(Yami POV)
Morning.The sun's light was too sharp.
I opened my eyes and the ceiling felt… different. No, not the ceiling. Me.Something inside me pulsed, like a second heartbeat.
Then—
"…Yami-chan?"
A voice. Clear. Warm. Lala.
I froze. My room was empty. Yet her voice slid through me like a thread inside my chest.
Another voice followed, gentler but nervous. Haruna.
"…don't overwhelm her, Lala. She's confused."
I grabbed my sword from instinct, the blade flashing open in my hand."Where are you?" I demanded. "Show yourselves!"
But there was no one. Just silence—then laughter.
[Hivemind Channel: ACTIVE]Linked Hosts: Lala, Haruna, YamiCore Entity: Scourge
(Symbiote POV)
Her resistance was beautiful.The seed had blossomed overnight, weaving into her nervous system, opening the path I'd prepared.
"Yami," I whispered across her spine. "You're hearing them because you're one of us now."
(Yami POV)
The voice. Deeper. Not human.Him.
"Scourge…" I hissed.My grip on the blade tightened. "Remove it. Whatever you planted in me—remove it, or I'll cut it out myself."
Lala's voice rushed in.
"Wait! Yami-chan, please—it's not bad! You're not alone anymore. It feels nice, right?"
Haruna's softer whisper:
"…I thought it was wrong too, at first. But it's not. It makes you… connected. Safe."
Safe? Connected?No. This was infection. Chains.
(Symbiote POV)
"You think this is control," I told her gently, wrapping her thoughts with mine. "But it isn't. I don't command you. I hear you. They hear you. You don't have to fight alone anymore."
(Yami POV)
For the first time, I faltered.I had lived my entire life in solitude. Weapons don't need friends. Weapons don't need comfort.
Yet their voices overlapped in me—Lala's joy, Haruna's warmth—and for one fragile second, I felt something I'd never known:…companionship.
I clenched my fists."No. This is a trick. I won't—"
But my throat betrayed me. A whisper slipped out, softer than steel.
"…Why does it feel… good?"
(Symbiote POV)
I didn't answer her question.I didn't need to.The bond would.
And though Yami's blade was still raised, her heart was already trembling.Not from hatred.From recognition.
Because for the first time in her life—she wasn't alone in the dark.