Beep. Beep. Beep. The incessant shrill of the alarm clock dragged Yuzuha from the depths of her sleep, but something was different this time. The air felt colder, heavier, as though the shadows in the room had thickened overnight. Her limbs were sluggish, and her thoughts scattered like broken glass. She reached out, instinctively slapping the snooze button, but her hand brushed against something that didn't belong.
izui and Inui. Her golden retrievers.
The warmth she usually felt from them was there, but they was still curled up beside her. Her fingers trembled as they brushed through his fur, and then she remembered—Izui, too. Her smaller, energetic dog, always by her side, was nuzzled against her leg.
She sighed in relief. They were both alive and well.
Still, something felt wrong. The air around her felt thick, as if something was hanging just out of sight, just waiting to emerge. She shook her head, trying to push the unease away, and sat up in bed.
The dogs, as if sensing her discomfort, both shifted and curled around her, offering a sense of comfort in their own way. She ran her fingers through Inui's golden fur, brushing him gently, then did the same with Izui's sleek black coat. The routine, as simple as it was, grounded her—yet the feeling of foreboding lingered, growing with each passing second.
The clock's beeping continued, its shrillness now more invasive. Yuzuha shot up, heart hammering, and turned to check on the dogs again. They were fine. Perfectly fine. But her chest still felt tight as she tried to push the strange feeling away.
She forced herself out of bed, still unsettled, and moved toward the kitchen. The usual smell of coffee and morning routine seemed muted, like the world was growing distant. The kitchen was oddly silent, the hum of the refrigerator gone, replaced by an eerie stillness.
Then, in the corner of her eye, something caught her attention—a single red rose, its vibrant color impossibly sharp against the grim backdrop of her cluttered apartment. It sat on her desk, placed perfectly atop the disarray of her belongings. Her chest constricted. Where did that come from?
No one was here last night... she thought, but the thought barely registered as her fingers twitched to reach for the note folded beneath it.
When she unfolded it, the words hit her like a bullet to the chest:
Wanna play a game?
Her breath caught in her throat. Her pulse thundered in her ears as she stared at the paper, the ink dark and almost too smooth-too deliberate. The note felt wrong. Like it wasn't meant for her, but somehow, she was the one who had stumbled upon it.
But who left it?
Her mind raced, piecing together fragments of a reality that no longer made sense. Was it a prank? A fan? No, something about this was too... wrong.
She shoved the rose and note into her bag, trying to act as if nothing had happened. But the chill of the words clung to her, refusing to let go.
The rest of the day blurred in a haze, the unease never quite leaving her.
When she met up with Aoi and Haruto, they seemed like distant figures in her fogged reality. Aoi greeted her with his usual grin, an innocent brightness in his voice, but it felt too forced. Too... safe.
"Perfect day, right?" he said, linking his arm through hers as they walked to class.
Yuzuha forced a smile. "Yeah, perfect as always," she echoed mechanically, the dread simmering just beneath her words.
But Aoi didn't see it. Haruto didn't see it. No one did. The world felt hollow, like an illusion.
It wasn't until Haruto pulled out his phone that she felt the first true spark of something that made her blood run cold. He turned the screen toward them, showing a headline in grim black text:
Gruesome Discovery in Ubangi National Park—Journalists Found Skinned and Devoured by Wild Dogs.
Yuzuha recoiled in horror. "That's... that's horrific!"Her voice trembled. The air seemed to freeze. The image of mangled bodies flickered behind her eyes, cold and brutal.
Aoi's expression mirrored hers. "That sounds like something out of a nightmare..."
But Haruto leaned in closer, his voice lowering to a near whisper. "You won't believe this. The journalists were investigating Dark Shadow. My dad's working on the case. And he's scared, Yuzuha.
Really scared."
The world went still for a moment. Dark Shadow. The name hit her like a slap to the face. The mafia boss rumored to be involved in the worst atrocities imaginable.
"Dark Shadow..."Yuzuha muttered, her throat dry. The thought of him, the monster lurking in the shadows of their world, twisted her stomach.
Aoi's voice was thick with disgust. "How could anyone be so cruel?"
Yuzuha clenched her fists, a fire burning in her chest. She hated Dark Shadow. The monster who did this, who terrorized the world with no remorse. But she couldn't let that fear define her. Not now.
Before she could respond, an announcement blared from the speakers. "The third-semester results are up. Please check the board for your rankings."
Yuzuha's legs felt unsteady as they moved toward the notice board, her mind elsewhere. She didn't even hear the chatter of the crowd until the announcer's voice rang out.
"First place: Niyoni Akari. Second place: Naomi Yakuna. And third place... Yuzuha Hinamiyo!"
Her world tilted. Third place?
The words didn't make sense. Her name?
Her body felt distant, as if she were no longer present. Her legs moved, but they felt numb. The applause around her was a strange, deafening sound, and yet, it felt hollow. Aoi's voice cut through the noise, his bright grin all too familiar.
"You did it, Yuzuha! Third place! I knew you could do it!"
But even as she nodded, her smile forced, something inside her twisted. A dark, oppressive weight crushed her chest. Recognition. Applause. It meant nothing.
The evening didn't offer any relief. When she reached her apartment, the unease was sharper. The elevator ride felt too long. The silence between floors stretched out like a prelude to a nightmare. When the doors finally opened, her eyes fell on the lifeless body of Tatsuki, her landlord. He was sprawled across the floor, his body mangled beyond recognition. Blood pooled around him, staining the otherwise sterile white tiles.
Standing above him was a figure cloaked in darkness, a black hoodie and a mask concealing his identity. His presence was suffocating, predatory. He didn't need to speak for Yuzuha to feel the weight of his malice.
In his hand, a hammer glistened with fresh blood.
Her heart slammed against her ribs. The world went quiet as she froze, unable to move. His cold, calculating blue eyes locked onto hers from beneath the mask. The stare was icy, predatory. It was the look of a hunter.
And then, in a flash, he moved. The hammer rose in the air.
Yuzuha's chest tightened. Her breath was caught in her throat. But no matter how hard she tried, her legs wouldn't move. She was trapped in place. Helpless.
Everything went black.