Victor Leblanc

“Noel’s…dead…” an unfamiliar voice reported, his tone hollow and empty.

Strange mirages flickered before Kotaro’s eyes. A forest. The same empty forest he wandered in Densetsu. The wind carried a whisper, rustling the trees as if the past itself breathed around him.

A younger version of himself peeked from behind a tree—curious, but timid, wide eyes filled with silent wonder. But before Kotaro could move, the world fractured. Colors bled together in kaleidoscopic swirls, twisting his vision until—

A city.

Ropes bound Mimiko, his high school crush, to a pole. Her trembling form was barely illuminated by the dim streetlights. Tears welled her eyes as her lips curled into a fragile smile.

Kotaro’s breath caught. He lurched forward, arms outstretched. “Mimiko—”

Their voices were distorted, muffled like echoes through water. But he heard her last words clearly.

“I’m sorry…”

Then the flames came.

A searing wave of fire erupted, swallowing her whole in an instant. The air warped from the unbearable heat, her agonized smile the last thing Kotaro saw before the inferno reduced her to cinders.

“Mimiko!” His scream tore through the emptiness.

Embers rained down like dying stars. Charred corpses lay in heaps at his feet, their blackened fingers curled in silent agony. The city stretched before him, hollow and ruined—a graveyard of the lost.

Then, a voice.

“Kotaro, why did you become a yokai?”

He turned sharply—only to find himself no longer in the city, but standing before the towering scarlet gates of Kamiyama Shrine. The weight of confusion pressed against him. He searched the source of the voice but to no avail. Kotaro stared at his trembling hands.

Am I…a-a m-monster? A yokai?

The sharp crack of distant screams made his head snap up. Shadowy figures ran in blind terror, their cries swallowed by the chaos consuming the sky. And then he saw them.

Two figures clashed in Heaven, fists colliding with force that shattered the clouds. One of them—Kotaro recognized his own form, mirroring his movements. The other? A blonde-haired man with violet eyes.

What’s going on?

“Kotaro!”

The trumpets blared.

A deafening, celestial wail that shook the very fabric of existence. The earth convulsed, splitting open like the jaws of an unfathomable beast. Blood-colored waves crashed against the ruined city, drowning screams beneath their relentless tide.

The sky split asunder, jagged fractures running deep as if reality itself was breaking. From those fissures, swarms of locusts emerged—not mere insects, but monstrous, their bodies shaped like warhorses armored for battle. Upon their heads gleamed a golden crown, and their faces bore semblance of men. Their hair flowed like that of women, yet their gaping maws were lined with the teeth of lions.

Their breastplates glimmered like iron, and the beating of their wings was as the sound of chariots thundering across the battlefield. They swarmed, descending upon the doomed world with a hunger that was not for flesh alone, but for suffering.

And the people—they bore marks upon their foreheads, symbols glowing like cursed brands, sealing their fate. The locusts did not grant them swift death. No, their scorpion-like tails struck with venom that burned like living fire, wracking their bodies with agony beyond death’s mercy.

Is this… the end of the world?

“Kotaro! Wake up!”

Whose voice is that, I wonder?

“Kotaro, wake up! You have school!”

He jolted upright, breath ragged.

Sunlight filtered softly through the curtains, its warmth a stark contrast to the cold horror that clung to his skin. His pulse thundered in his ears.

A dream? It was just a dream?

He ran a hand over his face. A tear glistened in his palm.

Footsteps approached, stopping beside him. In his peripheral vision, he saw Amanda.

“Kotaro, breakfast is read—” Her voice faltered. “Dear? Are you okay?”

“Huh?”

She knelt slightly, peering at him with concern. “Is everything alright? You’re not hurt, are you?”

He sniffed, hastily wiped his tears. “I’m okay. I’ll get ready right now.”

Amanda hesitated before offering a gentle smile. “Okay. If there’s something you want to talk about, I’m here.”

“I know.” He pulled on his red hoodie, slung his backpack over one shoulder, then hesitated. “Actually, did anything out of the ordinary happen last night?”

Amanda raised a brow. “Not that I know of. What’s up?”

Kotaro studied her expression, searching for any sign of recollection—but there was none. No mention of Okiku, no confusion, no lingering shock from last night’s bizarre events. He exhaled softly.

Noel’s master must’ve used the Boundary. Thank God.

A quiet relief settled over him, though a faint unease remained. The absurdity of the night—the pantry raid, Okiku’s unsettling apology, Amanda’s terrified scream—had all been erased as if it had never happened. But he knew better.

Shaking off the thought, he turned away. “Nothing. I, uh… I’m gonna get ready for school.”

Amanda nodded and stepped out, leaving the door slightly ajar. Kotaro exhaled, running a hand through his hair before pulling on his hoodie. The lingering unease clung to him, but there was no time to dwell on it.

He slung his backpack over one shoulder and stepped into the hallway. The faint clatter of dishes echoed from the kitchen, where Amanda stood at the sink, rinsing a plate. The scent of toast and coffee lingered in the air, mingling with the faint chill of the morning.

As he reached for his shoes by the door—

“Wait.”

Kotaro froze. A cold dread crept up his spine.

Amanda slowly turned, squinting at him with suspicion. “Where did most of our pantry go?”

He barely managed to keep a straight face. “Huh?”

“I went to make eggs for you, but I noticed the milk is gone—the snacks, chicken—everything but the eggs. Did we get robbed?”

A heavy silence settled between them. The distant hum of the refrigerator buzzed in the background. Kotaro blinked. Then, with the heaviest sigh of his life, he muttered under his breath, “Noel’s master erased her memories last night but not the damn pantry…”

Amanda raised a brow. “What?”

“N-Nothing!” He straightened up, forcing a casual shrug. “Uh…maybe we got mice?”

“Mice?” She deadpanned.

“Yeah?”

“Mice ate an entire week’s worth of groceries?” Her voice dripped with skepticism. “Including the rice sacks?”

Kotaro swallowed. “Big mice?”

Amanda’s unimpressed stare could have burned a hole through him.

He glanced at his wrist—despite not wearing a watch—then gasped. “Oh wow, look at the time! I’m so late for school!”

Before Amanda could interrogate him further, he spun on his heel, yanking the door open with unnecessary urgency, and shot outside like a man escaping a crime scene.

The cold morning air smacked him in the face, but he welcomed it. Winter’s breath wrapped around him, crisp and sharp, but at least out here, he didn’t have to answer more questions.

Kotaro sighed, adjusting his yellow backpack. Maybe he could grab something to eat on the way to school—or not, especially after feeding that ghost, Okiku. His shoes crunched against the frost- laced pavement as he took his first few steps forward.

He made it a few blocks from home before a shadow flickered in his vision.

“Watch out!”

His head snapped to the left at the sound of rustling fabric—just in time to see a blur hurtling over the fence.

Oh, not again—

Kotaro barely had time to flinch before Noel landed on him, knocking him off balance. Their limbs tangled in a chaotic heap.

“I’m so sorry!” Noel scrambled off Kotaro with genuine regret.

His eyes flared as he rose. “What the hell was that for? Why do you keep jumping over fences?”

“It’s not my fault this is the only way. Maybe you should consider a different route,” Noel taunted. “Besides,” she added, “you have Okiku’s reiki. Why don’t you use that to sense me?”

“I have Okiku’s reiki?”

Noel glared. “Yes! It’s written all over your face.”

Kotaro touched his face and checked his hand, but saw nothing.

“You idiot,” Noel groaned, “It’s inside you.”

“How are you able to tell?”

She rolled her eyes. “Reiki is unique to everyone. Like one’s fingerprint to another.”

Kotaro glanced at his fingers and applied Reiki Magnification to his eyes. He saw his body like an X-Ray, the energy whirling within. Okiku’s was distinct—peaks and valleys like radio waves. He lifted his head and scanned Noel’s reiki. Hers flowed smoothly, like a sea at rest.

Noel huffed, crossing her arms as her nostrils flared. “Maybe you should go to Reikishi Academy and learn the basics—oh, but a normie like you? You wouldn’t even last a day.”

He clicked his tongue. Frustration etched into his furrowed brow. “Maybe you should learn some manners ‘cause you sound like a gorilla right now.”

Noel kicked Kotaro without hesitation—straight for every man’s weakness.

His legs buckled as he clutched his crotch, agony exploding through him. “Oh you mother—god that…hurts!”

“I don’t want to hear that from a normie like you,” Noel huffed, continuing her march to school.

Regaining his footing, he blurted a mouthful. “You’re an out-of-control rollercoaster of emotions today!”

“And you wonder why girls don’t like you!” she barked. Her words sliced through the biting cold, leaving a bitter taste in the air.

He took his time recovering, watching her figure shrink into the distance. The ache in his gut was nothing compared to the sting of her words.

What’s her deal today? He exhaled sharply, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

“Like you’d even know… jerk.” Kotaro muttered, but she was already out of earshot.

A chuckle broke the silence.

“You two really are like a couple,” Rocky mused.

Kotaro flinched, whipping around. Rocky stood like a shadow in broad daylight, having witnessed the entire exchange without a word. How long had he been there?

“So, what caused you two lovebirds to argue?”

“You were watching?” Kotaro groaned.

Rocky’s smirk widened. “Hard not to when you two act like an old married couple.”

“She’s not my type…”

“Uh-huh,” Rocky drawled, his grin teasing. “Whatever you say.”

「Noel’s perspective」

The blonde lass arrived at school before Kotaro. She didn’t bother looking out for him. Not that she needed to. Slowly but surely, he would come to her. In Densetsu, every reikishi was assigned classes on their mastery of reiki, and tracking people was her forte.

Noel was a Grade B Reikishi, a level earned through rigorous training, yet her sensory abilities were what truly set her apart. Even in her home world, she was regarded as one of the best, able to recognize anyone within five-hundred kilometers. Reiki Magnification was second nature—always active, always scanning. She hardly needed to think about it.

On her way to Mr. Wilcox’ class, a crowd shifted her attention. A commotion. Students gathered in a tight circle. Pathetic grunts sounded in the hallway, followed by a bang against the lockers.

A fight?

Noel wove her way through the barricade of students, her sharp eyes scanning the scene before she even reached the front. Her disappointment settled in quickly. “Even in this world, the weak are still preyed upon,” Noel murmured.

At the center of the chaos stood Chuck, a bulky jock, towering over a smaller, trembling student. Freddie, if she recalled correctly. He was in her third and fifth period of class. His glasses lay on the floor, knocked loose in the struggle. He groped around for them, fingers brushing against Chuck’s shoes—only for Chuck to sneer in amusement.

“What’s wrong, Freddie? I thought you wanted to play?” Chuck jeered. He grabbed a handful of Freddie’s hair, yanking his head up. His smirk was cruel, the kind that came from knowing no one would stop him. His fist cocked back, his intention obvious.

Noel had seen enough.

Before Chuck’s punch could land, a hand caught his wrist. The force behind the punch meant nothing. His momentum stopped dead.

“That’s enough…” Noel said, her voice firm.

Chuck’s brow twitched. The laughter from the crowd died down. He turned, eyes narrowing at the girl who had interrupted. “Stay out of this, blondie! This freak kept talking to my girl. I’m here to send a message.”

Noel didn’t flinch. “Then words are enough to suffice. Violence doesn’t solve the issue.”

Chuck scoffed, “What are you, my mother?”

He yanked his arm, expecting her to let go. She didn’t. Chuck tugged harder, his confidence faltering. Noel’s grip was like iron, unshaken. His face reddened, his bravado cracking. “L-Let go, you gorilla!”

Chuck tried again to yank his arm free. Nothing. The crowd’s murmurs grew, and a flicker of uncertainty flashed in his eyes.

Noel let go—but before Chuck could take a breath of relief, she struck. A sharp palm to his chest sent him staggering backward. The gasp of air leaving his lungs was audible, and the onlookers gasped as one. Noel was already moving.

Chuck barely had time to react. Instinct took over, and he threw his arms up to defend his face. Wrong choice.

Noel dipped past his guard, wrapping an arm around his neck while securing the other under his arm. A textbook kata-gatame. Her movements were fluid, practiced—she made it look effortless.

Chuck let out a choked sound. Then, in one swift motion, Noel stepped forward, swept his leg, and lifted him.

The world flipped for Chuck. The impact was loud. His back hit the floor, breath escaping him in a sharp wheeze.

Silence.

The crowd stared in wide-eyed disbelief as Chuck’s legs weakly kicked at the air. Noel’s grip remained ironclad. She tightened her hold, pressing her elbow in just enough to cut his air supply further.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, her voice casual. Mocking. “I thought you wanted to play?”

Chuck’s eyes darted to the circle of students—the same ones who once admired him. Others, like poor old Freddie, who once feared him, had their satisfaction filled. Now, even his girlfriend was watching—amused by his pathetic state. Their gazes pierced him. Humiliation burned hotter than the lack of oxygen.

His breathing turned ragged. His pride fought, but his survival instincts screamed louder. “I-I-I give!”

Noel didn’t move.

“What’s that?” Her voice was light, teasing.

“I give up!” Chuck gasped, his face reddening further.

Satisfied, Noel let go.

Chuck rolled onto his side, coughing violently. Noel, on the other hand, got up and casually brushed imaginary dust from her clothes. As if she hadn’t just thrown a man twice her size like a ragdoll.

The students murmured, some snickering, others whispering about her technique.

Then a voice cut through the noise.

“What the hell is going on?”

The crowd split apart like a tide parting for a storm. Mr. Wilcox stood at the edge of the commotion, eyes blazing. “Fighting? On your second day?”

Noel met his gaze unflinchingly. “I was merely defending him.” She gestured toward Freddie, who finally retrieved his glasses, his hand still trembling.

“To the principal’s office, now!”

Noel sighed, already feeling the headache coming. She stepped forward, but there was a slight problem. She had no idea where that was.

This world was still strange to her. The layout of the school, the customs, even the rules—it wasn’t the academy she’d trained in. She’d never been in trouble before, so this was uncharted territory.

“I’m still new here,” she admitted.

Mr. Wilcox pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling sharply. “Someone guide her,” he grumbled, waving a hand.

A student with jet-black lips and dark attire nonchalantly stepped forward. She walked past the crowd, notioning the new student to follow her with a finger wag before putting them back into her ebony leather jacket. Noel, without a word, followed her.

“Why’d you help him?” the girl asked as they walked.

“I’m sorry?” Noel replied, puzzled.

“Freddie’s a weirdo. And Chuck was just… roughing him up.”

“There are better ways to solve an issue,” Noel explained. “Violence should be used as a last resort, and only when words can no longer be understood between both parties.”

The gothic volunteer stopped, eyeing Noel with a peculiar look. She tilted her head as she studied Noel. Her dark eyes flickered with an unreadable expression—curiosity? Amusement? Then, slowly, a smirk crept across her black-painted lips.

“You talk weird.”

Noel blinked. The words weren’t an insult, but they weren’t exactly a compliment either. Conversations in Densetsu were often laced with formalities, layers of meaning woven into every exchange. This girl, however, was direct—blunt, even.

There was a pause—just long enough for Noel to wonder if she’d somehow offended her.

Then, the student’s grin widened. “I like it. There’s not a lot of people like you who talk like that. I’m Skarlet, by the way.”

Noel raised a brow. “Skarlet?”

In Densetsu culture, most individuals introduced themselves with their full names. Surnames were important. They carried history, lineage, and privileges. Hearing only a given name felt incomplete for Noel.

“Weird name. Yeah, I know.”

“Oh no, it’s a beautiful name!” Noel complimented. “Where I come from, people normally exchange their full names. I’m not used to hearing just their first name.”

“Right?” Skarlet replied. “Where are you from?”

Noel’s master’s warning echoed in her mind. Remember this well, Noel. If anyone asks where you come from, you tell them that you’re from Japan.

“Japan,” Noel lied.

“Huh, yeah, that makes sense. Name’s Skarlet Wright.”

The continued their way toward the principal’s office. Noel allowed herself a moment of ease—until she felt a strange sensation.

A chill crawled up her spin. A ripple in the air. The faintest pulse of a powerful aura.

Noel’s entire body tensed. Like goosebumps in the wake of an unseen force. A reiki presence— strong.

“I’m sorry, Skarlet, but I have to go!”

“Hey wait, where are—”

Noel sprinted down the hallway. A gust of wind burst past Skarlet as she vanished from sight.

Skarlet blinked, her mouth slightly agape. “Wow, she’s…fast.”

「10 Minutes Ago」

Kotaro and Rocky finally arrived at school, parting ways near the entrance. Rocky strode toward his first class while Kotaro made his way to the lockers. A growing crowd gathered down the hall, but he barely spared it a glance. Freddie was probably getting himself into trouble again— nothing new.

He reached his locker, twisting the dial to his combination. The metal door creaked open. Just as he reached for his textbooks, a shift in the air sent a ripple down his spine. A presence.

It wasn’t just someone standing nearby—it was more than that. A looming force, heavy and suffocating, like standing at the edge of a storm. Kotaro stiffened. Instincts screamed at him to turn around.

A deep, smooth yet dripping with amusement, broke the silence. “Are you Kotaro Nishiki?”

Kotaro exhaled through his nose and shut his locker. He turned, meeting the gaze of a towering man. Ebony-skinned, long cascading curls, eyes sharp with something unreadable. He looked too old to be a student, too young to be a teacher. And yet, he carried himself like he owned the room.

Kotaro didn’t like that.

“Can I help you?” he asked, scanning the stranger carefully. “Do I know you?”

“Oh honey, you will soon,” he slurred. The stranger’s lips curled, his speech draped in the cadence of a performer.

Before Kotaro could react, the man slammed a palm against the lockers beside him. A pulse of reiki burst from the impact, humming in the metal. Not normal. Not safe.

Kotaro’s breath hitched. A hurricane stood beside him. He activated Reiki Magnification in his eyes. The moment he did, his stomach churned.

The large man planted his hand onto one of the lockers. A jolt of reiki surged within Kotaro’s arms. He quickly applied Reiki Magnification into his eyes.

That pressure—this was the same feeling he got from Okiku. That same monstrous weight of aura.

The man leaned in, voice low but firm. “You and I need to have a little chat…outside.”

Kotaro slowly drew away from the crowd to avoid any attention. They walked to the courtyard, where the biting wind gnawed at Kotaro’s skin. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, but even that did little to fight off the cold.

Victor exhaled, his breath visible in the crisp air. He turned to Kotaro with the presence of authority. “The name’s Victor Leblanc.”

“Okay, Victor, what do you want from me?” Kotaro questioned. And why do we have to be outside? The icy chill seeped into his skin, but it didn’t seem to bother Victor at all.

Victor stepped forward, planting his feet firmly into the ground. A rosy aura flared to life around his right hand, swirling with a mesmerizing glow. His presence, already suffocating, became worse. “Attack Skill!”

The ground trembled beneath their feet. The sheer force of Victor’s reiki sent vibrations through the earth. As soon as Kotaro observed Victor’s hand brimming with reiki, he grasped the gravity of this confrontation. This guy was serious!

“Whoa, whoa, wait! It doesn’t have to be like this, Victor!” Kotaro held up his hands, waving them profusely.

Victor remained steadfast. He completed his incantation with a swift breath. “Super Valentine Dandelion Glamaourous Perfectionist Jet Thrust!”

Nothing. Silence lingered, and an uneasy pause hung in the air.

“What?” Kotaro responded, his bafflement shattering the silence. “What’s with the long—”

Then, Victor’s entire body hurled into the air. Victor moved like a blur, closing the distance in an instant. Kotaro braced for impact—

A foot slammed into his side.

Kotaro hit the ground hard, rolling across the snow before coming to a stop. Gritting his teeth, he looked up to see Noel standing where he’d been, shaking her foot as if she’d just kicked a rock.

“At least warn me, jerk!” Kotaro groaned, regaining his footing.

Victor didn’t slow down. He lunged at Noel, his strikes quick and calculated. Noel parried his first punch, knocking his arms aside. Then the next. He propelled his kick at her.

Noel stepped aside, catching his shoulder and attempting to throw him—but Victor countered. With raw strength, he grabbed her arm and hurled her like a ragdoll.

She twisted midair, flipping onto a thick tree branch. The bark quietly creaked under the force of her landing. Using it as a springboard, Noel launched herself forward, aiming a powerful kick.

Victor flipped backwards, narrowly avoiding the blow. The ground cracked where she landed. Snow went flying in all directions.

“Hey, you’re pretty good,” Victor complimented, a slight grin on his big, glossy lips.

Noel scoffed, “Thank you, but I’m not even trying.”

“Good. Neither was I!”

Victor advanced again, his attacks becoming sharper, more aggressive. Every strike was precise, controlled, like a tiger stalking its prey. Noel, in contrast, moved with a dancer’s grace, her arms flowing in fluid arcs as she intercepted his attacks. Tiger versus crane.

“How did you get here in the Outside World?” Noel inquired, drawing some distance.

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe some gap yokai helped me cross over?” Victor teased.

Noel’s face darkened. Her master. “Damn it, master. What are you even planning this time?”

Victor’s grin stretched. “Oh, so you’re a student of Yuuki Nohara. This will be interesting!”

Noel tensed. “You know him?”

“Yes, queen! I mean, who doesn’t?”

Kotaro, still watching from the sidelines, raised an eyebrow. “I don’t mean to interrupt this… whatever this is, but are you two still fighting? Or are we good now?”

His answer came in the form of a renewed clash—Victor and Noel launching into another exchange of blows. Kotaro sighed, dusting himself off. “Great. Thanks for clearing that up.”