Unsealing the scrolls

The night air in Kyoto was thick with the scent of rain. The streets shimmered under the pale glow of flickering lamps, casting ghostly reflections onto the slick cobblestones. Inosun Ichiguro kept his hood up as he slipped through the back gate of Kyoto High, heart racing. He wasn’t supposed to be here — not at this hour.

But tonight wasn’t just any night.

Inosun had been dragged into this by Fushigini, the calm but cunning second-year, and Toshimaru, whose piercing eyes always seemed to hide more than they revealed. The three of them stood in the shadow of the old temple building, its wooden walls groaning under the weight of centuries.

In Toshimaru’s hands was an ancient scroll, bound in deep crimson silk and sealed with a black wax emblem shaped like twin serpents devouring each other.

> “This isn’t just some history club project, is it?” Inosun whispered, eyeing the scroll.

Fushigini smirked. “Not even close. They say this scroll is cursed. But if we unseal it… it will grant us a glimpse of power beyond anything we’ve ever known.”

Inosun felt a shiver crawl up his spine. His instincts screamed to walk away. But another part of him — the reckless part — wanted to see. To know.

Toshimaru’s voice was low, almost trembling. “Once we break this seal, there’s no turning back.”

The wax cracked with a sound far too loud for the quiet night. The silk wrapping fell away, revealing strange black ink symbols that pulsed faintly like veins of light. The wind picked up, howling through the temple, and the air grew heavier — thicker — as if the world itself was holding its breath.

Suddenly, the ground trembled.

From the darkness beyond the temple gates came a low, guttural growl. Two glowing, beastly eyes emerged from the shadows. The creature was massive, its body shifting between flesh and smoke, its fangs glinting under the moonlight.

> “We… we woke it up,” Fushigini stammered.

The scroll tore itself from Toshimaru’s hands, floating into the air. Black tendrils lashed out, coiling around Inosun’s arm like chains.

Pain. A burning, searing pain shot through his body, and a voice echoed inside his mind.

> "At last… freedom."

Inosun’s knees buckled, but the voice continued, deep and ancient.

> "I am Rioten Tangent… and now, boy, I live within you."

Visions flashed — an endless battlefield soaked in blood, a man with the same eyes as Inosun but darker, crueler, wielding a blade of pure shadow. Another voice rose, laughter echoing through the chaos.

The beast lunged, but Inosun’s body moved on its own, his hand snapping up. A burst of black energy exploded from his palm, slamming the creature into the temple wall.

The scroll dropped, lifeless and burned.

Inosun gasped, clutching his chest. Fushigini and Toshimaru stared at him, their faces pale.

> “What… was that?” Toshimaru asked, almost afraid of the answer.

Inosun didn’t know. But deep inside, Rioten’s voice whispered again.

> "Collect the fragments… or you will die. My brother rises, and if he returns first… both our souls are doomed."

The wind died down. The night seemed calm again, but Inosun knew it wasn’t over. The seal was broken. The curse had begun.

And somewhere in the darkness, another pair of eyes was watching.

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