[h3][color=7087A8][b]Kael Arashiro[/b][/color][/h3]
[img]https://imgur.com/g1Ogi2t.jpg[/img]

A month away from Sagamiyama had done him good.

Too good, maybe.

Salt air, engine noise, and early mornings spent hauling nets beneath skies large enough to make most problems feel smaller than they actually were. It had been simpler than balancing school, training, family expectations, and disappearing into the night to hunt creatures most people would never know existed.

Graduation had only complicated things. The family businesses. The sea. Staying in Sagamiyama. Leaving it. Too many paths, and too much thinking.

Tonight, instinct cut cleanly through all of that.

Standing outside the convenience store with a cold drink in hand, Kael felt it immediately.

Hollow.

His gaze shifted toward the road.

A quadrupedal shape stood beneath the streetlights, motionless except for the slow turn of its head toward him. For a brief moment, neither moved. The familiar tension settled into his shoulders automatically, calm and practiced after the last month.

Then the Hollow turned away.

Not retreating exactly. Moving with purpose.

It bounded down the road toward the city center.

Kael frowned slightly.

[color=7087A8][i]...That's new.[/i][/color]

The vibration in his pocket interrupted the thought.

Soul Pager.

Right. He had almost forgotten what carrying the thing felt like after a month away.

Pulling it free, his eyes dropped to the screen.

[color=fff79a][b]Come to Sakuhana Park, now![/b][/color]

Short. Urgent.

The lingering pressure hanging over Sagamiyama suddenly made much more sense.

Too much reiatsu.

Too many familiar signatures.

Something had happened.

Without hesitation, Kael set the unfinished drink beside the vending machine and stepped toward the convenience store entrance.

[color=7087A8][b]"Sorry,"[/b][/color] he called toward his relative inside, already backing toward the street. [color=7087A8][b]"Something came up. I'll explain later."[/b][/color]

Not a great explanation.

It would have to do.

The moment he cleared the storefront, his pace changed.

Movement flowed smoothly from one step into the next as he cut through the late-night streets toward Sakuhana Park. Corners shortened beneath practiced footwork, momentum carrying naturally through turns, stairs, railings, and narrow walkways without ever fully breaking rhythm.

[color=5F9EA0]Kaze Ayumi.[/color] Not explosive speed. Just efficient movement. Constant movement.

The full moon overhead felt strangely oppressive tonight, and the pressure in the air only grew heavier the closer he drew to the park. By the time the familiar outline of Sakuhana began appearing between rooftops and darkened streets, Kael was already reaching into his pocket.

Cold metal met his fingers.

The Substitute Badge.

His grip settled around it as his pace eased approaching the edge of the area.

Something serious had happened here.

He could feel it.

Without breaking stride, Kael pulled the badge free beneath the moonlight and continued toward the park.