Hollow steadied himself, his body still aching from the earlier hit, but his black eyes remained fixed on Liliane.

  The soft light blue aura, the radiance in her eyes, the flowing white hair—it was undeniable.

  She looked like her former self.

  “…You look like a Radiant again,” he said, his voice calm but certain. “Your eyes. Even your hair.”

  Liliane froze.

  She hadn’t processed it until now. The weight of his words settled in, heavier than the shock of seeing it for herself.

  But—it wasn’t real.

  She could feel it.

  This power—this faint, flickering energy—was nothing compared to what she once had. It was barely a fraction of her former strength.

  She wasn’t a Radiant.

  She was still human.

  Her fingers trembled slightly as she ran them through her now-white hair, staring at the strands with a conflicted expression.

  “I’m not—” she started, but Hollow’s gaze had already shifted.

  His focus turned inward.

  Liliane had tapped into something.

  And yet, he hadn’t.

  Hollow lifted his hand, fingers flexing briefly—still human. Still nothing.

  But he wasn’t frustrated.

  He was analyzing.

  Then—he looked at her again.

  “Give me a tip.”

  Liliane blinked. “…What?”

  “A hint,” Hollow clarified. “How did you do it?”

  Liliane’s lips parted.

  How had she done it?

  She thought back—the desperation. The need. The moment she stopped trying to control it.

  “I stopped thinking,” she murmured. “I stopped trying to force it. I just… let it happen.”

  Hollow processed her words.

  Then—without hesitation—

  He sat down with his legs crossed.

  Liliane’s eye twitched. “Wait—are you seriously—”

  Hollow closed his eyes.

  “Got it.”

  Liliane stared. “You—what? That’s it??”

  Hollow exhaled slowly. “Buy me some time.”

  Liliane turned to the Oni, then back to Hollow, who was now meditating in the middle of the battlefield.

  “…You’re seriously meditating right now?”

  Hollow’s expression didn’t change. “Yes.”

  The Oni’s rage boiled over.

  “YOU INSOLENT LITTLE—!!”

  He charged.

  Liliane gritted her teeth.

  Fine.

  She’d handle this.

  Liliane moved like water, her newfound agility letting her weave through the Oni’s monstrous attacks. She wasn’t only stronger, but she was also faster. More precise. Every time he tried to push forward—she was there, blocking his path.

  Hollow remained behind her, completely still, immersed in his meditation.

  And that infuriated the Oni.

  His strikes became wilder, heavier. The ground beneath them cracked as he swung, but Liliane refused to give him an opening.

  He lunged—she redirected.

  He swung—she sidestepped.

  He tried to rush Hollow—she cut him off again.

  And each time, his rage built further.

  “Enough!” he snarled, his kanabō smashing into the earth, sending debris flying.

  His chest heaved. His yellow eyes burned with fury.

  “You think you can stop me?!” His voice roared, trembling with sheer hatred.

  Liliane exhaled sharply, bracing herself for the next attack.

  But—it never came.

  Because something stopped him.

  A sudden shiver ran down the Oni’s spine, an unnatural, primal reaction—like his body was responding to a greater predator.

  Liliane felt it too.

  The air had shifted.

  It was colder. Heavier.

  And then—she saw it.

  Behind her, Hollow’s form was no longer just sitting still.

  A deep, dark red aura swirled around him, more pronounced, more solid than before. It flickered like smoke, suffocatingly dense, like it had weight.

  His once midnight-black hair had become shadow-like, a shade even darker—moving as if it were alive.

  But the real change—

  His eyes.

  The moment he opened them, a glowing crimson red pierced through the night.

  The Oni took a step back.

  Liliane stared.

  Her chest tightened, a mix of awe and unease twisting inside her.

  Awe—because Hollow had done it. He had broken through. He was standing on the same level as her now.

  Unease—because those colors…

  Those were the colors of an Abyssal.

  The colors of everything she had fought against for centuries.

  Yet—he was still human.

  She could feel it.

  Just like her—this power was barely a fraction of what it had once been.

  Still—it was enough.

  The Oni’s teeth clenched.

  “…You—” His voice faltered.

  For the first time, he wasn’t angry.

  He was wary.

  Hollow finally stood up.

  His glowing red gaze met the Oni’s directly.

  Then, in his usual, calm, detached tone—

  “Ready when you are.”

  The Oni roared, his entire body coiling with raw fury.

  He was done.

  No more playing. No more toying with them.

  This time—he fought to kill.

  With a thunderous stomp, he lunged forward, his massive frame tearing through the battlefield like a storm of destruction. His kanabō swung with full force, its impact creating shockwaves that shattered the ground.

  But now—Hollow and Liliane were ready.

  They moved together, their bodies flowing in perfect sync.

  Liliane would weave in, striking with sharp, precise blows. The moment the Oni turned to counter—Hollow would be there, his attacks brutal and relentless.

  They weren’t just dodging anymore.

  They were breaking through.

  And with each exchange, they understood more.

  Liliane felt it first.

  Her aura—soft, light blue, endlessly flowing. It wasn’t just surging inside her.

  It was mending her.

  Every wound, every bruise—fading. The energy in her body felt stronger, more alive.

  It wasn’t just healing.

  It was reinforcing her.

  She was getting faster. Sharper. Every movement felt right.

  Then—Hollow realized his own.

  His aura—dark red, heavier, suffocating.

  It wasn’t just surrounding him.

  It was crushing everything it touched.

  His attacks hurt. More than they should.

  The Oni could feel it. Every impact, every strike—it was as if Hollow’s aura itself was tearing into him.

  His blows weren’t just strong.

  They were destructive.

  The Oni snarled, his frustration mounting.

  Hollow’s strikes were unbearable. Every hit felt like it carried something deeper, something more violent than just brute force.

  And Liliane—

  Liliane was undoing everything.

  Every time she moved, her presence alone seemed to lessen their pain, ease their exhaustion.

  And the Oni hated it.

  Hated how Hollow’s attacks felt like pure destruction.

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  Hated how Liliane’s presence was undoing his effort.

  Hated how they were getting stronger with every second.

  And for the first time—doubt began to creep into his mind.

  Because he was losing control.

  The Oni’s movements became erratic. His once overwhelming confidence had been shattered.

  “This—this is nonsense!” he snarled, swinging wildly, his attacks losing their form.

  Hollow and Liliane weaved through his strikes effortlessly, their bodies moving with fluid precision.

  “There’s no way—no possible way!” The Oni’s voice cracked with disbelief. His breathing was ragged, his body struggling to keep up. “You were just puny humans moments ago!”

  Another strike. A dodge. A counter.

  His vision blurred as Hollow’s fist buried itself into his ribs, followed by a lightning-fast strike from Liliane that snapped his head to the side.

  “How—HOW?!” His voice was more desperate now. He was losing.

  For the first time, he felt it.

  Real fear.

  He could die here. To these two.

  The thought sent ice through his veins.

  And then—he had no time to think.

  Because Hollow and Liliane had entered a flow state.

  Their attacks became relentless.

  Their coordination was perfect.

  A strike to the gut—Hollow.

  A knee to the face—Liliane.

  A sweep to the legs—Hollow.

  A palm strike to the chest—Liliane.

  Every direction. Every angle.

  The Oni couldn’t keep up. He couldn’t breathe.

  “STOP!!”

  His voice cracked as he desperately tried to defend himself. His arms flailing, his strength dwindling.

  “STOP, PLEASE!!”

  But they didn’t.

  Because they couldn’t.

  They were too deep into it. Too in sync.

  And for what felt like an eternity—

  The beating continued.

  The night had settled. The dust had cleared.

  And standing in the aftermath of a brutal two-hour beatdown…

  Was a tiny, chibi-sized Oni.

  Hollow and Liliane stared at the barely two-feet-tall creature in complete silence.

  He was covered in bruises, his head swollen with weird lumps, and a cartoonishly exaggerated black eye.

  Even his kanabō had shrunk—now little more than a toy-sized club.

  The once fearsome beast that had nearly killed them… was now a trembling mess on his knees, hands raised in surrender. “PLEASE!! HAVE MERCY!! I WAS WRONG!!”

  His voice was a high-pitched whimper—a fraction of his former booming presence.

  Liliane blinked.

  Hollow tilted his head.

  An awkward silence hung in the air.

  “…What?” Hollow finally asked, genuinely confused.

  Liliane crouched slightly. “What happened to you?”

  The tiny Oni sniffled. “I—I don’t knoooooow!!”

  Their deadpan expressions didn’t change.

  Hollow’s eyes were filled with tired resignation.

  Liliane cringed a bit from secondhand embarrassment.

  “I got too beaten up!” the Oni wailed. “I barely have enough spiritual energy left to keep this form!”

  His stubby arms flailed weakly.

  “If you keep going—!” His voice cracked. “I’ll disappear for good!”

  Hollow blinked once. “…That’s the idea.”

  The Oni’s soul nearly left his body. “NOOOOO!!”

  He dropped to the ground, bowing so hard his tiny forehead smacked into the dirt. “PLEASE, MERCY! I HAVE SEEN THE ERROR OF MY WAYS!!”

  Liliane sighed. “Hollow, wait—let’s at least hear him out.”

  “He tried to eat us,” Hollow said flatly.

  “I KNOW, I KNOW!” Liliane turned to the Oni, folding her arms. “Why did you do it?”

  The chibi creature looked up with watery, bruised eyes. “I—I got too greedy! When I saw your souls, I just—I couldn’t help it!”

  Hollow’s expression darkened. “That’s enough reason to kill you.”

  “WAIT!! PLEASE!!” the Oni squeaked, waving his hands desperately.

  “Spirits need spiritual energy to survive! Souls like yours—when we consume them, we either evolve, or at least live for another couple of centuries!”

  Liliane frowned. “…Souls like ours?”

  “He keeps saying that,” Hollow added.

  The Oni nodded furiously. “YES! I’ve never seen souls like yours before! They’re... they’re not human!”

  That made both of them pause.

  They exchanged a glance.

  “…Are you saying our souls don’t look human?” Liliane asked carefully.

  “They’re completely different!” the Oni cried. “They’re ridiculously condensed! It’s like comparing a moldy cracker to a full-course divine feast!”

  Hollow’s gaze narrowed. “And you thought eating us was smart.”

  “I KNOW it was a mistake now, okay?!”

  Liliane pinched the bridge of her nose. “Fine. Then tell us—do you know what we are?”

  “Huh?” the Oni blinked, still shaking.

  Hollow’s voice dropped low. “We’re from the Spiritual World.”

  The Oni’s jaw dropped. “...The what?”

  Liliane’s eyes widened. “You don’t know it?”

  He scratched his swollen head. “Never heard of it.”

  Silence.

  Liliane’s fingers curled slightly. That didn’t make sense. “…Then where have you always been?” she asked.

  “Here.” He gestured weakly around them. “Here. Just… in the invisible realm. The one most humans and animals can’t see.”

  They processed that.

  He wasn’t from the Spiritual World. He had always been a native.

  That changed things.

  Hollow took a step forward.

  “…Alright,” he said, voice cold. “That’s enough information. I’m killing you now.”

  “WAAAAAIT!!” The chibi Oni dove forward and clung to Hollow’s pants leg. “Please! Have mercy! I was just the Shrine Keeper of this park! I wasn’t supposed to do this—I just got greedy!”

  Liliane groaned. “Hollow, maybe we should let him go. He’s pathetic like this.”

  “I don’t care.”

  “C’mon. He won’t do it again.”

  Hollow’s red eyes narrowed. “If he does, he dies.”

  The Oni nodded so hard his swollen head wobbled. “Never again!! I promise!”

  Hollow exhaled sharply. “Then whatever.”

  The moment mercy was granted, the Oni collapsed, trembling with relief.

  Then he sprang up, bowing so fast his head bounced off the dirt.

  “THANK YOU, MASTERS!!! I swear my undying loyalty to you both!!”

  Liliane stiffened. “Wait—what?”

  “From this day forward, I am your humble servant!!”

  Hollow blinked once. “…I’m letting you live. Don’t push your luck.”

  “F-FORGIVE ME, MASTER!!” He bowed again, forehead thudding against the ground. “I will stay in line! I’ll be a good Oni!”

  Liliane sighed. “You really don’t have to do this—”

  “Nonsense, Lady Master!!” He sat upright, tiny hands in his lap, looking disturbingly devoted.

  “Stop calling me that.”

  “I cannot!” He sniffled dramatically. “You’ve shown me mercy. I belong to you now!”

  Hollow glanced sideways at Liliane. She sighed again.

  “I didn’t ask for this.”

  “We should’ve ended him,” Hollow muttered.

  “NOOOO, MASTER, PLEASE!!!” He flailed. “I’ll be useful, I swear it!!”

  Liliane rubbed her temple. “Fine—what’s your name?”

  The tiny Oni puffed his bruised chest proudly. “I am Gaku! Guardian of this park’s shrine!”

  “Shrine?” Liliane repeated.

  “Yes!” Gaku gestured around them. “It’s hidden, deep in the forest—but I’ve been here for a couple of centuries!”

  Hollow said nothing.

  Liliane just tried to process the absurdity.

  “…Right,” she muttered. “Well, I guess that solves everything.”

  And with that, the tension finally left the air.

  Their eyes dimmed.

  Their aura faded.

  Liliane’s white hair darkened back to brown.

  Hollow’s shadows melted into his natural black.

  The energy that had surged through them settled.

  Gaku, still sitting properly, sniffled with reverence.

  “I am so grateful for your kindness, Master and Lady Master!!”

  “Seriously,” Liliane muttered, “stop calling me that.”

  “YES, MASTER!” Gaku saluted.

  Hollow’s eye twitched. “STOP SHOUTING.”

  Gaku flinched. “...Okay.”

  Without another word, Hollow and Liliane finally turned to leave.

  Behind them, Gaku waved both tiny arms, hopping with joy. “GOODBYE, MASTERS! I SHALL GUARD THIS SHRINE WITH HONOR!!”

  Liliane groaned. “He’s never gonna stop, is he?”

  Hollow exhaled. “Not my problem.”

  And with that, they walked away—leaving behind a sworn, ridiculously tiny servant bouncing with loyalty beneath the moonlight.

  Above them, perched on the thick branch of an old tree, four owls sat in perfect stillness.

  Their forms were mostly silhouettes, blending into the darkness.

  But in the silence of the night—

  Two voices whispered through the air.

  "So it seems they finally awakened their powers."

  "They were even more impressive than anticipated."

  A pause.

  The air shifted.

  "But still… we are just getting started."

  Then—the owls took flight, their dark forms vanishing into the night.

  Back on the ground, Hollow and Liliane walked side by side, their steps quiet against the pavement.

  The city lights glowed faintly in the distance, contrasting against the strange, quiet emptiness of the park.

  Liliane let out a long exhale. “That was absolutely insane.”

  Hollow rolled his shoulders slightly. “…Hn.”

  She glanced at him. “We fought a full-fledged spirit. And won.”

  Hollow’s black eyes flickered slightly. “We got some of our powers back.”

  Liliane’s expression tightened.

  “…Yeah.”

  She looked down at her hands, flexing them slightly. The faint memory of the glowing blue aura still lingered in her mind.

  “I thought it was gone forever,” she murmured. “And yet…”

  Hollow stared ahead, quiet.

  Liliane finally turned to him, her brows furrowing slightly.

  “…What do you think this means?”

  Hollow didn’t answer right away.

  Then—

  “…It means there’s more to this world.”

  Liliane’s heart skipped.

  And somehow—she already knew he was right.

  The city stretched ahead, its quiet hum a stark contrast to the chaos they had just survived. The weight of everything—the fight, their powers, the realization that spirits existed in this world— still lingered between them.

  They walked side by side, but Liliane’s mind was somewhere else.

  She had a thought. A cautious, nagging thought.

  And she had to say it.

  “…Hollow.”

  Her voice was hesitant.

  Hollow didn’t react at first, only giving a slight glance in her direction.

  She exhaled sharply, gathering herself before speaking again.

  “Now that you have powers again… what do you intend to do with them?”

  A pause.

  Then—she pushed further.

  “…You don’t plan on doing anything reckless, do you?”

  Hollow stopped walking.

  Liliane slowed too, her muscles tensing slightly.

  Then—he turned to her.

  His black eyes were unreadable. Emotionless as always.

  “…Nothing.”

  Liliane blinked. “What?”

  “I don’t intend to do anything,” Hollow clarified, his voice flat. “I’ll keep acting as a human.”

  Liliane’s lips parted slightly, as if expecting more, but Hollow wasn’t done.

  “These powers don’t change anything,” he continued. “A little superhuman strength won’t save me from getting gunned down by police if I try anything stupid.”

  Liliane felt her breath hitch slightly at his bluntness.

  Hollow tilted his head slightly. “Besides… I don’t need to eat humans. I have no reason to cause unnecessary trouble.”

  Liliane’s fingers curled slightly.

  Everything he said made sense.

  Checked out.

  And yet…

  She still felt uneasy.

  She always had.

  It wasn’t Hollow’s words that made her wary. It was what he was.

  He was an Abyssal.

  And no matter how much logic aligned, that fear in the back of her mind never quite faded.

  But even knowing that—

  “…Promise me,” she said.

  Hollow’s eyes narrowed slightly.

  “Promise?”

  Liliane exhaled. “Not that you won’t do anything.” She met his gaze directly.

  “Promise me that you mean what you say.”

  Hollow’s expression didn’t change.

  Instead, his voice remained as calm as ever.

  “Does that even change anything?”

  Liliane swallowed. “Maybe not.”

  A beat of silence.

  Then—

  “…Just promise me.”

  Hollow stared at her for a moment, his gaze unreadable.

  Then—he spoke.

  “Of course, I mean what I say.”

  He tilted his head slightly.

  “I can promise you that.”

  Liliane exhaled slowly, watching him carefully.

  She wasn’t sure why, but… somehow, that was enough.

  For now.

  The weight of the conversation still lingered between them, but neither said anything more.

  The city streets stretched ahead, and soon, their paths would diverge.

  Liliane glanced at Hollow, her expression unreadable. Then, with a small sigh, she lifted her hand in a simple wave.

  “See you at work.”

  Hollow gave a slight nod. “See you at work.”

  And with that, they each turned in opposite directions, heading toward their own apartments.

  As Liliane walked, she let out a deep breath, her fingers lightly brushing through her hair—still half-expecting to feel it glowing white.

  It was surreal.

  The fight, the awakening, the fact that spirits existed here.

  Everything had changed.

  And yet—life continued.

  For now.

  From behind her, she could still sense Hollow’s presence fading into the distance, his footsteps eventually lost to the city’s quiet hum.

  The night was over.