Chapter 2: Adapting to the new life.

Charoite didn't know how to feel about his new father; there was something strange about the way he behaved around him. The way he looked at him, not to mention those eerie star-shaped pupils shining in a creepy black color sent shivers down his spine.

It had been a year since Hoshino Charoite (Michael Afton) started living with his new father. Ever since that panic attack, he experienced on the day of his rebirth, he had been trying his best to adapt to his new body.

(Imagen)

It had been a challenging process, especially when it came to feeding. At first, he couldn't even drink a bit of milk from his bottle before his body convulsed, trying to vomit it back up.

His new father, Hikaru, would frown and look at him with disgust every time he got sick and vomited or whenever he soiled his diaper. Yup, it was quite embarrassing the first time Charoite pooped in his diaper.

God, it was so embarrassing for him not to be able to control his body the way he wanted to. His new body just told him to go to hell and disobeyed, causing him to soil his diaper against his will.

Charoite had wished so much to be a corpse again, just to avoid that embarrassment. It had repeated over and over throughout the year he had been alive again, in this stupid baby body.

Then there was the fact that his senses were so sensitive, especially his sense of smell, taste, and touch. These were senses he had lost decades ago. Charoite had a love-hate relationship with these senses he had regained, especially with his sense of smell and touch.

There wasn't much to smell in his father's apartment. Although he had to admit that he liked the clean scent that emanated from the apartment, he hated the smell that seemed to come from his poop. Seriously, the first time he pooped himself, he almost vomited from the stench.

His new father seemed to agree with him, given the stupid anti-odor mask he wore, which only added to Charoite's feelings of shame. All he could do was grit his teeth and bear the situation he was in.

The only thing that made him feel relieved and made him think he and his new father, Hikaru, might be exaggerating about the smell was the fact that when he was a walking corpse, he must have smelled much worse than his feces.

Charoite had no idea what he smelled like when he was a decomposing corpse, but he could guess that his odor couldn't have been pleasant for the people around him.

Feeling the taste of milk was strange but comforting for Charoite. He had forgotten the taste of things long ago, and something as simple as milk made him feel nostalgic and shed a few tears he thought had dried up years ago.

Another aspect of his previous life that he had also regained was his tear ducts, though Charoite didn't know how to feel about having them back. Meanwhile, he would shrug and move forward, getting used to the aspects of being alive again.

But the aspect he hated the most about regaining his senses was touch.

Damn it, it felt so uncomfortable to be touched or to feel things through touch. The worst part was the instincts he had acquired as a security guard and ghost hunter over the years.

For several decades, the only people or things that wanted to touch him weren't doing it to comfort or soothe him; they were doing it to hurt him. If he had a dime for every cursed object haunted by AGONY or RAGE that wanted to kill him while he pretended to be an Anomaly, he would at least have 20 dollars (though he wasn't sure; he never bothered counting all the ghosts or cursed objects that wanted him dead).

So feeling something as basic as the floor of the ground made his hair stand on end with a creepy sensation, not to mention how uncomfortable and disgusting it was to feel the mess that spread all over his butt and diaper.

Charoite shuddered just thinking about it.

Now, something he never liked about his new life was that his AGONY came along with him. Despite clearly being alive and not supposed to have AGONY in his body, he could feel the supernatural presence emanating from his Remnant.

His imprint on the world, or his echo of Michael Afton in the same world, still ran in his new body. And even though Charoite had no idea how his Remnant could function in his new body without being injected or ingested (although he suspected that Old Man Consequences had something to do with his Remnant still working in his new body), he simply had to shrug and move on while getting used to the aspects of being alive again.

Charoite didn't pay much attention to it until something unexpected happened. While his father was asleep he had a nightmare (fortunately, he was used to these, so he didn't think much of it), he felt bitter about the state of his new life and furious about the injustice, wondering if all he had suffered wasn't enough.

This led to a light fixture in the apartment shattering abruptly, scaring and waking up his new father. Hikaru just looked at the broken fixture with sleepiness and confusion before cleaning it up and going back to sleep without even bothering to ask why.

Charoite didn't bother thinking about it too much either, although he admitted he felt quite irritated by the revelation that he had gained much stronger supernatural powers than he had before (which he found pretty weak and somewhat useless, to be honest), lamenting how useful these would have been when he was a walking corpse.

Yes, Hoshino Charoite, formerly known as Michael Afton, was destined to suffer and lament for the rest of his life. He had suffered to the point where he constantly excreted AGONY, and the only reason he didn't succumb to rage was out of pure spite and a great determination along with his stubbornness.

Not to mention that he had reached a point where he developed a form of apathy. Usually, Charoite was quite empathetic towards people and their sufferings, but when he encountered particularly grim cases in his ghost-hunting work, he sometimes felt nothing but exasperation and frustration at having to deal with the consequences of such cases.

He truly hated AGONY. He never liked hunting such cases, mainly because they fed on the AGONY of others to grow and persist, and Charoite, when he was Michael Afton, was filled with that same dark energy. So it was a pain in the ass to exterminate this energy while he was generating more.

But at the end of the day, he always emerged victorious against them, and his decades of doing the same job had made him an expert in that regard. It was even whispered as half that a supernatural entity wearing a white bear mask existed, and was called an Anomaly by ghosts or objects with "awareness" because of its human appearance (or at least its human form, even if it was some kind of "zombie").

In the end, Charoite had to control his negative emotions; he didn't want another accident like the broken light fixture to happen or, even worse, accidentally inject AGONY into an object. He didn't want to corrupt an object, nor did he want to deal with such cases.

Not that he could do much with this baby body.

Charoite ponders his strange situation and his relationship with his new father, new mother, and new siblings.

Throughout the year, Charoite had met his new mother, Hoshino Ai, and his older siblings (ironically, he was the younger brother; the only thing missing was a robot biting his head off) Hoshino Ruby and Hoshino Aquamarine, twice. Strange names, but considering he now lived in Japan and not in the United States, it made sense.

That had also been strange. Although he couldn't speak Japanese, he could understand it. But once again, Charoite supposed it must be due to the influence of Old Man Consequences. He didn't think too much about it and simply accepted it as something normal.

Considering that ghosts, cursed objects, reincarnation, and parallel worlds were real, being able to understand the Japanese language without actually knowing it was just another supernatural thing in this world. Although Charoite wondered what other supernatural things were real.

Another thing Charoite had to get used to in the new year was that they were no longer in 2023, the year that was supposed to mark the end of everything, but apparently, it hadn't ended entirely. Now, William was somewhere in this parallel world, which had a different timeline from his previous world, raising questions about whether it was a form of time travel.

Setting aside the issue of time, his mother was strange. She appeared quite positive and a bit foolish if Charoite were honest, but he couldn't help feeling like it was part of a well-crafted act (if it was, it was quite convincing because he had pondered it several times) due to the dark aura she sometimes emitted.

The relationship between his new mother and his new father was not entirely good. It wasn't that they got along poorly or anything like that, but there was an uncomfortable tension between them, and Charoite could sometimes catch Hoshino Ai's longing glances at Kamiki Hikaru. However, the feeling wasn't mutual; Hikaru looked at Ai as if he were about to pounce on her, and not in a lustful way, but in a very dark manner. This made Charoite feel tense whenever his new siblings visited with their new mother.

Fortunately, despite their tense relationship, they could have normal conversations, like that one time when he was playing with his sister Ruby while Aqua observed their parents' conversation with a frown on his face.

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In Hikaru's mind, he couldn't help feeling uncomfortable and angry with his ex-partner, Hoshino Ai. He admired her talent and beauty, but bitterness and resentment still lingered beneath the surface. He truly despised how she could still shine even with her past, which she had told him about.

"Charoite seems to be doing well," Ai commented, observing her youngest son playing with toys alongside her daughter. Much of Hoshino Ai was relieved that her son was in good condition, although she couldn't help wondering how Hikaru handled fatherhood. She was curious about the relationship Hikaru had with their son, which she couldn't help briefly envy before quickly dismissing the feeling.

"Yes, it's been... different," Hikaru replied, carefully choosing his words. "He has this air about him as if he knows something we don't." Hikaru was still surprised by the maturity of his children.

Hikaru briefly glanced at his other children with a bored expression before correcting it to his facade. He felt like they were judging him, and Ruby and Aqua's gazes made him uncomfortable, but he shrugged it off, thinking it was just his paranoia. Not to mention that he really couldn't care less about his other children (especially his first son). He was only interested in Hoshino Charoite. Hikaru would never admit that the little bastard had grown on him, giving him brief moments of satisfaction he thought he'd never have again, although...

Hikaru was morbidly curious about how feelings might be generated in him if he suddenly slit Hoshino Ai's throat at this moment, curious about how she would feel about betraying her (like that woman did to him).

Unfortunately, he couldn't kill her and extinguish her light; that would be foolish of him, and he'd be the prime suspect.

Hikaru briefly thought about the idiot who messed up his job and killed an innocent, foolish doctor. He didn't care about that anybody's death; he deserved it for meddling. Dark and bitter thoughts filled his mind.

Hikaru snapped back to reality when Ai Hoshino smiled warmly at their children. "He's a special boy, just like his siblings."

(Imagen)

Hikaru wanted to deny that his other children would never be as special as his favorite son, but he restrained himself to maintain his facade, instead nodding and smiling gently while using his charm on his ex. "I suppose they are."

Hoshino Ai blushed and returned the smile beautifully as she looked at her children, wondering if this was the right decision.

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After that conversation, Charoite had a lot to think about.

Hoshino Charoite didn't know what to make of his new father. Honestly, sometimes, he exuded an aura very similar to William Afton, which made him feel uncomfortable and frustrated. Especially because his parents were both very young.

As far as Charoite knew, Hoshino Ai was about to turn 17, and Hikaru was about to turn 16. That left Charoite quite surprised when he found out, but then he rolled his eyes in exasperation. Those were the problems that arose when people didn't know how to keep it in their pants.

He didn't know what had happened between his new mother and his new father that led to their separation and the "division" of custody of their children. But even though the part of him that was still Michael Afton wanted to spoil and make his new siblings happy as part of his repentance for what he did to his own, the dark and cynical part of his mind told him that being separated from Hoshino Ruby and Aqua was for the best, as they would likely get hurt because of him, just like Elizabeth and Evan Afton did.

One due to his negligence and the other due to his jealousy and bitterness. That didn't change the fact that the part of him that was Hoshino Charoite wanted to be with his new siblings and love them with all his heart, bringing them the joy he once could have given.

Charoite was also worried about his new siblings; there was something strange about them. They exhibited a level of maturity that surprised him, especially Hoshino Aquamarine. (For a brief moment, he wondered if they were like him, reincarnated.) He could only hope that it was nothing supernatural or something that would bother him in the future.

And then there was the person raising him, his new father, Kamiki Hikaru.

Charoite had conflicting feelings about him, especially after finding out about the great darkness Hikaru carried within him.

It was a normal day when his new father, Hikaru, returned to the apartment after his work as an actor. (He used to leave someone to take care of Charoite, but after realizing how mature he was, he always made sure he had everything he needed before leaving. Charoite would always poop just before Hikaru left, much to Hikaru's annoyance and Charoite's amusement.) Charoite only found out about Hikaru's rough day through his new mother's question.

Charoite was quietly playing with a plush toy, his eyes clouded with nostalgia, while he pondered about his future, his new life, and the chance he had been given to live again.

All that came crashing down when his new father, Hikaru, burst into the apartment, his face contorted with anger. Charoite could feel the dark energy emanating from Hikaru as he slammed the door shut.

Hoshino Charoite approached silently to get a better view of his new father and figure out what all the commotion was about, feeling nervous and conflicted. He observed as Hikaru's frustration overflowed, unleashing his anger by forcefully striking the wall.

Hikaru winced in pain, but it didn't seem to bother him much. He just glared at the wall with furious rage. Charoite watched in silence as his father had his outburst, gripping the plush toy he was playing with earlier tightly as he tried to understand the situation.

His mind drifted back to his previous life as Michael Afton, where he sometimes found William Afton in a similar state. Back then, Michael would have quickly walked away and hidden in his room like a coward, so that William's anger wouldn't be unleashed on him. But this time, for some reason, he felt it was different.

In some way, Charoite could understand the anger and frustration of his old father, William. That's why he was conflicted, especially after the tragedy that had befallen his entire old family (the death of his sister Elizabeth due to his father's creations, and the guilt and pain of accidentally causing the death of his brother Evan). They still haunted him, but it was through that trauma that he changed for the better and became a compassionate and empathetic soul, especially towards those who had suffered a cruel fate.

Even to the point of providing comfort and healing to those who had suffered from AGONY or were harmed by it.

Michael Afton agreed that everyone could have dark thoughts at times; it was normal to have such thoughts. That's why he understood that people could be driven to dark places by their past experiences, just as he had been. However, he also believed that it didn't justify harmful actions.

And despite allowing his old father to end it all himself, he refused. William's stupid obsession with immortality had stripped him of any remaining humanity he might have had.

He sighed, pushing aside conflicting thoughts, and though he believed that everyone deserved a second chance, he also believed that once someone repeated the same mistakes several times, it meant they didn't truly want to change, and that's when they no longer deserved forgiveness.

"Who does she think she is? Treating people like trash just because she's famous and talented? That bitch isn't even a better actress," Hikaru spat, squinting his eyes. "Just because she's older and has some talent doesn't mean she can treat me however she wants."

That's why Charoite was conflicted about his new father as Hikaru's anger escalated. The dark aura and disturbed expression, along with that tense smile on Hikaru's face, made Charoite, despite his experiences, feel disturbed.

Especially his star-shaped eyes, shining in pitch-black darkness like an endless abyss, made Charoite feel very nervous and tense.

Hikaru tried to calm himself down, realizing that Charoite was watching him closely. Hikaru took a deep breath before giving Charoite a charismatic smile and attempted to explain his feelings to his son, even though he knew he wouldn't fully understand.

"Charoite, I'm sorry you had to see that," Hikaru said as he approached him, his tone tense. "Daddy's just feeling a little overwhelmed right now."

Charoite lowered his cute little head before approaching his father, who had crouched down to look at him. He then placed his tiny hand on his new father Hikaru's hand, hoping that offering silent support could bring some comfort to him.

Hikaru was taken aback by his son's gesture, feeling uneasy about finding solace in Charoite. He admitted he had never expected something like this to happen. Hikaru felt conflicted, biting his lip as warm feelings clashed fiercely with his dark thoughts.

Charoite, wanting to offer more comfort or help to his new father, guided him with his small hand to sit on the couch. Hikaru was surprised by his intelligence, even wondering if it was his genes or those of his ex that he had acquired.

Charoite took a seat next to him and leaned against Hikaru, offering a simple act of comfort. Hikaru hesitated for a moment before encircling Charoite with his arm and placing him on his lap, seeking solace from the baby.

Without saying a word, Charoite let Hikaru know that he was there for him, that he understood the pain he was going through, and that it was okay to feel overwhelmed. He didn't judge Hikaru for his emotions or the darkness that persisted within him.

As they sat there in silence, Charoite could feel the tension slowly dissipating from Hikaru's body. He knew that sometimes words weren't enough and that a simple touch or comforting presence could say so much.

Hikaru let out a deep sigh, his anger slowly subsiding. He hadn't expected so much understanding from Charoite, but at that moment, he felt a sense of connection with the young boy.

(Imagen)

"You're too young to fully understand what I'm going through, Charoite," Hikaru admitted, feeling a mix of bitterness and brief guilt. He took a deep breath. "You know, I'm glad you're so mature for your age. I'm not sure what I'd do if you were like those other kids." Hikaru shook his head, trying to shake off his dark thoughts.

Charoite furrowed his brow, trying to fully grasp what his new father was trying to convey. He could feel Hikaru's arms tense around his small body. Hikaru seemed lost in thought for a good moment.

Suddenly, Hikaru's expression darkened, and his gaze slowly turned into that of a person filled with anger and resentment towards the world. Hikaru's mind couldn't contain the dark thoughts that had haunted him for so long Memories of that fateful day with the older woman he had trusted when he was just 11 resurfaced, making his blood boil.

Hikaru couldn't stop the slight tremor in his voice as he began to recount a summary of his story to his son. "You see, Charoite when I was even younger, much younger, I met this older woman who was skilled, famous, and had quite the influence in the place where I worked." Hikaru sighed, not letting his anger consume him. "She seemed so charming and caring, she helped me fit in as an actor because of my great talent, but... it was all a facade. She took advantage of me and stole my innocence, my brilliance, and exploited my naivety."

As Hikaru spoke, Charoite could feel his father's grip tightening around his small body. The weight of the emotions was evident in his voice, revealing the pain he had suppressed for years. "She manipulated me, made me believe she cared for me, but it was all a lie. She used me for her benefit, and to destroy me and steal my brilliance as an actor, and when she was done, she discarded me like I was nothing."

Charoite's eyes briefly clouded with surprise and a memory of something similar in his life as Michael Afton. He still remembered when those bastards he called friends cast him aside and blamed him for the 1983 incident. He had felt so betrayed and hurt, but back then, guilt and self-hate had made him accept it as a fact.

Charoite couldn't help but feel uncomfortable with the intense emotions of hatred emanating from his new father. He couldn't help but sympathize with him, as he had gone through something similar at a much younger age, but he felt there was something much darker in what Hikaru was trying to convey, and sometimes he hated when his instincts were right. Because what came next was a shocking revelation.

"She even had a child because of it... a child who is mine," Hikaru continued, his voice barely above a whisper. "But I want nothing to do with him. I'm resentful for what that woman did to me, and I feel a deep disgust every time I think of him, and that child is a constant reminder of my weakness. Proof that she took a big part of me away."

Oh. Shit...

Charoite could not help but be disturbed and disgusted by the fact that an adult woman had abused, and committed rape against a minor. Not only that, but the woman became pregnant by a minor. Oh, gods... and for the emotions his father exuded. The woman was still free without paying for her crime.

Charoite didn't know how to feel about the revelation of having a half-sibling he knew nothing about and that the half-sibling came from a woman who had committed pedophilia and rape, but what surprised him most was that the woman did not abort the child.

One would think that someone who did such acts would not be so stupid as to leave such damning evidence as a child of a minor, although the main problem would lie in how the woman would be so careless as to let herself get pregnant by her victim. Unless...

Charoite didn't like that thought and felt furious about it.

Unless the woman wanted to obtain a child from his father. Maybe she wasn't careless and hadn't raped him, she had only stolen his father's sperm when she cheated on him. Be that as it may, that does not change the fact that it is still pedophilia and sexual abuse of a minor.

Charoite felt sorry for his unknown brother, he knew all too well what it was like to have shitty parents. His former mother was not mean to him, but he still resented her for committing suicide and leaving him alone with his former father. William.

Charoite sighed, trying to shake off those dark thoughts as he observed his new father, Hikaru, becoming increasingly angry as he continued speaking, his voice growing more intense. "I swore I'd never let anyone have that kind of power over me again. And now, I see women like her, full of talent, arrogance, and superiority, and it infuriates me. They think they can shine brighter than anyone, using their fame and connections along with their talent to deceive, lie, and hurt without consequences. Well, I'll show them they're not the only ones who can use the art of deception to make someone lose their shine."

Charoite suddenly felt uncomfortable in his father's grip. He could sense the deep resentment Hikaru held towards women, and he couldn't help but realize that it didn't just encompass bad women, but also innocent women who shone with great success.

Briefly, he worried about his father's mental stability. Charoite wasn't a psychologist, but he knew a few things about it. He couldn't help but wonder to what extent Hikaru would go to satisfy his hatred.

Hikaru's grip loosened when he noticed the concerned expression on his favorite son's face. "I'm sorry you had to hear all of this, Charoite," he sighed, feeling his tense muscles relaxing. "Though I have to admit, it was quite therapeutic. Maybe we should have more moments like this; it's what parents do with their children, right?" Hikaru glanced to the side, conflicted by the situation and the brief peace he felt in his body while wrestling with a sea of very dark and bloody thoughts.

As Hikaru gazed out of one of the apartment windows, he murmured to himself, "I'll make them regret what they did to me, and I'll ensure that the innocence and brilliance they took away from me slowly disappears from them too."

Hikaru didn't notice the penetrating gaze his favorite son was giving him—a critical and evaluative look as if he were reconsidering his lifestyle once again.

Meanwhile, in Charoite's mind, a thought came to him. "I hate my fucking life," he complained, cursing Old Man Consequences for giving him a young and mentally unstable father, damaged by the cruelty of the world. The only relief and comfort Charoite had were that his father hadn't fully walked down a dark path yet.

He would do whatever it took to save his father from the darkness that was slowly consuming him before it was too late, but in case he couldn't save him, he would become Anomaly and grant his troubled soul peace.

Hoshino Charoite, formerly known as Michael Afton, just hoped it wouldn't come to such extremes. He stared up at the ceiling, his mind unable to stop wondering what the future held for both of them.

But in the silence of that moment, father and son found comfort in each other's presence. And perhaps, just maybe, they would be the light to guide each other through the darkness that surrounded them both.