Self-Poisoned

Over the next few minutes in the taxi, I struggle to hold on to my consciousness. My vision blurs, my body trembles uncontrollably, and the dull roar in my ears drowns out everything but the violent pounding of my own heartbeat.

When the taxi finally screeches to a stop in front of the Dragon Temple, I barely manage to push a crumpled bill into the driver's hand. My fingers, stiff and shaking, fumble at the door handle. It swings open, and I spill onto the stone pathway with a heavy thud.

"Jesus, Sir! Are you okay?!" the driver shouts in alarm.

I can't answer. The strength to form words has long abandoned me. My body convulses as another wave of nausea rips through me, but this time, I can't even summon the energy to vomit.

With what little willpower I have left, I raise a trembling hand and point weakly at the temple's front gate. My lips barely move as I whisper, "Please…"

The driver's panic only intensifies. Most people would have sped off, eager to escape the situation. But this man—this stranger—isn't like most. He doesn't run.

Instead, he crouches down and hauls me up, slinging one of my arms over his shoulder. My legs are useless, dead weights beneath me, and he practically drags me across the stone pavement.

When we reach the heavy wooden gate, he pounds on it with his fist, his voice desperate.

"HELP! Somebody help! This guy needs—"

The last thing I hear before everything goes black is the frantic echo of his voice against the temple walls.

-

A searing, unbearable pressure surges up my spine, slamming into my chest. The next instant, a massive wave of vomit forces its way out of my throat.

Black.

The bile is thick and inky, splattering onto the stone floor in a sickening flood. My body spasms violently, muscles clenching, releasing.

A hard thump lands between my shoulder blades. Then another. And another.

Each hit sends another gut-wrenching surge of poison spewing from my mouth. My vision is hazy, the world around me spinning, but I recognize the voice behind me.

"You're awake. Good," Master Long says.

His tone is composed, but the rapid, deliberate motions of his hands pressing along my spine tell me this is far from good. Another sharp push up my back, and I heave again, my entire body convulsing as more of the vile substance spills out of me.

I finally manage to lift my head. What I see makes my stomach churn all over again.

A pool of black vomit. My vomit.

I gag as the stench of it fills my nose, but before I can react, another wave forces its way up. My body wretches forward violently.

"What—" I choke out, barely able to get the word past my burning throat before I'm gagging again.

"You are poisoned, Mr. Bennet," Master Long states grimly.

"Who…?" My stomach lurches. I barely manage to spit out another mouthful before I can finish the question.

"Yourself."

I freeze.

For a moment, I think I misheard him.

"Myself?"

"Yes. Your brain has instructed your liver to create this poison." His voice is steady, unwavering, as if this is nothing more than an unfortunate but expected outcome.

I am too weak to even process the weight of those words.

"You must stop it."

"How?!" I rasp. My throat is raw, my breath short.

"You must show your brain who is in control."

"I… I don't even…" My voice cracks as another painful heave wracks through me. I am barely able to breathe, let alone command my own mind.

"Your mind space!" Han suddenly barks from behind me, irritation lacing his voice.

I can't even bring myself to glare at him. What the fuck does that mean?!

"How—" I start, but my voice is cut off by another violent convulsion.

"Han. Lead him," Master Long orders.

Han hesitates. "But Master… are you sure you'll be—" He stops himself mid-sentence. "Yes, Master."

A second later, he steps in front of me. He presses two fingers firmly against my forehead.

"Allow me to enter," he says.

I barely comprehend what he means. But at this point, I would do anything to make this stop.

"Fine," I murmur weakly.

Something shifts.

A strange, foreign energy seeps into me through the contact of his fingers. It's not an invasion—more like a pull.

A split second later, I am no longer in my body.

I am standing beside Han.

Inside my own mind.

"This is your mind space," Han says as he grips my wrist firmly. "Come. We must hurry to find the culprit behind this."

"Culprit? Isn't it just my brain?" I ask, running alongside him.

"Your brain is a system," he explains, his voice sharp with urgency. "It isn't managed by just one entity. You—the primary consciousness—should be the boss. But it seems there's a part of your mind resisting your decision."

I clench my jaw. "You're saying… some part of my brain doesn't want me to quit being an assassin?"

"Exactly."

"I thought it was just my body rejecting it," I murmur, more to myself than to him.

Han smirks, his expression knowing. "Your body is controlled by your brain. Haven't you learned anything from Master Long? Your body does nothing without your brain's command."

He's right. I should have realized it sooner.

Han's eyes lock onto mine. "Now… can you find the source?"

I close my eyes, focusing. At first, there's only the void—an endless, stretching nothingness. But then... something shifts. A pulse. A disturbance.

My eyes snap open, colder than ice. "Yes."

This time, I grab his hand and take the lead.

We sprint forward, the space around us shifting with each step. A massive wall looms ahead, thick, imposing, seemingly impenetrable. Logic says we can't pass through it. But instinct? Instinct tells me otherwise.

Without hesitation, I run straight into it.

The moment I make contact, the wall dissolves—not like something breaking apart, but as if it was never really there in the first place. Just an illusion. A boundary my mind created.

Beyond the wall, the darkness thickens. The air is dense, suffocating. The deeper we go, the heavier the weight pressing down on my chest. My skin prickles with unease, the kind that crawls up your spine when you know you're being watched.

I don't stop.

I won't stop.

The path ahead leads straight into the heart of my mind space. It's darker here, the shadows moving unnaturally, as if alive. It's too quiet—silent in a way that feels wrong, like something lurking just beyond sight, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

"Come out!" I bark, my voice echoing through the void.

Nothing.

"I know you're here. Stop hiding and face me!"

Still, only silence.

Han shifts beside me. "Are you sure this is the place?"

I nod without hesitation. "Yes."

"Then where—"

A noise. Faint, barely audible, but unmistakable.

The air itself seems to vibrate. The shadows shift, parting like a curtain. Something moves in the darkness.

Every muscle in my body tenses, my instincts screaming at me to prepare for an attack. But when the creature finally reveals itself… I freeze.

I had expected a scorpion. Maybe even more than one.

What I hadn't expected… was this.

A scorpion, yes. But not like anything I've ever seen before.

It is massive.

Its single leg alone is bigger than both Han and me combined.