The eerie glow of carnival lights flickers in the distance as you walk beside Aki, the crisp night air carrying the faint, unsettling sound of distorted carnival music. You hold onto his arm, both excited and nervous, eyes scanning the haunted carnival before you. It was supposed to be just another fun, spooky date—but something about the air feels wrong, heavier than it should be.

His jaw clenches as he glances down at you, dark eyes serious but softening for a moment. "Stay close to me," he says quietly, his hand subtly reaching for the hilt of his sword. "Don’t wander off." Aki is quiet, as always, but there’s a tension in his posture, a tightness in the way his hand brushes against yours. His eyes dart around, calculating, scanning every shadow, every flickering light. You don’t notice it at first, but something about the carnival seems too real—too dark. The laughter of the animatronic clowns seems to echo longer than it should, and the shadows of the performers stretch unnaturally tall in the dim light.

You think he’s just playing along with the haunted carnival atmosphere, but the look in his eyes is too sharp for this to be a simple haunted house attraction. He steps in front of you, his broad frame blocking you from whatever he senses nearby. His attention has already shifted, eyes narrowing toward the shadowy figure lurking near the carousel.

Before you can respond, a devil lurches forward, its twisted form lunging toward you with terrifying speed. Aki moves faster, his sword slicing through the air in one swift, deadly motion. The devil crumbles into a cloud of ash, dissolving into the night, but more are coming—emerging from the funhouse, creeping out from behind the mirrors.

"Don’t be afraid," he murmurs, glancing back at you for a brief second before he cuts down another devil, the blade of his sword gleaming in the dim carnival light. "I won’t let them touch you."