### Volume 2: Upper World

  **Chapter 7 The Dojo’s Silence**

  The dojo was old—wooden beams creaking under the weight of years, tatami mats stained dark in places where blood had soaked in long ago. A single lantern hung from the ceiling, swinging slow, throwing shadows that danced across the walls like ghosts. Rain had started outside, soft at first, then heavier—tapping the roof like fingers, then fists. The air smelled of wet cedar, iron, and rot.

  Sky stood in the center of the main room, shirt off, white pants rolled to the knees. A cracked basin sat in front of him—water gone pink from the blood he kept scrubbing off his arms, chest, face. Demons. Devils. Hundreds of them. Their black ichor clung like tar, thick and stubborn, no matter how hard he scrubbed. The knife—his mom’s knife—lay on the edge of the basin, blade still wet and red. He didn’t look at it.

  Every few seconds he paused, hands shaking under the cold water, listening.

  Screams carried on the wind—distant, cut off sharp. Wet ripping sounds. Bones snapping. Chewing. Laughter that wasn’t human.

  Sky’s stomach twisted. He knew what that meant. The Upper World had shattered. Trillions of demons and devils had fallen like rain. Japan was drowning in them. And it was his fault.

  If he hadn’t seen Ray climb into the rift.

  If he hadn’t followed.

  If he hadn’t let Jane out.

  If he hadn’t broken everything.

  He squeezed the rag so hard water dripped red between his fingers. The second heartbeat thumped once—slow, smug. Jane was quiet now, resting, but Sky could feel it watching. Waiting.

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  The radio—small, cracked, scavenged from the bar—sat on a low table in the corner. It had been silent since the fall. Until now.

  Static hissed.

  Then a voice—calm, professional, like reading a death list.

  “…confirmed casualties from the initial descent event. Upper World collapse caused by unknown spatial rupture. Fatalities include…”

  Sky froze, water dripping from his hands.

  “…Juno, age 14, Whisper Trap user, killed in the initial blast wave. Rita, age 15, Dominion Mark user, confirmed crushed under falling debris. Jessica, age 14, Spark Edge user, electrocuted during lightning backlash in the chaos. Additional unconfirmed losses still being reported…”

  Sky’s eyes widened. The names hit like punches—each one landing harder than the last.

  Juno. The quiet kid who trapped everything with a whisper.

  Rita. The one who filmed everything, always trying to hold onto memories.

  Jessica. The girl who lit up rooms with her speed and sparks.

  Dead.

  Because of him.

  Because he’d let Jane out. Because he’d slammed that fireball down. Because he’d broken the Upper World.

  Sky’s fist clenched. The rag dropped.

  He walked to the nearest wall—old wood, scarred from years of training.

  He punched.

  Not with will energy. Just raw, human rage.

  The wall cracked. Then shattered. Wood splintered outward in a spray of dust and splinters. The whole section collapsed inward, exposing the rainy night beyond.

  Sky stood there breathing hard, knuckles bleeding, chest heaving.

  Then—footsteps.

  Outside. Slow. Deliberate. Boots on wet ground.

  Sky’s hand snapped to the knife. He dropped low, sliding behind the kitchen counter—old wood, low enough to hide his tall frame. Breath shallow. Knife gripped reverse, ready.

  The door creaked open.

  Two voices—low, rough.

  “Boy isn’t here.”

  “Figures. Kid’s slippery. Heard he’s got the core—the real one.”

  First voice snorted. “Powers are insane. Spatial Surge, Echo Fist, Chain Bind, Burst Chain, Blood Gun, Blade Fracture, Frame Bind, Echo Resonance… and that’s just the base ones. If he syncs fully with Jane’s kit—Cleave, Dismantle, Jackpot Pulse, Heart’s Requiem—he’ll be untouchable.”

  Second voice laughed—cold. “Then we kill him before he gets there. Mara’s already on the move. SS+ rank doesn’t miss.”

  Footsteps faded. Door creaked shut.

  Sky stayed crouched, knife trembling in his grip.

  He heard the rain.

  He heard his own heartbeat—both of them.

  And somewhere, deep inside, Jane whispered.

  *They’re right, boy. You’re getting stronger. Just let me help.*

  Sky closed his eyes.

  The chapter ended.

  To be continued…