After the battle with the Whisperer ended, the abandoned street was filled with dust and debris. The spot where the monster fell was not merely destroyed; it seemed as if color and light had been drained from it, leaving a pale grey patch caused by Kaito's technique.
He sat on a broken piece of concrete, clutching his head with both hands. The dizziness was intense this time, as if he had lost a large portion of his soul's energy. His breathing was heavy, and his purple eyes flickered with an unusual weakness. For a moment, he felt his limbs becoming transparent, as if his physical reality was beginning to dissolve and separate from the Void world.
Emma sat beside him, her face still pale from the effects of the monster's attacks. The three trainees—Yuki, Rin, and Haru—stood a short distance away, watching him with clear concern.
"Kaito… are you okay?" Emma asked in a slightly trembling voice. "You were draining yourself with so much power."
Kaito didn't respond immediately. He looked at the three trainees. Yuki's face still bore the traces of terror from the whispers she heard about her eternal hunger. Rin was staring at the ground, gripping his arms tightly as if trying to keep himself from collapsing. Haru was sitting on the ground, hugging her knees, her eyes full of tears.
Kaito felt a strange concern creeping into him.
"Are you… okay?" he asked quietly, his voice less mocking than usual.
Yuki tried to smile, but her smile was shaky. "I'm… I'm fine."
Rin slowly raised his head, looking anxiously at Emma and Kaito.
Haru whispered in a broken voice: "I was scared, I'm sorry."
Kaito looked at them for a long time. He saw in them a reflection of his old disciples. Disciples he used to train in his previous world, teaching them how to control their powers and face their fears instead of running from them. He remembered sitting with them for long hours, listening to their stories, laughing with them, getting angry with them, and protecting them with all his might.
"Do not apologize for your fear," Kaito said quietly. "The Whisperer is a professional hunter; it knows exactly where to sink its claws into the deepest place."
He looked at Emma. "Is there a camera on your headset?"
Emma looked at him in surprise, then nodded slowly. "Yes… Lilith requires it in every field mission. To monitor. It only transmits the image; she cannot hear us."
Kaito gave a cold smile. "Nevertheless, I won't explain everything now."
He stood up with difficulty, and Emma helped him up. He looked at the three trainees once more.
"You are not just trainees. You are people carrying wounds. Yuki… you fear losing everything and starving. Rin… you fear loneliness and darkness. Haru… you fear burning everything you love.
My world was completely different from this one. Fears didn't turn into permanent, incurable monsters. There were curses… black negative energy born from people's hatred, anger, and suppressed pain.
These curses don't turn humans into monsters. Humans remain humans… but they become victims. The curse clings to them, hurts them, destroys their lives gradually, and even kills them and attacks the city. We used to purify them. My partner, 'Saki,' and I fought them together. Saki was a quiet and strong girl; she possessed a 'Binding' ability that could tether the curse so it wouldn't spread or escape, then I would open the Void to absorb and purify it completely. We were an invincible team… or so we thought.
I remember a little girl named Miu. She was only ten years old. Her curse was the 'Curse of Hungry Shadows.' Every night, shadows would emerge from the walls in her room and devour pieces of her soul. In the morning, she would wake up weaker, thinner, and more terrified. Her eyes were gradually sinking into darkness. The day we reached her, Miu was on the verge of death. Her body was nearly lifeless, and her voice was barely audible.
We fought the curse for long hours. The shadows were screaming and coiling around us like a hungry serpent. In the end… we succeeded. We saved Miu before she was completely devoured. But the price was heavy… Saki was deeply wounded in her soul and body, and I lost a portion of my strength for months."
He paused for a moment, then continued: "I won't promise you that I'll make you strong overnight. But I promise you one thing: I won't leave you to face your fears alone."
The three looked at him in silence. Yuki's eyes were shining, and Haru smiled a shy smile for the first time. Rin nodded calmly, looking at Kaito not as a hero, but as someone carrying a sadness similar to his own, which transformed the aura of terror surrounding Kaito into an aura of mystery and solemn respect.
Emma looked at him with a different expression. "You… are different from everyone here."
Kaito gave a slight, mocking smile. "Perhaps. But don't trust me too much. I don't trust anyone either."
At that moment, Kaito felt a stronger dizziness. The world began to tilt slightly. He knew his excessive use of the Void was starting to affect him. He felt as if his physical world and the Void world were nearly separating as he looked at the reflection of his eyes on a broken glass window on the ground.
"Let's head back," he said in a tired voice. "Lilith is waiting for our report."
As they were returning, the camera mounted on Emma's headset transmitted everything to Lilith upstairs. In her office, Lilith sat before the screen, watching Kaito with deep focus. The golden circles in her eyes appeared clearly as she watched with interest the scene of his nosebleed and the trembling of his hand, which he tried to hide.
"Infinite Void…" she whispered to herself. "You are stronger than I expected… but you are also weaker than you think.. and that is what makes the game fun."
Readers' Engagement😎:
1) Kaito revealed his former partner, "Saki," and her binding ability. Do you think Saki is still alive in his old world, or was the incident he mentioned her end? How will her memory affect his relationship with Emma and the trainees?💘
2) Kaito described "Curses" in his world as negative energy born from humans, while in this world, fears turn into physical monsters. Which do you think is more dangerous? Could Kaito start seeing "Curses" in this new world?👀
3) Emma said Lilith can only see the image and not hear the sound. Do you trust Emma's word? Or does Lilith have another way of knowing the stories Kaito told about his past world?🤫
4) At the end of the chapter, Kaito looked at the reflection of his eyes in broken glass. Does this symbolize his fragmented identity between the two worlds, or is it a warning of his physical body's imminent collapse?👥
🥰Your support with Collections and Power Stones helps Kaito face the curses of the past and the realities of the present!🙏🏻