The Truth Behind Kaito
Kaito stood frozen, staring at his own arm like it wasn't his.
The spiral-shaped scar seemed to pulse, as if something inside it was alive.
Renji and Aoi exchanged glances. The fear in her eyes mirrored his own thoughts—
This wasn't Kaito.
Or, at the very least, not the Kaito they had known.
Kaito let out a shaky breath. "You're both acting like I'm some kind of monster." He clenched his fists, his expression torn between anger and confusion. "I don't remember dying, and I sure as hell don't remember this damn mark. But I'm here. I feel real."
Aoi's voice was sharp. "That's the problem."
Kaito flinched.
Renji took a slow step forward, keeping his voice calm. "You said you don't remember anything before the forest, right? Try harder. What's the last thing you were doing before you got here?"
Kaito's hands trembled. He furrowed his brow, forcing himself to think.
Then—
"I was…" His voice wavered.
His breath hitched. His pupils contracted.
A single memory broke through.
"…Standing in my house."
Renji's heart skipped.
Kaito's voice dropped to a whisper. "The wind was howling. My mom and dad were already gone. I remember staring at the wall."
His breathing became shallow.
"There was a spiral."
Renji and Aoi went still.
Kaito's hands shot up to clutch his head. Pain flooded his face.
"And then—"
He screamed.
---
Memories of Death
The forest around them shuddered. The trees groaned as if something ancient was stirring.
Kaito's legs buckled. He dropped to his knees, gasping for air.
Renji rushed forward, grabbing his shoulders. "Kaito!"
Kaito clawed at his temples, his entire body trembling. "No—NO! It's not real—it CAN'T be real!"
Aoi stepped back, fear creeping up her spine. "Renji, something's wrong."
Kaito's breathing became ragged.
His pupils were dilating, shrinking, then expanding unnaturally fast.
Renji gritted his teeth. "Kaito, listen to me—what happened next?!"
Kaito choked out a breath. "I… saw my reflection."
A pause.
"And then… it smiled at me."
Aoi's blood ran cold.
Renji felt a chill creep up his spine.
"I didn't smile," Kaito whispered. His voice sounded detached now, distant. "But my reflection did."
He let out a small, broken laugh.
"And then it reached out—and pulled me in."
Renji's hands tightened on Kaito's shoulders. "Pulled you into what?"
Kaito lifted his head, his face pale.
"…The spiral."
A gust of wind rushed through the trees. The forest twisted, shadows warping in impossible ways.
Renji's grip on Kaito loosened.
Because now he understood.
Kaito hadn't escaped the spirals.
Kaito was part of them.
---
Aoi's Realization
Aoi's voice was barely above a whisper.
"…You never survived, did you?"
Kaito flinched.
She took a step forward, her hands trembling. "You died, Kaito. The spirals took you. And now—"
Her breath hitched.
"You're just what's left of him."
Kaito's face contorted—anger, fear, denial. "Shut up. I'm not dead. I'm right here!"
Renji clenched his fists. "Then prove it."
Kaito snapped his gaze toward him.
Renji's voice was steady. "If you're alive, if you're real—tell me your mom's name."
Kaito opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
A moment of silence.
Then—
His body tensed.
His fingers dug into the dirt.
His expression twisted in horror.
"…I don't know."
Aoi let out a shaky breath. "That's because she never existed in this version of you."
Kaito's breath hitched. His chest rose and fell rapidly.
His body began to tremble violently.
"…No." His voice cracked. "NO! I—I EXIST! I'M REAL!"
The spiral mark on his arm pulsated.
The ground beneath him cracked.
And Renji felt it.
Something was awakening.
Something was coming.
---
The Spiral's Puppet
Kaito let out a strangled gasp.
Then—
His body arched backward.
Black veins spread from the spiral mark on his arm, creeping up his neck, his face, his chest.
Aoi took a sharp step back. "Renji—he's—"
Renji's stomach dropped.
Kaito's shadow twisted.
It was no longer his own.
The spirals weren't just inside him.
They were controlling him.
And now—
They were done pretending.
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End of Chapter 20
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To Be Continue