Chapter 2: The First Bloodbound Rival. Supernatural & Dark Fantasy Manga Web Novel - Crimson High: The Blood Pact.

The sun never truly shone over Crimson High—not that Riku could remember. Today was no different. The gray sky stretched endlessly, its clouds heavy and thick, suffocating the campus beneath a dull, lifeless haze. Students buzzed through the halls like ghosts, their chatter distant and muffled, like Riku wasn’t there. Or maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t.

But something had changed.

The sigil on his palm—still hidden beneath the glove—was alive. It throbbed, faint but insistent as if it shared his heartbeat. A constant reminder of the pact he hadn’t yet completed.

And Sable? He hadn’t spoken since the rooftop. He was waiting. Watching.

Waiting for me to make my choice.

Riku sat in the back corner of the classroom, staring at the chipped desk in front of him. His thoughts swirled like a storm.

In front of him sat Kenta, the bully who had made his life hell, laughing loudly with Daichi. Their laughter grated against Riku’s nerves, but it wasn’t just the usual annoyance this time—it felt deeper, darker.

"I could end this," he thought. "Sable said I could take anything... his strength, voice... even his life."

His hand twitched beneath the desk, the sigil flaring briefly.

But then his gaze shifted to Aya, again alone in her corner, head low, sketching absentmindedly in her notebook. Her hands still trembled. Riku didn’t know her well, but he’d noticed how people treated her—like she wasn’t even there. Invisible. Just like him.

“She’s weak too,” Sable’s voice finally slithered through his mind, soft and teasing. “No one would miss her. You could make your pact painless. A simple price.”

Riku clenched his fists, teeth grinding. “Shut up.”

Sable chuckled. “You’re running out of time, Riku. The sigil will feed, whether you make the choice or not. Better it is your decision... unless you want the pact to claim someone at random.”

Riku’s breath caught. “What?”

“Oh yes,” Sable said, voice silky. “Every pact must be completed. You delay, the pact decides. That’s the fun part.”

Lunch break.

Riku sat alone under the covered walkway outside the cafeteria, rain still drizzling in a soft, endless pattern. He watched Kenta and Daichi push past students, laughing, like they owned the school. Aya sat alone under the tree, her umbrella tilted awkwardly, barely shielding her from the rain.

"I didn’t ask for this," Riku thought, his hands shaking. "I just wanted them to leave me alone."

The sigil flared again, burning against his palm. The pain was sharper now, spreading up his arm like fire.

“You’re almost out of time,” Sable whispered. “The sigil is hungry.”

Riku’s vision blurred. The sounds around him grew distorted—every laugh, every whisper, every heartbeat thundered in his ears.

And then, something strange happened.

Kenta’s foot caught against a loose brick on the walkway. He stumbled, barely catching himself.

But Riku saw it differently.

It was as if time slowed. The air rippled around Kenta’s body, a faint red thread glowing around him—a life thread, fragile and flickering.

“That’s his thread,” Sable murmured. “It connects him to everything he is—his strength, his life, his soul. Snip it, and you take what you want.”

Riku’s breath trembled. He raised his gloved hand, focusing on the glowing thread.

One snip. That’s all it would take.

But then...

Aya’s umbrella toppled over, blown by a sudden gust of wind. She sat there, silently getting drenched, not even moving to fix it.

Her hands trembled again.

And something broke inside Riku.

"I’m becoming just like them."

He dropped his hand, the sigil still burning.

“I can’t.”

Sable’s voice grew cold. “Then the pact will decide.”

The sigil on Riku’s hand ignited, the pain unbearable. He fell to his knees, gasping, the world around him blurring and distorting.

Threads appeared everywhere—glowing red lines tied to each person.

And then, one thread snapped.

It wasn’t Kenta’s.

It wasn’t Aya’s.

It was Daichi’s.

Riku barely understood what was happening before Daichi staggered, his hand clutching his chest. His face twisted in shock as he gasped for air, his body convulsing.

Kenta spun around. “Daichi?! Hey, what’s wrong?!”

But Daichi’s eyes glazed over, his body collapsing onto the wet pavement, lifeless.

Screams erupted. Students ran in all directions, chaos unraveling around Riku as he knelt there, breath ragged, watching Daichi’s body grow cold.

The sigil on his hand dimmed, and the hunger sated.

Sable materialized beside him, crouching low. “See? The pact is fulfilled. Power life. Simple, isn’t it?”

Riku’s hands shook violently. “I didn’t... I didn’t choose him.”

“But you chose to do nothing.” Sable grinned, shadows flickering across his veil. “And in this world, that’s still a choice.”

Riku staggered back to his feet, his body still trembling. But something had changed.

The sigil on his hand had spread, its lines now creeping up his forearm like roots. He could feel it—the power Sable promised.

His senses sharpened—he could hear the terrified whispers of students even from across the campus, smell the faint scent of rain mixing with fear.

But along with the power came something else.

Guilt.

He looked down at his hand, now permanently marked by the pact.

Sable tilted his head. “You feel it, don’t you? Stronger. Faster. But the price lingers. It always does.”

Riku swallowed hard. “Is this what it’ll be like? Every time?”

Sable’s grin widened. “Every. Single. Time.”

In the hidden faculty lounge, the teachers watched the chaos unfold on the monitors.

“Another one gone,” one muttered, watching as Daichi’s body was carried away.

“But this one hesitated. He’ll break faster.”

The hooded figure in the corner remained silent, but a glint of interest shone beneath their veil.

“Or... maybe he’ll survive.”

The rain had become a constant at Crimson High—a dull, endless drizzle that soaked through the walls, the floors, and even the people. It was like the school itself was bleeding, slow and quiet, with no one there to notice. The scent of damp concrete mixed with something more sinister now—the lingering, metallic tang of death.

Daichi’s death.

The courtyard where he collapsed had been cleaned, and his blood scrubbed away as though nothing had happened. But Riku could still see it—the way Daichi had gasped for air, his hands clawing at his chest, his life thread snapping in front of Riku’s eyes.

"I didn’t choose him," Riku kept telling himself.

But deep down, he knew Sable had been right—inaction was still a choice. And it had cost someone their life.

Riku sat in the corner of the library—the same place where the pact had begun—his head buried in his hands. The sigil on his palm had spread further, dark veins crawling up his forearm like roots, glowing faintly beneath his skin.

Sable appeared across from him, lounging lazily atop a stack of ancient books, his veil fluttering as though caught in a non-existent wind.

“You’re sulking.” His voice was playful but laced with an undercurrent of menace.

Riku didn’t look up. “Daichi’s dead. And it’s my fault.”

Sable tilted his head. “He was nothing. A pawn. Just like the rest.”

Riku’s fist slammed against the table, the sigil flaring in response. “You don’t get it! He wasn’t supposed to die!”

Sable’s grin widened. “But he did. And now, you’re stronger for it. Feel it, don’t you? The power? The clarity? Every life you take brings you closer to what you desire.”

Riku’s jaw clenched. “I didn’t want power like this.”

Sable’s voice lowered, the amusement fading. “But this is the only kind that matters here, Riku. Power is born from sacrifice. And if you don’t use it…” His gaze darkened. “Someone else will use it on you.”

The following day, the school buzzed with tension. Daichi’s death had been labeled as a “tragic accident”—a heart failure, they said. But Riku noticed it—the way students glanced over their shoulders more often, their conversations hushed, their eyes filled with unspoken fear.

Something had changed.

Riku walked through the courtyard, his senses sharper than ever. He could hear the whispers behind him, even feel the faint threads connecting the people around him—their life threads, glowing red, thin, and fragile.

But then, something strange happened.

One of the threads was different.

It wasn’t thin or flickering. It was thick, dark, and pulsating with energy.

Riku stopped his heart racing.

“You see it, don’t you?” Sable’s voice whispered in his mind. “Another one like you.”

Riku followed the thread through the courtyard and into the back hallway—the old, abandoned part of the school where the walls were cracked, and the air smelled of mold and rust.

There, standing under the broken light, was a girl.

She was tall, with sharp features and cold, calculating eyes. Her uniform was immaculate, but her presence felt... wrong as if the space around her bent in her favor.

She turned, her piercing gaze locking onto Riku’s.

“I was wondering when you’d come find me,” she said, her voice steady, almost bored.

Riku’s heart pounded. “Who… who are you?”

She smiled faintly. “I’m Reina. And unlike you, I know how to use my pact properly.”

Before Riku could respond, Reina raised her hand. The air around them thickened, and Riku saw them—countless red threads spiraling around her fingers like marionette strings.

“You’re not the only one who’s made a deal,” she said, her voice cold. “But unlike you, I don’t hesitate.”

With a flick of her wrist, the threads shot toward Riku.

Instinct kicked in. Riku raised his hand, the sigil glowing violently as it formed a barrier of black tendrils, deflecting the threads. The force sent him stumbling back, his breathing ragged.

“What the hell?!” he gasped.

Sable’s voice echoed in his mind, excited now. “She’s a Threadmancer. Her pact lets her control the life threads of others. Dangerous. Deadly. And way out of your league—unless you stop holding back.”

Reina took a step forward, her eyes narrowing. “You don’t even know how to use your pact, do you?”

Riku gritted his teeth. “I didn’t ask for this!”

Reina’s expression hardened. “Neither did I. But now, we play by the rules of the pact. It’s survival.”

With that, she lunged forward, the threads slicing through the air like blades. Riku dodged, barely avoiding a line that cut clean through a concrete pillar behind him.

His heart raced. He needed to fight back. But how?

Sable’s voice was urgent now. “Use the threads! You can cut them, break them, or take them. Focus on her weaknesses!”

Riku closed his eyes for a moment, focusing. He could see it—the complex web of threads around Reina. But there, faint and flickering, was a thinner thread running from her chest.

Her core thread.

He lunged forward, summoning his energy. Black tendrils shot from his hand, reaching for the thin thread. Reina’s eyes widened in surprise, but she was too late.

The tendrils wrapped around the thread, pulling it tight.

But just before Riku could snap it, Reina severed the tendrils with a flick, her expression dark.

“Not bad,” she muttered, stepping back. “You’re better than I thought. But you’re still weak.”

She turned to leave.

“This was just a test. But next time?” She glanced over her shoulder, her eyes cold. “I won’t hold back.”

Riku stood there, panting, the sigil on his arm throbbing violently.

“Who the hell was that?” he asked aloud.

Sable appeared beside him, his grin wide and sharp. “Another player in the game. And believe me, Riku—there are plenty more.”

Riku’s hands clenched into fists. “I need to get stronger.”

Sable chuckled. “Then be ready to make more sacrifices. Power comes at a price, remember?”

Riku stared at his hand, the sigil glowing.

"How far am I willing to go?"

In the hidden faculty lounge, the teachers watched the footage of Riku and Reina’s fight.

“The boy’s adapting faster than expected,” one muttered.

Another chuckled. “Good. The stronger they get, the more interesting the harvest.”

But in the shadows, the hooded figure remained silent, their eyes focused solely on Riku.

“He’ll be the one to break the system,” they whispered.

To Be Continued…

Chapter 1: https://storylinespectrum.blogspot.com/2025/03/chapter-1-blood-pact-begins.html

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