An agonized scream tore through the empty alley as Kaito clutched his head, collapsing to his knees. The echo of it reverberated like a ghostly chorus, lost in the concrete silence of midnight.
"Get out of my mind, you bastard!" he growled through gritted teeth, his fingers digging into his scalp as if he could physically claw the presence out.
A cold, guttural voice answered from within.
"Kill them all. No mercy. No trace."
Kaito's body twitched. His eyes widened, then narrowed—veins pulsing at his temple, sweat dripping down his jawline. He felt like a puppet with frayed strings, struggling to resist the pull of a greater force.
"You can't take my mind! It's mine!"
"Your mind?" the voice mocked, sinister amusement laced in every syllable. "You're just a shell. Weak. Pathetic. But lucky. Very, very lucky."
Kaito let out a choked breath. His body jerked upright—stiff, mechanical. His eyes glazed over with an eerie, unrecognizable gleam.
A different presence stood in his place.
"Tch... this body's frail," the invader muttered aloud, inspecting Kaito's hands with visible contempt. "But there's something special here... a core. A soul-core? In a human? Fascinating. Powerful too. Heh... Guess I'm lucky after all. Idiot even wore the cursed gloves. Sorry, kid—this body's mine now."
A shudder coursed through Kaito's spine.
"Shut up! Get out of my mind!" he screamed.
A moment of clarity. His hands trembled—then clenched into fists. With an inhuman force of will, Kaito wrenched control back. The presence flinched, recoiling deep within the shadows of his mind.
Breathless, Kaito dropped to one knee. He could still feel it—a second presence coiled in the back of his consciousness, like a serpent hiding in the crevices of his thoughts.
"You... how did you cut my connection?" the voice asked, bewildered. "I already transferred my soul into your body. We're two souls now. I shouldn't be locked in here."
Kaito stood again, wiping sweat from his brow.
"Then why am I still in control?"
The voice hissed. "I don't know. But I'm stuck. Trapped. I can't override you. Not fully."
"You're the curse inside those gloves," Kaito muttered. "You're evil."
"So what? Gonna kill me? Try it—you'll die too."
"I'm not afraid of dying."
A pause.
"You're... not scared?"
Kaito walked aimlessly through the dimly lit streets, hands in his pockets, thoughts heavy. The voice kept talking, like a constant background noise in his head.
"Can you shut up already?" he snapped.
"Can't. You can't do anything about me now."
"Tch..."
"Hey... what if we made a deal? A contract."
Kaito's brow twitched.
"No."
"Come on. I make you stronger. You help me find a new body to possess. Fair trade."
"I don't want strength. I want to save my family. That's all."
"Exactly. Strength helps with that. I live in your mind temporarily, you help me find a suitable host. In return—I give you power."
Kaito's mind reeled. The voice was insistent, almost desperate. And strangely... sincere?
"How do I find this 'host'?"
"Kill people."
Kaito stopped walking. His breath frosted in the cold air.
"You're out of your damn mind."
"Or just... find someone with a strong soul. They don't have to die. Maybe."
He didn't answer. But in his thoughts—protected and silent—he considered the offer. If he could control the terms... maybe he could turn this parasite into a tool.
"Alright," he said aloud. "Let's make a contract."
The voice chuckled.
"Now we're talking. Close your eyes."
Kaito hesitated, but knelt. His eyelids fell shut.
"This better not be a trick."
Pain exploded through his chest.
"ARGH! What the hell did you do?!"
The voice howled with glee.
"You didn't know? My contract binds your soul to mine. I take full control. You die, I live."
"You bastard—"
Kaito's vision blurred. The world twisted, the sky flickered white. Pain surged like fire through his veins.
"You agreed, idiot! I own you now!"
Kaito's heart pounded. The edges of his mind began to crumble—but then, clarity.
"If I die... you die too. Right?"
"Wha—wait! Don't!"
Kaito reached into a nearby dumpster, yanked out a rusted metal shard, and pressed it against his chest.
"You wouldn't."
"I'm not scared of death. But you are."
A breath.
A beat.
Kaito stabbed the metal into his side.
A scream. The voice. His own.
Black.
Then white.
Kaito gasped awake. He was on the ground—his knees in front of a familiar gravestone.
The cemetery.
"I'm back."
He looked down at his arm. A faint yellow glow pulsed beneath his sleeve. He pulled it up slowly.
A star-shaped tattoo shimmered on his skin.
"What the hell..."
The star blinked.
"You idiot..." a muffled voice came—not from within his mind, but from the tattoo itself.
"Wait. Why are you still alive and i can't talk in your head anymore?"
Kaito's eyes narrowed.
"Guess the contract didn't go as planned."
The voice groaned. "You sealed me... again. Damn it."
The mark shimmered like sunlight through fog, then dimmed.
Kaito rose to his feet.
The storm wasn't over. It was only just beginning.