Blood poured out like water.
"I knew it… you possess negative energy, just like us—but yet you're human?"
"W-why?" I asked, my tone barely a whisper.
"If I don't do this, she won't come back!" He yelled, his hand driving even deeper. I coughed up blood.
Slowly, but painfully, I lifted my right arm up close to his face. He just stared, knowing well there was nothing I could do. I was on the verge of dying—but yet I knew I couldn't. Why?
Because I possessed powers of my own.
"T-Telekinesis!" I roared under my breath, and a massive force surged from space itself.
In an instant, the worker was sent flying, his arm forcing itself out of my body. A huge surge of pain shot through me. I dropped to my knees from the sheer agony; tears and saliva rolled down from my eyes and mouth simultaneously.
The worker slammed into the wall, causing a massive crack—but he immediately recovered.
"What was that?" he stared, confused by what I had just done. "I knew it… you possess negative energy, but yet the property doesn't entirely feel that of negative energy… What is this? You're… healing?"
The man stared in horror as the wound he had caused began to painfully seal itself.
"An average negative energy user shouldn't even be capable of healing," he said, his shocked expression instantly changing to excitement.
He laughed. His cries echoed through the store—it was uncanny, terrifying.
"If I get rid of you, the sacrifice will be complete! She will come back to me!"
"S-she? You killed all these people for your own personal gain? How do you feel? How can you still stay with humans after these heinous acts? There was a little girl in there, you know!" I couldn't contain myself. Fury surged through me.
"Pleasure, my friend! Pleasure!"
His response made me fall silent.
Pleasure?
"It's so freaking annoying, you know? All my life I've always been alone. It's annoying. We're all humans, yet why wasn't I treated differently? Why was I bullied for being weird? Accountability? Change myself? Screw all that! They rejected me, so I'm rejecting the world it created."
The man was serious. I knew his mindset was wrong and flawed, but I couldn't counter anything he had said. He was similar to me—always treated differently—but unlike him, I still had a good life. I had nothing to say that would guarantee my honesty to him.
I took deep breaths and got back on my feet as my wounds finally healed. I tapped into my power. Even if it wasn't visible, I could feel my own strength multiplying.
"I can't change your identity, I can't change your words… the only thing I can do is stop you!"
"Hahaha—try to!" He charged at me. His speed was almost beyond human; by eye alone, he had probably reached the speed of a bullet.
But his speed wasn't something I couldn't contend with. When this matchup started, I had successfully activated precognition. Even if it wasn't strong enough to intercept his attacks, it was enough to know when he would strike.
Just as I predicted, he dashed at me. His hand was mere inches from my face. I leaned back, barely dodging—but before I could react, he disappeared again. I had misjudged his speed. He was faster than a bullet!
With my precognition barely keeping tabs on him, I still had a faint idea of where he would strike. Even seeing the future didn't matter—my mind and body were still too slow to react fully. I was right.
The man spawned right behind me and delivered a side kick. I blocked it with my arm, barely stopping his foot from making contact with my face.
The force was not human. It catapulted me through the glass door of the store and straight into an empty car at the end of the road. The car dented under the force. Without my powers, a normal human's head would have been blown off from just that kick.
"Is that all you've got? I expected someone with this much negative energy to be more powerful."
"Negative energy? Sorry, I have no idea what that means."
The worker stopped as he exited the store, his eyes locked on mine, a grin of enjoyment on his bruised face.
"I despise people like you. How are we in the same situation, yet treated differently? Why was a cocky brat like you, who doesn't care about friends, life, or even yourself, given a nice life… while I, who tried to value everything, was made an outcast?" He scoffed, barely keeping his anger in check.
"…It doesn't matter. You die—"
I didn't let him finish. I activated telekinesis and hurled the car that had taken my damage straight at him.
But he didn't move. The car split in half mid-air, without him so much as flinching.
The remaining piece crashed into the store, causing a small explosion. Flames engulfed it, the structure ready to collapse. I had used pyrokinesis to heat the car—naturally, I hadn't expected it to explode, but I had anticipated the collision would trigger it. The worker was caught in the flames, his body burning.
Did I win? I felt bad—he wasn't exactly human. He was a monster.
"You can manipulate gravity, react to my speed-of-sound movement, and with that nice brain and quick thinking… now it's heat manipulation?" he groaned.
Sweat dripped from my head. I stared in horror as he walked out of the flames. His skin melted, muscles exposed, revealing a darker form.
The left side of his face had melted off, muscles visible. His body convulsed. Blade-like tentacles grew from his back—four in total, each etched with multiple curved blades. More sprouted from his fingers.
It was terrifying. Even I couldn't look away.
"What's with that look?" The supernatural—he wasn't a worker anymore—mocked me. "Are you mad at how monstrous I look? Scared? Disgusted? Do you pity me?"
I couldn't say a word.
The supernatural remained still. Our eyes locked, waiting for the first move. My precognition allowed me to dodge whatever he threw—but worse was yet to come.
One tentacle sliced through the air, cutting upward. I barely moved in time, but it was too late. It happened so fast my eyes couldn't predict it.
"Huh?" I turned slowly, horrified. A clean cut ran from my waist to my right shoulder. Blood spilled as if pressure had been released.
If I hadn't moved, I would have been sliced completely in half. I decided to lock in. I heightened my precognition beyond normal levels, and the battle began.
He dashed at me with unseen speed, tentacles slicing through the air with deadly precision. I barely dodged, sustaining minor bruises and cuts, but I didn't care—I would heal.
With each dodge, I moved further from him, but he stayed close.
"Hahaha," the supernatural laughed. Two tentacles came from opposite sides, aiming to cut my head clean off. I ducked to the ground just in time. Another attacked from above, but I rolled away and sprinted down the only turn in the road.
The empty city stretched out in front of me. Adrenaline surged. It felt cinematic—but I had a supernatural on my tail.
I couldn't see the range of his slashes, and whether they were long- or close-range didn't matter. The first time a cut connected, it was still far away—clearly, he could manipulate the air as a projectile.
"Should I run home? To a more populated area?" I yelled in frustration. Civilians couldn't be involved. This side of town was quiet anyway. No one believed in supernaturals here. And he could perfectly shapeshift into a human. If he had been human-turned-supernatural, I would've sensed it long ago.
"Then the supernatural possessed him—!"
I rolled instinctively, dodging another slash. The cut cleaved a nearby pole in multiple pieces. I regained position and used telekinesis, hurling the debris at him. They split further mid-air before hitting the ground.
I was lost for words.
"Why do you look down on me?" The supernatural's voice returned to a frail, human tone. "Was it wrong to rely on a supernatural for power?"
I didn't speak, only stared.
He clenched his teeth. "Please don't look at me that way! Why are you looking down on me?"
"It's pitiful… this isn't who you truly are, right? Is this what you wanted? You said you were rejecting the world—grow up! What significance does rejecting the world do for you—?"
"Quit talking like you're not doing the same thing!!!" he screamed. "All I see in your eyes is a cocky kid who doesn't show genuine care for anything. You're trying to find your purpose, your existence. You tell me to grow up, but I'm telling you how hypocritical you sound! I'll ask you—what do you wish to do?"
"…To find the secrets of the world, to find a way to get rid of this burdensome thing I call a power."
"Get rid of your power? Are you stupid? Find the secrets of the world? What makes you think a loser like you can embrace the truth? You're not a hero—you can't save anyone! It's so convenient, blaming your powers for everything!"
He stretched his hands wide, a mocking grin on his face. "Hahaha, you're my opposite now, a hypocrite thinking you're fit for redemption. Let me give you some advice, kid! If you want to get rid of this curse you call a power, you need to accept both the evil and good of the world. Not reject either! I chose to reject the world because it was the only logical way to achieve my goals!"
He fell silent, realizing he had said too much. Then, his eyes locked onto mine again. "And now… you die!"
One of the tentacles behind his back shot forward, a sharp arc aimed straight at me. I froze. Somewhere deep within, I pondered his words. He was right, but part of me refused to accept them. I was confused. In the dark, I awaited the blade, ready to face death.
Then—a clang!
I opened my eyes, startled, to see the tentacle halted mere inches from me. On top of it rested a foot in a sandal.
"Who… who might you be?" the supernatural asked, his confusion evident.
"Ooh, me? I'm just a passerby. Noticed someone in a pinch… and realized it was my first crush," a familiar voice said.
I looked up. That grey hair, that life coat, that confident, teasing tone…
"Y-Yumiko?" I whispered.
"Yes, it's me. You alright, Yuu-kun?" she asked, a mocking grin on her lips.
"I see… a friend of yours?" the man guessed, watching our interaction.
"I wouldn't say we're friends… Yuu has always been mean to me since day one. I confessed my feelings, and he just replied 'ah.' Ain't that a red flag?" Her tone was sarcastic, playful, yet dangerously confident.
"That makes no sense! How am I the red flag?!"
"Yuu-kun, you're adorable when you're mad."
"This isn't the time for that! What are you doing here?!"
"Oh, I got bored around 7:30 pm. Was just chilling at home until I heard a weird noise… and boom! I found your ass getting cooked by whatever that abomination was," she said lightly, as if fighting monsters were part of her routine.
"What's wrong with you exactly?!" I spat, alarmed. "Get out of here before something bad happens!"
"How?" she tilted her head, genuinely curious.
"H-how? You're asking me that?!"
"Don't ignore me, bitch!" the supernatural roared. A vein popped from his forehead.
"Sorry, sorry… normally I don't fight like this," Yumiko replied casually.
Curious, I tapped into my psychic powers to sense her energy—and froze.
Yumiko… she possessed the same energy as the supernatural. She was one of them.
"Nice to meet you guys. Name's Yumiko. I'm a vampire," she said, a coy smile playing on her lips. Her aura wasn't malicious like the other's—it was playful, mocking, but with a hint of authority.
I stared at her feet. Her right leg pressed against the tentacle. There were no signs of struggle. No damage to her legs.
How physically strong was she?
"Die!" the man attacked, swinging a tentacle at Yumiko—but she casually dodged, unbothered.
"What?!" Both the supernatural and I couldn't believe what we were seeing.
"I don't like fighting all that much, but let's get this over with," she said—and in the blink of an eye, she vanished.
I scanned the area, but even my precognition couldn't track her. Then, suddenly, she appeared in front of the supernatural, who froze, unable to react.
He lashed out with his tentacles, but before he could even process it, Yumiko spun with incredible momentum and delivered a precise kick to his chin. The force sent him soaring over the rooftops, wind roaring from the impact.
I stared in awe. But Yumiko wasn't done. She appeared beside him and executed a spinning hook kick. The supernatural crashed into the ground with a thundering impact, struggling for breath, utterly confused.
Yumiko landed gracefully, mocking him with a casual tilt of her head.
"This is boring. Let's end this already," she said.
She ran straight at him, dodging his tentacles with inhuman precision.
"Stay away from me!" he screamed, swinging desperately.
"Don't mess with me! You're the one dying!" she called back, and in an instant, she passed through him. Confused, he opened his eyes—and realized he'd been sliced in half from the waist down. Yumiko had killed him with almost no effort.
Shocked, I scrambled to my feet and limped toward her. I locked eyes with the supernatural—and to my surprise, he was crying.
"Why… did I do something wrong?" he asked, tears streaming down his frail, old-man face.
"I had always been lonely, rejected my whole life. But I didn't let that stop me. I wanted to achieve my dreams, to own a sales enterprise that could connect to the global economy. Sounded lame, but I didn't care. I built my shop—the one you saw—to start somewhere. It was rough," he chuckled weakly. "I took care of it all by myself. Barely any customers. On the verge of quitting… then she entered my life. Maki…"
Did he mean the girl in the picture frame on the toilet seat?
"She was cheerful, happy, always there for a loser like me. I fell in love with her. Pitiful, right? She treated me like everyone else, but I fell for her because I was so lonely. She even helped me run my store. But… she died. Suicide. She was suffering, probably beyond what anyone could understand… and I didn't even try to save her." His voice broke, blood spilling from his body.
"So you killed all those people as a sacrifice to bring back this dead girl? How stupid can you be?" Yumiko interjected sharply. "Even if she returned, is this the version of you she wanted? You've been consumed by your own negative energy—you've become a monster."
"Eaten up…?" I thought. Was he possessed by a supernatural?
"You're right, huh…" he laughed weakly, his body beginning to fade. "I… I don't want to die. I never wanted to reject the world… I just wanted to be with Maki forever!"
With that, his body crumbled into ash.
"Did… he die?" I asked, turning to Yumiko.
"Yes. He's dead," she said casually, walking away as if nothing had happened.
I had no idea what had just unfolded—and I was furious. I got up, limping toward her, and grabbed her hand.
"Why… why did you kill him?" I demanded.
"Because there was no other way to save him. He isn't human anymore."
"But we could have—"
"We? Don't act human after this. Just because you heard his past doesn't change the fact that he already killed people. Wake up, Yuu. This is an evil world," she said sharply.
I looked down, avoiding her gaze.
I had barely survived, and what I'd just witnessed ignited a burning urge—a desire to understand my situation, the world, and the supernaturals around me. My grip on Yumiko's hand tightened.
Finally, I met her eyes.
"I've got a bunch of questions for you, Yumiko. Go out with me!" I said bluntly.
"Huh?!"