Two Egos, One Headache

"Okay let's rewind a second here.. What do you mean his soul was incompatible with his body?! What the fuck does that even mean?!" 

Luna's eyes widened, her voice rising to a near scream. If she hadn't personally witnessed the physical changes she and the others had gone through, she would have dismissed it as nonsense. 

"Power comes from the Soul…The stronger the Soul, the sturdier and more influence it can exert upon your body… You didn't know that Bunny?"

Mors' revelation mixed with casual mockery landed like a bolt of lightning, leaving everyone momentarily stunned.

Lily's eyes widened in disbelief. Luna scowled, her teeth grinding audibly, while Nyx simply exhaled, shaking her head. When she finally spoke, skepticism dripped from every word.

"So you want us to believe that the reason we're changing in real life is because of what's happening in the game?"

Mors tilted Leo's head slightly, his voice laced with genuine confusion.

"Game? What game?"

Luna felt a cold weight settle in her stomach. Her expression darkened as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"You do know this is a video game... right?"

"Hahahaha. You girlies are crazier than I am! This world is real~"

"Yeah…Sure. Whatever you say creepy item spirit dude" 

Nyx scoffed in a dismissive tone, rolling her eyes and speaking in a dismissive tone.

 Mors' brow twitched and was about to say something when Leo felt something stir inside his head, the other presence inside his mind was stirring…Astra was waking up.

Leo barely had time to brace himself before a sharp pulse rang through his skull. His vision flickered as his remaining normal eye became a resplendent silver in colour.

'Oh what's happening now?! Leo's okay right?!' 

'That other eye is kinda pretty now too. Interesting'

'The light in his eye…Is that Astra?'

To the surprise of the girls, an undeniably feminine voice leaked from Leo's lips. 

"Ugh, I take a short nap, and the first thing I wake up to is this mess? Mors, what did you do this time?"

Mors clicked his tongue, irritation clear in Leo's expression.

"Tch. I did nothing wrong sister..."

Astra gasped theatrically, She threw up one of Leo's hands with exaggerated flair

 "None of my business?! Excuse you! Unlike you, I actually care about keeping Leo in one piece!"

"Ooh~? She is a total diva~!I like it…"

"Nyx. Shut up.." 

"Yes ma'am."

Nyx shut her mouth after Luna shot her a bone chilling glare while Lily's eyes darted back and forth between Leo's two unnatural pupils that were like the Night and a Star.

'Does Leo have to listen to these two bickering all the time? That must suck…'

Leo's head pulsed as the two egos began bickering at full volume inside his mind.

"He just asked me to explain something so I just stepped in~"

"Oh, please! You just wanted an excuse to hijack his body like some creep 'em out like some wacky parasite."

"Guilty as charged~! But I didn't see you lift a finger to try and stop me~"

" I DON'T HAVE HANDS, DUMBASS! How could I lift a finger I don't have!?"

"That sounds like a you problem~!"

"OOOH YOU LITTLE GREMLIN! 

Leo groaned as he wanted to press his fingers against his temples. The pressure in his skull was unbearable, like two screaming children fighting over a toy—except the toy was him.

Meanwhile, Luna, Nyx, and Lily exchanged wary glances.

"Um... should we be worried?" 

Lily asked hesitantly.

Nyx leaned in, watching Leo's twitching expression.

 "I think his brain just blue-screened."

Luna crossed her arms, visibly unimpressed. 

"You guys do realize we can hear you, right?"

Astra's eye widened as she looked at Luna before glancing down to see that she was actually possessing Leo's body. 

"I am Sorry Ms. Luna. I will make sure that my idiot brother returns as well. There should be no side effects. Again I am sorry!"

In response, Luna snorted as she glared at Astra while Lily was silently both curious and anxious for Leo's wellbeing. 

"Mors. Relinquish Control. NOW!"

"Alright Sis..Whatever you say. Don't miss me too much ladies~"

Before anyone could respond, both egos withdrew. The silver light in Leo's eye dimmed, returning to its usual state, while the black haze that had once shrouded his other eye vanished completely. The voices in his mind quieted, leaving only an eerie silence in their wake.

Leo exhaled sharply, as if releasing a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. His body sagged slightly, and he stumbled forward.

Lily, quick on her feet, rushed to support him.

 "Leo! Are you okay?"

He let out a dry chuckle. 

"Define okay."

Luna pinched the bridge of her nose, clearly frustrated. 

"You look like you're about to collapse.Again"

"I'll do my best to not to Sis but honestly, it's really tempting" 

Leo admitted with a weak grin. He rubbed at his temples.

 "It's like having two loudspeakers arguing in your skull and then suddenly switching them off. Feels... weirdly empty."

Nyx tilted her head.

 "Yeah, I can't imagine having two voices bickering in my head constantly. That has to suck. Especially with a prick like Mors"

"Oh, you have no idea,"

 Leo muttered, pressing a hand to his forehead.

Lily gave him a concerned look.

 "You should rest. You've been through a lot."

"No Lily, I can't do that. Asinine as he may be, Mors had a point. We need to get stronger to face whatever is coming. Even now my senses are warning me of something bad."

At that moment there was a soft dingo as the system chimed, letting Leo know that he had received a message. It was from Horo.

Hey Boss,

I'm back in the game. We should be safe for now in regards to my family but there has been a slight complication. I ended up having to take care of someone and they are here now in the game. I really hope it's okay that we can let them join us. Send me your coords and I will see you guys soon. 

Leo relayed the message to everyone

Luna frowned. "A complication? What kind of complication?"

Nyx crossed her arms, a curious glint in her eyes. "And who's this mystery person Horo had to 'take care of'?"

Leo stared at the message, his grip tightening slightly around the console. Horo wouldn't bring someone in unless he had no other choice. If they were in the game now, it meant that whatever had happened outside was serious.

Lily hummed, leaning slightly closer to read over his shoulder. "Well, we won't find out just standing here. Might as well send the coordinates."

Leo nodded, fingers moving swiftly as he sent Horo their location. The response was nearly instant.

Horo:

Got it. Be there soon. And, uh… try to not freak them out please.

Seeing that, Lily's eyes sparkled with a sudden thought, her lips curling into a mischievous grin. 

"What if it's someone famous? Like… I dunno… Ari Eversong?"

Nyx raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting that. "Ari? That Rising Star of the entertainment world?"

"Yeah!"

 Lily nodded enthusiastically. 

"I mean, imagine if we had a celebrity in the game. That would be wild, right?"

Luna's gaze shifted toward Lily, a little skeptical. 

"Why would Ari want to associate with Horo of all people?"

Lily blinked. "Hmmmm~. Maybe they are secretly childhood friends or Horo is their new bodyguard~?"

"No," 

Luna replied, deadpan.

 "Ari Eversong is not the kind of person to associate themselves with a pharmaceutical family like the Samaels.."

Lily was silent for a moment, then shrugged. "Well, whatever. Either way, if it's him, I'm going to fangirl so hard."

Little did they know that Lily's wild guess was actually the closest thing to the truth.