The Whispering Shadows

The rain fell like a curtain, drenching the city streets in gray despair. Neon lights flickered against puddles, reflecting the chaos that had been building for hours. Kael Moriyama crouched atop the rooftop of Shinjuku High, his hands gripping the edge of the cold concrete.

He could hear it—the faint whispers. Soft, like distant wind, yet unmistakably human. They weren’t coming from the streets below. They came from inside him.

Kael’s pulse quickened. Every instinct screamed that something was wrong. He had survived enough—he knew the signs.

A shadow flickered in the alley below. Then another.

“Not again…” Kael muttered, his voice almost swallowed by the rain.

The shadows weren’t ordinary people. They moved wrong, like ink spilled across the pavement, twisting, stretching. They had no faces, yet Kael felt their eyes drilling into him. The air thickened. Fear. Hatred. Regret. Emotions he didn’t recognize in himself, yet felt burning in his chest.

And then the first scream pierced the night.

Flashback, 10 minutes ago.

Kael had been walking home from school, earbuds in, headphones blaring the latest synthwave mix, oblivious to the drizzle. A scream tore through the street, sharp and raw. People scattered, but some froze, staring blankly, eyes glazed over.

One of them—the screaming girl—turned to Kael. Her mouth opened unnaturally wide, as if she were being torn from the inside. And then… darkness.

A black tendril erupted from her chest, whipping toward Kael like a living whip. Reflexively, he dodged, but the shadow wasn’t just matter—it was malice incarnate. It hissed, shaping itself into a grotesque humanoid form.

Kael felt something stir within him, cold and silent. It whispered in his mind. A voice he didn’t recognize.

“Use me.”

And without thinking, he reached out.

A flash of white light erupted, erasing the shadow midair. The girl collapsed, sobbing, while Kael felt a sharp pain slice through his chest. He gasped, staring at his hands. The pain didn’t vanish.

Something had changed.

Back on the rooftop, Kael observed the alley. More shadows emerged, faster this time, converging like predators. His heart pounded. He had no formal training. He had no weapons. Only… whatever that thing inside him was.

The shadows lunged.

Kael exhaled sharply. His eyes glowed faintly, like a candle fighting the storm.

Null Resonance.

The air around him warped. The shadows froze mid-motion. They screamed, not with voices, but with the pure essence of fear. And then… they vanished.

Kael stumbled back, knees hitting the wet concrete. Rain plastered his hair to his face. His chest heaved.

He was alive. But he knew, deep down, he wouldn’t stay that way for long.

A low, almost amused voice echoed in his mind again:

“Kael Moriyama… welcome to the Eclipse.”