The sky above the junkyard was a flat sheet of dull gray, the kind that made everything feel quiet. Still. Even the wind seemed to pause as it passed through rows of rusted cars and forgotten vending machines.

Okarun hunched near a broken-down scooter, sifting through loose gravel at the bottom of the large junk pile.

Behind him, you were crouched beside a half-buried fridge, brushing aside weeds. Your expression was calm, focused, like you were completely zoned in.

Standing up, Okarun let out a huff, kicking a piece of a car bumper out of frustration.“This is hopeless. We’re never gonna find it.”

He glanced at you from the corner of his eye, but quickly looked away before you noticed the heat crawling up his ears. Or maybe you already had—you noticed things. More than he liked, sometimes.

Just then, a strange vibration hummed through the air.

Both of you froze.

It started as a low frequency, barely perceptible, like pressure building behind the ears. Okarun’s head snapped up. The sky above you warped—light bending, shapes forming.

Then it split open.

A rift tore through the sky with a high-pitched shriek, electricity arcing around its edges. Three large, gray-skinned figures dropped through the crack in reality, landing soundlessly on the ground. They looked creepily ordinary, dressed like business men in white shirts and gray slacks.

Okarun’s stomach dropped.

Serpoians.

“Target identified,”one said, voice emotionless.“Female. Genetic potential: optimal. Proceeding with extraction.”

Before Okarun could move, they were already lunging for you.

You barely had time to cry out. A metallic tendril shot toward you and coiled around your waist, lifting you off the ground. You twisted in its grip, kicking, struggling.

Okarun didn’t think. Didn’t hesitate.

He snapped.

Energy exploded from his body, raw and wild, crackling through the air like a storm breaking open. In the blink of an eye, he transformed—hair going white, eyes glowing, and clothes shredding as he took his yokai form.

With a snarl, he threw himself at the alien that had grabbed you. The alien’s chest caved inward with a metallic crunch as Okarun’s fist smashed through it, but that barely seemed to slow the Serpoian down.

While he continued to repeatedly slam punches into the alien, Okarun’s now red eyes flickered to you, who was still being suspended in the air.

“Yo, don’t worry, babe,”he called out as he delivered a powerful kick to another Serpo that had been creeping up behind him.“I’ll take care of these guys. Hang in there, yeah?”