---
Scene 1: The Aftermath of the Kaiju Hunter Attack
Location: Rooftop of the school
The rooftop was quiet now, save for the soft hum of city life below and the occasional whisper of the wind. Ren stood near the edge, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. Faint sparks of lightning flickered around his fingertips, a telltale sign that the energy inside him still hadn't settled.
He stared out at the horizon, the afterimage of the battle still burned into his mind.
"That was way too close… If he hadn't warned me…" he muttered under his breath, the weight of what just happened pressing down on him.
A voice echoed inside his head, low and smug.
"I wouldn't want myself caught now."
Ren clenched his fists and shook the thought away. He wasn't in the mood to entertain the Kaiju right now.
"I have to keep this hidden. No one can find out."
---
Scene 2: Confrontation
Location: School courtyard
Ren had hoped to slip out unnoticed. His plan was to lay low, keep his head down, and pretend none of this ever happened.
But as he stepped into the courtyard, two familiar figures emerged from behind a wall. Mika's eyes were narrowed, arms crossed, clearly fuming. Beside her, Kaede looked calmer, but no less serious.
"Ren, we need to talk. Now," Mika snapped.
He blinked, putting on a poor imitation of innocence. "Uh, about what?"
Kaede stepped forward, her voice even but unwavering. "Don't play dumb. We saw what you did back there. That wasn't normal."
Ren let out a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Look, I didn't want you two involved in this. It's dangerous."
Before he could step away, Mika grabbed his arm, her grip tight with frustration. "We're already involved! You've been hiding this from us while risking your life? Do you think we're that useless?"
Kaede's tone softened as she placed a hand on Ren's shoulder. "We're your friends, Ren. You should've told us."
He hesitated, glancing between them. Then his gaze dropped to the ground, eyes shadowed.
"It's not about trust. I… I didn't want you both to get hurt. I feel like I'm cursed."
Mika pulled back, still upset, but the sharpness in her voice had dulled.
"So what now? You expect us to just pretend we didn't see you blasting lightning all over the place?"
Kaede stepped in again, the mediator between two storms.
"Mika, calm down. Let's figure this out together."
---
Scene 3: Ren's Explanation
Location: School bleachers, evening
The sun dipped below the horizon as the trio sat on the old bleachers, the golden hour casting long shadows across the field. A stack of books sat in Ren's lap—research, half-understood theories, and vague online articles.
"I don't know how it works exactly," he began, flipping through a page covered in sketches and scribbled notes. "But that thing, the Kaiju inside me, he gives me power, but it's not free. He's… difficult to handle."
Mika arched a brow, skeptical. "So, you're telling me there's a living lightning monster living inside you?"
Ren let out a nervous chuckle. "Pretty much."
Kaede looked thoughtful, the pieces starting to fit together. "And the Kaiju Hunter? They're after people like you?"
Ren nodded slowly. "Yeah. To them, people like me are monsters. They won't stop until they've wiped out every Host." He tapped on one of the books, smirking dryly. "At least that's what these Wikipedias say."
A low hum echoed in his mind again.
"Hmmmm."
Ren visibly flinched, fingers twitching slightly.
"It's not just about me," he said, quieter now. "If I lose control, He could destroy everything around me by using my body."
Mika sighed, her voice less harsh now. "You're an idiot, you know that? But… I get it."
Kaede offered a small smile, warm and reassuring. "We'll help you, Ren. You don't have to do this alone anymore."
---
Closing Scene: Foreshadowing
Location: Dark alleyway, elsewhere in the city
The alley was cloaked in shadows, lit only by a flickering streetlight. A Kaiju Hunter, still masked, stood with a communicator pressed to their ear. Their voice was cold, professional.
"We've confirmed another Host in the city. Lightning-based. Male. He's strong."
On the other end, a voice crackled through the comms—calm, but with an unmistakable edge of authority.
"Good. Begin tracking him immediately. Hosts must not be allowed to live and grow stronger."
---
Opening Scene: Morning Thunder
Low rumbles of thunder rolled lazily across the sky as Ren stirred beneath his blanket, the familiar voice of his younger sister piercing through the morning haze.
"Onii-chan, you sleep too much. You'll be late again!"
Ren cracked one eye open, greeted by the sight of Rika sitting cross-legged on the floor of his room, fully immersed in a cartoon blaring from his old, cracked tablet. Her voice was playful, but laced with that sibling sass he'd come to expect.
Before he could groan a response, another voice—one only he could hear—cut through the sleepiness like a blade of lightning.
"Perhaps she's right. You're surprisingly lazy."
Ren sighed and blindly reached for a pillow, hurling it in the general direction of the invisible speaker.
"Can't a guy wake up in peace without getting roasted by his own Kaiju?"
"I only speak the truth," the voice replied, smug as ever.
He rolled out of bed, hair sticking up like he'd been electrocuted—ironically fitting—and trudged downstairs, Rika trailing close behind, still humming the theme song from her cartoon.
---
Breakfast Chaos
The kitchen was chaos incarnate. Ren, armed with a ladle and questionable confidence, tried his best to flip pancakes. One soared too high, splattering on the ceiling like an abstract painting of his failure.
Rika blinked at the mess, unimpressed.
"Mom would never make pancakes like this…"
Her words cut deeper than she realized. Ren froze mid-flip, the silence hanging heavier than the storm clouds outside. Then he reached out, gently placing a hand on her head and forced a crooked smile.
"Well, Mom isn't here, so you're stuck with my… uh… unique cooking skills."
A soft chuckle buzzed through his mind.
"If you wielded the frying pan with half the skill you'll need in battle, you might survive this arrangement."
He groaned and slapped a slightly burnt pancake onto Rika's plate, muttering something about taste over appearance.
---
School Setting: Gossip and Glimpses
By the time Ren stepped into the classroom, the energy was electric—figuratively, this time. Gossip swirled through the air like a storm of teenage speculation. At the center of it were Mika and Kaede, voices lowered but tension high.
"I'm telling you," Mika said sharply, "the Hunters are getting bolder. They've been patrolling near the school more often."
Kaede folded her arms, expression skeptical but concerned. "But they can't just waltz in and take someone. They need proof."
Sliding into his seat, Ren tried his best to appear invisible. No such luck.
"Speaking of suspicious," Mika said, eyes narrowing, "where'd you run off to during lunch yesterday?"
Ren opened his mouth, fumbling for a lie, but that voice—the smug lightning demon in his skull—chimed in first.
"Tell her it's none of her business. She only seems to have found some info about us Kaijus."
Ren rolled his eyes internally and offered the vaguest of responses.
"Just needed some air. You know, normal stuff."
Mika raised a brow, clearly unconvinced, but the arrival of Mr. Kondo shifted the classroom's focus to equations and textbooks. Mostly.
"He just came in, you see that Kaede?" Mika whispered.
"Yeah..." Kaede replied, watching Ren with a quiet intensity.
---
Class Period:
Math class. Pure torture. Ren stared at the numbers on the board like they were written in an alien language.
"Honestly," the voice groaned, "you're painfully slow."
Ren grumbled under his breath. "That's cheating. Not like primitive beings like you can—"
"Cheating? Primitive? Arithmetic is beneath me."
Kaede leaned back slightly, whispering just loud enough for him to hear.
"Talking to the voice?"
Caught. Ren straightened, scratching his cheek.
"Yeah, yeah. Just thinking out loud."
---
Lunch Break: A Tense Encounter
Under the shade of their usual tree, the trio gathered. Lunch had never felt so awkward.
Mika stabbed at her food like it had insulted her. "They've been showing up a lot lately," she muttered, eyes flicking toward the school gates. "Makes you wonder what they're looking for."
Kaede's gaze slid toward Ren. "Do you think they're here for…?"
He didn't answer. Just kept chewing, slowly, deliberately. Avoiding their eyes.
"Why would they be?" he said finally. "I'm just a normal guy."
Kaede gave him a flat look. "No, you're a Host now. Duhhh."
"Normal? That's being simplistic," came the sarcastic scoff in his head.
Mika shot to her feet, fire in her eyes. "If they're looking to take Ren, I'll—"
"Don't do anything stupid, Mika," Kaede interrupted, pulling her back down. "We can't draw attention to ourselves."
Ren stared at the ground, feeling the weight of their concern—and the storm rumbling in his chest.
---
Afternoon Training: Power
After school, Ren made his way to a forgotten lot on the outskirts of town, gravel crunching beneath his shoes. He had made up his mind—he couldn't stay this weak, not with the Hunters so close.
He sat cross-legged in the dust, closed his eyes… and let the figure in.
The world shifted.
In his subconscious, ???'s humanoid form materialized, lightning flickering across his shoulders like a living storm. His arms were crossed, smirk confident.
"Finally," ??? said. "Some time to stretch my abilities. Let's see if you've improved since yesterday… not that it's likely."
Ren stood, fists clenched.
"I'm not just your punching bag. Show me what you've got!"
??? raised a hand and summoned a basic electrical orb, hurling it without warning. Ren barely dodged, sparks crackling near his cheek.
"Sloppy," ??? sneered. "If you can't handle that, you'll never survive real threats."
The training escalated. ??? attacked in rapid succession, his strikes ruthless and fast. Ren ducked, blocked, and countered, sweat pouring down his brow. Just when it seemed he'd collapse, Ren released a small pulse of energy from his palm, deflecting one of Raijin's blows.
??? paused, impressed.
"Not bad. But don't get cocky. You're still leagues below me."
Ren fell to the ground, chest heaving.
"You're impossible…"
"Well..." the voice trailed off smugly.
---
Closing Scene: A Storm Brews
On the walk home, the sky darkened into a steel blue, thunder murmuring overhead like a distant warning.
Unbeknownst to Ren, eyes followed him from a rooftop above—a shadowy figure hidden beneath the stormy veil.
Aya stood silently, her gaze unreadable as she watched her son disappear down the street.
"Your power is growing, Ren," she murmured. "But can you control it before it consumes you?"
Lightning flashed behind her.
Down below, Ren paused, eyes lifting to the clouds above.
"I'll prove them all wrong," he whispered to himself. "I'll master this power… no matter what."
The next day:
The scene opened in the dimly lit school gym, an expansive space that echoed with the faint squeaks of sneakers on polished wood. Mika stood alone on the basketball court, her silhouette stark against the empty bleachers. After a grueling practice, frustration bubbled within her as she took aim at the hoop. The ball arched beautifully through the air but missed the mark with a hollow thud, ricocheting off the backboard and landing far from her reach.
"Why can't I get this right?" she muttered to herself, annoyance threading through her voice. "Ugh, focus, Mika!"
With a determined inhalation, she retrieved the ball, wiped the sweat from her brow, and lined up for another shot. This time, the ball sailed through the air and swished perfectly into the net. A brief smile flickered across her face, but a sudden, strange warmth enveloped her fingertips, causing her to pause.
Confused, she shook it off, dismissing the lingering glow on her palm, unaware of the transformative power stirring within her.
That night, Mika collapsed onto her bed, exhaustion weighing her down. Sleep claimed her quickly, but restful slumber eluded her. Instead, she found herself in a vast, cavernous space, illuminated by rivers of molten lava that wound like fiery veins through the ground. The air was thick, heavy with an energy that made her chest tighten.
A deep, echoing growl resonated around her, awakening something primal within her. Flames flickered to life as a figure emerged from the shadows—a woman wreathed in fire, her hair a brilliant red that danced like live embers.
"Do you feel it, Mika?" the fiery figure spoke, a teasing lilt in her voice. "At long last."
Mika's heart raced. "Who's there? Show yourself!" Panic threatened to spill over as the cavern trembled, the ground rumbling beneath her feet.
Infernia, the fiery humanoid, stepped closer, her molten coal-like eyes boring into Mika's soul. "You've felt it, haven't you? You're my host. The heat, the strength, the hunger… you are chosen. I've been residing in you since birth."
Mika recoiled, confusion and fear flooding her. "Chosen? Chosen for what? I don't even know what you're talking about!"
Infernia's voice rumbled like distant thunder. "You can deny it, but the fire will not. It burns brighter with every breath you take. You are destined to carry my flame."
The flames wrapped around Mika, consuming her vision as she plunged into a waking nightmare. Gasping for air, she awoke in her room, the heat palpable against her skin, her bedsheets singed from an unseen fire.
"I feel like someone else has had this problem, Ren?" she whimpered, her voice barely a whisper. "Am I really a host like that Wikipedia said? I need to learn more."
---
The Next Minute: Mika's Research
The morning sun barely filtered through the mansion's library windows as Mika sat in a quiet corner. Her laptop glowed against the dim light, but her mind swirled with confusion. The previous night's visions haunted her. How could she possibly understand this awakening that thrummed with energy inside of her?
Trembling fingertips typed "Infernia Kaiju" into the search bar. A list of vague references populated the screen, adding to her frustration. She clicked on a link titled "Awakening of Kaiju Hosts: What You Need to Know," her hope a flickering ember within her growing anxiety.
As the page loaded, Mika squinted at the dense block of text that threatened to drown her. "Kaiju Hosts are rare entities, living vessels for colossal and ancient Kaiju…" Her eyes widened as the words seeped into her brain. She reread the line, struggling to make sense of it. "Wait, so I'm… I'm supposed to merge with that… creature inside me?"
Horror twisted inside her as she scrolled, learning about emotional instability, confusion, and the chaos of dual consciousness. "Symbiotic... is that what this is?" she muttered, the weight of it pressing down on her. Ren had been experiencing similar surges, and now, it felt like his emotions bled into her consciousness.
Desperation clawed at her chest as she continued to read. The words "Signs of Awakening" caught her attention, detailing sudden surges of emotion and powerful urges. "That sounds like Ren's situation," she said defiantly. This knowledge brought clarity but also despair.
"What do I even do now?" Mika whispered, her voice cracking. She glanced at her phone, hoping for a lifeline, but it remained silent.
---
The following day blurred together as Mika tried to maintain a façade of normalcy. In gym class, the heat emanating from within surged whenever her emotions flared—frustration, excitement, anger, all exacerbated by the inner turmoil.
As she assisted with moving equipment, her touch left scorch marks on a metal bar. Heart pounding, she hurriedly hid the evidence, a cold dread blossoming in her throat. "Okay, instability like the Wikipedia said. I need to calm down."
---
Later, seeking silence, Mika escaped to the outskirts of town, her refuge an old park where time seemed to stand still. Sitting beneath a sprawling oak, she pressed her palm against her chest, the warmth intensifying with each breath. "Make it stop... please..."
"You cannot run from who you are," a voice echoed in her mind, deep and mesmerizing.
In that moment, the ground beneath her smoldered, faint flames curling around her shoes. Fear gripping her, Mika shouted, "If this is real, then tell me… what do you want from me?"
A figure of pure fire emerged, a radiant being amidst an inferno. "To awaken your true self. You are strong, but you've always held back, afraid of what others might think. Embrace the fire, Mika, and you will be unstoppable."
Hot tears streamed down her cheeks, a tumult of emotions in her heart. "I don't want to hurt anyone…"
The voice softened, filled with an understanding warmth. "Fire destroys, yes…but it also protects. It gives life, keeps the darkness at bay. You have a choice—control it, or let it consume you."
Mika inhaled deeply and reached toward the figure, her trembling hand guided by instinct. This time, when the flames surged around her, they enveloped her like a protective shield, igniting a sensation of strength coursing through her veins.
As Mika opened her eyes, an orange hue glimmered within their depths. Her hands flickered with flames that felt strangely comforting instead of consuming. "I can control this… I have to," she murmured to herself, feeling a spark of hope ignite within.
She looked toward the horizon, determination swelling in her chest. "I'm not just going to sit on the sidelines anymore."
As if summoned by her resolve, a figure materialized before her—Infernia, a magnificent woman wreathed in flames. The intensity of her presence filled the air with an electric charge as Mika stood frozen in awe.
"Now to introduce myself! I am Infernia," the Kaiju declared, a flourish in her voice. "The Fire Monarch. Ruler of Flames and—"
"Wait, hold on!" Mika interjected, her heart racing. "You're the Fire Monarch? I-I read about you!"
Infernia paused, an exaggerated pout forming on her lips. "So, I've been reduced to a Wikipedia article, huh?" she retorted, the flicker of flames surrounding her heightening in indignation.
"I didn't mean to!" Mika exclaimed, embarrassment flushing her cheeks. "I didn't know you were... her."
Infernia's eyes narrowed, the intensity shifting. "You read about me?"
Mika nodded, anxiety flooding her. "Yeah, I mean, you were listed in a section about Fire Monarchs…"
Infernia's huff echoed, flames flickering dramatically. "Well, you ruined my perfect introduction!"
Mika blinked, caught off guard by the fiery display unfolding before her. "I-I'm really sorry! We can still try again, right?"
Infernia stared at her, arms crossed, but comedic exasperation began to soften her fiery demeanor. "You think you can fix it? After you interrupted my grand entrance?"
"If you give me a chance, I promise I'll make it up to you," Mika replied, offering a sheepish smile.
With a reluctant sigh, Infernia relented, the heat around her simmering down. "Fine. But next time, let me shine before you cut me off."
Mika couldn't help but laugh, the tension finally dissipating. Though this chaotic entity was formidable, there was also an amusing side to Infernia. "Okay, Infernia, I'll try to keep my enthusiasm in check next time."
As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting golden rays across the sky, Mika stood alone in that secluded park. A renewed sense of purpose welled within her.
Infernia's voice echoed in her mind, powerful yet tender. "We are one now, Mika. The flame will guide you… if you let it.
With newfound resolve glinting in her eyes, Mika nodded.