"So, this is the place?" Nami and I ducked beneath the a taut beam of yellow WARNING tape, examining the evacuated apartment complex with discerning eyes. On the surface, there was nothing outwardly vexing about the place; neon lights bathed the rain-slick streets in a sheen of kaleidoscopic color, reflecting off of puddles that had pooled upon the road as a result of the sudden downpour. The building itself was squat, three floors high, made of brick and mortar with aluminum window-frames and glass doors. In the distance, blaring car horns and revving engines could be heard amidst the steady thrumming of raindrops upon pavement; urban life ever persistent, especially in the darkness of night.

Nami discarded her overcoat, swiping a misty sheen of rainwater from the dark leather, "Gas leaks won't cut it for much longer, people are already getting suspicious as is."

"If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. A gas leak gets normies out before any real harm is done. A couple of migraines, fevers, one coma; can’t be too big of a leech." I joined her in preparing for the fight to come. Flexing my digits and performing a few calf stretches.

"Too big? It must've been eating for days, and its smart too. The fact that it hasn't drained anyone dry means it’s a thinker. I bet we have a real slug on our hands."

"Wanna bet?"

She wasn't wrong. Ever since Shibuya the Spirit Realm was on edge, astir with whispers of activity that surpassed anything we'd seen before. The barrier between our world and theirs was under stress, thinning out in some places, allowing spirits and creatures of all shapes and sizes to slip through the cracks and into the corporeal. Most were benign, harmless if not a bit troublesome for their nature; poltergeists, mischievous spirits, small imps, weak lesser demons and other such things. We handled those cases quietly, keeping the details hush-hush; this case would be much more of a spectacle if Nami was correct.

I could already feel the dull throb behind my left eye, as if my mind was preparing for the pain. "No point in guessing."

That was enough for Nami, her lips parting in anticipation, tight pursed lips curling into the beginnings of a smile. "Here we go."

Covering my left eye, I focused inward, visualizing the sigils inscribed upon my iris scrawled in shimmering silver ink. As they came alive, glowing faintly against the backlight of my hand, the first twinge of pain seared across my brain in a flash of white fire. In an instant, my sword-toting partner could see as I saw, the filament of reality peeling away in an oily haze. Behind it, the Spirit Realm laid bare.

Shrouded in shadow and wreathed in ethereal flame, Nami's form was outlined by an ethereal essence that clung to her like static; vibrant red sparks crackled along her outline, gathering in the palms of her hands. Raven hair fell the back of her slacks. Nami kept things professional, usually sporting a fresh white dress shirt with all manner of trinkets and accessories clattering along her wrist. While it may have seemed entirely unpractical, heels were her choice a footwear, though they never seemed to impede her work. She was beautiful, and in many ways reminded me of Kana. Both were strong-willed, at times stoic to a fault and a bit too eager for a fight, but otherwise kind-hearted souls. They shared a similar determination. Perhaps that’s why we’d been partnered, though the memory of loss was too fresh for either of us achieve something even close to what Kana and I had. I pressed aside my grief and focused on the nature of our business.

The demon was repulsive, a writhing mass of viscous black slime, oozing down the brick façade in thick globs as it stretched tendrils of itself into each and every open window. At its apex, a cyclopean-eyed skull in the likeness of a massive wolf stared down at us, dripping with miasma that sizzled when it struck the concrete below. It reeked, a stench like rotten meat carried on putrid winds that stung the nose and eyes.

"Fuck, that's big."

"Told you," Nami smirked, unsheathing the glimmering zweihander fastened across her back; the blade was a mercurial swirl of undulating platinum, wreathed in the same spectral flames that danced about its wielder. It casted a false light upon the gloom-swept street around us. "Maybe you'll get this kill if you keep up."

"I'd have a chance if you stopped stealing all of them." Bolts of silver electricity danced at my fingertips, sigils of power etched into my skin glowing brightly as arcane energy coursed through them. Mirroring the movements of my outstretched right arm, a spectral doppelganger materialized above. Its likeness was that of a musclebound demon, bulging with rich veins and stolen power. The strength imbued within it was excruciating yet addictive to wield. Not quite physical, exertion tugged at the edges of my soul, eating at the fringes of some unknown life source; would this cost me hours or days? It left me stationary and vulnerable, Nami closing the distance. There was always a price.

The spirit realm was a strange place, shrouded in perpetual darkness, illuminated only by the sickly glow of otherworldly flame that licked at everything in sight. Buildings became crumbling husks of their former selves, broken and twisted by time and space until they resembled little more than misshapen abstractions of their original forms. Even Nami looked different, the same fiery aura clung to her like static; raven locks of hair billowed in a non-existent breeze, and her eyes burned with supernatural might.

Nami dashed forward, bounding across the wet concrete with supernatural grace, leaving faint imprints of spectral flame in her wake.