Aoi's heart pounded like a drum.
Each time her flashlight swept over the spiral stain, its surface rippled, alive. The black mark slithered across the floor like liquid, carving new patterns into the stage's weathered wood.
Yuto stumbled back, crushing his red cap in his hands.
"Aoi, this is seriously messed up. We gotta tell Kaz."
"Wait. Let's look a little longer."
Swallowing her fear, Aoi edged closer.
The vibrations intensified, syncing eerily with the music pulsing through her headset. She reached out, brushing the stain's edge.
It was cold, gelatinous.
Something sticky clung to her fingertips, and she yanked her hand back. Black threads writhed around her fingers, slowly seeping into her skin.
"What? What is this?"
Aoi's shout made Yuto grab her hand, but the threads had vanished, her skin unmarked. His face paled.
"Aoi, you okay? That felt… wrong."
"I'm fine. Probably."
She forced a calm tone, but dread churned in her chest. Switching off her headset, she decided to investigate before reporting to Kaz.
Peering into the backstage gloom, she saw the stain had spread, creeping up the walls. On the peeling concrete, black patterns pulsed like veins.
Just then, the band's performance hit its peak. The crowd's screams shook the live house, and the lights flickered wildly.
For a split second, Aoi thought she saw the stain shrink, reacting to the light. She whispered to Yuto.
"This thing… it's responding to the music. It moves when the sound gets louder."
"No way. So, what if we cut the speakers?"
"Worth a shot."
They rushed to the control panel by the stage, where Miho, the sound tech, was tweaking the mixer, headphones on. Late twenties, purple hair tied in a ponytail, leather jacket slung over her shoulders.
She raised an eyebrow at them.
"What's up?"
"Miho, lower the speaker volume for a sec. We need to test something," Aoi said.
"Now? Are you nuts? The crowd's going wild."
"Please! Something weird's happening."
Aoi's desperate tone made Miho relent. She slid the fader down, halving the main speakers' output. Instantly, the live house's atmosphere shifted. The crowd's cheers faltered, replaced by a murmur of confusion.
Aoi darted backstage to check the stain. The black pattern had stilled, sinking into the floor.
"It's true… it's tied to the sound."
As she muttered, Yuto's voice trembled.
"But why's it here? This place got some dark history or what?"
"No clue. But now I wanna find out."
Aoi pulled out her phone to search the live house's history, but the signal was spotty, pages crawling.
Meanwhile, Miho cranked the volume back up, and the music roared to life. The stain writhed again, now slinking toward Aoi's feet. She leaped back, racing with Yuto to the control panel.
"Miho, it's moving with the sound! We gotta stop it, or it's bad!"
"Got proof?"
Aoi aimed her phone to snap a photo, but the camera caught nothing. The stain absorbed light, like a void in the floor. Miho snapped.
"Quit messing around. Don't bring me stupid stories in the middle of this!"
Then another scream pierced the crowd—not a performance this time.
Aoi plunged into the audience, flashlight in hand. At the crowd's center, a man lay crumpled on the floor. Black stains spread across his white shirt, his hands twitching unnaturally. Aoi approached, peering at his face. His eyes rolled back, black liquid dripping from his mouth.
"Ambulance! Now!"
Aoi shouted, and Yuto bolted to fetch Kaz. But the man staggered to his feet, lurching toward the stage, moving like a marionette.
The crowd erupted in panic, shoving toward the exits. Aoi started after the man, but Miho grabbed her arm.
"Aoi, don't! Something's off with him!"
The man climbed onstage, seizing the mic. Instead of a voice, a low growl poured from the speakers, rising into a wail that rattled the walls. Aoi clutched her ears, dropping to her knees. The stain surged, engulfing the stage.
"What… is this?"
Her voice drowned in the music. She scrambled backstage, but the stain had spread there too, crawling up the ceiling, as if swallowing the entire live house. Yuto yanked her hand.
"Aoi, we gotta get out! This place is done!"
But Aoi couldn't move. Black threads coiled around her feet again, slithering up her skin, climbing her arms. Her vision blurred, and a noise like static filled her head, carrying a voice.
"Resonate… louder…"