Immortal Mythos: Bound by Void-Chapter 5: The First Surge

Yuki walked home in a daze, his mind replaying the strange events of the day. No matter how hard he tried to focus on something else, the memories of the silver fox, the mysterious power that surged through him, and the unsettling feelings in his body kept creeping to the surface.

He passed the same convenience store, the same alleyway, and the same group of people gathered in front of it. Normally, he would've just kept walking—he was the type to avoid trouble—but today, something tugged at him. Something he couldn't ignore.

He froze.

Just ahead, a young girl stood alone in front of the store, her back turned. A couple of older teens were laughing loudly nearby, exchanging jokes Yuki didn't care to hear. Then, one of them shoved the girl against the wall.

Yuki's body moved before his mind could catch up. "Hey, what's your problem?" he shouted without thinking, already walking toward the group.

The teens turned. One of them smirked, sizing him up. "What do you want, kid?"

Yuki's fists clenched, his heart pounding in his chest. "Leave her alone," he demanded, his voice colder than he meant it to be.

The bully sneered, the kind of sneer that only came from someone who thought they were untouchable. "What's a little shrimp like you gonna do?"

Before Yuki could think to dodge or deflect, the bully swung a punch. Instinctively, Yuki ducked—way too fast. His body moved without thought, almost too quickly for his brain to process.

Everything slowed.

He darted behind the bully, his hand slamming into the guy's side with a force that sent him crashing to the ground. The sound of the impact echoed through the alley, but Yuki wasn't done. His body surged with adrenaline, amplifying something deeper within.

His hands—his fingers—glowed faintly, pulsing with an eerie energy.

A ripple of power pulsed from him. The ground beneath his feet cracked slightly. The air shimmered, vibrating with an unnerving energy, like the world itself was reacting to him.

The remaining bullies took a step back, eyes wide with shock.

"What the hell was that?" one of them stammered, his voice trembling with fear.

Yuki's vision blurred, the colors around him warping and flickering. His emotions took over, amplifying everything—his strength, his fear, his power—until his body felt like it might explode. His golden eyes glowed briefly, a wild and untamed light that made him feel like something... something dangerous.

"Stop," Yuki whispered to himself, his voice shaky. "Stop it..."

But the power didn't listen. It only surged more violently.

One of the bullies, carrying a bat, charged at him, but Yuki was already there. Faster than anyone could see, he was behind the guy, a hand gripping his shoulder and shoving him away like he was nothing.

"Get out of here," Yuki said, his voice dark and unfamiliar, something cold and dangerous lacing his words. The bullies hesitated, their fear palpable. After a moment of uncertainty, they turned and ran off, disappearing into the night.

Yuki stood there, breathless. His body was still trembling with power, his heart still racing, but something else—something unsettling—was beginning to settle inside him.

The girl, now shaking but unharmed, stared at him, her wide eyes full of confusion and awe. "What... what just happened?" she asked, her voice low.

Yuki didn't have an answer. He could barely process what had just occurred himself. His mind was still trying to catch up to his body.

"What the hell is happening to me?" he thought, but the words barely made it past his lips.

The girl took a shaky breath, brushing off the dust from her clothes. She seemed disoriented, but her gaze on him wasn't full of fear. It wasn't even surprise.

It was... curiosity.

"You're not normal, are you?" she asked, her voice soft but knowing.

Yuki blinked, caught off guard by her words. "Huh?"

"You moved like lightning," she continued, her gaze still fixed on him. "And your aura..."

Yuki took a cautious step back, his mind spinning. "What did you just say?"

She looked around, checking the alleyway for anyone else who might be watching, before stepping closer to him. She lowered her voice. "You might want to tone it down next time. People with weak spirits won't notice much, but those of us who can see..."

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She trailed off, her expression softening just slightly. "You're lucky it was me."

Yuki's heart skipped a beat, his confusion deepening. "Wait, who are you?"

The girl flashed a small, knowing smile. "Let's just say... I can see things others can't."

Before he could respond, she began to turn away, but then stopped, glancing back at him. "My name's Aiko, by the way. You should really learn to control your aura before something worse finds you."

And with that, she slipped away into the crowd, vanishing as quickly as she had appeared.

Yuki stood frozen, his pulse still pounding in his ears. The words she had said rang in his mind like an echo. Aura? Control it? What did that even mean?

His world felt like it had shifted once again. It wasn't just the strange power in his body, or the strange visions that had begun to plague him—it was something more, something he hadn't even begun to understand.

The next day at school, Yuki couldn't stop thinking about the encounter. The classroom felt colder than usual as he sat at his desk, chin resting in his hand, eyes half-glazed over as the teacher droned on about history. He wasn't really hearing it. His mind kept replaying the moment from last night—his fists glowing, the ground cracking, the look in that girl's eyes.

The teacher mentioned something about the Warring States period, but it was all just background noise. Yuki's pencil rested on a blank notebook page. All he could see was the girl's eyes from the night before.

Aiko...

Her name stuck in his thoughts like a thorn. She had looked straight into his soul and spoken as if she knew exactly what was happening to him. But who even was she?

He stole a glance across the classroom. There she was—sitting quietly near the window, doodling something in her notebook. As if she felt his gaze, she looked up. Their eyes met for a split second. She raised an eyebrow, then looked away with a slight smirk.

That was it. No explanation. No follow-up.

The bell rang.

Students flooded out of the classroom, but Yuki lingered. So did she.

He approached her, trying to sound casual. "Hey... Aiko, right?"

She looked up, not surprised. "Took you long enough."

Yuki blinked. "Wait—so you were expecting me to talk to you?"

She shrugged. "You've had that look in your eyes all class. Like your brain's on fire."

Yuki lowered his voice. "What happened last night... that wasn't normal, was it?"

Aiko closed her notebook slowly. "No. But you aren't normal either."

He frowned. "You said something about an aura. What did you mean?"

She stood up, stepping close enough that he could hear her whisper. "There's energy around you. Chaotic, powerful, and old. It's only just waking up."

Yuki felt a chill down his spine. "So what am I?"

Aiko paused. For a moment, it looked like she was about to say something important—but then she just gave him a gentle smile.

"You'll find out soon enough. But trust me, Yuki... things are going to get a lot more complicated from here."

She turned and walked off, her long black hair swaying behind her, leaving Yuki staring after her—half anxious, half in awe.

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