Chapter 9 - Connections

Vincent stirred awake, his vision flooded with white. He winced at the blinding contrast, his eyes tearing up in response.

A minute passed as his eyes adjusted, and he realized he was inside a fully padded white room. Three small, circular but bright fluorescent lights lined the ceiling.

His arms were completely restrained in a white straitjacket, and the leather collar was still around his neck.

He froze.

Then, he sharply sat up.

Ignoring the sore muscles pleading for him to relax, he pushed himself upright using only his feet. Panting heavily, he stubbornly kept himself standing.

He turned, scanning the room.

But there were no signs of surveillance.

"Tsk, hey!"

There was no echo. His voice was swallowed by the padded walls.

"Fucking- hey! I'll comply! I don't want this parasite anyway!"

He waited, but the minutes dragged on, stretching into what felt like an eternity.

"In the first place, it's your fault for letting it escape!"

Still, nothing. Even his attempt at provoking whoever might be watching him fell flat.

Yes, watching.

He could feel it.

The hairs on his body stood on end, prickling from the hidden gaze.

"Your mom wished you were never born! Your dad is utterly disappointed in you! You have no friends! You live a meaningless life!"

Vincent screamed until his throat was hoarse, the familiar taste of iron flooding the back of his throat.

He sank into a crouch, letting out a loud, exaggerated sigh.

"This is a waste of resources. It's not like I'll resist if you want the parasite. I'm just a wastrel, programming my way to death."

He finally got a reaction.

His goosebumps slowly faded as the hidden gaze vanished. He must have annoyed his spectator.

Vincent's tired eyes sharpened.

He hastily tried tapping into his abilities, but a sharp ache pulsed at his temples, making him almost curse out loud.

The parasite was in agony. It had no strength to aid him.

A needle was like a sword piercing their guts, and the leather strap kept it in place.

Inhaling slowly, he forced himself to relax his mind.

'Talk to me. Let's make a deal.'

This time, he searched for that static, determined to hold onto it. He wasn't sure if he was doing it right, but the sensation felt similar to letting a virtual headgear invade your mind.

'Zzzzt- rts-'

His temples twitched from the jolts of pain, but it was mild compared to the migraine creeping up from caffeine withdrawal. He pressed on, focusing on the faint connection.

'Zzz- hurts! It fucking hurts!'

The voice was distorted, but it still somehow made him feel like he had gone deaf.

'Talk normally! Or I'll cut the connection!'

'...Huhuhu, what kind of host are you?? I've got a needle stuck in my body and you're threatening me?'

The parasite sounded as if it were about to sob. The distortion gradually dissipated, the connection becoming more stable and making the voice sound more lifelike.

'Don't use that trick on me. I know you're healing quickly by using my body. Which reminds me, what exactly are you getting out of me?'

Researchers had always noted that each parasite was subtly unique. While the species shared common traits, each parasite, like humans, had different preferences in terms of their nutrient intake.

But it was also commonly known that they hated caffeine.

'Fine. Naturally, it's your blood. The amount of caffeine in it is insane! But it's diluting rapidly. Why aren't we drinking more??'

'Are you fucking serious? I thought your kind hated it!'

'Huh? They must be high! This shit is delicious!'

Vincent was tongue-tied. He had no words. In fact, he was almost about to agree with the absurd parasite.

'Fine. Let's just say you're a caffeine-loving parasite. No big deal. Now, about getting out of this room...'

'No can do. All my energy's used on keeping my body from melting in your system. You wouldn't want a dead parasite stuck in your spine, would you?'

'Mother of- Why did you choose me in the first place?'

'Are you kidding? You're the best host!'

'...?'

'...?'

The parasite clearly hadn't meant to blurt out a compliment, and a long, awkward silence stretched between them.

Vincent felt his goosebumps coming back.

He controlled his expression, blanking out and slackening his eyes.

He chose not to talk to the parasite again. He knew he wouldn't be able to keep his composure. He wasn't an actor- he'd just picked up a few tricks as a street rat.

The parasite fell silent as well, mimicking his reasoning. Though it wouldn't admit it, it understood they were both occupying the same body.

And so hours passed.

A day might have passed, but Vincent would never know. He couldn't tell.

His captor never turned off the light, and there were no cracks through which he could see outside.

When the goosebumps faded again, Vincent found himself lying on his side.

'Alright. You're busy healing yourself, I get it. But there are two of us. Can't I take the helm and use the void at least? We don't need any other fancy tricks.'

'The void is a fancy trick! And are you serious? You're basically asking me to hand over my only form of defense!'

Vincent hadn't really thought much about his suggestion. He knew parasites could tap into an energy humans couldn't even begin to understand. Him accessing the void was like knocking on the door.

Whether he could enter or not- that was up to the parasite.

But his entire worldview flipped when he heard its reaction.

'Wait… so it's possible? I can take your ability for myself?'

'…'

The parasite went completely silent for an hour.

Vincent used the time to reevaluate just how much power humans really had over parasites.

All this time, the public believed that to gain strength, you had to cater to your parasite as if they were gods. The wealthy would obsess over their health, waiting for the day a parasite chose them as a host.

And yet here he was, stuck with a caffeine-loving parasite that had just accidentally given away crucial information.

'You CAN hand over full rights to the void.'

Vincent stated it in his mind with absolute confidence, leaving the parasite no room to argue.

'Silence won't do you any good. We're still stuck in this room, possibly waiting for our deaths. Give me the void.'

'No!'

Vincent shifted onto his back. The light blinded him for a moment before he shut his eyes.

'You WILL give it to me. And I will use my life as leverage.'

'Ha! Fool! We're in a padded cell! Where exactly do you plan on hurting yourself?!'

The parasite's laughter rang through his mind, shrill and mocking.

Vincent listened, lips curling ever so slightly despite himself.

He exhaled slowly, emptying his lungs.

Then, he held his breath.

'…Hey. What are you doing?'

Vincent didn't answer. His focus was entirely on suppressing the instinct to take a breath.

'Hey! What the fuck?! Are you really doing this?!'

At first, his heartbeat slowed under his control, but the lack of oxygen gradually tensed his muscles, making him twitch involuntarily.

'You goddamn psychopath! You suicidal maniac! I won't do it! I can't do it! Quick- breathe!'

Vincent rolled onto his side, his body spasming. His back hunched, his face paled.

The parasite panicked, assuming Vincent could no longer hear it. When it registered the dangerously low oxygen levels in his blood, its distress multiplied.

'Motherfucker! It's just a fucking void! Here, take it! You can have it!'

Something snapped in Vincent's mind, and he gasped in a mouthful of air. His eyes shot open as his mind was instantly flooded with a wall of unreadable numbers and letters.

His vision filled with the vastness of space. Stars streaked past him, accompanied by a whistling, artificial fading noise.

The perspective hurtled forward, streaking past galaxies in an instant. Zeroth flashed by in a blink, followed by the Sanctuary-

And then, he was pulled into a view of himself.

Vincent gasped again.

A wheel turned. A door creaked open.

And he let himself sink into his shadow.

Two muscular men in white shirts and pants rushed in, one holding a sleep-inducing injection.

But they froze.

Their patient was gone.

On the other side of a certain wall, the person who had been monitoring Vincent for a week nearly popped his eyes out in shock.

The disbelief and frantic shouting of the staff barely registered in his ears. He only snapped out of it when the pain from his own pinching cut through the haze.

His gaze darted to the dusty, oversized red button.

He slammed it without hesitation.

In his ten years as a watcher, he never thought he'd see the day he'd have to press it.

With his whole body shaking, he switched on the intercom.

"Subject 17 has escaped! I repeat, Subject 17 has escaped! Unknown parasite level! Collar still active, but he fucking vanished into his shadow!"