On Top of the Food Chain

‘I am not a Ghoul?’ Kazuki thought, his mind spinning with confusion and despair.

After Grace left, he was left all alone in the quiet, empty house. He had been alone before, with his parents rarely home, but now he wasn't just alone—he was lonely, and this feeling gnawed at his very soul.

“I was a human, then I was deemed a Ghoul, and now I’m something entirely different.” His voice trembled as he muttered to himself, staring at the shadows cast by passing vehicles on the wall of the dimly lit hall.

He sat in the darkness, the only light coming from outside, a blend of moonlight and streetlights that created a dim, almost eerie ambiance. The cola in his hand reflected the swirling chaos of his emotions, his thoughts a tangled mess of fear, confusion, and despair.

The pangs of hunger were relentless, gnawing at his insides with a ferocity that was unbearable. The pain was excruciating, pushing him to the edge of sanity. His mind was fuzzy, unable to focus or think clearly, every sensation amplified by his misery.

His stomach ached with a searing intensity, a cruel reminder of his insatiable hunger. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing thoughts, and gulped down the cold cola, hoping it would provide some semblance of relief.

‘Rika’s dad told me that Ghouls react with intense bloodlust when coming in contact with humans, and it gets even worse when the smell of human blood enters their nostrils,’ he recalled, his mind grasping for any piece of information that could make sense of his torment.

‘When did I feel this bloodlust?’ he wondered, his thoughts drifting back to the moments that had shattered his world.

“At my parent’s firm and in that back alley,” he muttered, the memories flashing vividly before his eyes.

And in that moment, a terrifying realization struck him like a bolt of lightning. His heart pounded in his chest, fear gripping him with icy fingers.

“If it wasn’t the human, it must have been the Ghoul,” he whispered, the truth settling heavily in his mind.

***

“How can I help you?” Shin asked, a smile curling across his scarred lips.

The man with the sinister grin was seated on a dark throne, perched on a raised platform a few steps tall. The throne, a macabre blend of shiny obsidian and crude granite, dominated the dimly lit hall, casting eerie shadows that danced around the room.

At the base of the stairs stood Junpei and Rika, their expressions stern and unwavering.

Rika pulled out her phone and held it up, showing Shin a photo of Kazuki, taken just before they left.

“You’ve met this kid, right?” Junpei's tone was authoritative, demanding an answer.

“What if I have?” Shin replied, his voice calm yet chillingly cold.

“I know your fear-mongering fetish, so I won’t say much, but keep a distance from him now,” Junpei warned, his hands buried in his pockets, his posture exuding a dangerous confidence.

“Sir Akumu, why do you want me to keep a distance from him?” Shin's eyes narrowed, the smirk never leaving his face.

“You don’t need to know the reason. Just know this: if you ever approach him, you are done,” Junpei replied, his voice steady and filled with a menacing finality. With that, he and Rika turned and walked out of the hall.

Shin remained motionless, the deadness in his eyes still lurking beneath his composed exterior. The shadows seemed to deepen around him, amplifying the sinister aura he exuded.

“For god's sake, we are supposed to be at the top of the food chain, yet bastards like him don’t take pride in being a Ghoul,” Shin muttered to himself, a sigh escaping his lips. “Just a little more time, and I will strangle that old man to death.”

He leaned back on his throne, his mind churning with dark thoughts. The hall around him felt colder, the silence almost palpable. His frustration and anger simmered just beneath the surface, the desire for power and control burning fiercely within him.

The photo of Kazuki lingered in his mind, as his fingers drummed lightly on the armrest of his throne, the dead look in his eyes intensifying as he contemplated his next move.

“I’ll devour him at the right time. For all the humiliation I’ve received, that’s the least I can do.” He told himself.

***

The air in the dirty slums crackled with tension as Junpei faced off against his opponent, a towering figure with a broad build and a two-block haircut. Chains wrapped around the man's hands glinted ominously in the dim light. Junpei, his body enveloped in deep purple energy, wielded a shimmering sword of the same hue.

Without warning, the man lunged forward, his chains whipping through the air with a menacing hiss. Junpei parried the first strike with his sword, the metallic clang echoing through the narrow alleyways. The chains recoiled and lashed out again, aiming for Junpei’s legs. With a swift leap, Junpei evaded the attack, his armor glowing brighter as he landed deftly on a nearby rooftop.

The man snarled, yanking his chains back with a powerful tug, and swung them in a wide arc. The chains wrapped around a dilapidated chimney, pulling it down towards Junpei. With a quick slash of his sword, Junpei cut through the falling debris, the pieces scattering harmlessly around him. He charged forward, his sword gleaming in the dim light, and aimed a powerful slash at his opponent.

The man blocked the strike with his chains, the force of the blow sending shockwaves through the ground. He twisted his wrists, the chains coiling around Junpei’s sword and wrenching it from his grasp. Junpei’s eyes narrowed as he released his hold on the weapon, his armor pulsating with energy. He dashed forward, slamming his shoulder into the man’s chest, the impact sending them both crashing through a nearby shack.

Dust and debris filled the air as they grappled on the ground, their movements swift and brutal. The man managed to entangle Junpei’s arm with his chains, tightening them with a vicious grin. Junpei gritted his teeth, the deep purple energy of his armor surging as he summoned his strength. With a fierce roar, he broke free of the chains, the force sending his opponent stumbling backward.

But the man quickly recovered, his chains slithering back to his hands like living serpents. The man's eyes glowed with a blue hue so dark that it seemed just like the shadows coiling around him, slithering onto his body, covering the chains in his hands.

He swung the chains with renewed ferocity, one chain wrapping around Junpei's ankle and yanking him off balance. Junpei hit the ground hard, his sword skidding out of reach. Before he could react, the chains tightened around his limbs, pinning him down. This time they felt tighter, heavier, and deadlier.

Struggling against the unyielding grip, Junpei's armor glowed brighter, but the chains only tightened further. The man advanced, his expression cold and unyielding. He lifted Junpei effortlessly, slamming him into a nearby wall. The impact shattered the bricks, and Junpei gasped in pain.

The man leaned in, his chains coiling around Junpei's throat. "You should have known better," he hissed. Junpei's vision blurred as he fought for breath, his armor flickering. He tried to summon his strength, but the chains cut into his flesh, draining his energy.

With a final, desperate surge, Junpei's armor flared, the deep purple energy blazing brightly. But the man's grip was relentless. The chains tightened further, crushing Junpei's defenses. With a sickening crack, Junpei's armor shattered, the deep purple energy dissipating into the night.

The man released Junpei, letting him crumple to the ground, gasping for air. Junpei tried to rise, but his strength had left him. He looked up at his opponent, a mix of defiance and desperation in his eyes. The man sneered, kicking Junpei's fallen sword away.

"When you killed all these people, you should have had the resolve to die a gruesome death," he said coldly, turning away. Junpei lay there, his body battered and broken, the echoes of their battle lingering in the air. The slums around them were silent, a testament to the brutal confrontation that had just taken place.

"You are atrocious, even for a Ghoul. I’m letting you live because you need to do something for me."

Junpei looked at him, his face covered with scratches, blood, and despair.

"If you ever come across a Ghoul-eater, make him your disciple."

Junpei's vision dimmed as he watched his opponent walk away, the chains rattling ominously. He didn’t quite understand what his opponent had said, but he had been defeated, his body and spirit crushed, left to contemplate his failure in the cold, unforgiving night.

***

Junpei jolted awake, his body drenched in sweat, heart pounding as if he'd just sprinted miles. The remnants of the dream clung to him, an uneasy mixture of visions and feelings he couldn't quite shake. His breaths came in ragged gasps, but within that chaos, a clear decision emerged: he was going to take that boy, Kazuki, as his disciple. The notion had been swirling in his mind for some time, buried beneath layers of uncertainty and suppressed feelings, but now it had solidified, linked to something deep and unshakable.

As Junpei swung his legs over the edge of the bed, preparing to stand, a voice, both familiar and unsettlingly distant, echoed within him.

[This brat is really going to teach another brat!] the voice sneered, dripping with mockery.

Junpei clenched his fists, the words gnawing at his resolve. "Fuck off," he said, shaking his head to dispel the lingering presence of the voice. It wasn’t the first time he’d heard it, but he refused to let it dictate his actions. With a deep breath, he pushed himself up, ready to face whatever lay ahead.

As he slided open the curtains to let some sunlight enter his room, the image of Kazuki formed in his mind.