Chapter 22

*Back to the present day*

The discovery of the Yomigaeri's identity sent a tremor through Kaori's body, causing her knees to buckle as she staggered back in horror. The thing before her, a horrible parody of her own flesh and blood, appeared to enjoy the situation.

"Shota, how can this be? "What did they do to you?" Kaori managed to gasp out, her eyes yearning for an answer.

But the monster before her just chuckled, its uncanny eyes fixed on her. "They did nothing to me, my lovely sister.

"I have been reborn," the monster said, its voice full of villainy. "This is my actual form, the one I was always supposed to take. The virus has opened my eyes to the reality of the world and the hopelessness of the human situation."

Kaori tried to understand what she was hearing, her head racing with the implications. How could this monster, this monstrosity, be her brother? Nonetheless, the scar on its neck provided indisputable proof.

Kaori's thoughts were racing, her mind frantically searching for an explanation. Was this truly Shota, or some twisted, perverted version of him? She couldn't bring herself to accept what she was seeing.

"Shota, I..." she began, but her words were cut off as the creature took a step forward, its eyes glowing with an inhuman malice.

"Do not use that name," it snarled, its voice filled with a fury that seemed to shake the very foundations of the room. "That name belongs to the weak, human creature that I once was.

"I am Yomigaeri now," it continued, its voice a low, guttural rumble that seemed to echo with a dark power. "I am the new order, the herald of the coming age. And you, my dear sister, will be my witness to the end of humanity."

As the creature spoke, Kaori's body shivered with a primal terror. She could see now that there was no trace of her brother left in this thing, only the cold, calculating malice of a predator that had tasted blood and craved more.

As Kai struggled to take in the terrifying scene, his gaze flickered between the Yomigaeri and Kaori, his brow furrowed with bewilderment. He had never heard Kaori speak about a brother, let alone one named Shota.

But now, as the truth of Kaori's relationship with the creature unfolded before him, he felt a wave of disorientation wash over him.

Kai's gaze shifted from Kaori to the creature that stood before them, his mind racing with questions. He wanted to ask Kaori what was going on, what she had kept hidden from him, but he could tell from her expression that this was not the time for answers.

In that moment, Kai realized they needed to get out of there—fast. But the Yomigaeri's next words froze him in his tracks.

"Oh, you won't be leaving," it said, its voice lilting with dark amusement. "Not until you've served your purpose."

With a sudden movement the creature lunged at Kai, catching him off-guard and sending him sprawling to the floor.

Kaori screamed, rushing forward to help, but the Yomigaeri's claws snaked out, grabbing her by the throat and holding her back.

The Yomigaeri, with its vice-like hold on Kaori's throat, leaned in close, its breath filthy, its eyes ablaze with twisted excitement.

"You thought you could get away with it, didn't you, dear sister?" it screamed, its voice thick with hatred. "You believed you could flee and abandon me to die, ripped apart by those creatures. But I remember everything, Kaori. I recall every detail, including every drop of blood that spilled on the floor."

"You abandoned me there, to die in anguish and terror."

"And you know what the worst part was?" The Yomigaeri continued to tighten its grip on Kaori as she strained against it. "It was that even in the midst of that nightmare, I trusted in you. I still adore you, my beloved sister. As the beasts surrounded me, I attempted to reach out to you. But you had already gone.

"So I died alone, in terror and grief, betrayed by the person I loved the most in the world.

"But look at me now, Kaori."

The Yomigaeri's distorted face broke into an ugly grin as it noticed the anguish and guilt engraved on Kaori's face.

"Oh, dear sister," it murmured, adopting a false compassionate tone. "Please do not cry for me. Your tears are like nectar for me, a lovely remembrance of your betrayal."

With a rapid flick of its tongue, the Yomigaeri sucked up Kaori's salty tears.

Mmm, so delicious," the Yomigaeri mused, its dark eyes glinting with a predatory gleam. "But now, it seems, the time has come for you to face the consequences of your actions."

As Kaori continued to struggle in vain against the Yomigaeri's grip, the creature let out a low, sinister chuckle.

"Don't worry, sister," it murmured, its voice almost gentle now. "I won't kill you. Not yet.

"No, you deserve a fate far worse than death."

"You see, sister," it purred, "you are merely a pawn in my grand scheme. Every move you've made, every decision you've made, I have been guiding you from the shadows.

"From the very beginning, when I planted the Yomigaeri who had reached the limit of it's limit in that supermarket, to putting that foolish girl Mai in your path, I have orchestrated everything.

"Ah, yes," the Yomigaeri hissed, its mouth curling into a sardonic smile. "That pathetic little girl, Mai, what a perfect pawn she was. So desperate to survive that she willingly put herself into my hands."

With a sadistic chuckle, the creature turned to stare at the lifeless body of Mai lying on the ground. "Oh, oops," it purred, feigning innocence. "I guess I already killed her. She was no longer useful to me, you see."

As the truth of the Yomigaeri's deceitful plot unraveled before Kai, he felt a wave of guilt and self-loathing wash over him.

He remembered the warning words of his comrades, Kenji and Ren, and how he had dismissed their concerns. His blind obsession to avoid losing anyone the way he had lost his sister had blinded him to the danger that lay right under his nose.

As the Yomigaeri's laughter echoed in his mind, the weight of everyone's death seemed to press down on him with a crushing force.