MY LIFE, MY BODY, MY DEMON(S)

This time, Kiel screamed, desperately trying to block out the voice—anything but that voice. Panic surged through him as he spun around, frantic for an escape. The voice grew louder, more insistent, haunting him with relentless persistence, stalking him, demanding that he let go.

His heart thundered in his chest, each beat a painful reminder of his fear.

Clamping his hands over his ears, he squeezed his eyes shut, fingers digging into his scalp, drawing blood. Kiel had always longed to reclaim his lost memories, to fill the void he felt as an empty shell. But now, it was too much—an overwhelming flood of information. Every moment of suffering, every loss, replayed in a torturous, endless loop.

Let go! LET GO, YOU IDIOT!

Desperation clung to him like a second skin, tears streaming down his cheeks in relentless torrents. His mind screamed in silent agony, a single plea echoing through the chaos;

Somebody, please, just end this torment.

Sean exploited Kiel's flaw like a true Claive. "Output level... 55!" He commanded. The gravitational force crashed down on the Kaiju, forcing him to his knees, then to his hands, until he collapsed onto all fours.

His heart pounded, sweat plastering his hair to his face. Struggling to piece together his memories while grappling with immediate danger, Kiel found it nearly impossible to focus. Steady breaths became his only lifeline, a fragile thread of sanity to cling to. But it was too much—too much for one person to bear, too much to handle alone.

JUST LET GO.

His head rang like a church bell, thoughts storming wildly through his mind. He felt himself slipping away, losing his grip on reality. It hurts... It hurts... Damn it, it hurts! His eyes flickered through a spectrum of colors—from amber yellow to persecutory red, to soothing blue, and back to glowing amber. He couldn't control it—his powers, his memories, and the bizarre personas within him spiraled out of control. He wished, somehow, to end the torment right then and there.

Voices whispered incessantly, each one different, each more maddening than the last. Shut up! Shut up! He pleaded, his voice barely a whisper. Let me think! Please. Clawing at his face, he cried, tears flowing without understanding why.

Imagine your worst nightmare, then imagine being unable to wake from it. That was Kiel's reality, trapped in a world twisted by his fears and insecurities. The bizarre thoughts in his head began to make terrifying sense. He felt sick, convinced he was losing his mind. His thoughts drifted into oblivion, the scene warping into hypnagogic illusions. The bully's voice felt miles away.

Kiel couldn't bear it any longer. With a final, desperate yell, he surrendered. Clutching his head, his eyes turned skyward, he released a cry of agony—human at first, then morphing into a distorted, unearthly wail.

"What the hell?" One of Sean's companions muttered, his voice trembling at the bewildering sight. As Kiel flung his gaze skyward, the hood that concealed his face slipped off, revealing his true form. For the first time, Sean and his colleagues saw Kiel for what he truly was.

He was not human.

He was something else...

A Monster.

A freak, like all the others. The Kaiju assailant's eyes widened in shock, his Adam's apple bobbing nervously. It wasn't what they expected, but somehow, it made sense. Only a monster would defend another. Suddenly, the air thickened with an uneasy stillness, a profound dread washing over them unlike anything they had felt before.

Though all he could see was Kiel's profile, Sean instinctively knew what followed would be bad. As soon as Kiel lowered his gaze, Sean realized things were about to get much stranger—and he was right.

For reasons unknown, the Kaiju's eyes remained shut.

His hands glowed a vibrant blue aura, reminiscent of the power he had unleashed at the Foundation, but this time it was profoundly different. The luminous energy pulsed with almost sentient life, reshaping itself around his tightly clenched fists, twisting and swirling like flames in a gentle breeze. It was a mesmerizing display, both beautiful and unsettling, as if the aura was carving out a new reality around him.

Then, the unimaginable moment arrived; Kiel opened his eyes. His pupils had vanished, leaving behind empty voids. His gaze was now narrow, rigid, and chilling, betraying none of the warmth or free spirit he once possessed. Instead, they reflected the transformation he had undergone—the eyes of a monster, starkly different from the caring soul he used to be.

Every tendril of incandescent white-blue pulsed in unison, resembling distant tundras shimmering under a winter sun. His eyes absorbed light, radiating an unsettling darkness. His face bore no expression—no fear, no panic, no recognition. The boy he once was had vanished, leaving behind a blue-eyed individual in his place.

"What the hell is this thing? Some kind of devil?" Sean ventured, his voice trembling with disbelief.

Devil.

That word echoed in the Kaiju's mind, haunting and familiar—a label he had been burdened with for as long as he could remember, resonating with the pain of a lifetime and a constant reminder of how others viewed him.

Sean's expression was one his friends had never witnessed before—an unfiltered mask of terror, pure and unadulterated. In that moment, they realized just how dire the situation had become. With a yelp, he stumbled back, fear coursing through him as the creature let out a bone-chilling roar. Desperate to reclaim some semblance of dignity, Sean steeled himself and faced the monster, determined not to back down.

The beast struggled to rise, as if shackled by an unseen force, yet all Sean could do was intensify the pressure, unwittingly amplifying the chaos. With each exertion, the ground beneath the creature gave way, forming a massive crater where it stood.

"Stay down, freak!" Sean shouted, his voice echoing with defiance.

A wicked grin spread across the creature's face, mocking his bravery as it chose to remain motionless.

Ah, such a valiant stand, but ultimately, all in vain.

With unbridled joy, Sean had managed to bring the monster to its knees, reveling in the moment of triumph. He felt a surge of superiority, a victorious grin spreading across his face. But that exhilaration was short-lived. In an instant, the smugness drained from his expression as he witnessed the creature still battling against its defeat, its powerful limbs straining and thrashing, refusing to stay down. The reality of the fight was far from over, and the struggle was only intensifying.

Quitting was never in Kiel's nature, and it certainly wasn't in the monster's either. Its expression remained unsettlingly indifferent, devoid of innocence or fear. Sean's attempts to amplify his gravitational powers had proven futile, and the situation spiraled out of control in an instant.

Before he could fully process the moment, the monster lunged at him, fueled by a focused, malevolent rage. Sean recoiled in horror, but the creature hadn't anticipated his reflex. In a flash, his switchblade was out, ready for action. But the monster was quicker, its hand slicing through the air from an unexpected angle, crashing down onto Sean's arm and sending the knife clattering from his grip.

Without a moment's hesitation, the monster surged forward. Out of the corner of its eye, it saw the younger Kaiju trembling in pain as he scrambled to retrieve the fallen weapon. The sight only strengthened the creature's resolve to protect.

The monster reached Sean before he could fully react. In an instant, it hoisted him effortlessly, slipping a shoulder beneath Sean's midsection and lifting him off the ground. Kiel had never struck anyone before, yet the force of his blow was staggering, sending a spray of blood from the bully's mouth.

Sean hit the pavement first, followed by the monster who drove his elbow deep into the bully's soft belly. A gasp escaped Sean as the air rushed from his lungs, followed by a sickening crack as his head collided violently with the unforgiving concrete.

The fight was over in the blink of an eye.

Emerging the victor of the chaotic battle, the creature unleashed a bone-chilling, primal roar that echoed through the alley, unintentionally sending a nearby couple fleeing in terror. The man was the first to react, stumbling awkwardly as he sprinted away, while the woman followed close behind, her heels clicking frantically against the pavement in a comical display of urgency. The scene was enough to rattle anyone.

As the couple disappeared into the distance, alarm spread among the remaining witnesses. Sean lay unconscious, sprawled on his back, not dead but undoubtedly facing a debilitating headache upon waking. Once a popular teenager, undefeated in any skirmish, this was the first time he had been so thoroughly vanquished. With a single blow, the monster had left him severely injured and out cold.

The two remaining bullies were paralyzed with shock, unable to grasp their leader's sudden defeat. Lost in their disbelief, they failed to realize they were the monster's next prey. The monster, exuding a cold and calculated demeanor, picked up the discarded wooden bat—a weapon that had once struck him. Unlike the frantic desperation typical of most in such a situation, he pointed the plank with eerie precision at his adversaries and advanced deliberately.

With a single, purposeful swing, he struck one bully square in the face. The boy collapsed to the ground, vomiting blood. As the first fell, the monster turned his attention to the next, his eyes shifting from a cool blue to a malevolent, fiery red. A sinister smile curled his lips, his eyes burned with a terrifying intensity, searing into the bully's very soul.

Kiel, now possessed by the monster within, stepped forward. His eyes blazed a murderous red glow, his grin twisted and demonic. The devil had taken over, and with a palpable sense of dark excitement, he closed in on them.