The shadows whispered louder now.
KJ walked with his hood up, hands shoved deep in his pockets, his footsteps silent across the overgrown ruins. The sky above was a heavy shade of gray, no sun in sight — just cold light and a suffocating stillness.
The voice hadn't stopped since he woke that morning.
"They'll never accept what you've become."
"Why go back to them?"
"You're stronger alone."
And part of him believed it.
He didn't know how long he'd been wandering. Days? Hours? Time didn't work right here anymore.
He stopped at the edge of a collapsed tower, staring down at the black pit that yawned in its center. Something deep inside it was calling him — and he hated how badly he wanted to answer.
Just jump, the voice whispered. Let go. Let me in.
KJ took one step forward.
The StrikeA sudden whip of wind shot past his face, and something sharp cracked against the ground beside him.
KJ spun around, eyes wide — and saw a silhouette in the distance, walking toward him with steady purpose.
"No," he whispered. "That can't be…"
The figure stepped closer.
Black hoodie. Scuffed boots. That same cocky smirk he remembered from every dumb fight they had back home.
Brandon.
KJ's chest tightened. "What the hell—?"
The shadow that had been circling KJ's mind screamed, furious, clawing to hold on.
Brandon didn't stop.
"You were about to fall in," he said calmly, drawing a long, curved blade from his back. "And I couldn't let that happen."
KJ's voice cracked. "You're not real."
Brandon glanced at the pit behind him. "Neither is that voice in your head."
The KillFrom the shadows behind KJ, the manipulator finally revealed itself.
The thing that had been feeding him lies. A twisted figure with long arms, no mouth, and dozens of black, shifting eyes. It hissed, slithering from the ruins like a curse set free.
KJ staggered back. "That was inside me?"
Brandon raised his sword.
"I've been tracking it. Watching. Waiting for it to show itself."
The creature lunged.
Brandon moved faster.
Steel flashed — a clean arc of silver light through black mist — and the shadow screamed as it split in two, melting into the stone like blood into cloth.
KJ fell to his knees, gasping. The voice was gone.
The silence was beautiful.
RebuildingBrandon knelt beside him. "You good?"
KJ looked up at him, eyes still wide, heart pounding. "You saved me."
Brandon smirked. "You always were the reckless one. Thought I should keep an eye on you."
KJ shook his head. "Why are you here?"
"I don't know," Brandon admitted. "Woke up in this place a while ago. Took me weeks to figure anything out. But I knew one thing: I had to find you."
The two sat in silence for a long time.
Finally, KJ whispered, "I'm scared, man."
Brandon clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Then let's be scared together. And kick the shit out of whatever this world throws at us."