It started in silence.
A slow breath. Then another. The sound of rain somewhere far off.
Kira stood at the center of a narrow path, lanterns flickering above him like ghost eyes. A heavy red glow soaked the stone walkway under his feet. The path felt ancient, cursed. And behind him. A massive red gate. Towering. Breathing. Open.
And it whispered.
"You opened it."
Kira turned. A voice slick and deep, wrapping around his mind like velvet and venom. Standing beneath the glow of a lantern was Arik.Bare-chested, soaked in soft crimson light. Muscles sculpted like sin, long, dark-red hair dripping water. His crimson eyes glowed, curling into a smirk as he tilted his head.
His voice curled with cruel amusement.
"Curious little thing you are. Always touching what you shouldn't, baby doll."
Kira blinked. "You're… who the hell are you?"
Arik tilted his head, walking barefoot along the blood-washed stones.
"Me? Oh. Names are tricky things, baby doll. But since you asked… Arik. Your better half. The part that's actually fun. I'm just the part of you everyone keeps trying to bury. The hunger. The fury. The god they made out of your bones."
Kira took a step back. "No... I'm not like you."
Arik's grin widened. "You are me, sweetheart. Every time you cried in silence, every time they looked at you like a freak. I'm the only one who didn't flinch."
Kira clenched his fists. "You're lying."
Behind him, the red path began to shift. Rain fell heavier. Shadows stirred between the lanterns. Screams. Echoes. The sound of Omega soldiers dying. Blood crept along the stones. Bodies floated. Eyes open.
The path pulsed with guilt.
Regret.
Death.
Kira's knees buckled. "I didn't… I didn't mean to—"
"But you did, didn't you?" Arik's voice was soft now, mockingly tender. He leaned in, his lips almost brushing Kira's ear. "You liked the way they screamed."
Kira shoved him. "Stay away from me!"
But Arik didn't fall. He melted backward, vanishing into smoke, only to appear again—seated high on a black throne now visible at the end of the path. He sat lazily, legs wide, hand supporting his chin.
"This is our kingdom. And I'm your crown. You'll come crawling back eventually. They always do."
The path rippled again. The blood rose.
And Kira screamed.
He woke in a cold sweat. Gasping. Covered in bruises and bandages.
The smell of Za's scent on one side, Roxy's warmth on the other. Both fast asleep. He blinked, trying to sit up. His body ached like hell. But the red in his eyes—the crimson—didn't fade this time.
He stumbled toward the mirror, dragging a blanket around his waist.
Then paused. In the reflection…
Not his own.
For a single second… Arik stood in the glass. Shirtless. Smirking. A mouth opened on his shoulder and whispered:
"Morning, baby doll."
Kira jumped back.
Gone.
Downstairs, he heard voices. Hana and Aira.
He crept down the hallway, listening.
Aira: "He promised he wouldn't say anything, right?"
Hana: "Leo's scared. We all are. I've never seen anything like what happened yesterday. I—"
A pause.
"I don't know if that was still our Kira."
Kira's heart sank.
He took another step, creaking the wood.
They both froze.
And when he entered the room, everything went silent. Eyes on him. Fear. Aira moved behind Hana instinctively. Even Hana herself… her lips tightened.
His gaze drifted to the cut on her arm.
"Kira," Hana finally said, softly, almost hesitant. "…Are you… really you?"
He blinked.
"What do you mean?" His voice cracked.
She flinched.
He looked at their faces,how they looked at him. Like something dangerous. Something unknown.
Kira swallowed. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Silence.
"I saved you. I saved everyone,why do you look like I killed you?"
Still no answer.
Something broke inside. His hands trembled.
"I didn't… I didn't mean to do it. I didn't mean to kill them."
And the tears started. Quiet at first. Shameful.
Then,
"That's it," Arik cooed in his mind. "Cry for me. Let it in, baby doll. Let it out. Give it to me and you'll never hurt again."
But just before the dam broke,
"Kira!"
Za and Roxy burst down the stairs, out of breath.
And Kira, he snapped. "Don't look at me like that! Just STOP—STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE I'M A MONSTER!"
Everyone froze.
Hana's eyes welled up. She rushed forward and hugged him, hard, cradling his head.
"I'm sorry," she whispered into his hair. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it. You're my son. You're still my Kira."
He couldn't hold it anymore.
Kira collapsed in her arms, sobbing.
To Be Continued...