「Chapter 3」
The thing was massive.
A writhing storm of smoke and claws, stitched together from screams that didn't belong to a throat. Eyes blinked open across its body—too many eyes, all fixed on Kaito.
He couldn't breathe. The chains in his arm twitched as though alive, desperate to lash out. But fear locked his muscles.
The exorcist moved first. His beads spun, glowing brighter, each prayer a blade of light. He slashed through the air, carving sigils that hung like burning scripture. The Rogue Spirit recoiled, shrieking as light seared its shifting flesh.
> "Stay out of the way, boy!" the man snapped, his voice sharp with authority.
Kaito clenched his fists. His chest throbbed, the mark scorching hotter. He wanted to run—but his legs didn't move. Instead, the voice slid through his skull again, smooth and venomous.
> That thing will tear you apart. Unless… you let me show you how to kill it.
"No… I can't—"
Chains burst from his arm, ignoring his will. They struck the spirit head-on, coiling around its limbs. The creature screeched, thrashing violently, but the chains held—burning black against its smoke-flesh.
Kaito's knees buckled. His vision blurred.
He wasn't controlling this. He was a puppet.
The exorcist's eyes narrowed. "You—stop! That power will corrupt you!"
Kaito tried to answer, but his throat was locked by the voice inside.
> Struggle less. Fight more.
The chains jerked, dragging the Rogue Spirit toward him. The thing screeched, flailing its claws. One slash tore through a building wall, sending concrete raining onto the street. Neon signs flickered, half the block trembling under the impact.
The exorcist cursed and dashed in, his beads slicing through the falling rubble before it could crush them both. With one hand, he warded the spirit; with the other, he tried to sever Kaito's chains.
But the chains resisted. Snarled. Grew.
Barbs sprouted, biting deeper into the spirit's body. Every strike only made them stronger, feeding on both prey and master alike.
Kaito screamed. Pain seared his veins, as though molten iron poured through his blood.
He couldn't hold it.
The exorcist lunged, hand poised at Kaito's throat. "Forgive me. Better your death than the world's—"
And then time fractured.
Darkness swallowed everything, leaving only Kaito and a silhouette of smoke and teeth. The same figure from the shrine. Its grin stretched impossibly wide.
> Die? Not yet. You are mine, contractor.
Chains wrapped around Kaito's soul, pulling him deeper. His body moved without him, slamming the exorcist back with a burst of black flame.
The Rogue Spirit howled, ripping free. Now wounded, it dissolved into the air—vanishing, but not destroyed.
The man staggered, fury in his glowing eyes. "You fool… you've doomed yourself."
Kaito collapsed, gasping for air. His arm burned, chains retracting slowly. "I—I didn't… want this…"
The exorcist pointed his beads at him again—but froze.
Above them, the night sky twisted. The clouds pulsed, bending as though something on the other side pressed against reality. A fissure of light cracked open, leaking whispers and cold that gnawed at the bones.
The exorcist's face paled. "No… not here. Not now."
Kaito barely heard him. His body was numb, his ears filled with that endless whisper.
> The hunt begins.
The fissure snapped shut. Silence fell.
And in that silence, Kaito realized one thing:
This was only the beginning.