The white light slowly faded, as if someone had drawn a translucent curtain separating two worlds. When Kaido opened his eyes, he didn't find the darkness he expected, but a white ceiling bathed in artificial light, topped by a slowly spinning fan that seemed to whisper one truth: "You're alive."
He was in a hospital.
The monotonous beeping of heart monitors filled the emptiness. His breathing was heavy, and his limbs felt like they had just emerged from a long battle. His muscles still trembled for no obvious reason.
A young nurse entered, surprised to see him awake, then pressed a button on the wall. Minutes later, a doctor burst into the room accompanied by a man in a suit holding an electronic tablet. The doctor began a routine checkup, but the other man… was not here to examine him.
"Kaido Shin?"
"Yes…"
"You're the sole survivor of the gate that opened in Shibuya three days ago."
"Three… days?" Kaido rasped, coughing hoarsely.
The doctor said, "You were in a light coma, nothing serious… your body recovered faster than expected."
But the man in the suit wasn't interested in medical details. "Kaido, there's something we need to verify. May we perform a new rank assessment? Protocol demands it after… abnormal cases."
Kaido didn't fully understand but agreed.
An hour later, he was taken to a small room at the Hunters' Association headquarters and hooked up to an energy evaluation device. The familiar blue field opened around him… but it started glowing a faint red, then sparked lightly and suddenly went dark.
The test supervisor frowned at the screen.
"The device didn't give a clear reading… again."
The test was repeated twice. Same result.
"Is the device broken?" Kaido asked.
The technician shook his head. "No, but you… are out of classification."
This was extremely rare. The title is only given to those whose energy is beyond measurable range, or incomprehensible.
Kaido left silently, his heart pounding wildly. In the elevator, he caught the reflection of his hand on the metal wall: a strange red mark, like an intricate circular tattoo of symbols he didn't understand, wrapping around his wrist and pulsing gently… as if alive.
---
That night, he returned quietly to his apartment, where… Aiko, his sister, was waiting for him.
"Kaido!" she cried, throwing herself into his arms.
He had forgotten how much he missed her voice. For a moment, everything felt normal. But when she asked about the mission, he froze. He didn't know what to say.
"They all died… everyone."
A heavy silence fell over the room.
"And you?" Aiko whispered.
"I don't know why I survived."
Then he turned his face away so she wouldn't see his eyes filled with guilt he couldn't admit.
---
The next day, he was summoned to an emergency meeting at a secondary Hunters' Association office.
Sitting before him was a man in his forties, with stern features and a sharp black suit. He introduced himself as Yuji Morasaki, a special investigations officer.
"Kaido Shin, listen carefully: no one knows what happened inside that gate, and we don't want rumors to spread."
Kaido met his gaze but said nothing.
"If you feel any changes in your body, or see strange things… report to us immediately."
Then he leaned forward slightly and spoke in a calm but sharp tone:
"Do you… remember anything unusual?"
Kaido looked at the table. He recalled the light, the pillars, the pact. But he said nothing.
"No. Just… the sound of an explosion, then nothing."
Morasaki frowned, as if displeased.
"Strange… satellites detected no unusual energy… as if the gate vanished without a trace."
---
At the end of the day, Kaido sat in his room. Silence surrounded him, but inside he was a volcano.
Alone, he reached toward the light and focused. The mark on his wrist glowed faintly, and a hidden pulse of energy burst from his body, causing the air to ripple for a moment.
Kaido gasped.
Then he heard a faint voice—not from outside, but from within.
"You chose… blood. And it will demand its price."
He recoiled, gasping, as the mark on his wrist glowed brighter.
And in the distant shadow outside his window… someone was watching him.