My name is Kaito Renjiro
At the moment I was born, my father died in a car accident. So growing up, I never knew who he was or ever got the chance to speak to him. The only thing that helps me feel any kind of connection to him are old photos… and his office, where he kept his strange experiments.
My mother always told me my father was a genius—someone who created artificial inventions that made them a lot of money. He was supposed to introduce his greatest invention ever to the world… but he died on the way there.
Since then, I've only had my mother. She took care of me my whole life. She was gentle, kind, and one of the hardest-working people I've ever known. She never stopped working, always trying her best to provide for both of us. But after my father passed, we lost everything. All the money, all the fame—it was all taken. The shady business he worked with stole everything he ever earned. We were left with nothing.
I was **12 years old** when *it* happened.
I was asleep… when I heard loud crashing noises and a scream filled with agony. I jolted awake, my heart racing. I ran toward the sound in a panic, still half-asleep, barely able to see where I was going. I hid behind a nearby corner and peeked out—and that's when I saw it.
My mother's body…
Lifeless.
She was lying on the floor, blood pouring out beneath her. Her eyes were wide open—completely lifeless. Her mouth hung slightly open, and I could still see the trails of dried tears that had run down her cheeks. The expression on her face was frozen in pain and fear.
I froze.
I couldn't move.
Time felt like it stopped.
My eyes widened with fear and disbelief. I didn't want to believe what I was seeing. And then… I saw *him*.
A man was standing over her. But he wasn't normal. He looked human—but twisted. Monstrous. His mouth was slightly open, drool leaking from his lips. His eyes met mine, and a crooked, hungry grin spread across his face.
He looked at me like I was prey.
He leapt at me with terrifying speed, eyes wide with hunger. But he missed—barely. I dodged out of fear and instinct and ran down the hall as fast as I could. I sprinted into my father's study, slammed the door shut, and locked it with trembling hands.
I slowly backed away from the door, my entire body shaking. I could hear him…
His footsteps…
His growling…
Getting closer… and closer.
My breath was short. My skin was drenched in sweat. I was scared—**to the core**.
Then—**BANG!**
The monster shattered the door into pieces, part of the wall breaking along with it. Debris hit the ground. I quickly hid under my dad's workspace, holding my breath, trying desperately to stay quiet.
One step at a time, he entered the room. Each footstep echoed like thunder in my ears. The growling grew louder.
Then his voice—raspy and terrifying:
**"Don't be scared, kid… I'll make sure your death is quick."**
Then, he heard me.
A small sound. A breath. A shift.
He attacked the desk, slamming it against the wall. I was exposed—laying there, frightened—crawling backward in panic.
**"I can't resist anymore! Your blood smells so tasty… I need it… now!!"**
His face twisted in hunger, drool dripping, eyes wide with insane desperation. He charged at me, claws out, ready to rip me apart.
**That's when it happened.**
One of my father's experiments—a parasite—latched onto me. It tore into my body, destroying my organs, replacing them with something… new. Something inhuman.
But it was too late. The monster was already eating me alive. Tearing my skin, chewing through my flesh. My blood soaked the floor. My body lay motionless.
But then—I saw a flashback.
A memory.
A peaceful moment from when I was 7.
---
We were in the kitchen. It was clean, warm…
I remember this day. My mom cooked my favorite food because I got good grades on a test.
**Mom:** "Dinner's almost ready. Wash your hands, and don't sneak a taste this time!"
**Me (running in, waving a paper):** "I got it! I got the top score on the test! Look, look!"
**Mom (turning around, her eyes lighting up):** "Top score? Kaito, that's wonderful."
(She bends down and pulls me into a warm hug.)
**"I'm so proud of you, sweetheart."**
**Me (grinning):** "You said if I did well, you'd make it…"
**Mom (winking):** "And I always keep my promises. Your favorite—sweet simmered beef and rice, just the way you like it."
**Me (eyes wide):** "With the soft-boiled egg on top?"
**Mom (giggling):** "Yes, with the egg. And extra sauce, because I know you always sneak more when you think I'm not looking."
**Me (pretending not to be excited):** "I wasn't gonna sneak it this time…"
**Mom:** "Mmhmm. That's what you said last time too."
(She sets two bowls on the table, steam rising into the air. The warmth from the food matches the warmth in her eyes as she sits across from me.)
**"You worked hard. I hope you always remember how far a little effort can take you… and how proud I am. No matter what."**
---
That memory kept me alive. That moment of peace.
Then it happened.
The parasite **took over my body**. My lifeless corpse suddenly twitched—and then moved. The monster didn't even realize what was coming. My body twisted unnaturally, kicking the monster off me and sending him flying into the wall.
My wounds regenerated instantly. I stood up—but something had changed.
My eyes were pitch black.
Hollow.
Emotionless.
My hair had grown longer, covering half my face. Black, vein-like markings spread across my back and spine. I was no longer… me.
The parasite had fully taken over.
The monster stood up, confused and unsure. He growled and gritted his teeth.
**"You sure are interesting… I guess I can have a little fun."**
He laughed maniacally.
He charged forward, desperate, drooling with hunger, his claws aimed at my chest.
He leapt into the air then flying down aiming to slice me —then I vanished.
Before he could react, his arm flew off—**sliced cleanly**.
I stood behind him, my arm transformed into a sleek blade made of parasite flesh. I slowly flicked his blood off the edge.
**The monster screamed in pain.**
But also in **rage**.
**"Wha—what is this kid?! I couldn't even react to his speed…"**
Then he paused, confused.
**"Are you… a monster like me?"**
I didn't say a word.
I stood still, black eyes staring at the ground, blade dripping in blood.
Then—**I vanished again.**
In the blink of an eye, I was beside him—**slicing off one leg.**
Then the other.
Blood sprayed like rain. The monster dropped to the ground, helpless.
He screamed.
And then—I finished it.
With one final dash forward, I sliced his head clean off in a single, precise strike. His head rolled across the floor. Blood pooled around me.
I stood there, staring at the ground—empty.
Covered in blood.
The parasite blade still fused with my arm.
**That's what happened when I was 12.**
I lost my mother that night.
I lost my father at birth.
Now… I'm all alone.
I collapsed. My body gave out. Hours passed.
The police were called by neighbors who heard the chaos. When they arrived, they found my mother's lifeless body first… then the monster's corpse… then me.
Unconscious. Still alive. Barely.
They rushed me to the hospital. I was fed through tubes. Kept alive by medicine.
I was in a coma for **2 years**.
I woke up at 14. Pale. Frail. My hair was messy, dark, and almost reaching my neck. I had dark eye bags under my eyes. My body was skinny, weakened from years of sleep.
A doctor welcomed me back.
A strange man came and asked me questions—about what happened that night, about the monster, about the parasite.
But I couldn't remember a thing.
**It was like my memory had been wiped.**
Chapter 2 soon...