ZigZagkers

Koru stood still, his gaze calm but heavy.

"This world…" he began, voice quiet yet clear, "feels normal to most, but it isn't. Not really."

Enix and Nki leaned in listening carefully what he was saying,

"Almost two thousand years ago," Koru continued, "there was a solar eclipse unlike any other. It wasn't just the sun being covered, the entire sky turned red. Not dark red… not dusky… but crimson. Like blood had been smeared across the heavens."

He paused.

"That day… thousands of people mysteriously died. Their bodies collapsed for no reason. Some screamed. Some ran in panic. But the worst part?"

He looked them in the eyes.

"Many of them killed themselves."

The room grew cold.

Enix swallowed hard. "Why…?"

"No one knows," Koru said softly. "But the truly terrifying thing wasn't the deaths. It was what came after."

He began to pace slowly as he spoke.

"The souls of those people… never left..,they didn't go to the afterlife?"

"They stayed here. In this world. Floating. Roaming. At first, people could see them. Some could talk to them. Ghosts, walking in broad daylight."

Nki and Enix started sweating.

"For a short time," Koru continued, "it was peaceful. Some even thought it was a miracle. Loved ones reunited with dead family… people finding closure…"

He paused.

"Until the day it all twisted."

Enix's brows furrowed.

"Some souls… changed," Koru said. "The ones who died with deep regrets, or swallowed by sorrow or anger, they began to rot. Their forms became monstrous. Their minds turned violent."

His voice dropped lower.

"They began to kill."

Enix and Nki both tensed.

"These spirits were no longer ghosts… they became creatures, with powers no human could understand. And from this chaos… a new force emerged."

Koru turned, looking at Nki.

"The Deviner."

She blinked. "Deviner… like that word you keep saying."

"Yes. Deviner. It comes from 'Divine.' Because people believed their power came directly from gods. They could use exorcism, special rituals and energy, to fight back against those corrupted souls."

Aaru, arms folded, nodded slightly.

"At first, it was barely enough," Koru went on. "The Devine power was new… raw… unstable. Some could bless weapons. Others could trap spirits in charms or threads. Over time, they got stronger."

Nki subconsciously touched the thread on her hair again.

"But the demons," Koru said, "they weren't weak. Especially those born from regret. They were cursed by Fate itself. Twisted into things that no longer remembered their names or lives. All they craved was destruction."

He raised his hand, glowing a faint gold.

"Devine energy could purify them. Exorcise them. But they were like immortal. Unless you kill them with Devine powers."

He looked at the floor.

"Time passed. One year… three years… ten… fifty… a hundred. Deviner after Deviner fought. Some won. Many died. Humanity kept hoping there was an answer. But no one could find the cause."

Lali's smile had faded now. Even she sat still, listening.

"Eventually," Koru said, "the remaining elders agreed on one thing."

He looked at the ceiling like he was staring into the past.

"The crimson solar eclipse… was the beginning. And until that same eclipse comes again… this curse won't end."

He turned back to Enix and Nki.

"And now… after two thousand years, here we are."

The room fell into complete silence.

The lights seemed dimmer.

Nki and Enix started glancing around the room, eyes shifting suspiciously from wall to wall, from the windows to the corners.

Koru raised a brow. "What are you two doing?"

Enix straightened up. "We're trying to find the hidden camera."

Nki pointed at the ceiling. "Yeah. This is a prank, right? You're recording us? Where's the dude with the mic boom hiding?"

Lali burst into laughter again, nearly choking on the last bite of her cream bun.

Even Aaru rolled his eyes.

Koru looked at them like they'd grown extra heads. "Are you two serious right now?"

"Dead serious," Nki said. "Because this is the kind of thing that belongs in a anime, not real life."

Enix folded his arms. "Also, what about me? I was literally stabbed through the chest. I should be dead. But I'm still here."

Koru's tone darkened slightly. "That's because… you're currently merged with a corrupted soul."

Enix blinked. "Merged?"

Koru nodded. "Yes. When a corrupted soul is powerful enough, it can force itself into a human body, take over, use the body as a vessel. That process is called a merge. But when that happens, the human's original soul is wiped out completely. Erased."

He paused, his voice heavier.

"So the fact that you, Enix… are still you… while being merged… that's something we've never seen in recorded history."

Enix's face froze in confusion. "W-Wait, so I've got some random ghost living inside me?"

"It's not random," Aaru spoke up, leaning against the wall. "The soul inside you is likely a high-level one. A five-star or higher."

Nki scrunched her face. "Five-star rank? Like… hotel ratings?"

Koru nodded. "We rank corrupted souls from one to six stars. The stronger they are, the higher the rank."

He began explaining, ticking his fingers off one by one.

"One to two-star souls are weak. They can't go far from their core which keeps them alive, the object or place their soul is anchored to."

"Three to four-star souls can move freely and can cause disasters. Hauntings, possessions, localized anomalies…"

"Five and six-star souls… those are the real monsters. They can take over bodies. They have strong powers and can easily wipe out thousand of humans in a blink."

Enix and Nki slowly turned toward each other.

Then, together, they looked back at the others and declared with perfect unison.

"This must be a prank!"

Koru sighed, rubbing his temples. "Nki… about your grandfather…"

Nki's expression shifted, her body stiffened slightly.

Koru looked at her with calm seriousness.

"He was a deviner too."

Nki's eyes widened.

"He wasn't just any Deviner. He was one of the strongest Deviner in Eternal Blessings Club. His name was respected across the entire East Division."

"But…" Koru's voice dropped. "One day, he vanished. Left without a trace. No message. No signs. Everyone thought he died in a battle, or disappeared to escape something."

He looked at her, softer now.

"…We never knew he had a family."

Nki's gaze lowered. Her lips quivered slightly, but she said nothing.

The room stayed silent for a few long seconds.

Then Koru's tone grew serious again—low, steady, and direct.

"Then....Nki. Enix."

He stood tall, folding his arms behind his back like a soldier.

"Would you join us… and become Deviner?"

The question hit like thunder.

Nki and Enix stared at him with wide eyes.

Aaru gave a small smile in the corner.

And then—

"HUHHHHHHHHH?!"

they both screamed at the top of their lungs.