Ceremony of Nightmare

Through the vision of the blue soul, it detected two soul entities residing in Heima's body. One, the soul belonging to Heima, looking big and murky; two, a tiny wisp that was transparent, faint black lines covering its surface.

Heima's soul was situated to the back of her head, the same as everyone. The tiny wisp though, situated along the area belonging to her spinal cord, seems to be slowly synchronising with her soul. As time passed, its soul signature turned more and more like her, looking like they were a single entity. But the blue soul detected an anomaly; at the centre of the wisp, there seemed to be something there, ensuring that its makeup would be inherently different.

'It feels like the outer surface of the wisp will look no different from the sister character's soul in a matter of days. But, it would not lose its ego or sense of self. Strange, how can a different entity enter her body like this? Is this what happens during the Induction Ceremony?' The blue soul felt faint traces of apprehension.

The blue soul tried to inspect the body of Hancent, wondering if he too possessed something foreign in his body. But, no matter how much it tried, it could not sense the soul of Hancent; it was like he was shrouded by a barrier that blocked its senses.

'This world gets stranger and stranger…I should take over Jyorta's soul as quickly as I can, stepping into this world and investigating these mysteries.' The blue soul thought as it disconnected its senses. It began to wait with anticipation for when Jyorta fell asleep.

8:30 PM, Hancent brought some food from a nearby restaurant and set it up on the dining table, waking up the tired-looking Heima to have dinner. At the smell of food, Jyorta dropped his gaming console and rushed towards the dining table, seated on his chair as he scoured through the food items.

With a tinge of disappointment, he saw Hancent scoop out rice and fill his plate, adding some stir-fried vegetables sprinkled with a meagre amount of spices. There was also some gravy that looked like too much water had been added to it, diluting its essence.

Having a mouthful, Jyorta swallowed it with difficulty, downing a glass of water as he looked at Hancent, "Dad, the food tastes horrible. I want the food mother makes."

"Your mother will return in a week," Hancent looked at his son, wondering why his taste buds were so picky. "I'll ask Miller Aunty to cook for us tomorrow, you like her food right."

"But, the food Miller Aunty cooks is too spicy." Jyorta silently pushed his plate away, not intending to eat another morsel. Even though no one had touched it, his plate moved towards him on its own, looking like it had a will of its own. Seeing it, Jyorta looked at his dad, then at his plate before him. He repeated the actions until Hancent scolded him, forcing him to eat the food.

9:00 PM, Jyorta sat on the bed with a frown, his cheeks puffing up while his eyes moistened a little. He laid his head on the pillow, wrapping himself into a cocoon with the blanket. The softness of the mattress soon pervaded into his body, easing him up little by little. In a matter of minutes, he was fast asleep, his breathing slowing down to a steady rhythm.

In the dining room, Heima sat still, slowly eating her food. She took small bites of the food, feeling its taste to be bland, making it difficult for her to swallow it. Hancent sat beside her, watching her eat. He poured her a glass of water, picked up the plates, and placed them in the sink, intending to wash them.

Taking a scrub and a soap solution meant for washing dishes, he began to methodically clean them. The only strange thing, he didn't use his hands to do the work. The scrub flew to the air, the tap opened, prompting the water to gush out, and a utensil flew up. The scrub began to move along the surface of the utensil, mixing the soap solution with the fat and grime.

Hancent stood before the sink in silence, watching the act of magic performed before him. He noticed Heima slowly walk towards him, one step at a time, an empty plate in her hand. She placed the plate in the sink, washed her hands, and walked towards the bedroom. Seeing Jyorta sleeping in the middle, she occupied the space on his left, wrapping the bedsheet over her body, looking frail and insecure.

9:30 PM; finished with the dishes, Hancent wiped his hands clean with a towel, removing his apron and hanging it on a cloth stand to dry. He locked the main-door, checked the balcony doors, switched off the lights, and entered the bedroom. He noticed the figure of Heima, wrapped in a layer of bedsheets, shivering like a leaf caught in a storm, silently crying.

His heart pained to see his daughter in suffering. Standing beside her, he gently placed his hand on her head. Feeling the warmth from his palms, Heima wrapped her arms around his hand, clutching them tightly, afraid of letting them go.

"Dad, I am afraid, afraid of that creature in my body. Afraid that it would suddenly take control of my body, take control of my identity, taking my place in this world." Heima said, her fear-filled eyes looked at Hancent, to find solace in his presence.

Hancent sighed, a formless force gently lifted the sleeping body of Jyorta, moving him to his right, making space to Heima's right on the bed. He crawled to his spot, wrapping his arms around her, feeling her body temperature. Her body was flaring up with heat, looking like she had a fever. Her forehead was drenched with sweat while her feet were cold.

"Talking about it will help you. At least, it did for me when I was your age." Hancent said, his voice a whisper in order to not disturb Jyorta. The moment Jyorta slept, the blue soul immediately took charge, connecting to his brain, his ears, and his nose. Kaushik silently listened in on their conversation, gaining some knowledge about the world he had reincarnated into.

"After it entered my stomach, everything turned normal, except for a sense of disgust and discomfort," Heima unconsciously tightened her hold on his hands, moving her body closer, her shivering intensified. "An hour after that, a faint sense of hunger pervaded through me. First, I thought I was hungry due to swallowing that creature, but…"

Her voice trailed off, prompting Hancent to hug her, soothing her nerves for her to continue recounting her experience. Heima took a couple of minutes, consolidating her thoughts and bringing her emotions under control. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes for 10 seconds before opening them, her gaze calmer than before, the warmth from Hancent gave her a sense of protection.

"Suddenly, a machine placed next to my bed beeped with light. The nurse glanced at it and tightened my restraints. She also added many belt straps around me, wrapping my legs, arms, and hips to the bed. I felt afraid, seeing her actions; I thought something bad had occurred when my hunger intensified."

Heima paused for a second, her brows trembling, her voice shivering, "It felt like I hadn't eaten anything for days, weeks, months; like I had never eaten food all my life, surviving in a state of hunger. I felt like my stomach secreted acid in excess, I could feel it burning the insides of my stomach. It was then; I felt the creature I had swallowed earlier thrashing in my stomach, hitting the walls."

Heima placed Hancent's hand on her stomach, "My stomach bulged a little, like a bump had formed on it, forming a faint outline similar to the creature. It continued to thrash, the pain almost made me faint when the nearby nurse inserted a small glass bottle in a machine. A solution was extracted from it, flowing through a thin, narrow tube before entering my bloodstream. Immediately, I felt my vision broaden, my consciousness regaining startling clarity. I could no longer faint, having to experience the pain of my stomach tearing from the inside, it was a nightmare."

Hancent sighed as he looked at Heima, "Phase 2 of the Induction Ceremony, Parasite Absorption." He patted her cheeks, consoling her as he recollected his experience, thinking back to those days when the Induction Ceremony was different.

'Even though they have made many changes, thereby reducing the risks and raising the chance of success, but it still reduced Heima to this state.' He motioned for Heima to continue, listening to her with rapt attention, monitoring her physical and mental state.

Heima turned her body, facing him as she continued, "The thrashing increased in intensity; I even spat out blood once, having sustained internal injuries. It continued for 15 minutes before it turned weak, slowly stopping its resistance. I could feel it dissolving within my stomach, giving me a reprieve. I thought that would be the end of the ceremony; my eyelids grew heavy, the effect of the drug injected inside me losing its effect; I soon fell asleep."

"I had a dream then," Heima sat up, her face crunched up in a frown, "I dreamed of turning into a mass of flesh, one devoid of reason. I rampaged around the streets, destroying the tall buildings, killing people, and ravenously consuming their flesh. I was like a crazy monster. Stumps of flesh grew on my body, eventually turning into mini monstrosities similar to me. They then spread out, devastating the land, spreading destructing in every direction. Suddenly, I saw a couple of white lab coat wearing warriors approach me, carrying syringes that were twice their size. They attacked me, their prowess trumped mine. Suddenly, intense pain originated from my back, I woke up to find the familiar room."

"Phase 3, Parasitic Absorption, success. Initiating Phase 4, Parasitic Assimilation." Heima turned her head, her eyes hollow, and her gaze vacant, as if she was a doll. "I heard the nurse calmly noting it, recording the entire process. It felt as if a bucket full of molten iron was poured into my back, the pain made me struggle. I tried to remove the restrains and escape the place but, the nurse held my body in place. A formless pressure suppressed my body, it was similar to what you usually use, Dad."

"All the nurses taking charge of the Induction Ceremony would be a Wave Controller at least. Only then could they ensure no mishaps occur." Hancent said. His heard lurched with pain as he imagined the horrors his daughter had to experience; especially, the fourth phase that was the most painful of them all.