The night sky was not dark.
It burned.
Flames danced across the horizon, consuming trees, homes, and memories. Crimson embers spiraled like fireflies as the village of Kaigen groaned beneath the weight of its destruction. Screams echoed in the distance—men, women, children—all swept away by a storm of fire and fury.
In the heart of the chaos stood a boy.
Small. Trembling. No older than six.
His wide brown eyes shimmered with confusion and fear, reflecting the inferno around him. He clutched the bloodied sleeve of a woman who no longer breathed—her long black hair trailing in the ash, her gentle eyes now still.
"Mama..." he whispered, voice cracking.
A gust of scorching wind forced him to turn. On the other side of the village, a battle raged—one man, tall and broad-shouldered, surrounded by glowing sigils carved in light, stood between the beast and the end of everything.
Daigo Kurozawa—the boy's father—chanted words older than the mountains themselves. His voice thundered with power, trembling the earth beneath his feet.
Opposite him loomed the Nine-Tailed Fox, its molten eyes gleaming with ancient hatred. Each of its nine tails swirled through the sky, tearing holes in the clouds, scorching the stars.
Kyūbakko.
A spirit of flame and destruction. A being born from wrath itself.
It roared—a sound that shook the heavens. Fire burst from its jaws, bathing the world in red light.
But Daigo didn't flinch.
He raised both hands, and the seal took form—a circle of runes spiraling outward, shimmering gold and crimson, powered by life itself. A second voice joined the incantation. Aika Kurozawa, the boy's mother, her spirit now flowing through the boy's trembling body.
Together, husband and wife made their final stand—not to destroy the beast, but to contain it.
To seal it inside their only son.
"Forgive us, Raien," Daigo murmured.
A flash of light consumed everything.
When Raien awoke, the world was quiet.
The sky was gray with soot. Ash fell like snow.
The village was gone—reduced to smoking rubble and silence.
His parents were gone.
And something stirred inside him… something ancient. Something burning. A deep growl echoed through his mind, low and hungry.
"You are mine now, child...""Let us burn the world together."