Renji’s Nightmare

Darkness swallowed him whole.

Renji twitched, his breath ragged as shadows twisted around him. The cold touch of metal restrained his arms, his legs—his entire body. He struggled, but the chains only dug deeper into his flesh.

Aika stood above him, her smirk stretching unnaturally.

"You're still alive? Good… I need more data."

Her fingers twitched, and suddenly, a searing pain shot through his body. His bones cracked, muscles warped—his very existence twisted under her control.

"No… No more…" he rasped, but she didn't stop.

The room spun, shifting into an endless void of experiments, screams, and agony.

Renji let out a strangled cry.

Then—

He woke up.

Gasping, Renji bolted upright. His body was drenched in sweat, his breath unsteady. He clutched his chest, feeling his heartbeat hammering against his ribs.

He was… in a house. Aika's house.

The scent of food filled the air. He turned his head, and his body stiffened.

At a nearby chair, two people sat, casually eating.

Elaine and Yuko.

Yuko munched lazily on a macho, completely unfazed, while Elaine glanced at him.

Renji's instincts screamed at him. His body trembled as he pressed himself against the wall.

"Who are you?! Are you Aika's companions?! Please, just leave me alone!" he pleaded, his voice breaking.

Yuko didn't even stop chewing. "Nah, we're not with that psycho. We're here to capture her."

Renji's eyes widened. "Capture her? Are you… are you police?"

Yuko shrugged, licking his fingers. "Kind of."

Renji's breath hitched. "Do you even know what kind of lunatic she is?! She's a demon—a fucking demon!" His hands clenched into fists as he recalled the horrors. "She turned me into a monster! She did a fucking ritual on me! She experimented on me until I couldn't feel pain anymore!"

Elaine sighed, placing her gun on the chair. "Calm down."

"Calm down?! You—"

"Look at your hands," Elaine interrupted.

Renji hesitated. His breathing slowed as he shakily raised his hands.

They were human. No claws. No monstrous mutations. Just… normal hands.

"How…?" he whispered, his voice barely audible.

Yuko finally spoke, still chewing. "That's what we wanna know. So, tell us—how the hell did you get here?"

Renji swallowed, his throat dry. He ran a hand through his hair before exhaling shakily.

"Aika… she was my classmate," he started. "One day, she invited me here. I thought it was just to hang out… or that she had something important to say."

He paused, his voice faltering.

"But—" he swallowed hard, "she drugged me. When I woke up… I was in a strange-looking ritual room."

His hands trembled.

"She used some kind of ritual to turn me into that… thing. I lost track of time—days, weeks—I don't know how long she kept experimenting on me. She wanted me to be her pet. A weapon. But I found a way to escape… or at least, I tried."

Elaine's eyes narrowed. "But you got caught again, didn't you?"

Renji gave a weak nod. "Yeah. She caught me. Not just her—there was a girl with her too. I… I barely remember what happened, but that girl fought Aika. He had a gun pointed at her. The last thing I remember… is that girl shooting me."

Yuko's chewing slowed. Then, with a lazy gesture, he pointed at Elaine.

"You mean this girl?"

Renji's eyes flicked to Elaine. His brows furrowed. "I—" He hesitated. "I don't know… I don't remember much. I was running, I was exhausted… but yeah, I think it was her."

Elaine didn't react, simply crossing her arms.

Yuko sighed, leaning back. "Alright, so here's the deal. We're investigating some things, and we need you to come with us."

Renji tensed.

"But," Yuko continued, "since you say you were trapped here and experimented on… I'll consider letting you go see your family for a day. But after that, we're taking you in. Got it?"

Renji's body sagged with relief. "…Thank you, mister."

Yuko waved him off. "Yeah, yeah. Just don't go nuts again."

Renji hesitated, then looked at them. "Wait… Aika. She can summon chains—ones she can control freely."

Elaine and Yuko exchanged a glance.

"We know," Elaine said simply.

Renji blinked. "You… already know?"

Yuko grinned. "We wouldn't be here if we didn't."

As Renji left the house, Yuko turned to Elaine.

"Follow him. Make sure he doesn't transform again."

Elaine nodded, standing up and heading out.

Meanwhile, Yuko leaned back in his chair, stretching.

"Now then…" He cracked his knuckles. "Let's see what secrets this house is hiding."