The man moved faster than the rain had fallen.
One moment he stood across the street.
The next—
he was already halfway to Kenji.
The black blade in his hand cut through the air without a sound.
Kenji barely had time to react.
But the shadow did.
The darkness beneath their feet surged upward.
Not like smoke.
Not like fog.
Like a wall.
The blade struck it.
For a split second—
steel met shadow.
Then the street exploded.
A shockwave tore across the pavement.
Windows in the hospital lobby rattled violently.
Water rippled outward in sharp waves.
The attacker was thrown back several feet, boots scraping hard against the asphalt as he forced himself upright.
Kenji hadn't moved.
He stood exactly where he had been.
The shadow towered beside him now.
Not flat.
Not formless.
It had shape.
Tall.
Vaguely human.
Watching.
The attacker stared at it.
"That's impossible."
Kenji tilted his head slightly.
"You keep saying that."
The man's eyes darkened.
"That thing shouldn't obey you."
Kenji glanced at the silhouette beside him.
"Honestly," he said, "I'm not sure it does."
The shadow shifted.
Subtle.
Like it had heard him.
The attacker tightened his grip on the blade.
"Do you even understand what that is?"
Kenji thought about the darkness he had seen.
Crowded.
Watching.
"No," he said.
"But I'm guessing you're about to tell me."
The man lunged again.
This time—
the blade aimed straight for Kenji's throat.
The shadow moved.
Not in front of him.
Through him.
For a brief instant, something cold passed through Kenji's chest—
not pain—
just presence.
Then the shadow emerged behind him.
Its arm—if it could be called that—shot forward.
The attacker froze.
The blade stopped inches from Kenji's neck.
The shadow held his wrist.
Not tightly.
Just enough.
But he couldn't move.
The man's eyes widened.
"That's not possible…"
The shadow tightened its grip.
A faint creak echoed in the air.
Bone.
Kenji stepped closer.
"You came here to kill me," he said calmly.
"So let's try something different."
The man struggled.
Useless.
The shadow held him perfectly still.
Kenji glanced at the blade.
"First question."
No answer.
Just anger.
Kenji didn't rush.
"Who exactly are 'they'?"
The man's expression shifted.
Then—
he smiled.
Slow.
Unsettling.
"You think this ends with me?"
Kenji shrugged.
"It usually does."
A quiet laugh.
"You crossed the wrong door."
Kenji exhaled.
"I've heard that."
The man leaned forward as far as the shadow allowed.
His voice dropped.
"Now the First Rule applies."
Kenji frowned slightly.
"First rule?"
The man whispered:
"If something escapes death…"
A pause.
"…we hunt it."
Kenji considered that.
"Seems rude."
The shadow tightened again.
The man winced.
Kenji tilted his head.
"Second question."
The man's breathing grew uneven.
Kenji asked calmly:
"What exactly followed me back?"
The man looked at the shadow.
And for the first time—
real fear surfaced.
"You don't know?"
Kenji didn't respond.
The man swallowed hard.
"That thing…"
His voice shook.
"…isn't your shadow."
The streetlights flickered.
Kenji turned slowly toward the figure beside him.
For a moment—
he thought he saw its face.
And it was smiling.