Chapter 60 - Liu KatoruHollow NightCold concrete scraped against my skin as I dragged myself forward, and I could feel my my blood leaving a trail behind. At this point, I could barely feel my legs anymore, and my right arm hung limp at my side. But it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered anymore.

  I couldn’t believe what I’d tried to do.

  I almost killed her.

  The thought was a dull hammer smashing into my skull. Mizuko wasn’t my enemy, not really. Not in the way that mattered. I knew that. I knew that and still, I’d let myself go too far, lost myself in this stupid idea of revenge, and all it got me was blood on my hands and a body full of holes.

  It was like Akio’s ghost haunted my every breath, and I’d spent so long trying to drown out the pain with hate that I didn’t even recognize myself anymore.

  I coughed, tasting copper. I deserved this. My limbs trembled with each pull forward. Every inhale felt like inhaling fire, sharp and cutting. I wasn’t sure how much further I could crawl. A few feet, maybe? Then I could die somewhere quiet. Alone. Like I probably should’ve a long time ago.

  That’s when I felt it, cold and dark, swirling inside me. The familiar shadow that was always there, lurking in the corners of my mind.

  "You’re pathetic, Liu," the voice rumbled, low and almost indifferent. The air around me grew heavy as if the Tainted was materializing without me summoning it. "Crawling through the dirt like some kind of dying dog."

  I bit back a bitter ugh. "What do you want?" I muttered, my voice hoarse, cracked. "Come to kick me while I’m down?"

  The Tainted didn’t answer right away. Instead, it manifested just a few feet in front of me, a perfect copy of myself but darker, a bckened mirror reflecting my worst parts. The shadows around its form writhed and pulsed, and it stared down at me with calm, glowing eyes. There was no anger in its gaze, only cold, detached crity.

  "What do you want, Liu?" It asked, its voice unnervingly calm. "Is this how it ends? Crawling away, running from everything you’ve done? From everyone you’ve hurt?"

  I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. "Shut up," I spat weakly, but even that was an empty command.

  "I’m just saying what you’re already thinking," it replied, stepping closer, its form rippling like water. "You thought killing the others and taking their power would bring you some kind of peace, didn’t you? Or maybe you were just trying to make yourself feel strong for once."

  My vision blurred as the pain gnawed at me.

  "I—I wasn’t thinking," I admitted, the words tumbling out. "I... I don’t know why I did it. They all showed up out of nowhere, she was in the way, and I thought..." My throat tightened, the confession cwing its way out of me.

  "I thought if I absorbed her EXS, I’d have the power to—"

  "—to what?" the Tainted interrupted smoothly. "Get revenge? For Akio? Revenge for what, exactly? His death was your fault, wasn’t it?"

  A sharp breath escaped me, the truth hitting me like a knife to the chest. Akio. For the st day, everything I felt, thought, or did - it always came back to this guy. He was gone because I was too weak. Too weak to stop him from getting involved with me and my mess.

  "Shut up," I growled again, but even to my ears, it sounded pitiful. Empty. Because it was the truth. The Tainted wasn’t lying—it was a part of me, after all. My darkest thoughts, my guilt, my anger, all rolled into one bck mass.

  "You’ve always hated yourself, Liu," it continued, pacing in front of me. "You’re always chasing something, some idea of redemption. But you’re too scared to face the truth. You’re weak. You’ve always been weak."

  I let my head fall to the cold, dirty ground. I was tired. So goddamn tired. Maybe it was right. Maybe the Tainted was telling me the things I’d never wanted to admit. All this time I’d been bming the Hollow Night, bming Juno, bming everyone else for the shit I’d been through. But the truth was, I was too scared to admit that none of it would’ve happened if I hadn’t been so pathetic to begin with.

  "I really almost killed someone," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "What kind of monster does that make me?"

  The Tainted knelt beside me, resting a shadowy hand on my shoulder. It was cold, almost comforting, and it spoke softly, its voice no longer accusatory, but reflective.

  "It doesn’t make you a monster, Liu. It makes you desperate." Its words cut through me, clean and sharp. "You want power. You want control. You want to stop feeling so... small. But this path you’re on? It’ll only eat you alive."

  A bitter chuckle escaped my lips, though it quickly turned into a pained cough.

  "Then what am I supposed to do?" I asked, voice raw. "I can’t fix anything. I can’t bring Akio back."

  "No," the Tainted agreed. "But you can stop running from who you are. From what you’ve been through. From the mistakes you’ve made. You can stop pretending that hating yourself will solve anything." It paused for a moment, as if considering its next words.

  "You don’t need to be a hero, Liu. But you don’t have to be a vilin either."

  I let the words sink in, the cold, hard truth of them. For the first time in a long while, I felt... something close to crity. I wasn’t the hero of this story. But maybe I didn’t need to be. Maybe I just needed to carry on. To find a reason beyond all this guilt and pain.

  I looked up at the Tainted, meeting its glowing gaze, and for the first time since the conversation started, I didn’t feel anger or resentment toward it. It was me, after all. The worst parts of me, sure, but still me. And maybe it was time I started dealing with that.

  "You’re not wrong," I admitted quietly. "I’ve been running... from everything."

  "Then stop running," the Tainted replied simply. "And face whatever comes next."

  And just like that, the shadows around it began to dissipate, sinking back into my body as if waiting for the next time I’d call upon it.

  But before I could even begin to process the weight of what had just happened, a soft sound reached my ears—footsteps. Someone was approaching, and I wasn’t in any condition to fight. I tried to push myself up, but my body wouldn’t respond.

  "Well, well, what have we here?"

  The voice was low, calm, and almost amused. My eyes strained to focus on the figure standing just out of reach, cloaked in a hood, their face obscured by shadows. There was a really weird sense of familiarity to them, but I couldn’t pce it.

  "Seems you’ve had a rough day, Liu," they continued, stepping closer. "Care for a helping hand?”

  I didn’t respond, but they crouched beside me, and for a brief moment, I caught a glimpse of their face—sharp, calcuting eyes that seemed to see right through me.

  "You’re not as alone as you think, you know," the figure said softly. "There are others like us... people who know what it’s like to be lost."

  I narrowed my eyes, trying to find my voice.

  "Who... are you?"

  The figure smiled faintly beneath the hood, but they didn’t give me any answers, only another annoyingly cryptic question.

  “The better question would be, who are you?” They mused breezily. “Or perhaps, why are you?”

  The words, light as they were, carried an unsettling weight. Something about them pulled at my insides, like they weren’t just asking about my name or identity, but something deeper—something I wasn’t sure I could answer.

  Liu... be careful.

  The Tainted's voice crawled through my mind like a cold shiver, its usual indifference now tinged with urgency. I hadn’t heard it since our “conversation,” but now it slithered back with a sense of warning.

  This person... their EXS... ‘dangerous’ doesn’t even begin to describe what I’m sensing. It’s beyond anything we’ve seen. Watch your words.

  I tensed, my breath catching in my throat. There was something wrong with this guy—something beneath their whimsical tone and casual manner that felt like a knife hovering just above my skin. I tried to move, but my body still wouldn’t respond fully.

  "Don’t strain yourself, pal," the figure hummed, as if reading my thoughts. "You’ll only hurt yourself further."

  They tilted their head, watching me struggle for a moment, their eyes gleaming from the shadows of their hood. I returned their stare with a gre of my own.

  "Now, now... no need for hostility. I’m not here to harm you. Well, not yet, anyway."

  They chuckled heartily, the sound eerily out of pce in the dead silence around us.

  Not yet?

  The figure twirled their cloak dramatically as if they were performing on a stage, their movements light, whimsical, almost pyful. It was like they existed just slightly out of sync with the world. Each step they took felt too smooth, too deliberate, like a predator toying with its prey.

  “Why are you?” they repeated, their voice lilting. "A curious little question, isn’t it? What brings someone like you, so full of hate and despair, to a pce like this?"

  "I..." My voice cracked. "I don’t know."

  Liu, don't engage. They’re toying with you.

  The Tainted's warning echoed again, but I ignored it. It was like this person knew more about me than I knew about myself. Like they had some hidden insight into who I was.

  The figure gave a soft sigh, shaking their head as if disappointed.

  "Of course, you don’t.“

  Their eyes flickered with a strange light, something akin to amusement.

  "Lucky for you, I’m here to help." They twirled their hand in the air, as if conducting an invisible orchestra.

  "After all, the Hollow Night... it’s so much bigger than you think. And you? You’ve been part of it for far longer than you realize."

  My heart skipped a beat. "What are you talking about?"

  The figure’s smile widened. They took a step closer, their form looming over me now, and despite the casual nature of their movements, there was a darkness in their presence—a weight that pressed against me like a vice. I wanted to back away, to escape, but my body was still too weak.

  “You’ve always been tied to this pce, Liu,” they whispered, their voice almost affectionate. “Long before you ever set foot here. This realm... it’s not just some random occurrence for you.”

  They paused, but didn’t move a muscle.

  “Nah, for you? I’d say it’s home.”

  “Home?” I rasped, disbelieving. “That’s... that’s impossible. I’ve only been here for—”

  “Ah, but time is such a tricky thing, don’t you think?” They tapped their chin thoughtfully. “So linear, so predictable... until it’s not. Until it wraps around itself and devours its own tail. And you, dear Liu, you’re caught right in the middle of it all.”

  I stared at them, the words not fully sinking in. My mind was a haze of confusion and growing dread. "What... what do you mean?"

  They leaned in closer, as if about to release a conspiratorial whisper, before jerking back suddenly.

  "Woah...I’ve already said too much, haven’t I? Better get going. Can’t have the fuzz around here catching wind of my visit, y’know?”

  "What?" I demanded, my voice hoarse with frustration. "What the hell are you talking about?!"

  The figure twirled away with a carefree ugh, their movements graceful, almost dance-like. "Oh, come on now. I can’t do everything for you. Keep your eyes open... and you’ll see soon enough."

  Just as I began to push myself up, fueled by anger and confusion that dulled the raging pain, the figure flicked their wrist, and a small, glowing white orb materialized in their hand.

  "Oh, right - here. A little parting gift."

  They tossed the orb casually toward me, and I caught it instinctively, its warmth pulsating in my palm. "What is this?"

  "Just a little something to help you on your journey. A bit of power. I reckon you’ll need it." The figure winked, their smile widening. "I’ll be watching, you know. Rooting for you."

  My mind swirled with questions, but before I could voice any of them, they turned to leave. That’s when I heard it. Their voice, almost too soft to hear, but it pierced through the haze in my head like a knife.

  "Man, you look just like that sister of yours, you know that?"

  My heart stopped. Ice flooded my veins as I stared at the back of the figure, my body trembling with sudden rage. Sister...? They knew. They knew about her.

  The orb in my hand fred with energy, and without thinking, I unched myself toward the figure, a snarl ripping from my throat.

  "What do you know about her?!"

  But before I even got close, the world flipped upside down. In an instant, they had moved. No, not moved—shifted, like a shadow flickering between two lights. My fist never connected. Instead, I found myself smmed to the ground, face-first, with a force so overwhelming I couldn’t even register what had happened.

  "You’re quick to anger," the figure said, now standing calmly above me, one foot resting lightly on my back. "Careful now, that could be your downfall, Liu."

  They pressed down ever so slightly, and the pain shot through my body like fire.

  "But don’t worry. You’ll learn. In time."

  I gritted my teeth, the rage still burning in my chest, but I was helpless. I couldn’t move, couldn’t fight. They had me completely at their mercy.

  The figure chuckled softly, lifting their foot from my back.

  “We’ll meet again soon enough, I think." They turned on their heel, the shadows around them beginning to swirl, obscuring their form.

  "Until then... keep that anger under control, but always close. You never know when you might need it."

  And just like that, they were gone. Vanished into the darkness, leaving me broken and alone on the ground, clutching the orb in my hand.

  The Tainted’s voice whispered again, quieter this time.

  …What in the fresh hell did we just step into?

  I y there for a moment, my mind racing, my body trembling. Sister... How did they know? What did they know? And why did I feel like I was on the edge of something terrifying?

  The orb in my hand pulsed softly, a reminder that I was still here, still alive. But for how much longer?

  That was anyone’s guess.

  Even though my strength quickly returned after taking in the orb, I couldn’t even find the motivation to get up. Where would I even go? I’d just tried to kill off one of the others.

  ‘My bad’ wouldn’t exactly cut it here.

  The Tainted materialized, likely about to kick me off of my ass, when a stupidly sharp pain stabbed at my chest.

  “…Shit!” I croaked, clutching the left side of my torso. “S-Shit, what’s happening to me?!”

  Was I having a heart attack? Here, now? Was there something wrong with the orb that guy gave me? Fuck, it felt like I was being ripped into pieces from the inside.

  …No, the Tainted started to expin with the kind of uncharacteristic panic that only made my pain worse.

  It’s Daisuke. It’s gotta be Daisuke. I can feel it from here - something’s wrong with his EXS, Liu, it’s expanding, overflowing, growing out of control. It’s at an intensity his body clearly can’t handle! But then why is this affecting –

  “Argh, our fucking Pact!” I yelled, making a small crater in the concrete floor with my fist. “He can’t handle it, right? So the surplus…is being redirected to me!”

  Shit! The Tainted cursed. Liu, he’s not showing any signs of stopping. If this carries on, you’ll both –

  “Then take me to him!” I commanded through grit teeth. “It’s clear I gotta teach this…idiot partner of mine a lesson in teamwork!”

  The Tainted hesitated for just a split second, and then we moved.

  Everything blurred. My body screamed in protest, every step like walking through knives, but there was no time to think. Daisuke was spiralling out of control. If I didn’t stop him now, we’d both be dead—and likely anyone else caught in the aftermath.

  The pain was unbearable, but the closer we got, the more I could feel something else brewing inside me. A fury that matched his. His EXS, flooding into me, felt like it was feeding the possibilities of what I could do. The Tainted, though silent, started to brim with a power that felt entirely new.

  And maybe that was a good thing. Because when I found him, this wasn’t going to be a conversation.

  It was going to be a fucking war.