The “irreversible side effects” had been far more extreme than young Nikolai could have imagined. Nik’s handsome face was gone now, as was his future. Now, five years later, all that remained was the Shadow Virus, the monster of the region, a danger to the world.

On the floor, Eva stirred. Soft blue pixels floated up into the air. The Shadow Virus envied the perfect shape and color of those pixels. The pixels that emanated from him were red and ruined, sullied by infection.

The young woman rubbed her eyes, and turned to face him, disoriented and confused. The Shadow Virus did not speak, dreading what she must think of him now. He had brought her here against her will. How could he convince her, now, that he wasn’t the monstrous villain Ceno made him out to be?

“Where am I?” Eva muttered, brushing some pale gray hair out of her face. She caught sight of the Shadow Virus, and quickly leaped to her feet. Pixels streamed from her clenched fists.

“What’s going on?! Where am I?! I won’t let you corrupt me!” she shouted with wild eyes.

“Calm down,” the Shadow Virus said gently, suppressing a sharp pang of offense. She had looked at him like he was a hero, mere hours ago. How did it all come crashing down so quickly?

Eva wasn’t calming down. Her skin turned to pixels. Her pupils shrank to near-nothingness, as if she was staring into a blinding light. Her hair became shiny and multicolored, splaying outward, caught in the currents of a digital sea. Her entire body began to vibrate with a powerful energy, and she rose a couple of inches off the floor. She extended her hand, and a rush of pixels shot from her palms, attacking the Shadow Virus. Every pixel that touched him burned. He winced and staggered back, drowning in the flood of digital rage. He had no choice. He had to defend himself.

The Shadow Virus ceased his cowering and lashed out with his jagged, broken strings of pixels. Eva was caught off-guard. Her side was struck by the fury of the virus, and she collapsed to the ground. The Shadow Virus stumbled, panting, into a nearby chair, as broken pixels streamed up into the air. The strain of keeping the virus from burning Eva was nearly too much for the man. Eva shuddered on the ground, attempting to catch her breath. 

The Shadow Virus clenched his teeth and spoke through the pain. “I have no… intention of infecting you… or anyone else with… the virus. I don’t want anyone… else... to suffer.” The demon that lived in him was already healing the burns Eva left on his hands and face. He hated the sight of corruption crawling up out of his pores to repair his skin.

Eva groaned and sat up. Her uniform steamed where the virus had touched it. Her eyes returned to normal, and the pixels on her skin dissolved. She stared incredulously at the Shadow Virus. “But the others… they said…”

“Telling you to find them was a mistake,” the Shadow Virus sighed. His head was beginning to ache. “I expected them to welcome you as one of their own, teach you about the world. But those three are even more jaded and suspicious than I thought. I never expected them to harm you.”

The girl blinked again, deeply confused. “They told me you’re evil, and you want to infect me with-”

“They don’t know anything about me,” the Shadow Virus growled. Anger swelled in his chest. “They don’t care to know anything about me. They made that clear from the beginning. They turned on me. I didn’t turn on them.”

“Really?” Eva’s brow furrowed. “But... how do I know you’re not lying to me?”

“Anyone could be lying to you, at any time,” the Shadow Virus shrugged. “It’s your responsibility to decide who you want to believe.”