Inside the room
Vorn's eyes snapped open.
Something was wrong. Not just the usual "everything hurts" wrong - something deeper. A cold chill swept through his chest like icy water in his veins.
The hospital room was dimly lit, bathed in that awful artificial glow that made everything look dead. His head still pounded like someone was using his skull for drum practice, but now there was this gnawing feeling in his gut. Like something bad was about to happen.
Beep... beep... beep...
The heart monitor kept its steady rhythm, the only normal thing in this whole mess. But it didn't help shake the feeling that everything was about to Go to shit.
He blinked slowly, staring at the ceiling tiles. His thoughts were still fuzzy, caught between memories that weren't his and the brutal reality of his current situation. He was Vorn. But he also wasn't, his body still felt like wearing someone else's clothes - familiar but wrong.
'This is so messed up.'
"You're awake."
That voice again. The same Bureau agent from before, the woman with the light-blue coat and the expression that gave away nothing. She stepped into the room, checking her tablet with practiced efficiency.
"You should've stayed asleep longer," she said, her tone sharper than before. "Pushing your body too hard this soon isn't smart. You're lucky to be breathing."
Vorn didn't respond right away. His throat felt like sandpaper and his voice came out as a croak. Thoughts of his sister Seren flashed through his mind - but something felt off about those memories. Wrong somehow.
"Any pain?" the agent asked, studying him with those calculating eyes.
His lips parted, but he held back what he really wanted to say. "A little. Nothing I can't handle."
She nodded, scribbling notes. "We've still got a lot to figure out about your case, Vorn. Unregistered, no class, no aura signature. And that artifact embedded in your chest - we've never seen anything like it. We're keeping a close watch on you for now. Just in case."
Vorn forced a weak smile, trying to keep his voice steady. "Great. Just what I needed, a babysitter."
The woman didn't find it funny. She sighed. "We're trying to protect you from yourself."
He didn't answer, his gaze drifting to the corner. The door behind her cracked open slightly, and a soft, familiar voice drifted in.
"Is he awake?"
Seren.
Her voice trembled with relief and worry mixed together. It sent shivers down his spine - but not the good kind.
Vorn's heart skipped a beat. The memories from the other Vorn were hazy, but he knew that voice should mean everything to him. So why did it feel... wrong?
"Seren..." he whispered.
She stepped into the room, her face showing exhaustion and concern. Her eyes flicked to him briefly before settling on the Bureau agent.
"He's stable," the agent said quickly, but there was something in her voice that wasn't reassuring at all.
Seren's eyes narrowed slightly. Her expression shifted in a way that made Vorn's skin crawl.
"What's wrong with him?" she asked, but her gaze felt too intense when it landed on Vorn.
He opened his mouth but no sound came out. His chest tightened with an unfamiliar heaviness in his stomach.
The agent glanced between them. "We're still investigating. There are... unusual aspects to his case."
Seren didn't look convinced. She moved closer to his bedside as the door clicked shut behind her.
"You're not my brother," she said quietly.
WHAT?
Vorn's heart slammed against his ribs. "What are you talking about?"
She stared at him with unblinking eyes. Her expression had shifted from concern to something cold and calculating.
"I know you're not him. My brother - the real Vorn - he's gone. And you..." Her voice faltered for just a moment before hardening again. "You're not Vorn."
His mind reeled. "What do you mean? Of course I am! Seren, it's me!"
[WARNING: ANOMALOUS BEHAVIOR DETECTED]
[ENTITY ANALYSIS: INCONCLUSIVE]
Her eyes flicked to the agent, then back to him. "No. You don't feel right. I can tell. You're different."
Vorn's pulse hammered in his ears. This wasn't just confusion or trauma talking. There was something deeply wrong with this whole situation.
The silence stretched between them like a taut wire. And in that silence, something twisted in his gut with pure dread.
Seren's eyes flickered - literally flickered - with a faint glow that definitely wasn't human. Vorn felt his skin crawl.
A shadow passed across her face, and for just a moment, he saw it. Something dark moving underneath her features like a wave beneath the surface.
The agent started to step forward, reaching for Seren's shoulder, but before she could make contact-
HUM.
The air itself seemed to vibrate. The lights flickered, then blazed brighter.
Seren's hand twitched, and before anyone could react-
THUD.
She collapsed. Her knees buckled and she hit the floor with a soft gasp, body going completely limp.
"Shit!" The agent swore, rushing to her side.
But Vorn's gaze was locked on his sister's unconscious form. His body tensed as this oppressive pressure filled the room like thick smoke.
Something had just happened. Something big. And he wasn't sure if what he'd been talking to was actually his sister or something wearing her face.
The mechanical voice whispered in his ear through the glasses.
[WARNING: ENTITY POSSESSION DETECTED]
[CURRENT HOST: SEREN]
The words hit him like a punch to the gut.
[WARNING: ENTITY IDENTIFICATION - HIGHER BEING]
[INTERFERENCE IMMINENT]
Vorn's heart raced. This wasn't coincidence. The thing - the entity - was inside his sister. And it wasn't supposed to be here.
A cold, malicious laugh echoed in his ears, but it wasn't Seren's voice. It was something ancient and terrifying that made his bones ache.
The agent cursed again, checking Seren's pulse, but then pulled her hand back like she'd been burned.
"We need to get her out of here. Now!."
Vorn couldn't speak. His mind was in complete chaos. His sister - his own blood - was being used as a puppet by something far beyond his understanding. And all he could do was lie there and watch it happen.
The last thing he saw before the agent carried Seren out was this dark mist hovering around her unconscious body. It vanished as quickly as it appeared, leaving only heavy silence behind.
Vorn sat alone in the room, completely numb. He pressed his hand to his temple as the weight of what just happened sank into his bones.
"Seren..." he whispered. "What the hell was that?"
The system in his glasses stayed silent. No helpful hints, no explanations. Just cold, empty nothing.
Then, almost like an afterthought, another message appeared.
[WARNING: REVEALING TRUE IDENTITY CARRIES SEVERE CONSEQUENCES]
[VEILED NOIR PATH: AT RISK]
[CURRENT LEVEL: 1]
[EXP: 45/100]
[THREAT ASSESSMENT: ESCALATING]
The warning hung in the air like a death sentence.
He was playing a game where the rules kept changing, and now the stakes had just gotten personal.
'This is only the beginning, isn't it?'