“I was trying to fix the website at that time. A bug has somehow lifted the restriction on accessing some of the site’s exclusive stuff, including the bot, making it free to use for the general public. T’was probably from the update I added in the home tab. I was confident no one outside of any of those herald clans would find out we are having technical issues, but by that time, an outside user in this address did, and asked the bot about some wraith curse stuff. I was so confident that I wasn’t even checking for hours, that I only found out about the interaction the following morning.” Stellar scratched his head after the long explanation and slumped back on his little swivel chair. It took him a minute to do his business at his grandfather’s request.

Stellar works as the computer operator of the Panelle clan. Born as a prodigy with programming skills, the chairman allowed him to be the clan’s computer operator instead of an ergo-herald. It worked in Stellar’s favor since he isn’t fond of interacting with people much. He was later accepted in Guugle and spent the majority of his time in the room that eventually was modified as his bedroom.

“Just one user in the entirety of the internet? That’s impossible.” Pierre raised a brow.

Stellar gave him a poker face. “Yep. I’ve been working for Guugle since high school remotely. I know what I’m doing.” The guy looked at the chairman. “So what about it, gramps?”

“That user would be you, wouldn’t it?” Everyone looked at Kino.

“Yep, that was me.”

“You asked that question for the novel you’re writing on if I can remember what I read.”

“No. To tell the truth, I-It’s for my condition. The novel thing was an excuse so I won’t look suspicious online.”

“He was wraith-cursed, Stellar.” The chairman’s grandson was suddenly interested. His eyes aggressively moved in Kino’s direction as if he spotted a celebrity.

“So great gramps was speaking the truth in that book, then?”

“That’s right.”

“No way, that’s fucking cool.” Stellar stood up and shook Kino by the shoulders. He cannot believe it. Now he sees the guy’s similarity to Solar. “That’s just fucking cool! How was the experience? Who do you side with? Humans or those devils?”

“Devils!” The president elbowed the vice president at his interference.

“I’m on humanity’s side,” Kino answered with no hesitation. By living as a wraith and a hunter, he had a glimpse of the wraiths’ struggles in their world. If based on common sense, he has to side with humans. No matter how inhumane the killings are, or how harsh their words toward the enemy, he wants to keep ignoring those things just like what he’s been doing before he turned, and believe it was all justified. It was the wraiths who traveled to their world to settle and bring extinction to humanity anyway. The humans only fought back to defend and save their kind. It’d be crazy of him to fight for the other side just because he physically changed. Plus, Kino wants to save himself at the top of everything. By sticking with humanity, he knew he could remain alive.

“You’re basically an H-type wraith through black magic! That’s fucking awesome!” Stellar turned his head to his grandfather. “Are you gonna kill him?”

“Nope.”

“No.”

“Not yet.”

“Since this kid is on humanity’s side, he can fight against the wraiths with his wraith abilities, am I right?”

“That would be a part of our discussion in my office for later. I guess our business here is done. Mr. Rosen says he’s on humanity's side, but it’s still lacking to prove his innocence.” The chairman turned to Kino. “We can’t just trust you yet, and I know you feel the same way as the only wraith in this room. Convince us that we don’t have to kill you but trust you as an ally. Can you do that?”

“I will do everything I can, chairman.”

“Good luck.” Stellar tapped Kino’s shoulder. “I can feel that you’re on our side. Tell them the truth and come back here. Do you play video games?”

“I-I do.”

“Cool. Once you pull off proving the trust issue problem, we can play Final Phantasm Remake together.”

Final Phantasm… when was the last I’ve heard that?

He was suddenly reminded of his friend, Morris. He invited him to play that game before too. He must be pretty worried about him. He probably thinks he’s dead. So does his little brother. Perhaps they didn’t have any idea what happened to him. What caused his death. Where his body is. What about the school? The school was probably less worried. They had hunter students in the past and he could only hear about their existence every time they die and little prayers would be offered at the opening ceremonies. The next day would come like nothing tragic happened.

Thinking about the loved ones he left behind outside of his work motivated him in the meeting. He has to be successful in convincing them about his innocence no matter what. How turning into a wraith was a nightmare that gave him nothing but a traumatic life.

Kino hugged the thick book in his arms. “I was stabbed in an alley when I was going home from work. Then a yellow gate opened. An H-type stepped out and stabbed me in the heart. I was unconscious for two days according to my brother.”

“What happened to the wraith after they stabbed you?” The chairman asked.

“I don’t know. I was just about to ask you about it, chairman.”

“Me?”

“I don’t know what happened to his physical body but I would hear his voice in my head occasionally. He speaks a language I don’t know. But my brain automatically understands. He would interrupt my mind at random times ordering me to kill like I’m his pet. It’d make me lose my mind. It was torturous.” Kino opened the book to look for that one specific page. “Like what these words say, they pass their vows as curses by piercing their victim’s heart. I woke up with no injuries after the incident which even made me suspect it was just a bad dream. But many weird things happened after that. Fever, nosebleeds… I passed out at school one time and the wraith who cursed me appeared in a nightmare.”

“If you read the book, according to my father, wraiths of noble and royal blood who pass their vow to someone else and disappear, leave an encore of their consciousness to their new vessels. In short, they die but actually, a portion of their soul didn’t. You didn’t disappear when you passed the original vow to my granddaughter, because you’re not the original royal blood. That’s what I understand.” The chairman explained. “My father didn’t have enough knowledge of royal blooded wraiths when he traveled to one of the villages in the Juttol province. The closest wraith he met there worked inside a royal palace as a servant. And even the servant didn’t know much.” He looked at Kino. “I hope that with you, we can have more knowledge about wraith royalties.”

“Did this wraith talk to you?” The president shifted in her seat, very invested in the discussion now.

“He did. He kept telling me that we are one person. That I shall do the things he failed to do. He told me to destroy this world for the sake of Agartha.”

The atmosphere felt heavy all of a sudden. Kino could feel it but he continued. “He called himself Magnus Everhart, the Crown Prince of Everhart Empire. Other than that, I don’t know anything. I’ve never heard him in my head ever again.”

“According to the responding hunters that saw the fight between you and that giant B-type on the island, you were acting insane. Arguing with yourself and threatening to kill your teammates, but saving them indirectly.” Says the president.

“That fact still bothers me to no end. That's why I can never trust him.” The vice shook his head. “Mr. Rosen, you may be born human but turning into a wraith mess with your brain. That’s what I’m concluding.”

“But I still managed to save them. The real me won against the devil in my head. I did my best to be in control of my body to save people as much as I could.” Kino argued. He knew he prioritized himself in that situation, it was his nature. He wouldn’t be a hypocrite to admit that he’s selfish and prioritizes his life above anyone else. The majority of people do. He felt guilty thinking about it. He believes it’s one of his main flaws as a “good” person. He wouldn’t pass as a hero like Solar, but he had to hide that so he wouldn’t lose the current argument. “Even on the island, I didn’t hear any voices in my head. He randomly calls me, but I’m not letting myself be influenced. I am my own person. I don’t want to be controlled by anyone and I think I already proved that back there.”

“What if you can’t control it next time and you succumb to that devil’s orders? You were cursed. Powerful curses are hard to break. Adding the fact that he’s an imperial prince, he should be powerful enough to take over you.”

Kino formed his fist on the book. “No, Mr. Yue. What if I can control it next time? He wasn’t successful the first time. How come he can take over me the second time?”

“You wouldn’t know that! Nobody here knows! We don’t know anything about the wraiths from the other side to get an idea about him. All we have are old books. He could have a secret power that will eventually win you over that could get us killed!”

“Then if that happens, you are free to kill me.” Kino closed the book. “If I happen to harm any one of you, with or without my intentions, you’re allowed to kill me off. Just please let me prove that I’m on humanity’s side by remaining as a hunter. And if I do die in action or because I turned my back against humanity, please take care of my brother. He’s still young, and he’s human. I’m putting my trust in all of you, can I trust you too?”

The two high officials looked at each other. The president spoke. “We’re considering your offer. You can count on us. You can work with us as much as you like, we’ll rely on your wraith skills. It’ll be a give-and-take scenario. I can prepare a contract for it by tomorrow. But why do you want to remain as a hunter?”

I see, she agreed right away. But does she really have to ask when she’s been planning to use me as their secret weapon the whole time? And a contract? But I thought wraiths have no rights? Does it mean wraith-cursed humans can have rights since they are former humans, but what about the natural-born H-types? What if they are also on humanity’s side since they were born? They’re just technically the same.

Kino wanted to call it out, but he didn’t want them to think that he cared about the non-existent rights of wraiths, since he was trying to prove to be on humanity's side. “You see, we were left with a huge debt from my father, Miss President. I have to pay it back. It’s one of the reasons I continued my hunter job despite knowing I turned into a wraith. I need the money desperately.”

“Right! If we approve Mr. Rosen’s offer, I can put the microchip bomb I invented last year on his nape. If his actions were suspicious enough against humans, it’ll blow his whole core off, killing him in an instant. I’ll tweak it a little in the lab when I get home.”

“T-That’ll be a great idea, Mr. Yue.” It’ll be a gruesome death for sure, but Kino believes in himself. He’ll never let Magnus control his brain and put anyone in danger.

“That being said, Mr. Rosen is back to work?” The chairman spoke.

The president nodded. Pierre Yue avoided his face to the side. “I guess, chairman.”

That’s it?

“Uhm, about your granddaughter, chairman. I don’t really agree with imprisoning her here forever because of me. I know she’ll want to go back as a hunter too. To ease everyone’s worries, Mr. Yue could also put the micro—“

The chairman raised his palm to make him stop talking. He politely smiled at the boy. “Thank you for the concern Mr. Rosen, but it is our family’s decision to make.”

Kino opened his mouth to say more but chose to close it instead.

Solar, I’m sorry… but it seems I should prove myself first, for our sake.

He just got approved to go back to work and is spared to live. The WHA can’t have two wraiths roaming around the headquarters without any idea what they are capable of yet. Even if they’ll be planted with microchip bombs, they could kill anyone before the tech does its job. He should earn their trust first, and hope it eventually opens the opportunity for Solar next, and to the future wraith-cursed humans the president plans to build an army with.

“Now, shall we go down for dinner? I had the servants prepare a feast for the three of you. Mr. Rosen, I hope to meet you again in the future to share the knowledge of royal blooded wraiths with me. If you approve.”

“That’s not a problem for me, chairman.”