6 The Dark Rider

  [Player: Kazuki Arata]

  [Level: 1]

  [Waza: Black Hand, Thread Cutter, Aura Sense, Dark Rider]

  [Kegare: 24%]

  [Status: Merged]

  ---

  The convenience store's fluorescent lights buzzed overhead as Arata-san scanned items at the register. His eyes darted to the clock for the fifth time in half an hour. Eleven forty-five. Fifteen more minutes until escape.

  "That'll be 1,240 yen," he muttered to the businessman who hadn't once looked up from his phone.

  As the customer left, Kazuki saw something in the shadows across the street—a small dark shape with eyes that reflected the store lights.

  A cat.

  It sat perfectly still, watching him through the window. Kazuki blinked back.

  The automatic door opened and another customer came in. When the door slid shut again, the cat was gone.

  ---

  The sensation of being followed prickled at the back of Kazuki's neck as he walked home. The streetlights created islands of yellow, with darkness in the spaces between.

  Kazuki turned, scanning the empty sidewalk behind him. Nothing. He took a few more steps, then spun around quickly.

  There it was - the black cat from the convenience store, padding silently behind him. It froze when he spotted it, those golden eyes unblinking.

  "Shoo," Kazuki waved his hand half-heartedly.

  The cat didn't move.

  "Fine, whatever," he muttered, continuing his walk. "Follow me if you want. I'm not feeding you."

  At each subsequent glance back, the cat maintained a consistent distance. When Kazuki reached his apartment building and climbed the stairs to the third floor, he thought he'd finally lost the creature. But as he unlocked his door, he caught movement at the bottom of the stairwell. The cat sat down delicately and stared up at him, a small brass bell glinting on its collar.

  He shook his head and stepped inside, closing the door firmly behind him.

  ---

  The notification light on his phone blinked incessantly. Kazuki thumbed through the messages, his jaw tightening with each one.

  *I'm worried about you. Please call me back.*

  *Kaz, Dr. Tanaka asked about you again. He says you can still come back if you want.*

  Delete. Delete. Delete.

  Kazuki tossed the phone onto his futon and surveyed his apartment - a single room barely large enough for one person, walls thin enough to hear his neighbor's television. Not much to call a home but he had been there for… what? Five years? It was the best he could find after his mother had disappeared.

  A soft meow came from outside his window. Kazuki ignored it, turning on his ancient TV and pulling a cup ramen from his cabinet. The meowing continued, a plaintive sound that seemed to carry a note of accusation.

  "I said I'm not feeding you," he called out, not bothering to look toward the window.

  The meowing stopped, and Kazuki felt an inexplicable twinge of guilt as he ate his dinner alone.

  ---

  The black cat became a regular visitor. Kazuki found himself buying proper cat food, then toys, then a small cushion that the cat largely ignored in favor of his futon or lap.

  On a particularly dreary Saturday, Kazuki sat on his worn sofa and powered up his game console—a high-end model purchased with money he really hadn’t had to spare. The cat appeared at his window right on cue, as if sensing his free time. Kazuki let it in without a word.

  The game loaded - a fantasy RPG. Kazuki's character was a warrior-mage who could transform into a midnight-black sabertooth panther. He'd spent hours customizing the character, making its fur the exact shade of his nameless visitor's coat.

  The cat smoothly jumped onto Kazuki's lap, curled up and then fixed the screen with her golden eyes.

  As Kazuki's fingers flew over the controller, his character transformed into the sabertooth panther, lunging at dog-headed demons with fluid, deadly grace. The cat in his lap tensed slightly, its tail twitching in time with the on-screen movements.

  Kazuki smiled, glancing down. "You like seeing yourself as a big cat, huh?"

  The cat blinked slowly, and for just a moment, Kazuki could have sworn he saw a flicker of something more in those golden eyes. A smile?

  He shook his head but a strange feeling lingered.

  As if, somewhere, it was real.

  ---

  [Level Up: 2]

  [New Waza Unlocked: Dark Rider]

  The notifications floated in Kazuki's vision. His body felt strange, fluid, powerful in an alien way.

  *What's happening to me?*

  Panic.. He was simultaneously inside and outside himself, as if he were watching his own actions from a distance. He was running, but not on two legs. His body was sleek, powerful, covered in midnight fur.

  [Kegare: 26%]

  *No. No. I don't want this. I'm human. I'm HUMAN.*

  But another presence pushed against his fear - with emotions, impressions: Confidence, fierce determination, and a predatory focus directed at the enemies surrounding them.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Kuro? he thought, uncertain.

  A wave of warmth washed through their shared mind, along with something else - urgency.

  The Inugami circled, their dog-like faces contorted in shock and rage. The mastiff leader snarled, raising his curved blade.

  "What have you done, Nekomata?"

  Their shared body moved with liquid speed, a shadow given substance. Their jaws—massive, sabertooth jaws - closed around the Inugami's arm.

  No! Too much! Kazuki's consciousness recoiled as he felt bone crushing beneath their jaws and hot blood filled his mouth.

  The power of their movements as a great cat faltered at his resistance. The blade clattered to the forest floor as the yokai howled, but Kazuki’s hesitation had cost them. Another Inugami slashed from behind, carving a burning line across their flank.

  Pain lanced through their shared form. Kuro's presence pushed against Kazuki's control, frustration flooding their bond.

  Trust me or die.

  I don't know how to fight like this! The Inugami, working as a pack, surrounded them.

  Don't think. Let go.

  An Inugami lunged, blade slashing toward their throat. Pure instinct took over—Kazuki surrendered to the current of Kuro's knowledge. Their body twisted like smoke, dodging the blade by millimeters. Blue energy rippled through their midnight fur, crackling with power.

  [Kegare: 21%]

  You have to let it happen!

  The battle became a blur of motion and violence. Three Inugami attacked at once from different angles. Their fused form of the sabertooth panther leapt high, but a blade caught their leg. They tumbled, nearly separating as Kazuki's consciousness flinched from the shared pain.

  I'm losing myself in you, Kazuki panicked. Your instincts - they're taking over -

  [Kegare: 16%]

  Not taking over. Joining. We are the Dark Rider.

  The mastiff leader, clutching his mangled arm, howled commands, and the pack regrouped for another assault. Blood matted the midnight fur of Kuro and Kazuki’s wounded flank.

  The mastiff's eyes narrowed, sensing their weakness. "The vessel resists you, Nekomata. You chose poorly."

  Kuro's presence surged against Kazuki's consciousness, not forcing control but offering... understanding. Images flashed between them: a small yokai girl with cat ears and golden eyes, hunted, alone; humans who had shown kindness; betrayal by her own kind; and finally, Kazuki himself, watching her in cat form, somehow back in his apartment in Sendai, accepting her presence without questions.

  You want to know why I chose you Kazuki? I picked you because you understand loneliness. Now choose to survive!

  Time seemed to slow as the Inugami charged. Kazuki made his decision, allowing his consciousness to fully merge with Kuro's. The sensation was like diving into dark water, terrifying and liberating at once.

  Something clicked into place, power surging through muscle and sinew. They moved as one being, no longer fighting each other's instincts but amplifying them—Kazuki's strategy with Kuro's primal power.

  [Kegare: 8%]

  Their body twisted into shadow, becoming almost incorporeal before solidifying behind the charging Inugami. Claws extended, wreathed in smoke as they carved through the nearest enemy. The mastiff leader backed away, his severed arm leaving a trail of dark blood. His muzzle pulled back in a snarl of hatred.

  "You think this abomination will save you? My master has sought vessels like this one for centuries. The Eye of Izanami sees all crossings." He gestured at Kazuki with his good arm. "The Hunt will never stop. Not for either of you!"

  Then he turned and fled, crashing through the underbrush.

  [Kegare: 5%]

  As the threat receded, Kazuki felt the fusion weakening. The shared consciousness began to separate, Kuro's presence withdrawing from his mind. Their body shimmered, the midnight fur receding.

  Not enough… came Kuro's fading thought.

  [Kegare: 0%]

  With a deep wrenching that Kazuki felt in his ligaments,, they separated and he collapsed to the forest floor, consciousness fading. The last thing he saw was Kuro in her human form - that young woman with golden eyes and small black cat ears poking through dark hair. Blood stained her side where the Inugami had struck their fused form.

  She moved over him and he felt her warm lips kiss his mouth gently. Kuro's delicate sandpaper tongue touched his, tasting his blood, as she pressed something small and round into his hand. Then, slowly, she dragged herself to her feet and staggered away, leaving a trail of dark droplets on the forest floor.

  Then sleep.

  Kazuki awoke to birdsong and sunlight filtering through leaves.He tried to move. Memories flooded back—the clearing, the Inugami, Kuro's betrayal, and then...

  They had been one. He had nearly lost himself in that union, the primal instincts of the yokai almost overwhelming him.

  Kazuki sat up slowly, wincing at the pain in his ribs. The clearing showed signs of violent struggle - broken branches, gouges in the earth, dark stains that he tried not to think about too deeply.

  "Kuro?" he called, his voice raw.

  No answer came.

  As he struggled to his feet, Kazuki noticed something in his hand - a small brass bell, identical to the one Kuro had worn in cat form, now stained with dried blood. Tied to it was a torn piece of fabric with hastily scratched symbols:

  Go to the village. The Inugami master has the Eye.

  A trail of blood droplets led away from the clearing, disappearing into the underbrush. Had she gone ahead, wounded? Or had she fled, abandoning him?

  The memory of her betrayal stung. She had led him into a trap, and planned to hand him over to the Inugami. But then she had fought for him - they had fought as one being. And now this warning.

  "Kuro!" he called again, louder this time, his voice cracking.

  Only the sounds of the forest.

  Kazuki tied the bell to his belt loop, its soft chime a small comfort. He studied the blood trail leading away from the clearing, then the path toward what must be the village Kuro had mentioned.

  Kazuki began to follow the village path, his hand occasionally touching the brass bell as if to reassure himself that Kuro herself had been real.

  The forest changed as Kazuki followed the path. Mushrooms glowed with soft blue luminescence in the shade of fallen trees. Twice, he activated his Aura Sense to ensure he wasn't walking into another trap. The world bloomed into layers of energy, revealing hidden patterns of power flowing through the forest like underground rivers.

  A small shrine appeared beside the path - a simple stone structure with curious markings carved into its surface. Offerings of berries and small carved figures surrounded it. Kazuki paused, studying the shrine curiously.

  Further on, spirit-lights danced among the trees as dusk approached—glowing orbs that bobbed and weaved like fireflies. They seemed to take an interest in Kazuki, circling him curiously before darting away when he reached toward them.

  As night fell, the twin moons rose, casting an ethereal silver-blue light over the landscape. In the distance, Kazuki spotted warm yellow light-the familiar glow of windows and lanterns.

  The village.

  Relief washed over him.

  As Kazuki approached the rice fields at the edge of the village, he saw simple wooden buildings with old tiled roofs beyond them. Lanterns hung from posts, illuminating a few figures moving about on evening errands. Some appeared human; others decidedly weren't - a woman with fox ears and multiple tails, a child with skin the color of tree bark, an elderly man whose shadow moved independently of his body.

  Kazuki hesitated at the edge of the light, suddenly conscious of his appearance - disheveled, injured, still wearing Earth clothes - clearly an outsider. The small brass bell at his waist chimed softly as he shifted his weight on his tired feet.

  A border settlement, Kuro had called it. A place where humans and peaceful yokai coexisted. People who, like him, had crossed over and couldn't find their way back?

  Taking a deep breath, Kazuki stepped towards the village square As he did, the fine hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He turned, peering into the darkness behind him. For a moment, he thought he saw a pair of eyes watching from the shadows - not the golden eyes of Kuro, but something colder, calculating.

  The Eye of Izanami sees all crossings.

  The bell at his waist chimed again, seemingly of its own accord. Kazuki wrapped his fingers around it, feeling a faint pulse of warmth. Whatever connection he and Kuro now shared, it wasn't completely gone. And whatever hunted him in these lands, he wouldn't face it alone.

  With renewed determination, Kazuki started towards the village, ready to begin the next chapter of his journey.

  ---

  [New Achievement: Brass Bell]

  [Next Chapter: The Shrine Maiden]

  Thanks for reading!

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