Chapter 7: Marked

The sun dips low, casting long shadows over the empty courtyard.
SHIN leans against a rusted fence, his hoodie still damp from earlier rain.
His expression is tired but sharp.

SHIN (V.O.)
I tried to ditch it.
I tried to forget it.
But now... it’s part of me.

He pulls out the pendant.
It pulses faintly—like it’s breathing with him.

BLACK EDGE (V.O.)
You're not running anymore.
That’s progress.

SHIN
Don’t mistake exhaustion for acceptance, shadow freak.

A soft laugh echoes in his head.

BLACK EDGE (V.O.)
You’re changing, Shin Yagami.
You feel it, don’t you?

SHIN splashes water on his face, then looks in the mirror.
His eyes linger on the faint black markings creeping up his neck like ink beneath the skin.

SHIN (V.O.)
My reflection looks less like me every day.

BLACK EDGE (V.O.)
Because you’re becoming who you were meant to be.

Shin glares into the mirror.

SHIN
I never asked for this.

BLACK EDGE (V.O.)
None of us do.

A SHADOWY FIGURE watches from the fence.
A girl with bandages on her arms and a red scarf—someone unfamiliar.
She scribbles in a worn notebook.

STRANGE GIRL (to herself)
He’s the third confirmed Vessel...
The one they call “Black Edge.”
Let’s see if the stories are true.

SHIN slouches at his desk.
REINA sits two rows back, watching him.
Something unspoken lingers between them.

REINA (softly)
He doesn’t even know how many eyes are on him now...

BLACK EDGE (V.O.)
They feel it.
The others.
The pressure building.
The mark has been made.

SHIN stares at the sky, leaning against the railing.

SHIN
If I’m marked...
if I’m really some kind of “vessel”...
Then tell me this.
What happens when I break?

BLACK EDGE (V.O.)
You won’t.

SHIN
You sound real confident for a cursed rock.

BLACK EDGE (V.O.)
Because I chose you.
And believe it or not...
That still means something.

A distant, thunderous hum vibrates through the air.
SHIN stiffens.

SHIN
That sound...
You hear that?

BLACK EDGE (V.O.)
Another Wraith.

SHIN (gritting teeth)
Of course it is.

He stands.
His shadow stretches behind him, long and alive.

BLACK EDGE (V.O.)
You’ve been marked, Shin.
Now let’s see what you do with it.

SHIN pulls the pendant free from his shirt.
A faint black glow swirls around him.

FADE TO BLACK.

Three FIGURES approach from the mist.

RICO STRYKER — gold-eyed, confident, twin energy Uzis hanging at his sides.

GREEN-SCARF GIRL — quiet, calculating.

RED-HAIRED BOY in a long coat — expression unreadable.

They stop outside the gate.

RICO
Told you he’d be here.

GREEN-SCARF GIRL
The mark called us.
Just like before.

RED-HAIRED BOY
Then let’s see what kind of Vessel he really is.

SHIN turns slowly, feeling the shift in energy.

BLACK EDGE (V.O.)
They’re here.

SHIN
Who?

BLACK EDGE (V.O.)
The others.

The sun vanishes behind the clouds.
A new storm brews.

BLACK EDGE (V.O.)
The game’s begun.
The players are arriving.
And war… is coming.

FADE TO BLACK.