[Scene opens – Rekikan Inner Citadel, Assignment Hall]
Jin Kuroya stood in front of a massive obsidian gate, a glowing sigil spinning slowly above it: 六番隊 — Squad Six.
He'd passed the Trial of Worth faster than nearly anyone in recent history.Now came his squad assignment.
Tsukiko stood beside him."You'll be under Captain Aria Kurogiri. Try not to piss her off. Or stare too long."
"Wait—the Aria Kurogiri?" Jin blinked."Like, the rogue assassin who wiped out a cursed temple solo and disappeared for three years?"
"The very one."
The gate opened.
[Scene shift – Squad Six barracks: clean, dim, dangerous]
Jin stepped inside. The room was silent—blades lined the walls, flames flickered in lanterns powered by soul energy, and everything smelled like steel and lavender.
Captain Aria sat atop a circular stone seat, legs crossed, one hand lazily spinning a dagger between her fingers. Black combat cloak draped loosely over one shoulder, her long silver hair tied back. Her amber eyes locked onto Jin like a predator clocking a challenge.
"So you're the crimson soul everyone's whispering about," she said coolly."You look like a stray who stumbled into godhood."
Jin shrugged. "You're not wrong."
Aria stood and walked up to him, just a bit shorter than him but exuding 100x the pressure.
"Tell me, Jin Kuroya. Why should I keep you in Squad Six?"
Jin looked her dead in the eye."Because I'm not here to be protected. I'm here to change the damn game."
A long pause. Then—
Aria smirked. "Good answer."
[Scene shift – Squad introduction: rooftop overlook]
Jin met the rest of the Ashen Blades:
Ketsu Onari – The tactician. Cool glasses guy. Kesshinken manifests like shadow threads.
Marin Yuza – Soulcaster sniper. Keeps her distance, but hits like a truck. Also has a thing for tea.
Sora Nemez – The wildcard. Dual daggers. Talks to his blade like it's his girlfriend.
They all watched Jin, not with fear—but expectation.
"So, rookie," Ketsu said, adjusting his specs. "Ready to see what Squad Six really does?"
[Scene shift – Mission Deployment Room, late night]
Captain Aria briefed them.
"A spirit rift opened just outside the city of Nanimura. Civilian souls are vanishing. Yomurei presence confirmed."
She tossed Jin a cloak—black with red trim.
"This is your first real mission, Kuroya. No trial. No illusion. You die here, you stay dead."
Jin slid the cloak over his shoulders."Good. I was getting bored."
[Final Scene – Mission begins: Nanimura outskirts, midnight]
They arrived.
The air was thick with soul fog. The sky twisted like it was breathing. A village half-consumed by shadow stood ahead, flickering with flashes of red flame and screams that echoed with ghostly delay.
Ketsu activated a sigil. "Five Yomurei confirmed. One of them… big."
A massive silhouette emerged in the dark—a Yomurei unlike any Jin had seen. Ten feet tall, bone mask warped into a permanent grin, body stitched with soul chains.
Marin cursed."That's not just a Yomurei…"
"It's a Wretched Alpha," Aria said."And it knows Jin's name."
The beast bellowed:
"Kuroya… the one who carries Renzai… You belong to the Forsaken."
Jin stepped forward. Blade forming in his hand, glowing hotter than ever.
"I belong to no one."He pointed the blade at the monster.
"Let's dance."