[2]: Cursed Spirit

Chapter 2: Cursed Spirit

Shin Shuichi quickly found a large hall, which had originally been a venue for events at the orphanage. Although it wasn't supposed to be in this location, it appeared in this eerie environment.

After dashing into the hall, Shin glanced around, making sure of his escape routes, and then braced himself for the enemy's arrival. The strange noises were approaching fast.

The door creaked open, and a swarm of bizarre creatures flooded in. Upon closer inspection, they were the same small monsters Shin had encountered earlier, only there were far more of them this time.

These odd little beings made incomprehensible, eerie noises as they quickly scurried towards Shin, their numbers so overwhelming that he felt a chill run down his spine.

Although he could use telekinesis to strengthen his body, his stamina was still limited. After all, Shin was still in a child's body, and dealing with these creatures posed quite the challenge.

"I'll try to eliminate them first. There's no way out of here, and if my stamina starts to drop, I'll have to figure out how to hide."

...

After killing about a dozen of them, Shin made a tactical retreat. The more he fought, the more these things appeared—how was he supposed to handle that? As everything around him fell eerily silent, Shin slipped out of the hall, leaving the now statue-like creatures behind.

When the creatures regained movement, the hall was already empty. After some confusion, they resumed their aimless wandering.

"Hm? What's that sound?"

Shin, cautiously moving forward, thought he heard something, but when he strained to listen again, it was silent. Then, a sharp, ear-piercing noise—like a building collapsing—drew his attention.

"It sounds… pretty close. Should I check it out?"

Normally, Shin wouldn't take such a risk, but he had no idea how to escape this place and felt compelled to explore every possible chance. After all, he was confident in his ability to run if needed.

Carefully, he made his way towards the sound, and what he saw next nearly made him swear. A massive creature was moving in his line of sight.

It was a terrifying baby monster, grotesquely enlarged. Its eyes were dark, empty sockets, and its mouth was sewn shut with blood-black thread, yet it still emitted low, guttural moans. The enormous creature, nearly three stories tall, was climbing towards a small building.

"There's someone in there?"

Shin saw a figure inside the small building, trying desperately to flee. After a brief moment of thought, Shin decided to approach. It seemed likely that this gigantic monster was the source of all this chaos. If he could destroy it, would he be able to escape?

The enormous creature soon reached the building, tearing it apart in a few swift motions. When it withdrew its hand, it was clutching a young woman. As she was being drawn toward the monster's gaping maw, she screamed in terror.

"That's..."

Shin recognized the woman. Her name was Ayako Koharu, an employee at the orphanage. She was kind-hearted and treated the children with love and fairness, earning everyone's respect and admiration.

"Damn it, let her go!"

Still some distance away, Shin picked up a piece of rubble from the collapsed building and hurled it at the giant creature. The stone struck the monster, but it did no damage. Running as fast as he could, Shin could only watch as Ayako was swallowed by the massive maw.

A surge of anger flooded through Shin. In that moment, he wished with all his might that he had the strength to kill the monster. But the size difference was too vast—even in his enhanced state, what damage could his fists or kicks do to this thing?

As his frustration and rage exploded within him, Shin suddenly felt his telekinetic power surging uncontrollably, to the point where he couldn't sense its limits.

A thought arose in his mind: His physical attacks were too weak, but if his hits landed because they were enhanced with telekinesis, could he directly use that telekinetic energy to attack the monster?

Shin had tried externalizing his telekinesis before, but it hadn't affected his surroundings much, so he usually used it to strengthen his body. But now, this might be one of the few ways to hurt the enormous monster in front of him. He had to try.

Gritting his teeth, Shin glared at the monster, which had now shifted its focus to him. Struggling to control his telekinesis, Shin saw the massive creature closing in, deceptively fast despite its slow appearance. His growing panic was cut short when he felt his telekinetic power start to move.

He poured all of it into his right hand, extending his arm toward the charging beast. Gripping his right wrist with his left hand to stabilize it, he shouted:

"Die!"

A flash of blue light shot out, and the monster's body froze, with a large portion suddenly shattering. The wound was smooth and circular, and even the upper part of a building behind the creature had a gaping hole in it, as though a pillar of energy had pierced both the monster and the structure behind it.

From the shattered remains of the creature, a figure fell to the ground—it was Ayako. Though she appeared unharmed on the outside, she was unconscious, her fate unknown.

Exhausted and nearly collapsing, Shin barely managed to stay on his feet. The giant monster lay fallen, its remaining limbs twitching in futile attempts to rise.

Feeling his telekinetic power rapidly replenish, Shin steadied himself and walked toward the crippled creature, which was now completely immobile. His emotions were in turmoil—fierce anger burning within him, yet deep down, a strange calmness persisted.

It was a bizarre sensation—conflicting but somehow harmonious. It was like trying to draw a circle with one hand and a square with the other: awkward at first, but once mastered, it felt effortless.

Shin was aware that something was wrong with his emotional state, but the anger and hatred he felt were undeniably his own.

Thankfully, a small part of him remained lucid, keeping his reason intact amid the storm of emotions.

As the massive monster lay defeated, Shin's telekinetic energy swirled around his right hand, forming a dense, brilliant blue flame. His desire to destroy the creature overwhelmed him.

There was no hesitation—Shin raised his small fist, which now seemed comically tiny, but the intense blue fire swirling around it made it a deadly weapon.

With a swing, time seemed to slow again, and Shin saw the blue flames on his fist gradually turn black.

A strange sensation surged through him. He could now feel every ounce of his telekinetic energy coursing through his right arm, pulsing with his muscle movements.

Breathing! Yes, it was like breathing. At that moment, his telekinetic power and his body were in perfect sync, as natural as the rhythm of his pulse.

As Shin's fist collided with the monster's head, the black flames effortlessly tore through it. A deafening explosion echoed as the monster's body disintegrated inch by inch, and the ground beneath it cracked and crumbled.

With the monster's remains fading away, Shin's anger subsided. As he dispersed his telekinesis, a wave of exhaustion hit him. His right hand throbbed painfully, making him wince.

"Tap, tap…"

A crisp sound of footsteps echoed. Shin turned alertly to see a graceful figure emerging from the darkness—long bluish white hair tied in a ponytail, and a black uniform that accentuated her striking physique.

Seeing that the figure was human, not a bloodthirsty monster, Shin breathed a sigh of relief. But... why did she look somewhat familiar?

Before he could figure it out, the beautiful white-haired woman, with a mix of confusion and shock on her face, approached.

The woman's voice had a magnetic quality, matching her striking appearance and figure. She looked at the small boy sitting on the ground, weary yet still alert, and said, "You can call me Mei Mei. Little one, why are you here? Have you seen anyone else?"