The second one didn't hesitate.
That was the problem.
---
His name was Marcus Hale.
Twenty-nine.
Paramedic.
No belief system worth mentioning.
---
He didn't believe in ghosts.
Didn't believe in systems.
Didn't believe in miracles.
---
He believed in arriving first.
---
"…Pulse is weak," Marcus muttered, fingers steady despite the blood.
The woman on the stretcher gasped, eyes rolling back.
---
Sirens wailed.
Police lights painted the alley blue and red.
---
Marcus worked fast.
Too fast to notice the temperature drop.
---
A shadow clung to the woman's chest.
Not attacking.
Anchoring.
---
"…Hey," Marcus whispered.
"Stay with me."
---
The shadow recoiled.
Not from fear.
From attention.
---
> [System Observation:]
— Human Recognition Detected
— Voluntary Intervention: IMPLICIT
---
Miles away—
I felt it snap into focus.
---
"…Another one," Mira said softly.
"…He doesn't even know," I replied.
---
I moved.
Not teleporting.
Running the long way.
---
Because I wanted to arrive human-fast.
---
Marcus pressed the defibrillator paddles down.
"Clear."
---
The shock jolted the woman.
The shadow shrieked—
Silently.
---
The monitors spiked.
---
"…Come on," Marcus growled.
---
The shadow broke.
Not destroyed.
Displaced.
---
The woman gasped.
Alive.
---
The shadow snapped back—
Into Marcus.
---
He froze.
For half a second.
---
That was enough.
---
> [System Alert:]
— Consequence Transfer: MISALIGNED
— New Host: HUMAN (VOLUNTARY / UNAWARE)
---
"…Marcus," a cop shouted.
"You okay?"
---
Marcus blinked.
"…Yeah," he said automatically.
---
But his heartbeat skipped.
Just once.
---
I arrived as the ambulance doors slammed shut.
---
Too late.
---
I hovered above the street, staring at the receding lights.
---
"…Rei," Mira whispered.
"…I know," I said.
---
The weight inside me lurched.
Not heavier.
Sharper.
---
> [Bearer Load:]
— Misplaced Consequence: CONFIRMED
---
"…Can you pull it back?" Mira asked.
---
I closed my eyes.
Reached.
---
Nothing.
---
"…No," I said quietly.
---
—
Marcus didn't feel pain at first.
---
He finished the shift.
Filed reports.
Joked weakly with his partner.
---
Then—
The headaches started.
---
Not migraines.
Pressure.
As if thoughts were being charged interest.
---
He forgot a street name he'd driven for years.
Dropped his keys.
Missed a step.
---
"…Get it together," he muttered.
---
At home, he collapsed onto the couch.
The shadow stirred.
---
Not attacking.
Waiting.
---
I stood at the foot of his couch.
Visible this time.
---
"…You shouldn't be here," Marcus said weakly.
He wasn't scared.
Just tired.
---
"…You saved her," I said.
---
"…That's my job," he replied.
---
The shadow coiled tighter.
---
> [System Notice:]
— Voluntary Ally (UNREGISTERED): CRITICAL
---
"…You're paying for something you didn't choose," I said.
---
Marcus frowned.
"…That's bullshit."
---
I almost smiled.
---
"…Yeah," I said.
"It is."
---
I reached for the shadow.
It resisted.
Not violently.
Legally.
---
"…It transferred because he acknowledged it," Mira said grimly.
"…That's not a choice," I snapped.
---
"…The system disagrees."
---
Marcus's breathing hitched.
Blood trickled from his nose.
---
"…Rei," Mira whispered urgently.
---
I tried to absorb it.
Forced the load inward.
---
Pain exploded.
Not physical.
Existential.
---
The shadow screamed—
And anchored harder.
---
> [System Override Attempt: FAILED]
---
I staggered.
For the first time in a long while—
I almost lost form.
---
Marcus grabbed the edge of the couch.
"…If you're here to help," he said hoarsely,
"do it."
---
I clenched my fists.
---
"…I can't," I admitted.
---
Silence fell.
Heavy.
---
Marcus laughed weakly.
"…Figures."
---
—
Across the city—
The strategist watched biometric feeds.
---
"…This one deteriorated faster," an aide noted.
---
The strategist nodded.
"…Because he didn't hesitate."
---
He folded his hands.
"…Good."
---
"Sir?" someone asked.
---
"Choice must hurt quickly," he said calmly.
"Otherwise it spreads."
---
—
Marcus lay back.
Breathing shallow.
---
"…Did I do something wrong?" he asked quietly.
---
I shook my head.
---
"…You did exactly what a human should," I said.
---
He closed his eyes.
---
"…Then don't let them make it pointless."
---
The shadow tightened.
Marcus's pulse faltered.
---
> [System Alert:]
— Human Vital Stability: DECLINING
---
I stood there.
Unable to act.
Forced to watch.
---
The weight inside me twisted—
Not heavier.
Colder.
---
This—
This was the cost.
---
Not powerlessness.
---
Delay.
---