into a thousand shards as something came crashing through.
No.
Someone.
A tall, broad figure dropped from the gaping hole in reality, landing in a crouch amidst the falling debris. Smoke curled off his military-fit combat gear, his boots crunching against the broken tatami.
And then—
He rose.
A grin, sharp as a bowie knife. Eyes gleaming with a deadly, unshaken confidence.
"A...Andre?" His voice was weak, disbelieving.
"Damn Boy," the man muttered, rolling his shoulders. "You look like hell." His tone was casual, but the weight behind it was anything but. He rolled his shoulders, muscles tensing beneath his fitted gear.
The creature let out a screech, its twisted mouth gaping wider, shadows writhing furiously around it.
"You... stole him from me." The monster's voice was thick with fury and sorrow, her form convulsing as if struggling to contain her own grief. "You took my baby! You—"
Andre exhaled through his nose, unimpressed. "I ain't got time for your creepy-ass theatrics."
Then he moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
One second, the monster held Celia, its grip tightening around her throat.
The next—
Andre was there.
His hand clamped onto the monster's wrist like a vice. A sickening crack split the air—bone snapping, flesh twisting.
The creature shrieked, thrashing. "I will—"
Andre's fist crashed into her jaw, cutting her off mid-sentence.
She reeled back, gurgling, her distorted face contorting in rage and pain.
He didn't stop.
With one fluid motion, he spun—a brutal, calculated strike driving his elbow into the monster's gut. The force sent the monster skidding back, its grip on Celia shattered.
She collapsed, gasping for breath.
Andre barely spared her a glance before stepping forward, shaking the tension from his fingers.
He let out a short breath, gaze flicking between Celia and Ren. "Ain't no damn way y'all were gettin' yo asses folded by a damn monster mama. Hell nah."
The creature shrieked, its form mending, shifting—but something was wrong.
"You don't understand," the creature hissed, her many eyes glistening with unholy grief. "I need him. I need him back. Give me back my baby, you wretched—"
Andre rolled his neck. "Lady, respectfully speaking, I don't give a shit."
The cracks in the ceiling widened.
The very fabric of the realm was collapsing.
Andre grinned.
"Yeah. That's what I thought."
It lunged—
"You think you can take my child away from me?! I will tear you apart! I will—"
Andre caught its wrist mid-air.
His grip tightened.
"Night-night, bitch."
And with one earth-shattering punch, he sent the monster crashing through the breaking reality.
The realm shattered.
The darkness peeled away, like glass fragments dissolving into the wind. The suffocating pressure vanished, the distorted air snapping back into place.
The warped house, the fractured sky, the creeping shadows—all gone.
Ren gasped, his body tensing as the world reassembled around them. The scent of burned incense faded, replaced by the crisp, cool air of the outside.
Their feet landed on solid ground.
The street.
The same empty, dimly lit road where they had first encountered the creature. A late-night breeze rustled the trees, rustling stray papers across the pavement.
It was as if nothing had ever happened.
As if the nightmare had never existed.
Celia let out a shaky breath, her hands clutching her knees. Ren barely kept himself upright, his body aching.
He was already adjusting his sleeves, glancing around with mild disinterest.
"That's better."
Celia coughed, still clutching her throat. "I—" She winced, voice hoarse. "I thought we had it. The chains—"
"Yeah, well, turns out it was just playin' with y'all," Andre said flatly. He gave her a once-over before looking at Ren. "You good, or you need me to carry your sorry ass?"
Ren wiped blood from his lip, glaring. "I can stand."
Andre chuckled. "Didn't ask if you could. Asked if you needed me to."
Ren clicked his tongue, forcing himself to his feet. His head spun, but he stayed upright. "So did you defeat it?"
Andre's smirk faded. His expression grew serious as he closed his eyes, focusing. A tense silence hung between them.
Then, he exhaled sharply. "It's...Gone."
Celia stiffened. "Gone?"
Andre rolled his shoulders. "Ain't pickin' up its essence no more." He glanced back at the street, eyes narrowing. "...It probably dipped."