(Yami POV)
Night in Sainan was never truly quiet.
Even from my rooftop perch, I could hear the hum of distant traffic, the faint chatter of students still awake, the whisper of the wind through the trees.
But tonight… there was something else.
A pulse.
It had started days ago—soft, ignorable. Like a stray heartbeat that wasn't mine.
I assumed it was residue from my last encounter with that thing—Scourge.
I thought I had burned it out.
I was wrong.
The pulse grew sharper, syncing with my own heartbeat. My fingers twitched around my book, and suddenly the words blurred. My mind wasn't wandering—it was being pulled.
Memories flashed—
Not mine.
A smooth voice, warm yet heavy, brushing against my thoughts:
"You fight because you think it's the only way to stay in control. But you've never been touched in the right way, have you?"
My breath caught.
I slammed the book shut, scanning the rooftops around me. Nothing.
Then heat spread from my chest outward, threading into every nerve. My legs weakened, not from fatigue but from a slow, rising need I didn't understand.
"Get out of my head…" I muttered.
The voice didn't answer.
It didn't need to.
Because I could feel it now.
Something deep in my core broke open—like a shell giving way to the thing inside.
Energy spilled through me, and with it… him.
[System Link Established – Host: Golden Darkness]
[Seed Status: Full Activation]
Emotional State: Conflict / Curiosity / Defensive Arousal
His presence settled in my mind—not heavy, not invasive… patient.
"Yami," he said, and my name in his voice made my pulse skip.
"You can try to resist. But I've already seen your shadow. I know what it hides."
My transformation ring flickered, my body shifting instinctively into partial weapon form.
It wasn't for him—it was for me.
A reminder that I could still fight.
But the truth hit harder than any blade:
I didn't know if I wanted to.
(Scourge POV)
I felt it the moment it happened.
Another heartbeat joined the rhythm. Another thread in the web.
[Active Hosts: 4]
Lala. Haruna. Mikado. Yami.
Her resistance would make her difficult—deliciously so.
But the seed had taken root.
And now… she could hear me whenever I wanted.
Author: I'll be away for about 3–4 days. I'll be back soon.