As soon as he reached home, Kino stayed up late trying to figure out how to make a million dollars in six months. But all the Guugle searches brought him to one result: To be a wraith hunter. There were even options about running a MeTube channel, being a Tweetch streamer like Morris, or being a famous actor. But all of those options were merely based on luck. No one can earn a million dollars within 6 months unless they become very, very popular, which with Kino’s lame personality and attitude, has a 0.00000001% possibility rate to ever happen.

He was about to close his laptop to sleep when he returned to the search bar once again. Through the dark mode colour of the site, Kino saw a bit of his reflection. A mix of panic and paranoia came back at once.

“Look, Kino. There’s no way you turned into an H-type. I mean, it can’t possibly happen. There’s no logic behind it. It was scientifically proven already and it’s… it’s a ridiculous, dumb joke. It wasn’t even funny.” Kino convinced himself as he typed on the keyboard extra hard. The frustration never subsided. He may have forgotten it for a while, but his anger towards Magnus from his nightmare didn’t diminish. His appearance turned after meeting the monstrous devil in his dreams. He knew it was the being responsible for his transformation.

“Human to wraith experimentation”

“Human to wraith surgery”

“Human to wraith infection”

“Can humans become wraiths through virus”

“Is it possible for humans to turn into wraiths”

The results were either about the history of failed human-to-wraith experimentations done in the past years from the dark web or about the hybrid offsprings of the H-types and humans called the H2-types growing rapidly in population.

Eventually, he ran out of what to search for. He remembered the wraith’s words to him in that dream.

“We are one… Kino.”

“What the hell was that supposed to mean?!” He messed up his hair, trying to recall what happened before that. The stabbing incident. The piercing of his heart. The wraith’s repeated words. The corrupted heart on its hands in the mirror’s reflection.

“That night, your heart willingly accepted my vows. That is, you will follow all my desires, the things I failed to do, so are you to fulfill all of my dreams. You… will be the new ME.”

Somehow, like solving a puzzle piece, Kino slowly figured out the mystery.

His trembling fingers immediately typed in the Guugle search again.

“Wraith to human curse”

It only showed one result from a website. Kino clicked it open. It was a site owned by a known Ergo-herald family in the hunter world, the Panelle clan. Kino raised an eyebrow. It was very weird for a clan name.

A bot opened from below the screen, and a female avatar with red hair showed up.

“ASK ME ANYTHING ANONYMOUSLY,” it says in the text.

“Can a wraith pass a curse to a human being without killing the human? This is for the novel I am writing.” He typed. He wasn’t able to wait for an answer as his restless body finally succumbed to sleep.

The ringing of his phone irritated his ears. The sun was already up. Kino immediately checked to see who it was, what if it was the WHA?

But it was Morris.

“Hello?”

[Thank god, you finally answered! Why aren’t you answering my calls and messages? I was so worried! I went by your apartment yesterday but it was only your brother and my cousin in the house!] He was talking about Hidee. Kino cursed in his head. What if Hidee finds out?

He assured Morris that he was going to school today and that there was nothing to worry about. He looked for Reno downstairs and found him watching TV, in complete uniform already.

Kino prepared the table for breakfast and raised his pinky finger.

“Promise me, you won’t tell anyone.” He says, doing sign language. Reno offered his pinky finger back. It somehow lessened Kino’s worries and the tense feeling he’d been having since yesterday. He felt his eyes wet, blinking instantly to stop any tears from falling.

He intertwined his pinky finger with his brother and softly mouthed a thank you.

On the way to school, Kino felt a new wave of uncomfortable aura from some of the people around him. Some of them looked back at him, with either surprised expressions or curiosity in their eyes, especially from the elders. It built up anxiety in his stomach. It was probably a natural wraith instinct, to feel their kind. But why are they looking at him like that? It was the same expression from the cashier guy in the neighbourhood mart.

Is it because I’m an H-type through curse and science?

He remembered what he was looking up last night. He ran faster to get to school immediately.

As he entered the classroom, he tried to feel the auras of his classmates. Fortunately, none of them were wraiths or he’d be unable to explain things he didn’t understand in the first place.

In the second period, which is computer class, he secretly browsed the Panelle clan website. His eyes lit up when he saw the bot had replied early in the morning.

[Wraiths can pass curses to another wraith or other living creatures in the form of a vow that is on the verge of dying. It happens in a method of striking the prey’s heart to pass the vow. Only royalty and nobility can do this sacred technique. Source: Panelle, Johannes IV, The Mystery Behind Agarthans, Itaport City, Sho Publishing, August 6, 1846]

“What are you reading?” Kino closed the tab in a flash when Morris’ head popped out from the other seat.

“Nothing.”

“Porn?”

“Y-Yeah…” He couldn’t know Kino’s searching for wraith information. Morris is very interested in them, but he knows telling him that he’s one of them now, can potentially put his life in danger.

“Searching porn on the school computer? Do hunters do that in the WHA?” Morris’ brown eyes were full of curiosity.

“Y-Yeah. It happens there.” He didn’t know why Calix crossed his mind. He wouldn’t be surprised if that guy does something like that. “So, uh… did you do a presentation in history yesterday?” Kino changed the topic.

Morris was easily distracted, “We did but Henrietta didn’t do it because you weren’t here.”

Right! He forgot about her. He didn’t see her today!

“She didn’t come today, did she?”

“Yeah, I guess. I didn’t see her with the council either. Why?” Morris gave him a teasing look. Kino raised an eyebrow.

“H-Hey, why are you looking at me like that?”

The class started packing their things to head back to the classroom. “You like Henrietta, don’t you?”

“What? Why would you think that?” It was a mind-boggling accusation.

“Well, you sound so worried about her. Did she make you fall in love when you worked on your research together? What about when she brought you to the infirmary?” Kino felt his cheeks heat up when he remembered the incident. It was surely an embarrassing moment for a popular girl like her. “Look at you! Even blushing and shit! Are you that in love?” Morris pointed to his face and laughed.

“I’m not! S-Stop jumping to conclusions based on absolutely no facts!” He left the guy in the hallway before the teasing could get worse and followed his classmates. Why did he treat it like that? We’re opposite of each other, and she’s too popular for my liking. There’s no way in hell…

Before he stepped out of the room, his eyes went to Henrietta’s empty seat.

All my classmates are humans. Even her… right?

He tried recalling the time when she was with him. He didn’t feel anything around her. But could it be when it happened, Magnus didn’t manifest inside him yet?

After gathering his stuff, Kino walked to the bus stop with something deep running in his mind. His worries about Henrietta’s identity jumped to what he read from the website he opened back in computer class.

Wraiths can pass their vow through curses, by striking their prey’s heart… only the royals and nobility can do that technique.

He remembered Magnus’ last words from his nightmare. Magnus introduced himself as the Crown Prince of an empire called Everhart. Kino felt chills on his skin as the wind blew. Not only an ordinary humanoid wraith, but a royal-blooded wraith cursed him to make his tyranny goals come true.

He looked at his pale hands.

But why me, Magnus?!

For a wraith of royal blood to use their ability to pass a vow to someone ordinary like him. Kino gritted his teeth. “Did he even think properly before choosing me? Do I look strong? Do I look powerful enough for his evil schemes? Like, c’mon! If I were him, I would’ve picked Sir Parker, or Solar, or the strongest man in the world. But no, let’s pick this lame and awkward nobody.” He pointed to himself sarcastically, heaving a sigh of disappointment.