Chapter 29: — “The Deal of Blood” — (Season 2 Episode 1)

The hut was dark.

Every corner swallowed the weak moonlight that leaked through the cracks.

A branch tapped sharply against the roof, rattling the boards. The sound echoed through the empty space.

A figure moved silently across the floor. Boots pressed lightly against the worn wooden planks. His hood cast shadows across his face, leaving only the glimmer of red eyes visible.

He stopped in the center of the room. His fists clenched.

“You escaped,” he said, voice low, menacing.

From the far side of the room, a chair creaked. Someone was sitting there. Calm. Still.

The warlock.

She didn’t move, didn’t flinch. The hood shadowed her face, but the air around her felt colder, heavier.

“You know what you’ve done,” she said, her voice calm, precise. “If he keeps surviving, everything fails.”

The demon stepped forward, teeth clenched. “I will get him. You can’t tell me otherwise!”

“Do not let your emotions cloud your mind,” the warlock said. “You agreed to the deal. You will follow it.”

He spun around, pacing the small room. “You don’t understand! I almost had him! He’s too fast… too smart! How am I supposed to finish this if he keeps escaping me?”

“You chose this,” she replied. “No one forced your decision. That is the condition. Do not fail because of weakness.”

The demon’s voice rose. “Weakness?! I am not weak! I’m doing this for her! For my mother!”

“And yet you falter,” she said, tone unchanging. “You let him slip. You forget what is at stake.”

He stopped, eyes flashing red. “She could die! My mother… she won’t survive without that medicine. You know that! You know why I have to do this!”

“You know the cost of failure,” the warlock said. “If you cannot complete your task, no one wins. You must follow through. That is all that matters.”

“I won’t fail!” he shouted, spinning toward her. “Do you think I want to fail? Do you think I like this?!”

“You chose,” she said again. “And now you must act. There is no other way.”

He ran a hand down his face, then back up to pull his hood tighter. “He has powers I didn’t expect… powers I didn’t anticipate. If I fail…” His voice trailed, shaking.

“You will not fail,” she said softly, almost whispering. “You need only do as promised. That is enough.”

The demon’s fists clenched tighter. “Enough?! Enough? You think this is enough?! I’m losing control here! I can’t keep letting him escape!”

“You are letting your fear dictate your actions,” she said. “Fear is your enemy. Focus, or everything will be lost.”

He spun around the room again, muttering to himself. “I have to… I have to get him. I can’t let her suffer. I can’t let him survive.”

“You know the consequences,” she said. Her voice was calm, unwavering. “And yet you hesitate. Control yourself. Or it will be for nothing.”

The demon stopped pacing. His chest heaved. He stared at the floor. The shadows from the cracks in the walls stretched unnaturally around him, almost reaching out.

“You better stick to the deal,” he muttered, teeth gritted. “If you don’t… if you don’t stick to it, I’ll—”

“You do not need to worry,” she interrupted coldly. “I will ensure the terms are enforced. Your task is simple: follow through.”

He turned to face her. His chest heaving. Eyes burning red. “You don’t understand what it feels like to be so close… and to keep failing. How am I supposed to keep going when he outsmarts me at every turn?”

“The way you speak is weakness,” she said. “You must not let yourself falter. You will follow the deal, or you will have nothing. Do you understand?”

He nodded slowly. His jaw tight. “Yes… I understand. I… I won’t fail again.”

“You will act,” she said. “And you will remember: the choice was yours. No one else. Do not forget that.”

The demon’s boots hit the wooden floor as he spun and left the room. The wind outside whistled through the cracks. His shadow stretched long behind him as he moved.

The warlock remained seated. Calm. Silent. Watching the doorway. Her hands rested lightly on her knees. “He will follow through,” she murmured. “He always does. But now… he must be careful. Or everything fails.”

Outside, the night carried on. The wind rattled the hut once more. The plan moved forward. Every choice, every action, set into motion. No one could turn back.

—

“Wait... are you serious right now?” Miyuki’s voice cracked, her hands tightening on her skirt.

“That can’t be true…” Sakura muttered under her breath. Her eyes darted between Mika, Akari, and Riku like she was waiting for one of them to laugh and tell her it was a joke.

But no one laughed.

The living room was heavy, silent except for the sound of Mika’s shaky breathing. She sat curled up on the couch, arms wrapped around her knees. Her chin rested against them, but her whole body trembled.

Riku sat nearby, his gaze fixed on the floor. His lips were pressed tight, his eyes shadowed with fear he couldn’t hide.

“…It’s true,” Riku finally said, voice low, tired. “Every word Mika said. We all… we all saw it.”

Sakura’s eyes widened. “Riku, don’t... don’t joke like that. This isn’t funny—”

“He’s not joking.” Akari’s tone was sharp, cold, leaving no space for doubt. She leaned against the wall, her arms crossed tightly against her chest, but even she looked pale, her eyes dim with exhaustion.

Miyuki’s mouth hung slightly open. “Y-you’re telling us those things were real? The shadows? The—”

“They were real,” Riku cut her off. His hand trembled in his lap, and he clenched it into a fist. “Too real.”

The silence that followed was unbearable. Even the faint hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen sounded too loud.

Mika’s breath hitched. She buried her face deeper into her knees, her shoulders shaking. Not a single one of them had slept well, but Mika… Mika hadn’t closed her eyes once. Not after watching the shadows closing in. Not after almost losing Riku.

Her voice broke in a whisper. “I can still hear it… the sound when it tried to hurt him. I… I can’t—”

Her words cut short as tears began spilling again.

No one moved. No one knew what to say.

Then the door creaked open.

Everyone’s head snapped toward the sound.

Kenji stepped in, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. “Ah, sorry... didn’t ring the bell. I thought I could just walk in since, y’know… it’s me.”

No one answered.

The silence hit him like a wall. Kenji blinked, confused, looking from one pale, tense face to another. “…What’s going on? Did… I walk in on something?”

Riku slowly stood. His expression hardened, though fear lingered deep in his eyes. “…Kenji. Can we talk? Privately. In my room.”

Kenji straightened at the tone. He wasn’t used to hearing Riku sound like that. “Uh… yeah. Sure. If it’s important.”

Riku started toward the hallway. Kenji followed.

“Riku, no!”

The voice snapped like a whip. Everyone turned—

Mika’s head shot up, her eyes wide and wet with panic. She shook her head violently, her voice trembling. “D-don’t go. Please don’t go. Please just... just stay here!”

Riku turned halfway, his hand on the hallway doorframe. “Mika, it’s just a few minutes. I need to talk to him—”

“No!” she cried, her voice breaking. “You can’t! You can’t leave me! Not now. NOT AFTER—”

Her words shattered into sobs, her body trembling harder.

“Mika…” Riku’s face softened, guilt flashing in his eyes. “I’ll only be gone a short time—”

“I DON’T CARE!” Mika suddenly screamed, standing up so fast the blanket around her fell to the floor. Her voice was raw, desperate, echoing through the room. “I DON’T WANT YOU TO GO! DON’T LEAVE ME!”

She bolted toward him, arms outstretched to cling onto him, but Miyuki and Sakura grabbed her shoulders, holding her back.

“Mika, wait!” Sakura cried.

“Let go of me!” Mika thrashed against them, tears flying from her cheeks. “LET ME GO! I NEED HIM! RIKU! STAY! PLEASE!”

Akari rushed forward and joined the effort, her hands gripping Mika tightly. “Mika, stop, just stop! Riku, Kenji... go. Just go!”

Riku froze in the doorway, torn, watching Mika claw desperately toward him. But Kenji put a hand on his shoulder, pulling him slightly. “C’mon. Let’s just… do this quick.”

“Mika…” Riku whispered, guilt twisting his chest. But before he could say anything else, Kenji tugged, and the two disappeared into the hall.

“RIKU!” Mika’s voice ripped through the air. Desperation, anger, fear, all tangled in one. Her cry followed him down the hall like a knife.

The girls finally eased her back onto the couch. But Mika fought against them still, pounding weakly on the cushions. “Why did you let him go?! WHY?! He could die, he could... he could—” Her words drowned in sobs as she buried her face in her arms.

Sakura wrapped her arms around Mika from one side, Miyuki from the other. Both pressed close, whispering soothing words Mika couldn’t hear through the sound of her own heartache.

Akari stood frozen for a moment. Her chest ached, her throat tight. She couldn’t bear to see her sister like this, so fragile, so desperate.

She turned away abruptly. “I’m… going to the bathroom.”

No one stopped her.

The door clicked shut behind her.

Inside the small bathroom, Akari gripped the sink, staring at her reflection. Her eyes were wet. Tears slipped down her cheeks, and she quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand.

She hated this.

She hated seeing Mika like that.

Her reflection blurred as fresh tears formed. She bit her lip, trying to hold them back, but her chest trembled with every shaky breath.

“I can’t…” she whispered to herself. Her fists pressed against the sink. “I can’t let her suffer like this. Not because of me… not because of any of this.”

Her gaze hardened. Anger mixed with sadness. “I swear… I’ll protect her. I'll protect HIM. I'll protect THEM!”

The door to Riku’s room clicked shut behind them. For a second, he just stood there, leaning against it, trying to shut out Mika’s sobs echoing faintly from the living room. His chest felt heavy, like he was dragging the whole night back into the room with him.

Kenji stood awkwardly by the desk, watching him. “Alright,” he said quietly. “What happened out there, Riku? Mika looked… broken.”

Riku lifted his head, meeting his eyes. “Because she is. We all are.”

Kenji frowned, but waited.

“Remember the demon I told you about? From a few days ago? The one I saw in the woods, just standing there, staring at me before it disappeared?”

Kenji shifted but nodded. “Yeah… I remember.”

“It was there again. We were exploring a hut for answers last night.” Riku’s fists clenched at his sides, the memories flashing too clear. “Only this time it didn’t just watch. It summoned shadows. Dozens of them. They almost killed us, Kenji.” 

His throat tightened, Mika’s scream, “RIKUUUUU!,”  still echoing in his mind. He pushed on anyway. “If Akari hadn’t been there, I don’t think I'd be alive right now. One of the shadows tried to eat me.”

Kenji’s expression didn’t crack. He looked calm. Too calm. “Shadows… in the hut... tried eating you,” he muttered, like he was rolling the words around. “That’s not… something you should be dealing with.”

Riku barked a humorless laugh. “No kidding. But it’s after me. Always me. And it won’t stop until…” His voice faltered, but he forced it steady. “Until I’m gone.”

The silence stretched between them. Finally, Kenji said carefully, “So it revealed itself  to you this time?”

Riku froze. Revealed itself. That was a strange choice of words, almost like Kenji already knew it had been hiding before.

He narrowed his eyes. “…Yeah. It revealed itself.”

Kenji blinked quickly, then gave a soft laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry, that sounded weird. I just meant, if it’s showing itself now, it’s getting bolder. That can’t be good.”

Riku studied him for a beat longer, uneasy. Something about the way he’d said it didn’t sit right. But he sighed, letting it drop. “Yeah. No kidding.”

Kenji stepped forward and clapped a hand on his shoulder, forcing a grin. “Whatever it is, you’re not alone, Riku. You’ve got Akari, Mika… and me. We’ll get through this.”

Riku managed a small smile back, but the unease gnawed at him. Just for a second, when Kenji had said those words, it hadn’t felt like reassurance. It had felt like a warning.

The sound of the bedroom door creaked open. Riku stepped back into the living room, his face unreadable. The second Mika saw him, she shot up from the couch like a spring. Her knees wobbled, but she staggered toward him, clutching the sleeve of his shirt before he could even say a word.

Her voice trembled, raw from crying.
“Don’t... don’t do that again… please…”

Riku blinked, surprised by the desperation in her grip. “Mika…”

Her fingers dug tighter into the fabric, like if she let go, he’d vanish. Her head lowered, bangs covering her eyes, but her lips quivered as she whispered:
“I thought you were gone. I thought… I really thought…”

Riku gently placed a hand on her shoulder, steady, warm. “I’m here. See? I’m right here.” He gave a faint smile, though his own eyes were shadowed with exhaustion. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Mika let out a choked sound, halfway between a sob and a laugh, and buried her face against his arm. She trembled, refusing to let go.

The room was quiet, save for the soft sound of her sobs. Akari stood in the doorway, her arms folded tightly against her chest, watching. She bit her lip, her eyes glistening before she blinked the tears away. She hated this, hated seeing her little sister like this, broken and afraid. She clenched her fists hard enough that her nails dug crescents into her palms.

I won’t let this fear chain you. I’ll protect the smile you used to have… and I’ll get it back.

Across the room, Miyuki and Sakura sat frozen on the edge of the couch. The color drained from their faces as they exchanged a look. For the first time, they weren’t giggling skeptically, or doubting Mika’s words. No, now they saw it in Riku’s face. The quiet fear in his eyes. The heaviness in the room.

“…It’s real,” Sakura whispered under her breath, almost to herself.
Miyuki swallowed hard, hugging her arms around her torso. “All of it… the shadows… the demon…”

Riku turned his gaze toward them, nodding slightly. “Yeah. It’s all real.”

Neither girl had a response. They sat back, trying to process the impossible, their expressions twisting from disbelief into unease.

Meanwhile, Mika’s grip never loosened. She stayed glued to Riku’s side, hugging his sleeve as if it were the only anchor keeping her from drowning.

Riku let out a quiet sigh, softening. “It’s okay, Mika. You’re safe now. We’re safe. For now.”

But the way he hesitated on those last words didn’t escape Akari. She caught it, her heart sinking deeper. And in the back of her mind, the vow she made burned hotter than ever.

Miyuki and Sakura finally gather their things, their faces still carrying worry. Before leaving, Miyuki crouches in front of Mika, who’s hugging her knees on the couch.

“Hey…” Miyuki’s voice is soft, almost like a whisper, “if you need someone to talk to… or just someone to sit with you when it gets too much… call me, okay?”

Sakura puts her hand on Mika’s shoulder, giving a small smile. “Same here. Anytime. Day or night. You’re not alone, Mika.”

Mika nods faintly, her eyes glassy but her lips curling into a small, fragile smile. “…Thank you.”

The girls give her one last squeeze before heading out, leaving the house quieter than before.

Near the door, Kenji slaps Riku lightly on the shoulder with a grin. “If you ever need help kicking butt, demons, shadows, whatever, just hit me up.”

Riku hesitates, his brow furrowed. “…I don’t know, Kenji. If things get as bad as they did tonight, I can’t risk you getting caught in it.”

Kenji pauses, his smile fading into disbelief. “Are you serious right now?” His expression screams Really?

“You remember that time back in school?” he goes on, his grin returning. “The two of us, cornered by those meathead seniors who thought they owned the place? We beat the crap out of them, Riku. Together. And I didn’t exactly hold back, did I?”

Riku takes a long, heavy breath. Memories flash across his mind, Kenji’s fists flying, Riku backing him up, the two of them standing victorious despite the odds. “…Fine. But on one condition.”

Kenji raises an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

“As long as you don’t throw yourself in front of me. I don’t want you sacrificing yourself for me. Ever.”

Kenji smirks, crossing his arms. “Deal. But, uh… don’t expect me to stand back and knit sweaters while you’re in trouble.”

Riku can’t help it, he lets out a quiet laugh. “Yeah, yeah. Fair enough.”

Kenji grins wider, clearly satisfied, before heading out into the night. “Later, man. Don’t do anything stupid without me.”

And then the door clicks shut, leaving Riku, Mika, and Akari alone once again in the heavy silence of the living room.

—

Mika couldn’t sleep. The memory of the shadows, the darkness, the way Riku had faced them alone, it haunted her every thought. Her chest tightened every time she thought about the danger he had been in.

Quietly, she slipped out of her bedroom, careful not to wake Akari, and padded down the hallway to the living room. There, she spotted him. Riku was sitting on the couch, hands fidgeting, eyes staring at nothing, lost in thought.

She hesitated for a moment, then softly said, “Riku…”

He jumped slightly, then relaxed when he saw her. “Mika… you’re awake?”

“I couldn’t… I couldn’t sleep,” she admitted, her voice barely a whisper. She edged closer and lowered herself onto the couch beside him. “I keep thinking about… everything that happened. About you… facing those shadows.”

Riku’s hand twitched as he looked at her, unsure how to comfort her. “I’m fine, Mika. Really.”

Mika shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks. “No, you’re not! You could’ve died… and I… I can’t bear the thought of losing you.” Her voice cracked, and she turned slightly, resting her head against his shoulder. “Please… promise me you won’t die. Promise me you won’t leave me.”

Riku’s chest tightened at her words. He hesitated, then reached out to gently hold her hand. “…I promise, Mika. I swear… I won’t leave you. I’ll be here. Always.”

She clung to him tighter, letting tears slip freely, pressing her face into his shoulder. “I’m scared… so scared. I don’t know what I’d do if—”

“You don’t have to think about that,” Riku interrupted softly, his voice calm but firm. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. You can stay right here with me. I’ve got you.”

Mika sniffled, a small sob escaping her as she hugged him around the waist. “Thank you… thank you, Riku. I… I needed to hear that.”

Riku placed a hand on her back, rubbing it gently. “You’re safe now. Just stay with me a little longer. Rest, if you can.”

She nodded, letting herself relax for the first time in hours, still trembling, still sniffling, but comforted by his presence. In the quiet of the living room, with the moonlight casting a soft glow through the curtains, Mika allowed herself to cling to him.

“…Promise me,” she whispered again, just to be sure, “…promise me you’ll keep fighting, but that you’ll stay safe too.”

Riku smiled faintly, a shadow of worry still in his eyes. “…I promise. I’ll protect myself, and I’ll protect you. No matter what comes.”

Mika buried her face into his shoulder again, murmuring softly through her tears. “I’m glad… I’m so glad you’re here.”

For a few long minutes, they simply sat there together. The fear of the night, the terror of what had been, lingered, but Mika’s heartbeat slowly steadied. And in that quiet moment, with her hands held tightly in his, she knew one thing: they would face whatever came next together.