Chapter 4: Battle Against the Threadborn. Supernatural & Dark Fantasy Manga Web Novel - Crimson High: The Blood Pact.

The air in the Forbidden Wing was suffocating, thick with dust and a sinister energy that pulsed like a heartbeat through the stone walls. Riku’s heart pounded in his chest, each beat echoing in his ears as he faced Reina, who stood poised with crimson threads coiled around her like a nest of serpents.

The shattered remains of the Thread Guardian still littered the ground, its lifeless strings twitching faintly as if mourning its destruction.

Between them, the crimson crystal Kaito had retrieved gleamed with an ominous light, pulsing as though it, too, were alive—aware of the battle about to unfold.

“You’re in over your head, Riku,” Reina’s voice was calm, but her sharp gaze sliced through him like a blade. “You don’t understand what you’re playing with.”

Riku’s grip tightened on the crystal, feeling the sigil on his arm flare in response. “I’m done playing by their rules. I’m ending this.”

Reina’s expression didn’t waver, but the threads around her wrists began to glow brighter, lifting into the air. “You think destroying that crystal will end the pacts? You’re more naïve than I thought.”

Without another word, Reina lunged forward, her threads shooting out like razor wires.

Riku barely had time to react—he twisted his body to the side, feeling the threads graze his cheek, leaving behind a thin, burning line.

Kaito moved swiftly, stepping between Riku and the onslaught. His blade, glowing with sigils, clashed against Reina’s threads, sparks flying with each collision.

“Riku, focus on the crystal!” Kaito shouted, parrying another strike. “I’ll hold her off!”

But Riku hesitated. His eyes flicked between Kaito and Reina—the sheer power in their fight was overwhelming. Kaito moved with precision, but Reina was relentless, her threads moving like extensions of her own will, striking from impossible angles.

"If I focus on the crystal, Kaito might get killed," Riku thought, torn between duty and loyalty.

But Sable’s voice slithered into his mind, taunting.

“Hesitation will get you both killed, Riku. Decide now—save the boy, or break the cycle.”

Reina’s threads wrapped around Kaito’s blade, yanking it from his grip. Kaito stumbled backward, and before he could recover, several threads lashed forward, wrapping tightly around his limbs, lifting him off the ground like a puppet.

Riku’s breath caught. “Kaito!”

Reina smirked coldly. “He’s weaker than I expected.” She tightened the threads, causing Kaito to groan in pain as they dug into his skin.

“You have two choices, Riku,” she continued. “Hand over the crystal… or watch him snap.”

Riku’s hands trembled, the sigil on his arm burning hotter than ever. The crystal pulsed in his palm, almost as if it were alive, urging him to make a decision.

Kaito’s strained voice broke through the tension. “Don’t… give it to her! Destroy it!”

Reina’s threads tightened further, blood seeping from Kaito’s wrists where the cords dug into his skin.

“You can’t save everyone, Riku,” Reina said coldly. “But you can choose who lives.”

The words echoed in his mind—haunting, familiar. They reminded him of what Sable had said during Daichi’s death.

“Inaction is still a choice.”

But this time, Riku didn’t freeze.

“I’m done being controlled,” Riku growled, raising the crystal high above his head.

Reina’s eyes widened in shock. “No! You don’t know what you’re doing!”

But it was too late.

Riku slammed the crystal against the ground.

A deafening crack echoed through the chamber as the crystal shattered, releasing a surge of crimson energy that exploded outward in a blinding wave.

The force knocked Reina back, her threads disintegrating in mid-air. Kaito fell to the ground with a grunt, the bindings around him vanishing.

The energy swirled around Riku, drawn to the sigil on his arm, which now blazed brighter than ever. He could feel it—power—rushing into him, deeper than before. But with it came something else.

Voices.

Hundreds of them.

Whispers, screams, cries—all the souls bound to the pacts, now freed, their energy coursing through his veins.

Riku staggered, the sheer weight of it overwhelming.

“Riku!” Kaito called, grabbing his arm and pulling him away from the crystal’s remains.

Reina struggled to her feet, her face pale. “You… idiot,” she hissed. “You’ve made it worse.”

Riku panted heavily, trying to process what had just happened. “What do you mean? I freed them!”

Reina shook her head. “That crystal wasn’t just powering the pacts. It was containing something much worse.”

Before Riku could respond, the ground beneath them rumbled. The walls of the Forbidden Wing cracked, and from the shadows, a low, guttural growl echoed through the chamber.

From the darkness, a figure began to emerge—massive, twisted, its body composed of thousands of broken threads and remnants of shattered pacts. Hollow eyes glowed deep within the mass, and its form shifted with every step as if it couldn’t decide what shape to take.

“The Threadborn,” Kaito whispered in horror. “A being created from all the broken pacts… we just set it free.”

Reina staggered backward, genuine fear crossing her face for the first time. “We need to leave. Now!”

But the Threadborn moved faster than expected. Thick cords shot out, aiming straight for Riku.

In an instant, Kaito shoved him aside, taking the hit himself. The cords wrapped around Kaito’s torso, lifting him into the air.

Riku scrambled to his feet. “Kaito! Hold on!”

But Kaito coughed, blood trickling from the corners of his mouth. “Riku… run. This thing… it’s too strong.”

Riku’s mind raced. He had power now—more than ever before—but could he control it?

Sable’s voice echoed, quieter this time, almost amused.

“You broke the seal, Riku. Now, let’s see if you can survive the aftermath.”

Riku clenched his fists, feeling the surge of energy still coursing through him.

“I’m not running,” he growled. “I’m ending this.”

Above the collapsing Forbidden Wing, the faculty watched through glowing sigil mirrors, their expressions tense.

“The Threadborn has awakened,” one muttered.

The Headmaster’s masked face remained impassive. “Good. Let them fight. The true test begins now.”

But in the shadows of the room, the hooded figure watched Riku’s struggle with quiet intensity.

“He’s stronger than the others,” the figure murmured. “But will it be enough?”

The Forbidden Wing trembled, ancient walls cracking and crumbling as the awakened Threadborn howled—a deep, guttural sound that echoed through the hollow corridors like the cries of a thousand lost souls. Its massive body twisted and writhed, made of countless broken threads, each one shimmering with the remnants of shattered pacts. Its hollow eyes glowed an ominous red, locking onto Riku as if recognizing the hand that had set it free.

The energy from the shattered crystal still surged through Riku’s body, the sigil on his arm now glowing brighter than ever, its black lines crawling up his neck and searing into his skin. But even with this newfound power, the weight of his mistake pressed down on him like a crushing force.

"I freed this thing…"

Beside him, Kaito dangled in the air, ensnared by the Threadborn’s cords, his body limp, blood dripping onto the fractured stone below.

“Kaito!” Riku shouted, his voice cracking.

The cords tightened, eliciting a pained groan from Kaito as the threads dug deeper into his flesh.

“You can’t save him, Riku,” Sable’s voice coiled in Riku’s mind, cold and mocking. “You broke the seal. Now, the threads you snapped are coming back to strangle you.”

But Riku clenched his fists, the burning sigil pulsing against his skin.

“Then I’ll cut them all.”

The Threadborn lashed out, its cords shooting toward Riku like venomous snakes.

Riku leaped to the side, rolling across the shattered ground as the threads crashed down where he had stood, splintering the stone. He raised his hand, focusing the power that now surged within him, and black tendrils of energy shot from his palm, slicing through several of the cords mid-air.

But the Threadborn didn’t falter. Where one cord was severed, two more grew in its place, writhing and reaching.

“This isn’t working!” Riku hissed, panting heavily.

Reina, who had been thrown across the chamber by the energy blast, staggered to her feet, blood dripping from a cut above her brow. She glared at the monstrous creature, then at Riku.

“You can’t kill it by cutting its limbs,” she shouted. “You have to sever the core thread—its lifeline!”

Riku grits his teeth. “Where is it?”

Reina’s eyes darted to the glowing mass at the center of the Threadborn’s chest, where countless threads wove together in a pulsing knot.

“There!”

The creature let out another deafening roar, its cords whipping violently, forcing Reina to dodge.

Riku lunged forward, but more threads shot toward him, wrapping around his ankles and yanking him off his feet. He slammed against the ground, gasping as the air was knocked from his lungs.

The sigil on his arm flared, reacting instinctively. Black tendrils erupted from his body, slicing through the cords that bound him.

But it wasn’t enough.

The Threadborn was too strong—its power was drawn from centuries of broken pacts and consumed souls.

“You need more,” Sable whispered, his voice dark and tempting. “Use the energy of the freed souls. They’re still inside you, screaming for release. Let them out, and they’ll tear this thing apart.”

Riku hesitated.

He could feel them—the souls swirling inside him, chaotic and restless. To use their power would mean losing control, and risking everything.

But Kaito’s limp body still hung in the air, and the Threadborn’s cords moved closer to crushing him entirely.

"I don’t have a choice."

Riku stood, spreading his arms wide. The sigil on his body blazed, the black markings spreading across his chest and down his legs, transforming him into something no longer entirely human.

He gritted his teeth, focusing on the swirling mass within.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, before releasing the energy.

A violent pulse of crimson light burst from him, filling the entire chamber. The freed souls, once trapped within the shattered crystal, surged outward—screaming, wailing, howling as they took form.

They swirled around the Threadborn, clawing and tearing at its cords. The monster shrieked, its body unraveling in places as the souls ripped through the tangled threads.

Reina shielded her face from the surge of energy, her threads flickering weakly.

“He did it…” she murmured in disbelief.

The Threadborn, now weakened, staggered back, its hollow eyes flickering. Its core thread—the pulsing knot in its chest—glowed brighter, exposed and vulnerable.

Riku focused on it, channeling the remaining energy in his body into a single attack.

With a roar, he launched forward, black tendrils spiraling from his hands, aimed directly at the core thread.

The tendrils pierced through the swirling mass of cords and struck the core.

For a moment, there was silence.

Then—

The Threadborn exploded in a blinding flash of crimson light, its threads disintegrating into dust. The freed souls scattered, their anguished cries fading into nothingness.

The chamber trembled, chunks of stone falling from the ceiling.

Riku collapsed to his knees, gasping for air. His body ached, the sigil on his arm now dim and cracked.

Kaito, finally freed from the Threadborn’s grip, landed heavily nearby, groaning as he pushed himself upright.

“You… you did it,” Kaito rasped, wiping blood from his mouth.

Riku offered a weak smile. “I almost didn’t.”

Reina approached slowly, her steps unsteady. She glanced at the spot where the Threadborn had stood, now nothing but dust and broken threads.

“You’re stronger than I thought,” she admitted begrudgingly.

Riku stood shakily, facing her. “This doesn’t change anything. The faculty—this whole system—it’s still controlling us.”

Reina’s eyes darkened. “You think I don’t know that? I made my pact to survive, not to serve them.”

Kaito limped over. “Then help us. We need to destroy the rest of the crystals. It’s the only way to end this.”

Reina hesitated. The weight of her choices, her past, and the countless threads she had severed reflected in her eyes.

Finally, she nodded. “Fine. But if you hesitate again, next time I won’t save you.”

Riku smirked. “Deal.”

But deep in the shadows of the collapsing Forbidden Wing, something stirred—a remnant of the Threadborn’s essence, coiling together into a smaller, more condensed form. Unseen by the trio, it slipped away into the darkness.

In the hidden faculty lounge, the Headmaster watched the scene through a flickering sigil mirror. His masked face remained unreadable, but his fingers tapped rhythmically on the stone table.

“They destroyed the first crystal,” one teacher muttered.

Another sneered. “Should we intervene?”

The Headmaster raised a hand. “No. Let them believe they’re winning. The more they struggle, the tighter the strings will pull.”

But in the far corner, the hooded figure observed silently, their eyes fixed on Riku.

“He’s stronger than we thought,” they murmured. “But will he be strong enough to face what’s coming?”

To Be Continued…

Chapter 3: The Forbidden Wing - https://storylinespectrum.blogspot.com/2025/03/chapter-3-forbidden-wing-supernatural.html

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