Vorn's eyes snapped open, a cold chill sweeping through his chest. The hospital room was dim, bathed in the faint glow of artificial lights. His head still ached, the remnants of pain clinging to his skull like stubborn shadows, but now something else gnawed at him. A sense of urgency, of something about to unfold.
The beep of a heart monitor echoed rhythmically beside him, grounding him in the present, but it didn't do much to erase the feeling that something was wrong.
He blinked, slowly, then shifted his gaze to the ceiling, his body still heavy with the weight of fatigue. The day was cloudy in his mind, blurred between memories that weren't his own and the agony of his current reality. He was Vorn. And yet, he wasn't. His existence—his body—felt like it belonged to someone else.
"You're awake."
The voice broke through his thoughts, a woman in a blue coat standing by the door. The same woman from before, the Bureau agent with the calm expression. She took a step into the room, checking her tablet before looking at him with a neutral expression.
"You should've stayed asleep longer," she said, her tone a little sharper than before. "It's not good to push your body too much this soon. You're lucky to be alive."
Vorn didn't respond immediately. His throat was dry, his voice hoarse. The thoughts of his sister, Seren, flashed in his mind, but something wasn't right. A chill ran down his spine when he thought of her, her voice, her face—something was off.
"Any pain?" she asked, looking at him again, her gaze more intense now.
His lips parted, but he held back the words. "A little," he muttered, "But nothing I can't handle."
She nodded, scribbling something on her tablet. "We've still got a lot to figure out, Vorn. Your situation's... complicated. Unregistered, no class, no aura signature. And that artifact you have, it's not like anything we've seen before. We're putting a watch on you for now. Just in case."
Vorn forced a faint smile, trying to keep his voice steady. "Great. Just what I needed. A babysitter."
The woman didn't seem to find it funny. She sighed. "We're trying to protect you from yourself."
He didn't answer, his gaze shifting to the corner of the room. The door behind the woman opened slightly, and a soft, familiar voice floated in.
"Is he awake?"
Seren.
Her voice trembled, carrying a hint of both relief and concern. It sent a shiver down his spine.
Vorn's heart skipped. The last time he saw her, she was... no, she couldn't be. He didn't know what he expected, but it certainly wasn't this. He didn't know what to feel. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came.
"Seren…" he said, his voice barely a whisper.
She stepped into the room, her face a mixture of worry and exhaustion, her eyes flicking toward him before resting on the woman in the blue coat.
"She's fine," the agent said quickly, but there was something in her voice that wasn't quite reassuring.
Seren's eyes narrowed slightly, her expression shifting ever so subtly. "What's wrong with him?" she asked the agent, her gaze moving to Vorn.
Vorn opened his mouth again, but no sound came. His chest tightened, an unfamiliar heaviness growing in his stomach.
The agent glanced at Seren for a moment, her lips tightening. "We're still figuring that out. There's something strange about his case."
Seren didn't look convinced. She stepped closer to Vorn's side, the door clicking softly behind her as it closed.
"You're… you're not my brother," she murmured.
Vorn's heart skipped a beat, his breath catching in his throat. The words sent a jolt of panic through him.
"What?"
She stared at him, eyes unblinking. Her expression was no longer one of concern, but something else—something cold. Her voice, soft as it was, seemed to carry an unfamiliar edge. "I know you're not him. The brother I knew—he's gone. And you…" Her voice faltered for just a moment before she steeled herself. "You're not Vorn."
His mind reeled. "What do you mean? Of course, I am. Seren, it's me, Vorn."
Her eyes flicked to the agent, then back to him. "No. You don't feel like him. I can tell. You're different."
Vorn's pulse quickened, his eyes widening in confusion and a growing sense of dread. This didn't feel like a simple misunderstanding. There was something wrong, something twisted in her gaze.
A cold silence stretched between them, and in that silence, Vorn felt a creeping sense of unease. Something was off. Deeply off. He could feel it gnawing at his chest, his stomach twisting with dread.
Seren's eyes glowed faintly, a flicker of something in them that wasn't hers. Vorn felt his skin crawl.
A shadow passed across her face, and for a moment, Vorn thought he saw it. The flicker of something much darker, like a wave cresting within her.
The agent moved to step forward, her hand reaching out to place itself on Seren's shoulder, but before she could, the room seemed to shift. A subtle hum filled the air. The light flickered briefly, then brightened.
Seren's hand twitched, and before Vorn could react, she collapsed. Her knees buckled beneath her, and she fell to the floor with a quiet gasp, her body going limp.
The agent swore under her breath, rushing to her side, but Vorn's gaze was fixed on his sister's unconscious form. His body tensed as a strange, oppressive pressure filled the room.
Something wasn't right. Something had just happened, and he wasn't sure if it was his sister or something else entirely that had taken control of her.
Then the mechanical voice inside his glasses whispered, its tone cold and distant.
[Warning: Entity Possession Detected. Current Host: Seren.]
The words froze Vorn in place.
Before he could move, the voice spoke again, this time more urgently.
[Warning: Entity Identification—A Higher Being. Interference is imminent.]
Vorn's heart raced. This wasn't just a coincidence. The being—the entity—was in his sister, and it wasn't something that should be here. Not now. Not like this.
A cold, malicious laugh echoed in his ears, but it wasn't Seren's voice. It was something else. Something deep, something ancient, and far more terrifying than anything he'd ever encountered.
The agent cursed again, her hand hovering over Seren's wrist, but then she pulled back.
"We need to get her out of here. Now."
Vorn didn't know what to say. His mind was in turmoil. His sister, his blood... she was being used, taken over by something far beyond him. And all he could do was stand there, frozen, watching her fade from his grasp.
The last thing he saw before the agent left with Seren in her arms was a flicker of dark energy in the air, hovering around her like a dark mist. It dissipated just as quickly, leaving only the silence in its wake.
Vorn's body was numb as he sat in the room alone. His chest tightened as he pressed a hand to his temple. The weight of what had just happened, of what he had just witnessed, sunk deep into his bones.
"Seren…" he whispered, his voice barely audible. "What the hell just happened?"
The system in his glasses remained silent, offering no answers, just a cold, indifferent void.
And then, almost imperceptibly, another message appeared in his vision.
[Warning: There are consequences for revealing your true identity. The Veiled Noir path is at risk.]
The final warning hung in the air like a dark cloud, a reminder that he was playing a dangerous game. And now, it was only just beginning.