Long ago, the feliforms were sent by a higher power to guide and protect Earth. With wisdom and divine knowledge, they roamed the world, unseen by humans, offering their care to the planet. But as time passed, their pride grew, and they forgot their true purpose. The Feliforms , tempted by human conflicts, joined the wars and fought against their own principles.

  As punishment, the higher power cast a Seal upon them, stripping them of their divine power and reducing them to mere creatures. Humanity, unaware of the powerful beings that once walked among them, forgot the myth.

  Until, one fateful day, a humble shrine maiden found a starving cat abandoned in the streets. She cared for him, and in return, the cat—known as Lumin, the Greatest Cat—awakened. With her help, the Seal was broken, and the ancient power was returned.

  Lumin, once more a guardian, united the feliforms , leading them to rebuild a broken Earth after the devastation of World War III. The cats guided humanity toward peace, establishing the Nine Spheres, each governed by a cat and a human sovereign , each solving a specific crisis—healing, food, memory, technology, and more. The world began to heal, and humanity flourished under their care.

  But not all the feliforms followed Lumin’s path. A hidden sect, known as the Crimson Eclipse, believed humanity should remain enslaved. In secret, they kidnapped humans, using them for pleasure and power.

  To counter this threat, Lumin created the Silent Fangs—warriors trained in the blades sphere, keepers of peace, honor, and justice. Their mission was to protect humanity from the shadows that still threatened its future.

  Though peace reigns in the Nine Spheres, the struggle continues. The world flourishes, but the Crimson Eclipse plots in the darkness, and the Silent Fangs prepare for the day they must confront them.

  The balance is fragile, and only time will reveal if humanity’s salvation will last.

  "Legends fade, but power lingers in the blood."

  The Feliforms’ ancient rule had reshaped the world, but humanity, ever forgetful, moved on. The Nine Spheres stood—monuments to an uneasy peace—while the Crimson Eclipse slithered in the cracks of society.

  And in the neon-drenched underbelly of the Blades Sphere, where vice and virtue blurred into profit, Arisa played her part as Miss Vex.

  She knew the risks.

  But nothing could have prepared her for Mr. S’s special show….

  Despair, hatred, and humiliation were exposed in front of Arisa and Ryojin’s eyes as Mr. S chuckled again, clapping for the disturbing show.

  “Oh mon dieu, what a great show,” he said.

  And what a show it was… where humans were stripped of their humanity.

  “I couldn’t imagine that a delicate mind like yours would enjoy this show, Miss Vex,” he continued. “As you see—” he lowered his voice, “I’m just putting on an act for the buyer.” Then he shouted with joy, “Ah, how wonderful!”

  They could tell he was acting, both Ryojin and Arisa thought.

  “Oh my, you can’t know what lingers deep inside someone’s mind. A human will act like they hate something the most, but deep inside, they yearn for it—just a glimpse of it,” Miss Vex replied.

  “You keep surprising me, Miss Vex. I’ve kept an eye on your work for quite some time. The drugs you prepare with those soft hands—” he grabbed her hand gently, “they weren’t just drugs. You wanted to bring salvation through distraction. You saw peace in the flames. I felt your vision. The moment I used your virtual drug, I felt a connection,” he said, trembling from excitement.

  Arisa had studied the entire night for her role. She went through countless data files. The virtual drug Mr. S referred to was called The Shu.

  It functioned as a viral program targeting the heart chip, encouraging the secretion of hormones that altered brain function—pushing the user into a state of paranoia. Despite its effectiveness, the effect was fleeting due to the chip’s built-in resistance. That was exactly why Mr. S showed interest in upgrading the drug using his stores of xenorite—the only known substance on this planet capable of directly interfering with the chip’s function.

  If this drug were ever completed, it would tear society apart from the inside out.

  “I’ll excuse myself to the restroom,” Arisa said, rising from her seat.

  The moment she entered, she threw up.

  She had been holding it in since the moment she stepped into that room. Her eyes felt like they were about to explode. The vomit forced itself up into her nostrils, burning her lungs. She nearly fainted—but she had to pull herself together.

  She slapped her face. “Don’t be fucking weak.”

  She washed her face, then her hands. Again. And again. And again.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Her skin was raw and red from scrubbing.

  “Fucking disgusting.”

  She froze. If she stayed one more second, she’d start peeling her skin off.

  But her focus snapped back to the mission. I need to report to Saya.

  She tried to connect through the system.

  No connection.

  “That’s impossible... unless something is blocking the chip’s signal. A jamming device?” Her eyes narrowed. “I need to find it and report the current status.”

  As she stepped out of the bathroom, she found Ryojin waiting just outside.

  “I... I got worried. Is everything okay, Miss A—Miss Vex?”

  She glanced at him. “Nothing is okay. Did you notice we can’t communicate through the system?”

  He whispered back, “I was just about to tell you. I couldn’t reach Mika either.”

  “Then we keep the act going—until we find what’s blocking the signals.”

  Ryojin nodded silently and followed Arisa back into the room.

  Arisa exhaled, smoothing her gloves. If Mr. S wanted a show, she’d give him one worthy of hell itself.

  ——————-

  Nyx’s boot cracked into Mika’s ribs with a wet snap. Again. Again. The fifth kick sent him skidding through his own blood, tendons in his leg frayed like split cables.

  Felix crouched beside him, tilting his head. “Look at that. Third-gen chips shouldn’t stitch that fast.” He pressed a thumb into Mika’s freshly healed sternum—just to hear it fracture again.

  Mika snarled through teeth regrowing from shattered gums. Fuck. Fuck. The healing chip in his heart was working overtime, knitting muscle, burning through his body’s reserves. It wasn’t supposed to hurt this much.

  Just kill me.

  "Kill me! Fucking kill me!" Mika’s voice shattered into a scream as another blow landed, ribs cracking under the force. Blood sprayed from his lips, painting the floor in ragged streaks. His body had long since gone numb—only the chip in his chest kept his heart beating, his lungs dragging in air. A curse disguised as mercy.

  Nyx yanked him upright by his hair, claws digging into his scalp. The feliform’s muzzle twisted into a grin, teeth glinting under the flickering overhead light. "We are trying, little human," he purred, voice thick with mock sympathy. "But your chip refuses to let you die."

  Felix’s tail lashed behind him, his patience snapping. "This is taking too long." In one fluid motion, he seized Mika’s head and slammed it into the wall. Once. Twice. Again.

  The world fractured into white-hot pain, then—nothing.

  No sound. No light. Just the warm rush of blood pooling beneath him, carrying away the last dregs of his consciousness.

  Finally… rest.

  Thud.

  A single beat. Then another.

  Mika’s heart pulsed weakly, a dying engine refusing to stall. His body was broken—should have been dead—but the chip forced life into him like a puppet on frayed strings.

  And yet…

  His mind unspooled.

  The pain was gone. The room was gone. Even the feliforms’ laughter had dissolved into static.

  Darkness swallowed him, but it wasn’t empty.

  Something moved in the depths.

  The scene changed—he was back in his bathroom, the blue tiles surrounding him again.

  But he knew this wasn’t his world.

  The light flickered above his head.

  He faced the mirror.

  He was in Mika’s body.

  “Pathetic. Tsk, tsk, tsk,” a voice behind him filled the bathroom.

  Through the mirror, he saw two figures standing behind him.

  One lingered in the corner. The other came close—almost embracing him. He whispered into Mec’s ear,

  “You took Mika’s place too. He’s so displeased with that. Look how mad he is.”

  It was Maykola’s voice.

  Mec turned to attack Maykola—

  —but Mika launched his blade toward Mec’s neck.

  The blade sank deep into his throat. Mec spat blood.

  “At this rate, everyone will die,” Mika said in a cold voice.

  “I didn’t hold a grudge against you for taking my place… But to be this weak, this fragile? You get a few kicks and start whining about death?”

  “He’s a loser,” Maykola added. “Let me tell you how he spent his life—”

  Mika held Mec and turned him to face the mirror.

  “He hid from society. He was scared of everything… even himself.

  And because of that, he lost his persona.”

  Mec was terrified as he looked at the mirror—his face was blurred.

  Frozen in place, the realization hit him:

  This wasn’t a dream.

  These two figures were his alternate selves.

  They weren’t illusions or fragments of his mind.

  They had free will.

  Mec felt his body being pulled by invisible threads.

  He couldn’t move. He couldn’t speak.

  Mika closed his eyes.

  “Let me breathe on your behalf.”

  ---

  “He opened his eyes,” Nyx said in amazement.

  “This stubborn human refuses to die. You see, Felix—there’s something abnormal here. I told you before. I sliced off his head, yet he’s still roaming around at parties. Same with his blond friend.”

  Felix raised an eyebrow.

  “I still don’t believe you. The princess clearly said the targets were eliminated.

  Although… this little human clings to life with such stubbornness that I might even admire him.”

  Without warning, Mika stood.

  He pulled the blade, activating it in a blink.

  He leapt into the air, launching a sudden attack toward Felix—

  —but was intercepted mid-air by a punch that sent him crashing into the wall.

  “I’ll definitely take a liking to you, human,” Nyx grinned. “Finally fighting after all that crying.”

  Nyx joined the fight, plunging his claws toward Mika’s face—

  —but Mika dodged, bit hard into Nyx’s arm, tearing a chunk of flesh.

  Nyx howled in pain as Mika landed a kick into his stomach.

  Mika spat out the torn flesh.

  “Bitter,” he said, smirking.

  Nyx burned with humiliation.

  Furious, he unleashed all his strength into a savage kick aimed at Mika’s head—

  —but Mika was quicker.

  He grabbed Felix and used him as a shield.

  Felix took the full impact and was knocked out cold.

  “Shit,” Nyx growled, annoyed.

  “Finally… a fair fight,” Mika sneered. “Well—not too fair. A lowly human against an almighty Felinform?”

  Nyx lashed out again, slamming a punch into Mika’s chest, sending him flying.

  “Don’t get cocky, you lowly worm.”

  Mika lifted his head, ready to throw another taunt—

  —but his grin vanished.

  Nyx pulled a sleek pistol from his coat—since when did beasts need guns?

  A gun was now pointed straight at his head.

  A gun… against a blade.

  The metal glinted under the flickering lights.

  His blade trembled in his grip.

  His body was heavy. Bruised. Bloodied.

  He didn’t move.

  For a moment, silence.

  Then—

  BANG.

  Don’t worry—you’re not alone. Let’s just say Maykola and the real Mika are taking a long-term vacation inside Mec’s head. Poor Mec. He didn’t ask for all this existential drama.

  gun vs. blade—who’s going to win?

  [iriiiris_88]