The adventurers' guild was loud as always — clattering mugs, bragging parties, someone crying over a broken sword in the corner. Rex pushed through the doors, covered in dust and faint scorch marks from the ruin traps. He went straight to the reception counter and slid a metal coin across it.
"Mission done," he announced.
The receptionist, Lira, grabbed the coin and raised a brow. "Well that was fast. How'd it go?" she asked, filing the coin away in a drawer full of other tokens from other exhausted adventurers.
Rex sighed dramatically. "It was… very long. The ruins were trapped like crazy. And then, when I was leaving, I met this weird guy who started warning me about something I didn't fully understand."
"Was he nice at least?" Lira asked with a hopeful smile.
Rex shrugged. "I mean… maybe? I dunno. But he was mildly racist."
Lira snorted. "Let me guess. Did he call you just a demon or something?"
Rex blinked. "Wait—he did! Exactly that! How did you know?"
Lira rolled her eyes so hard they almost fell out. "Because people aren't as educated on demon species and subspecies as they think they are." She reached under the counter and pulled out two mission papers. "Like, take your species for example. Fluxians barely interact with anyone outside their homeland, let alone travel. People assume you're just a red-eyes-horns-equals-demon, simplified for their small brains."
"Well, I was never actually in the Fluxian homeland, so I couldn't exactly follow the tradition," Rex pointed out. "And you were the one who told me what I was anyway!"
"Yeah, yeah, I know." She waved him off. "Anyway, Rex, sign these two papers."
Rex stared blankly at her. "Uh… why?"
Lira gave him the are you serious? face. "Because they're mission forms. Like usual."
"Bro… I only took one mission. The ruin job I just finished." Rex pointed at the single coin she'd just filed away.
Now Lira looked confused. She checked the papers again, then frowned. "No, see? You also accepted an unregistered void-rift mission. The classification wasn't even finished yet."
Rex recoiled. "What? No I didn't!"
Lira held the paper up. "Well the paperwork says you did. You even looked weirdly calm when you took it."
Inside Rex's mind, a smug voice purred:
Noir: I took that one. You seemed short on coins, so I took the liberty of doing a nice well-paid mission.
Then the calmer voice followed:
Sage: You could have informed him beforehand, Noir.
Noir: But where's the fun in that?
He cackled like someone who absolutely would push a red button just to see what would happen.
Rex stiffened. Lira tilted her head.
"You okay? You're staring into space like you saw a ghost."
Rex swallowed hard.
In his head, the old man's voice echoed:
"Grow stronger. Otherwise, the souls inside you will eventually take over completely."
He'd thought the guy was crazy. Creepy. Maybe both.
But now?
Now the warning felt a little too real.
Rex forced a smile. "Y-Yeah. Totally fine. Just realizing my life might be more messed up than I thought."
Before the story continued, the narrator's voice cut in like an irritated teacher:
Narrator:
Alright, pause.
We need to explain something before this gets more confusing than it already is.
Our MC — Rex — has had two voices in his head since forever. Not whispers, not conscience stuff. Literal voices.
The first one, energetic, chaotic, a little violent?
That's Noir. Think of him as your intrusive thoughts if they went to the gym and were too excited about danger.
The second one, calm, composed, sounds like he reads books for fun?
That's Sage. He talks like he's smarter than everyone, including Rex. He probably is.
And Rex — poor Rex — thought they were both just… part of his consciousness.
Not actual souls.
Not actual beings.
And definitely not things that could potentially hijack his body.
Until today.
Rex stood there at the counter, pale as chalk.
Lira waved a hand in front of his face. "Hellooo? Earth to Rex?"
Rex blinked back into reality. "Right. Yeah. I'll… sign the papers."
He reached for the forms with trembling hands, the voices in his head bickering, the old man's warning echoing louder than ever.
Something was starting.
And Rex had no idea what.