'How simple...'

'How did I not realize it before?'

'Why did I not question it before?'

'No... I know why.'

'I was too terrified.'

'I was too scared.'

'To experiment with such a thing... went against every fiber of my humanity.'

'Yet... now I know for certain.'

'My death... the death of one who has been overtaken by one of them... it is not triggered by the destruction of a vital organ.'

'Nor is it triggered by any severe injury.'

'No... rather... it is something else.'

'How simple... how obvious... yet how could I have missed it?'

'Even after Amy did not die... even after Marcus received such wounds which may have been fatal and remained living... why was it that only sometimes we would die from such wounds?'

'Sometimes it was the brain.'

'Sometimes the heart.'

'Sometimes the neck.'

'So many different forms of death... and yet there seemed to be no pattern as to when we would actually die.'

'Our death... is something which we must initiate.'

'It is something which our minds must first believe and accept... and only then will we die.'

'Our deaths are not of the body... but rather of the mind.'

'When we believe that we have been killed, and give in to the despair that is death... that is when we die.'

----

Sylvia awoke.

Yet as she awoke, she knew immediately that something was off.

Something was different.

She was not dead.

She had not died.

'It's only been... a few moments.'

In the same position as when she fell, her neck was still bent in a crooked manner, at which the pain immediately surged up within her.

"NGH!"

Cracking her head back into position, the woman let out a grunt as she began to pant heavily, standing up with an immense fortitude unlike any other.

"I... didn't die."

In between breaths, the woman spat out these words as her eyes widened, only to realize that every single person here was watching her with shock and awe - even the red haired man who was just moments before debating with her.

"I... hah... heh... I didn't die."

Then, the woman laughed.

She smiled and she laughed.

"Hahaha!! I didn't die!!! I didn't die!!! I still felt the pain... yes, the pain is still here!!! It hurts like hell, I want to kill myself it hurts so much, but I didn't die!!!"

And as she laughed, tears flooded forth from her eyes.

"Why can't I just die?"

With this whisper, the woman looked down on the girl who was watching her with concern - an expression which she only exerted towards Sylvia and Marcus.

"No... that is not correct."

As she approached the girl, the woman placed her hand on the head of her servant.

"I apologize if I have shown you weakness. I'm sure it disgusts you, no?"

"Mistress... the only weakness which disgusts me is my own... and that of those who are your enemies."

"So you do disgust weakness then?"

Standing up, the woman eyed the red haired man with a newfound resolve - although to call it resolve would be an exaggeration.

For at this moment, the line between resolve and madness was paper thin.

"Listen up, Bella. I have a lesson for you to learn."

As she approached the man, the woman crossed her arms as she faced him head on - standing just a foot in front of him.

"Don't be a hypocrite. If weakness is disgusting... then you're free to be disgusted with me."

At that moment, the red haired man saw something.

A wicked smile, and eyes filled with madness which chilled even a serial killer to the very bone.

"After all... there is nobody weaker than myself."

At that moment, the woman slowly placed forth her hand, wrapping it around the neck of the red haired man as she threatened to choke him.

"So? What's your story, Host of Three? Are you an enemy... or are you an ally? Because if you're an enemy... then even though I may be PAINFULLY weak..."

At that instant, the hand which wrapped around the man's neck formed into tentacles, which tied around him like a rope.

"I'll use that weakness to ensnare you."

However, the man merely smiled.

"It looks like your partner has awakened. You want to know our story? Fine."

Turning to see that the whites of Marcus' eyes had returned to normal, and that he was looking around with confusion at the sudden situation, the red haired man put forth his two arms - one pointed at Sylvia and the other at Marcus.

"Don't resist. After all... I'm not trying to harm you."

And then, from each hand, a tentacle shot forth - right into the brains of each.

The tentacles pumped a fluid into the two, whose expressions immediately became blank as they fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Why you!"

Isabella rushed forth to attack the man at such an action, however as soon as she did so he disappeared once again from her sight.

"I did not harm them. I am showing them something. Please be patient, girl. Or perhaps you have no faith in the two whom you serve?"

At these words, the girl was left speechless.

She did not know how to respond.

Unable to attack this creature, or man, or whatever he was, she could only watch as he did as he pleased.

'Do I have... no faith in them?'

'Do I believe them... to be weak?'

'Am I... disgusted by that?'

'Should I be?'

The girl did not know.

Yet she knew one thing.

"I see."

Taking a seat next to the two, who had holes in their foreheads which seemed to plug themselves up quickly, the girl let out this cold statement.

"Have I underestimated them?"

Closing her eyes, the girl placed a hand on the heads of the two - just in the manner that they had done to her.

And then, with a peaceful yet concerned expression, she let out one final question.

"Or have I overestimated myself?"

----

'We're not dead.'

This much, Sylvia knew without question.

How she knew such a thing, Sylvia did not know.

Perhaps it was because of her experience just moments before, where she had inflicted mortal wounds upon herself - and even fallen unconscious temporarily almost as if it were some sort of reflex - yet had not died.

'The tentacles which just probed us... they were not intended to kill us, but rather to show us... this.'

Sylvia had experienced something similar to this before.

It was when she had first fought the teacher, Larry Pertan, who had been kidnapping and tormenting young girls all while maintaining face as a public figure the entire time.

At that time, Number One had shown Sylvia the memories of the man, however even that was different.

For at that time, the memories of the man had flowed into her, and she knew and understood them in moments - yet this time was different.

'Perhaps it is because these are the direct memories of a true host of experiment Number Three... a true host?'

Why did Sylvia think of such a term?

She felt as if this term had some sort of meaning - yet she knew not its meaning.

'A true host... a true host... which would imply that there are also false hosts?'

Thinking back quickly, Sylvia recalled two particular circumstances which would come to mind when she thought of the term 'false host'.

The first was Amy.

Having been overtaken by One for only a moment, she obtained a zombification which allowed her to continue living, while at the same time not being truly invaded by One in the same way that Sylvia had been.

The second of course, was the invasion which One and Seven had performed on Larry Pertan and Sheldon Stirling.

'So if they temporarily take over a host... then there is some sort of critical difference between these... true hosts.'

Why did Sylvia know such things?

Was the knowledge of One slowly seeping into her mind?

Was this perhaps... the sign that she herself was becoming a true host?

[You're questioning things too much, Sylvia. For now... just watch.]

However as Sylvia had this train of thought, it was interrupted by none other than the voice of One - who seemed to be strangely compliant with the sudden memories which were being forced upon Sylvia.

[After all, even I don't know what happened to Three after the Exodus.]

'Eh?'

Yet just as Sylvia was about to accept such a thing, Number One said something which was preposterous.

Something which seemed to go against the image she had of the seemingly immortal being within her.

'You... don't know something... about one of your own?'

Thoughts and theories flooded into her mind, however there was one question which topped everything.

'Aren't you all... working together?'

[If only things were so easy. Can I give you a straight answer? Well... I suppose whatever we see here will answer that. So shut up and let's watch.]

With this response, Sylvia became quiet as the scene around her in this world of memory shifted.

However even as she quieted herself, there was one particular word which Sylvia could not forget.

Exodus.

'What is this exodus that you're referring to?'

However even as she thought this, Number One did not answer.

Soon, the world had formed itself into the room of an office.

It was a relatively large office, decked out with all sorts of personal decorations which were professional enough to display in a corporate environment.

It was the office of a manager, though perhaps not one of the highest ranked ones.

Someone in the middle.

And sitting at a reasonably sized desk was none other than a red haired man, running calculations at his computer while dressed in a classic suit.

[There is an order to things, Sylvia.]

And as the view of this man came into view, Number One made her final comments as the memories began.

[The exodus... is not something that I have been permitted to reveal yet. Therefore, be patient, human.]

[For surely there will come a day when you know and understand everything about us.]

[And when that day comes... you will become our arms and legs... our bodies and our minds... and our very foundation in this world.]

----

One to the next.

With almost no time to recuperate from being thrust into yet another memory, Marcus found himself forced to experience event after event without pause as he entered this strange world of vision which the experiments seemed to be capable of placing him into.

Just moments before, he had been forced to experience his own bitter past, one which he had desperately attempted to forget for his entire life.

And now, he found himself experiencing the past of another man - a man which he knew next to nothing about.

He knew two things about this man.

The first - that this man had killed him just moments before as soon as he had awakened from his slumber.

The second - that this man had been conversing with Sylvia and Isabella, along with another man who seemed to be a police officer.

Who was he?

Why was he here?

All of this, Marcus would soon come to know.

Yet even as his mind was flung from one memory to the next, Marcus did not feel overwhelmed.

Nor did he protest such a thing.

For Marcus knew and understood one thing.

That he understood nothing.

And the more memories of those around him that he was forced to experience, the more information he would have.

'If I am to make the correct decision in the future... then I should strive to be as informed as possible. Therefore... show me as many memories as you wish, Seven.'

With this plea, Marcus spoke to the parasite within him, confidence in his tone.

'If you believe that they will break me, then you are wrong.'

And with this arrogant statement, Marcus declared his resolve before the being.

'You can't break me anymore.'

He said these words with a smile, or at least - he would have, if he had the physical features to do so.

'Because I was already broken in the first place.'

----

"As I thought, they're going to make a move on that one... it's a good thing I bought early. And this one is dipping, just as I expected. It will continue for a bit more before it bounces back, so I'll hold off for now."

A man sat at his desk, one hand punching numbers into a calculator on his smartphone while an office phone was shoved between his shoulder and cheek as he muttered to himself, dialing a phone number with the hand which was not currently running calculations.

This man, whose bright red hair seemed to go against what was typical for a man sitting in an office of this size, wore a suit and had the professional yet youthful appearance of a big shot.

"Hey, Nancy! Great to talk to you again. So regarding that loan, I took a look into it and I can get you 4%, 0 down. Yep. Yep. All you've gotta do is sign the contract and mail it over to me when you get a chance. Yep, that's right. Wonderful. Thanks. Hahaha! Ah, you’re such a joker. Alright, alright. Bye."

Placing the phone down to hang up before immediately replacing it and typing another number, this man worked with an efficiency that would mesmerize anyone watching - including Marcus and Sylvia, who were spectating this entire scene as if it were some sort of movie.

"Hey, Louis. How's the family? Kids doing well? Oh, really! Haha, that's wonderful. Oh, me? No, no. I don't have time for something like that. A wife? No, no, I got things to do! Can't have a woman telling me what to do all the time, forcing me to take her out and spend money on her. Time IS money, after all - and one of those would drain me of both. At any rate, that contract I gave you - did you think it over? I'm sure your daughter wouldn't want to live in some ratty apartment in college, don't you think? I've been there, and it sure isn't a place you would want your precious girl to be in. Taking a student loan is an investment in HER future, and surely as a father you would want to invest in your own daughter - right?"

The man shot off words like a machine gun, swiftly changing the subject as he made small talk to appease clients before getting down to whatever business he had in store for them.

"Yes. Yes, that's correct. I know the interest is a little high, but isn't she worth it? I'm already putting forth a lot to get you this much, given the risk on this investment. No other bank will grant you a deal like this. Trust me. Oh, is that so? Then do we have a deal? Haha, I would shake your hand if you were present to do so, but I'll have to put that off for now! Congratulations!"

Hanging up the phone once more, the man glanced back to the screen in front of him, noticing that the graph of stocks on his screen had increased even further in the short time that he had been on the phone.

"That's it for this one. It's peaked, time to sell. The others... we'll keep for now."

With a few clicks, the man worked as fast as he talked, upon which a knock was heard at the door.

Knock knock knock.

"Come in."

The man stated these words as he continued his work, not missing a beat as a young woman entered the office.

"Er, Mr. Vendetta, I have a message for you from the CEO. He would like to see you in his office immediately... he stated that it was something important concerning your future with this company."

"Ah, is that so? It's that time already, huh? Thanks, darling. I'm headed right over."

With these words, the man finished off his business with both hands, standing up swiftly as the tails of his coat fluttered, captivating the girl who merely watched his graceful display.

Stunned by his perfection as the man walked right by her, he stopped for just a second as he called back.

"Are you going to just wait around in my office even when I leave?"

"Ah, forgive me, Sir!"

At this statement, the girl rushed out, however the man merely chuckled.

"Sorry, sorry. I was just messing with you. I get it, I do."

With a reassuring tone, the man continued forwards as he whispered something under his breath.

"Nobody is able to keep up with me."

The girl closed the door behind her, however strangely - Marcus and Sylvia, who were witnessing this scene - did not follow the man.

Rather, for just a moment, as if they were witnessing a movie, the camera panned over to the computer of the man.

And on that screen, there was a chart of stocks.

It was a line which was perfectly straight, headed only upwards.

'He... was able to time the market perfectly... with every purchase?'

As a businessman, Marcus immediately knew and understood what such a thing meant, however for someone to be capable of such a thing was another matter entirely.

'Every time something was about to go up... he bought... and every time it was about to go down... he sold. How... is such a thing possible?'

With these thoughts, Marcus witnessed the graph with awe - unable to explain it.

However just a few moments passed, and as they did - ever so slightly - something changed.

'Ah... what am I saying. Such a thing is impossible, after all.', Marcus thought as he almost let out a sigh of relief - though he had no lungs to do so.

It was just the tiniest bit - so insignificant that one would not even give it any thought - but the man's portfolio dipped.

----

"Bradley, my boy. Please, have a seat."

An old man with a graying mustache and even grayer hair motioned to the seat in front of his desk as the red haired man entered the office.

It was grand - so large that one might not even think of this place as an office, but more so that of an entire hallway with the desk at the end.

A red carpet lined the room, leading up to the place where the older man sat, and the man known as Bradly made his way across this carpet with a spring in his step.

Walking past the portraits of what was likely many generations of this old man's forefathers, it took Bradley quite a while worth of walking before he finally made his way to the seat.

"It's always an honor to be here, President. And I see you're looking as young as ever today."

"The fact that you have to remind me of my youth would imply that you don't actually think such things, no?"

"Of course not! Haha... but to what do I owe you this visit?"

The man took up a slightly different demeanor than he had held when he was working in his office, yet one thing remained - the fact that he was able to adapt himself to the situation with ease.

'Of course, as someone in the corporate world, being flexible is not just beneficial - it is necessary. The ability to change one's personality to fit the scenario at any given moment, and most particularly in order to loosen the people around you is something which is required.', Marcus thought.

[Is that not one of the major problems with humanity?]

'Perhaps. But even if you call such a thing a problem... well, I suppose it isn't something which could possibly be fixed.'

[Yet another despicable thing about your kind. So long as humans exist, changing one's face to fit whatever situation will always be necessary.]

With the click of his tongue, Seven voiced his disgust as the two viewed the situation.

[Some may say that white lies are wrong. Others may say that they are necessary in order to smooth relationships over. But the fact of the matter is that without such things, a fragile peace would shatter.]

[Therefore... it is almost as if human society is designed to reward those who can master the art of deception.]

As the two discussed such things, it was as if time had paused for them, and perhaps it had.

After all, they were spectators within this memory - therefore this was a world which had no distinct laws such as the passage of time.

[Are you two finished?]

And the voice of a woman called out.

[For now, Three. Do you really care so much if I speak with my human?]

[Not particularly. I only wish that you all watch carefully, so that you can understand my own human.]

As the woman said this, time seemed to start again.

"Well, my boy... you've been doing exceptionally well recently. Sincerely. With all my heart, I would like to congratulate you on everything that you've accomplished for this company."

"But surely you didn't call me here for such a thing. After all... such words are nothing more than a prelude to greater expectations and responsibilities. Am I wrong?"

"Hahaha... perhaps it is exactly that focus on business matters which has allowed you to progress so quickly. How old are you again? 22? 23?"

"21, Sir. Don't forget that I graduated college two years early. But that's besides the point, isn't it?"

"Haha... ah, how nice it must be to have such promise at a young age. Well... it's thanks to that promise that I'm going to be assigning you to a new task."

Pulling out a file, the old man gently slid the documents across the desk.

"Here is all the paperwork necessary for a relocation. We will of course accommodate you for housing and other living expenses for the first few months."

"A relocation? Sir, did you not say that my work has been satisfactory? Why would you decide to relocate me from the main branch here in Shortenmire? Do you not think that I could do more work here in the Capital than in..."

As the man flipped through the pages of the file, his voice lowered as he spoke his next words.

"Rockville?"

"Our Rockville branch is growing quite steadily, and the man whom I have appointed as the regional President there has been able to surpass all other branches in such a short period of time. Even I feel that one day the Shortenmire branch will be surpassed by the Rockville one. Therefore... I have decided to invest in it."

"You speak quite highly of him. He must be impressive."

"Haha... well, he has achieved as much as you have, if not more. Which is perhaps... exactly why I am sending you there."

Reaching his hand into his coat pocket, the man pulled out a nametag.

Sliding it across the desk with a grin, the old man folded his hands with expectation.

"Congratulations on your promotion... Regional Vice President Vendetta."

"You want me to compete with him?"

Raising an eyebrow, this was the first statement which the red haired man made - which caught the old man completely off guard.

"Now why would you think of something like that? I would never pit my employees against one another in such a-"

"You're quite sly, but I can already tell where this is going. It's a competition to see who will inherit the main branch from you. Am I wrong?"

"You truly do have a talent for this, don't you?"

With a chuckle, the old man shrugged his shoulders.

"Since you found out on your own, I suppose there is no point hiding it. However... don't think that means that you have a leg up on him. His intuition is just as good as yours... therefore the moment he heard of the transfer, I'm sure he already predicted such a thing. Don't you think so?"

"I've never met the man, so I wouldn't know. But regardless... if you're going through all the effort to set up such a thing, then there must be something important going on at the Rockville Branch soon."

"Haha! And you manage to guess correctly again... astounding. No... perhaps these are not merely guesses. They are... calculations. No?"

"Of course. So? What is the deal?"

"The Regional President has already been informed, so he has a leg up over even you. The CEO of Marcel Incorporated will be visiting the Rockville Branch with a 200 Million Sin contract on the table. It is both of your duties to ensure that he is well received, and that this contract is landed."

It was at that moment that the man stood up, turning his back to the CEO as he spoke with arrogance.

"That's all?"

Walking away without so much as looking back, the man's steps echoed through the large room as he approached the exit with confidence.

"Consider it done."

The older man folded his hands with a wry smile, watching as the young one left the room, closing the door on him as he was left to his own devices.

"Youngsters these days... I suppose respect towards their elders is something which is only shown until they get what they want. Haha..."

His laughter trailed off as the man looked up to the high ceiling, glancing upon the art above.

"But you know... it is exactly the arrogance which is created by numerous victories... which will lead such a person to failure. Winning does not make you stronger. It only makes you more vulnerable to loss. And that young one in Rockville... haha, well he's quite the nasty one. His tactics... I wonder which one of them will come up on top?"

Cracking his back, the man seemed to be at peace, even knowing that he had just sparked a war within his own company.

"I suppose only time will tell."