Chapter 4: The Burden of Power
Pod's head throbbed, each beat of his heart sending sharp waves of pain through his skull. The heightened senses, which once felt like a gift, had turned into a living nightmare. Every creak of the floor, every whisper of the wind, each tiny shift in the atmosphere was amplified a thousandfold. He couldn't sleep, couldn't rest, couldn't think without being bombarded by the world around him.
Yet beneath the pain, there was a flicker of something else—something dark and insidious. He could feel the power growing, strengthening, waiting to be unleashed. It wasn't just the senses, wasn't just the gift the creature had given him. It was something deeper, something connected to the darkness that lurked within his soul.
That morning, Pod stood at the window of his small apartment, staring out at the city of Shigatsu. The streets below buzzed with life—people rushing to work, cars honking, the distant sound of construction somewhere beyond the horizon. He could hear every single detail with painful clarity. It was maddening.
How do I control this?
He had no answers, only the overwhelming sensation that he was on the verge of losing control entirely. His mother, of course, had noticed something was wrong. She had always been good at sensing when Pod was troubled, even before his transformation. But this time, he couldn't explain it to her—not without revealing the terrible secret he now carried.
A knock on his door broke his thoughts. The sound echoed in his head, louder than it should have been, but he forced himself to focus. He wasn't expecting anyone.
"Pod?" It was Mika's voice, soft but with a note of concern. "Can I come in?"
Pod hesitated. Mika had been the only one who stayed by him despite the changes she could sense. She knew something was off, even though he hadn't told her the full story. But now... now things were worse. He wasn't sure if he could trust himself around her anymore.
Still, he opened the door.
Mika stood in the hallway, her dark hair falling in soft waves around her shoulders, her brow furrowed in worry. "I've been knocking for a while," she said, stepping inside. "Are you okay? You look... tired."
Pod forced a smile, though it didn't reach his eyes. "I'm fine," he lied, his voice strained. "Just didn't sleep much."
Mika's eyes narrowed. "Don't lie to me, Pod. I know something's going on. You've been acting strange ever since... well, ever since that day. When the Choujin attacked."
He flinched at the mention of the attack. It was the day everything had changed for him—the day he had made the bargain that cursed him with this monstrous power. But he couldn't tell her that. Not yet.
"I'm just dealing with some stuff," he said, his voice low. "Nothing you need to worry about."
"Pod..." Mika reached out, her hand brushing his arm gently. "I'm your friend. You don't have to go through this alone, whatever it is. Please, just talk to me."
For a moment, Pod considered it. He could tell her everything—about the deal, the creature, the powers that were slowly consuming him. But something held him back. Fear, maybe. Or shame. He didn't want her to see the monster he was becoming.
"I can handle it," he said, pulling away from her touch. "Really, Mika. I'm fine."
She looked at him for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Then she sighed. "Alright. But I'm not going anywhere. When you're ready to talk, I'll be here."
With that, Mika turned and left, leaving Pod alone once more in the oppressive silence of his apartment. Except it wasn't silent—not really. The world around him still buzzed with the constant hum of sound and sensation, an unrelenting reminder of the power he couldn't control.
---
As the day wore on, Pod found himself wandering the streets of Shigatsu. The city was both familiar and alien to him now, its noise and chaos magnified by his heightened senses. He could hear the conversations of strangers from blocks away, smell the food cooking in distant restaurants, feel the faint vibrations of cars rumbling down the road. It was too much—too much information, too much power.
He tried to dull it, to block out the endless flood of sensory input, but it was like trying to hold back the tide. The power was too strong, and it was growing stronger with each passing hour.
Pod found himself in a park on the edge of the city, far from the bustling crowds and blaring noise. It was quieter here, though not quiet enough. The rustling of leaves, the chirping of birds, the faint hum of distant traffic—all of it still echoed in his mind.
He sat on a bench, his head in his hands, trying to focus on his breathing, trying to center himself. But the power was there, lurking beneath the surface, waiting to break free.
I need help.
The thought was bitter, but it was true. He couldn't keep pretending he had control over this. If he didn't find a way to manage his powers, they would destroy him—and everything around him.
But where could he go? Who could he turn to?
His thoughts drifted back to the stories he'd heard about the Severers—the legendary group of Choujin who had somehow broken free from their monstrous transformations. If anyone knew how to help him, it would be them. But finding them was another matter entirely. They were a myth, a legend passed down among those who feared what they could become.
Pod had heard rumors that the Severers lived in the outskirts, far from the influence of the churches that governed the Choujin. If he could find them, maybe—just maybe—they could teach him how to control the darkness inside him.
It was a long shot, but it was all he had.
With a new sense of purpose, Pod stood, glancing around the park one last time. The city of Shigatsu had always been his home, but now it felt suffocating. The noise, the people, the chaos—it was too much for him now. He needed to leave, to get away from the overwhelming crush of sensation that threatened to drown him.
As he made his way out of the park, Pod felt a flicker of hope. He wasn't sure what the future held, but at least he had a goal now. He would find the Severers. He would learn to control his power. And maybe, just maybe, he could stop the darkness from consuming him completely.
But as he walked through the city, his senses on high alert, Pod couldn't shake the feeling that something—or someone—was watching him.
The streets were crowded, people going about their daily lives, oblivious to the battle raging inside him. But in the distance, Pod caught a glimpse of something out of place—a figure, standing in the shadows of an alleyway, watching him with an intensity that sent a chill down his spine.
Pod's heart raced. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, his body instinctively tensing. Whoever—or whatever—it was, they weren't just a passerby.
They were watching him.
He stopped, turning to face the alley. But when he looked again, the figure was gone, swallowed by the shadows.
A cold shiver ran down Pod's spine.
The world was getting darker, and he wasn't sure if he could survive what was coming.