Crack* Crack*

Growling noise*

The sound of bones cracking, low animalistic growls, scratching, and restless movement emanated from the room.

Vincent stood guard with utmost caution, listening intently to the nightmarish noises behind him. He remained as still as a statue, his eyes ceaselessly scanning the dark room.

Despite his burning curiosity, he dared not glance in K's direction for a second. Crimson light seeped through the gap beneath the door, casting eerie, shifting silhouettes of a demonic creature each time it flickered.

The door behind Vincent creaked open slowly, startling him backward. "Vin—" a voice croaked out with difficulty, "Cent." The room fell silent.

"M-Master?" Vincent gathered all his strength to call out for K.

The silence was deafening. Vincent's body was stiff with anticipation, waiting for a response. "Vincent?" a voice answered that sound unlike K's, followed by a low growl.

An elongated arm covered in black scales, tipped with long claws, reached out from the darkness, contorting before gripping the door frame. Another arm appeared, grasping the opposite side.

A face slowly emerged from the shadows, its disfigured features and decomposed state sending a shiver through Vincent. The cracking of bones accompanied each movement. "Flesh?"

Its closed eye opened to reveal a nightmarish sight: instead of a pupil, there was a hollow socket surrounded by small, sharp teeth. Its mouth stretched unnaturally wide, emitting a gasping voice that sounded like a man struggling to breathe.

From within its gaping mouth, a hand appeared, reaching out toward Vincent. He was flabbergasted, his hand trembling as it hovered over his knife. This fear was new; in all his life, he had only felt such terror a handful of times.

He gripped the blade tightly when, suddenly, a voice whispered into his left ear. "Hi, how are you?" In his shaken state, he swung blindly at the source of the voice, but a playful laugh echoed behind him.

"My dearest Vincent, you should have seen your face." The voice teasingly laughed at Vincent’s action.

Vincent turned abruptly with mixed emotion, he knew the voice all too well, it was his master’s voice. But K’s new physical body leaves him shocked.

K sat by the window, using his left hand to support his chin. His long white hair framed his handsome face. Blue eyes and an enchanting smile that captivated Vincent, beckoning him to come closer.

The moonlight streaming through the open window amplified K's features, causing Vincent to stare in awe. K raised an eyebrow teasingly and asked, "Oh? What's the matter, cat got your tongue?" He continued to probe, "Or did my handsome face make you fall in love?"

Vincent bowed, his expression returning from mesmerizing to respect. "I apologize for my earlier behavior, Master." He dared not raise his head.

K giggled, "Don't worry about it, my friend. It's only a natural reaction." He stood up and walked toward the window, smiling at the moon. "This appearance is a gift from my brother, Lucifer, just as our father bestowed his gifts upon him."

Vincent remained silent, listening to his master's words. "Master has a brother?" he thought to himself. He then glanced toward the dark room where the monster had appeared earlier. "Master, if I may, what was that... thing?"

K chuckled softly, crossing his legs. "What… thing. Are we talking about here?"

Vincent calmly pointed in the direction of his room. "The thing that came out of that room just a moment ago"

"Rude!" K said, crossing his arms and turning away with exaggerated body language. "I know I'm not what you expected, but to call me a monster… that's a bit harsh, don’t you think?" He expressed an exaggerated sigh of disappointment before opening one eye to gauge Vincent's reaction.

Vincent's expression mirrored Davis's in similar situations as he coldly replied, "Master, I'm serious!"

K playfully giggled, "That is what you call primal fear. Animals evolve to distinguish between friend and foe, food and competitor." Suddenly, K appeared behind Vincent, whispering, "Prey and predator."

K paced slowly around the room as he continued answering Vincent's question. "My power is too destructive, especially for a body that hasn't experienced it." He paused, staring into the dark room. "Too much power at once will destroy this body from within."

K showed Vincent his arm. At first, it looked normal, but then it transformed, becoming scaly with sharp tips. "What is this?" Vincent blurted out.

K smirked at his dumbfounded expression. "This body is a chimera. I used many different materials." He started counting on his fingers. "Dragon heart and scales, Fenrir skin and organs, and many high-grade herbs to help with the pain during the transformation phase."

His hand returned to normal. "And, of course, I have a human male body so I can maintain a human form. Think of me as a walking, talking doll with feelings, a functioning body, and everything else a human possesses."

Vincent joined in, "So... you're a human but not a human, yet you can still be considered a human?"

K snapped his fingers and smiled with the innocence of a child. "See, now you're getting it!"

K exhaled deeply. "My Chaos energy is too chaotic. Hahaha." He took a seat on a nearby chair. "Oh, by the way, thanks for the clothes. I didn't want to be naked during this conversation, so I helped myself to your closet. I hope you don't mind."

Before Vincent could voice his thoughts, K continued without hesitation. "I had to deplete all of my chaos energy to safely merge my soul with this body. Otherwise, I might have killed myself with my power."

"What you see now is the residual energy, chaotic and confusing. It induces visions that terrify people and make them question reality itself, " K explained.

Hearing this, Vincent finally understood the earlier sensation—terror and confusion, mixed with uncertainty, had paralyzed him, causing his mind to stall.

Noticing Vincent’s expression change, K knew he had answered his question. He coughed twice, drawing Vincent’s attention. "What about everything else?" he leaned in closer. "Is it done?"

Vincent nodded respectfully, regaining his composure. "Wonderful. Have someone bring it to Davis tomorrow, and we'll stay in touch," K said before disappearing.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Within the academy, the night was calm and the streets were quiet. Inside Davis’s room, he slept peacefully in bed with Skye beside him. A silhouette emerged, moving silently toward them.

Skye sensed the presence of this stranger and woke to see a spectral figure looming over her. She growled in fear but held her ground, shifting into her battle form to shield Davis with her body.

Davis awoke to a bizarre sight: a giant wolf growling at a shadowy figure in the corner of his room. "Who are you?" He demanded, leaping up and assuming a defensive stance.

"Is that how you normally say hi or hello?" K asked with a chuckle.

His voice was instantly recognized by the two. After cooling off a bit, Davis exclaimed, exhausted, "K? Why the hell are you sneaking around like a rat in the middle of the night? "

K giggled as he emerged from the shadows. "I just wanted to see both of you."

Skye approached K cautiously and sniffed him, recognizing his familiar scent. "Are you really my uncle?" she asked, her tail wagging enthusiastically.

"Yes, I am, your little bundle of joy," K answered joyfully, gently playing with her cheek. "I also want to tell you that we’re leaving at midday tomorrow!"

Davis rolled back into bed and muttered, "You still haven’t told us where we’re going." K sat on the floor, petting Skye. "Oh my gosh, Skye, your fur is so smooth," he exclaimed.

Previously, he had manifested into the physical world using Davis’s physical connection as a medium, he could touch things but couldn’t truly feel them. Now that he had a body, the sensation was almost alien to him.

The only time he could truly feel the environment around him was when he and Davis swapped consciousness. But he never gets to enjoy his time in the world as there is always something he needs to do.

"Either way, I came to tell you that... And another thing." K turned to the half-asleep Davis on the bed. "Starting tomorrow, I won’t be able to use more than a tenth of my magic."

This surprised Davis a bit. He raised his head and asked, "Why?"

K stood up and prepared to leave the room. "I need to slowly get used to this body, just like back when we first met." He pointed out, referencing their first encounter. "Well, see you tomorrow. I need to get a new set of clothes. " He joked as he looked down at Vincent’s clothes, "This one isn’t my style."

"Wait a second, K? What about the—" Davis tried to ask, but as he got up, he realized K had already left the room and the window was opened. "Did he leave through the window?" Davis turned to Skye.

Skye softly barked twice. "Yes, Uncle jumped through the window immediately after he was done speaking."

Davis facepalmed and let out a deep sigh. "Of course he did." He then went back to bed. Skye stood for a moment before returning to her sleep.

Walking along the empty street, K felt an unexplainable urge to smile—a mix of happiness and restraint. "How long has it been since I've enjoyed moments like this?" he mused.

K turned to inspect his right palm. "Petting Skye felt incredibly nice." He gripped his arm tightly as he continued down the path. "I wonder..." K quietly laughed to himself. "Oh, this will be fun!"

He continued his walk, happily whistling. "Shut up, will ya? Someone is trying to sleep here!" a resident from a nearby building shouted at K.

"Deal with it, I don’t give a damn!" K shouted back before walking off.

Meanwhile, deep in the forest, a man sat patiently reading a book under the light of the moon. His lion mask was unavoidably eye-catching to anyone who came across him.

"Captain, you called for me?" A man wearing a snake mask greeted him as he entered the scene.

The lion-masked man closed the book in his hand and responded with a friendly demeanor. "There’s no need for such pleasantries between us, old friend!" He placed the book down and walked toward him. "How is your wound, Viper?"

Viper glanced at the right side of his body near his heart. "It’s slowly healing. The Sword King is just as strong as the rumors say. If it weren’t for my injury, I would’ve gone after the traitor myself."

The lion-masked man let out a sigh of regret, placing his hand on Viper’s shoulder. "Vincent isn’t our top priority at the moment. Master has given us an important task that we need to succeed in."

Viper looked at him seriously. "Leo, what is the task at hand?"

"In a valley somewhere at the border between Avalom and the Holy Empire is a temple built to worship a ‘Great Old One,’ an evil entity that exists outside this universe. This being will descend sometime soon, less than a year from now."

Leo handed him a paper and a small vile. "Master wants you to go there and guard the area until the descent is successful." Leo walked back to his chair, took off his mask, and smiled warmly at Viper. "My task is somewhat the same, but on the Iron Heart Empire border."

Viper took the paper and, without looking at its contents, tried to leave quickly but was stopped by what Leo said next. "Master also said that if you succeed without any problems, he will fulfill your wish and save your son's soul."

These words triggered Viper immensely, but he refrained from showing it. Turning back to see Leo's smiling face, he bowed and left with gritted teeth and his fist clutched.

Leo's smile disappeared as soon as Viper took his leave. "Shadow Guardian," he called out, and a man emerged from the shadows, his entire body covered in light cloth. "Follow him secretly, and if things go wrong," Leo turned to the man, "you know what to do."

Without saying a word, the man disappeared, moving through the darkness and quietly following Viper. Leo grabbed his book and sat back down, continuing to read. "Who should I send to deal with the traitor..." he pondered aloud.

In a luxurious mansion, the sound of coughing and wheezing echoed through the dimly lit corridor. A man walked towards the source of the sound, stopping before a door. "You’re going to be alright, young master," a woman's voice was heard from inside.

Taking a deep breath, the man opened the door and entered with a cheery smile. "Hello, Misesta, Father is home." He smiled as he walked toward his son. Seeing him sweating profusely, he turned to the nanny. "How is he?" he asked.

"Your Grace, the young lord’s condition is deteriorating quickly," the nanny answered. The man nodded and asked her to leave the room.

After she left, he approached his son, who was wheezing painfully, and gave him a pill from a vial. The boy's condition temporarily stabilized.

Wheezing and coughing*

The boy opened his eyes with a noticeable struggle. "D-dad!" he whispered. "I… I'm glad to see you again." His voice was low, mixed with pained breaths.

"Don't force yourself to speak, Misesta," the man said softly, his voice pained as he looked at his son's condition. "Dad is going somewhere far for a while, and Dad isn't sure when—" Before he could finish, his son placed his weak hand on his.

"Don't worry about me, Dad. I'll patiently await your return. Please have a safe trip," his hand went limp.

"Misesta? MISESTA?" The man shook his son's body carefully and frantically. But as he leaned in to check his heart, he realized that his son had fallen asleep. "Poor boy," he said, tears dripping from his face.

The man kissed his son’s hand, holding it with his trembling fingers as he murmured, "You and your mother have suffered so much because of my hunger for power. I shouldn’t have made that deal. I’m sorry, son."

"Don’t worry, this will be Father’s last trip. After this, Dad will always be by your side." He said his last goodbye before leaving the room.

"Is the young lord alright, your grace?" the nanny asked, having patiently waited outside the young lord’s room.

"Misesta is sleeping at the moment. Take this vial and give him a pill once a week or whenever he’s in pain. It will help stabilize his condition."

The nanny took the vial, and the man waved at her as she took her leave. He then retrieved the paper he had read earlier, crumpled it up, and donned his snake mask before leaving the mansion.

Moments after Viper departed, the Shadow Guardian emerged from the shadows. Entering the young lord’s room, he inspected the boy’s condition and placed his hand on the boy’s chest. Infusing him with mana, the boy coughed up a dead centipede along with a mouthful of blood.

Taking the dead centipede away he opened another vile and placed a new one into the boy's body through his mouth.

"The master must be notified about this," the Guardian thought to himself before leaving the room, leaving the boy in the dark.