Akira stood in the centre of his dimly lit room, the red light of the system floating before his eyes like a digital ghost.

He looked at Rina, who was finally breathing deeply and steadily. The frost around her was gone, replaced by a light sheen of sweat. His own heart was pounding in his chest, reminding him of the energy he had just siphoned into his own veins.

"Option C is suicide," Akira decided. "If that thing matures into a High Alpha, the entire city becomes a buffet. I won't be able to protect anyone then, let alone this apartment. But if I leave and Mia finds out... if she opens that door and finds the bed empty..."

Ai's voice hummed in his mind. "She's a ticking time bomb, darling. A yandere's love is built on the illusion of total possession. If you shatter that illusion, she might not just break… she might hunt you herself. However, the Parasite is currently vulnerable. Its feeding cycle is the only time its hide softens."

Akira looked at the door, then back at the sleeping Rina. He reached for his dagger in his gym bag, feeling the weight of it and the cold, sharp tingle of the ice essence vibrating in his marrow.

"I choose A," Akira whispered into the empty room. "Stealth departure. I can't let that thing grow, and I can't risk Ayaka's desires exploding right now. I have to handle this on my own."

[CHOICE CONFIRMED: STEALTH DEPARTURE]

[REWARD ALLOCATED: +50 PP]

[PP: 2665 → 2715]

He moved gracefully, putting on his dark jacket to cover the light sheen of sweat on his skin. He tucked his dagger away and approached the bedroom door, pressing his ear against the wood.

Silence.

He turned the handle very slowly, millimetre by millimetre, until the latch cleared.

He peeked into the hallway, left and right, before stepping out. He looked toward Mia's room and went closer. The door was shut tight, and through the thin walls, he could hear the faint, rhythmic sound of her breathing.

It was a comforting sound, a sign that her obsessive mind was temporarily at rest.

He quietly moved toward the main entrance, his bare feet making no noise on the polished wood. Every muscle in his body felt tense, ready to jump at any moment. When he reached the door, he wrapped his hand around the deadbolt and turned it slowly.

Creeeeeak.

The floorboard beneath his left heel gave a sharp, treacherous groan. Akira froze.

He stopped breathing, his heart hammering so loudly he was sure it would wake the entire building. He waited, counting the seconds. Five. Ten. Fifteen.

Nothing.

He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He slipped out the door, locked it from the outside with a soft click, and disappeared into the night.

—

The Old Industrial Zone was a place of decay. Rusty factory remains towered against the dark sky, their broken windows resembling empty eyes.

As Akira walked further from the residential area, the air started to feel different. What was once fresh night air became thick and stale, filled with a smell like copper and decaying lilies… a sweet scent that made his stomach churn.

[DISTANCE: 400M... 300M... 200M...]

The system's navigation marker pulsed a deep, bruised red in his peripheral vision. He rounded a corner, passing a row of abandoned shipping containers, and stopped.

In front of him stood a huge, old warehouse. The metal walls were covered in dirt from many years, and the big loading dock door was wide open, looking like a yawning mouth.

The deep humming sound he had sensed in his room felt much louder here, creating a strong vibration that made his teeth hurt.

"It's inside," Ai whispered. "Be careful, Akira. This isn't a mindless beast. Parasites are intelligent. They play with their food."

Akira walked onto the concrete ramp, hearing his boots click softly with each step. When he stepped inside the warehouse, the smell overwhelmed him. It was so strong he could almost taste it. He looked up, and a chill ran through him.

Hanging from the high steel rafters were dozens of human-shaped cocoons. They were made of a translucent, milky material that glowed with a sickly iridescent light.

Through the thin walls of the cocoons, Akira could see the victims: men, women, and even a few teenagers. They appeared to be sleeping; their faces looked calm, but their bodies looked disturbingly thin.

One cocoon hung low to the floor and was pulsing gently. A thick tube, like a vein, was connected to the victim's neck, rhythmically pumping a glowing amber fluid toward the middle of the room.

"Oh God," Akira muttered, his hand flying to the hilt of his dagger.

"Do you like them?" a voice asked, startling Akira.

The voice echoed through the warehouse in a mix of a deep, masculine baritone and a gentle, melodic, feminine soprano, both speaking together in perfect harmony. Akira quickly turned his head toward the centre of the warehouse.

Standing beneath a cluster of pulsing cocoons was the entity.

It had a tall and slender humanoid shape, with skin that changed colours like oil on water. It didn't have any hair, and its face was strangely beautiful… perfectly symmetrical and smooth like porcelain, but completely devoid of humanity.

From its back, a dozen long, whip-like tendrils extended, some plugged into the floor, others reaching up toward the ceiling like the legs of a spider.

[PARASITE CLASS ENTITY DETECTED]

[THREAT LEVEL: BETA+ (EVOLVING)]

[WEAKNESS: UNKNOWN - SCANNING...]

The creature turned to look at him, a big, lazy smile spreading across its face. It had too many teeth, rows of sharp, see-through fangs that sparkled in the low light.

"Fresh essence," the creature said, its dual voice vibrating in the air. "Divine... you smell divine, little human. You don't smell like the others. You smell of the North. Of the Frozen Gate."

Akira felt the ice essence in his chest flare up in response. "I'm the one who closed that Gate. And I'm here to do the same to you."

The Parasite let out a laugh that sounded like glass breaking. It took a step forward toward Akira, its colourful skin shimmering in the light.

"Closed it? No, little bird. You consumed it. I can feel the Ice Queen's chill running through your blood. It's amazing… so much better than these dry, empty shells I've been feeding on."

The creature gestured vaguely to the hanging cocoons. "These poor things are so... thin. But you? You are a feast. Come, join my collection, and I'll make it pleasurable. I'll give you dreams of fire while I drink your ice."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.