Chapter 8: A Whisper Beneath the Skin
---
Scene 1: The Unsuspected Win
The resistance base is dimly lit. The mood is tense but hopeful—word has spread that the second brain was destroyed.
Gift (Smiling) : "Damn that was difficult."
Jakku (Stoic) : "Agreed."
Maiku stares at a cracked photo of his father, Gift sharpens his blade in silence, and Jakku finally allows himself a small smile.
But somewhere distant—bathed in flickering green light—Momonato Rethabiri Kanō coughs blood... and laughs.
Momonato (smirking): "Let them breathe. Let them celebrate. My eye is already among them."
He turns to a tall young man—well-kept hair, calm gaze—Jiro Mitoko.
Momonato: "Your part begins now."
Scene 2: Flashback - The Deal with the Devil
A flashback reveals Jiro, once a scholar from the outer sectors, kneeling before Momonato.
Jiro (Scared): "I want to understand power... real power. And I want to survive."
Momonato: "Then become the ghost inside their lungs. Smile with them. Cry with them. Then tell me where to cut."
We see him shaking hands with a resistance member. His face sincere. His lies perfect.
Scene 3: Suspicions
Days pass. Jiro integrates quickly—too quickly. He's helpful, kind, insightful.
But Matthew watches. Quiet.
Matthew (to Maiku): "He asks the right questions. At the wrong times."
Maiku (thinking): "His aura feels... clean. Too clean. Like it's been scrubbed."
Gift likes him. Jakku doesn't trust him.
Scene 4: A Small Win, a Big Loss
The squad—Maiku, Gift, Jakku, and Matthew—launch a surprise operation and rescue a family hiding in a crumbling bunker. Six survivors: a father, mother, and four kids.
The kids hug Jakku. One of them calls Gift "uncle." It's a rare moment of warmth.
Jakku (smiling): "Not all battles are about breaking bones."
Maiku (Tired) : "Handling 1000 Feeders is a problem."
Matthew (panting) : "Agreed."
Meanwhile, a different village burns.
Jiro stands beside a General Feeder, radio in hand. Villagers scream.
General Feeder: "You gave us their defenses. Their numbers. You did well."
Jiro (coldly): "They'll never know it was me."
Scene 5: Momonato's Secret Plan
Back in his lab, Momonato watches a writhing creature inside a tank. A pale parasite—small, coiled, twitching.
Beside him, a Feeder scientist with milky eyes takes notes.
Feeder Scientist: "The parasite is adapting. It doesn't kill its host. It improves them. Faster. Stronger. Loyal."
Momonato (grinning): "Then let's make gods out of monsters."
Close-up on the parasite. It blinks.
Momonato (grinning) : "Hahaha ha!!!!! This is the beginning of the end."
To Be Continued...
Narrator (Voice-Over):
"Victory often blinds the wounded. In the afterglow of survival, hearts soften… and eyes close."
"The second brain lies shattered. Hope flickers like flame in a storm. And for the first time in weeks… they breathe."
"But while heroes rest, evil plants its seeds."
"Enter Jiro Mitoko—a man of calm words and hollow smiles. A scholar who traded curiosity for survival. A wolf draped in the scent of brotherhood."
"He walks among the resistance now, unseen... untouched. A whisper beneath the skin. A heartbeat out of rhythm."
"While Maiku's eyes look to the stars, and Gift's blades glint with vengeance… betrayal festers at the very heart of their home."
"And far away, Momonato Rethabiri Kanō prepares something worse than death—obedience. Evolution by parasite. Monsters made gods."
"This is no longer a battle of bullets and blades."
"This is a war for the soul."
To be continued…