**October 23rd**
Tents were pitched, and the survivors settled into their temporary camp. The sun felt unusually warm against the crisp blue sky, but a biting breeze whispered of the coming winter. Before them lay the jagged peaks of distant mountains; behind them loomed the nightmare they had narrowly escaped—the Forest.
The wind roared through the trees, snapping the fabric of the tents. The scent of damp earth mingled with the morning mist. Yousafer and Yuray led their horses, laden with gear, toward the Chief's tent. The old man sat out front with three children, all under the age of ten. As the youths approached, he and the children stood.
Yousafer glanced at the orphans before meeting the Chief's eyes. "It seems our paths diverge here, old man. We have much to do, but before we go, may I see the box Adelaide gave you?"
The Chief nodded and disappeared into his tent. Moments later, he returned with the wooden container. Yousafer took it, turning it over in his hands. Hidden on the underside was a faint engraving of a crown. As Yousafer ran his thumb over the seal, the box clicked open.
The Chief's white eyebrows shot up. "You actually opened it, my young friend."
A thin veil of white smoke curled from the box. As it cleared, three mid-sized syringes were revealed. Two contained a murky brown fluid; the middle one held a liquid as dark as midnight. The Chief leaned in, his eyes widening. "Are these what were meant to save my village? How?"
Yuray looked at the syringes with his usual closed-eyed focus. "Those three needles contain three Germs." He knew this well—he had been injected with the Bone Germ as a child, forced to press the plunger into his own neck.
"What are these Germs?" the Chief asked, his voice filled with curiosity.
"Those who are injected with these gain powers that defy nature," Yousafer explained. "They become **Possessed**."
The Chief stared at the needles for a long time. "So... we need three people to take these?"
Yousafer nodded. "Yes. But you must ask them first. It isn't a gift given lightly."
"Are there dangerous side effects?"
Yousafer smiled thinly. "Do you think anything in this life is free?"
The Chief stroked his beard. "This is a heavy choice."
"I know someone who won't hesitate," Yousafer said, glancing at one of the children. "Go and call Helmo."
Within minutes, Helmo and his father, Haim, arrived with their belongings packed. The Chief was surprised. "Haim, why are you still carrying your packs?"
"We are leaving," Haim replied, his face etched with a somber resolve. "This day should have come years ago, but the tragedy in the village delayed us. We are going home... we are leaving this continent."
The Chief didn't pry; every man had his secrets. Silence fell until Yousafer looked directly at Helmo. "Do you want to become a Possessed?" He gestured to the box.
Helmo's breath hitched. Haim looked on, skeptical but silent. Helmo stepped forward, his hands trembling as he stared at the dark liquid. "If I become like you... will I be strong enough?"
"Yes," Yousafer replied.
Adrenaline surged through Helmo. He remembered the years of slavery in the factories, the helplessness. If he had this power, perhaps things would have been different. He looked at his father. "We have a chance. A chance to save Lam."
"Before you decide," Yousafer's voice turned cold and serious, "you must understand the risk. To become a Possessed is to abandon your humanity."
The atmosphere shifted. Helmo stared at the box, then raised a hand to stop Yousafer from continuing. "I don't want to hear the risks. I don't care what it costs. I'm doing this."
Yuray murmured internally, *A wise choice. That resolve is exactly what is required.*
"Are you certain?" Yousafer asked.
Helmo nodded, his eyes burning with a determination that nothing could shake. He stepped forward. "Guide me, please."
"Choose one," Yousafer said.
Helmo reached out and took the syringe filled with the black fluid.
Yuray spoke up, his voice clinical. "Near your left shoulder, just below the neck."
"Helmo!" Haim called out, his voice cracking.
Helmo looked at his weary father and remembered the man's tears. *Life made us this way,* he thought. He plunged the needle into his flesh and pushed.
Red veins erupted across Helmo's neck, spreading downward as he collapsed, teeth bared in a silent snarl of agony. Inside his body, a black, spherical creature with ten limbs began to swim through his veins. Its destination: the heart.
"Once injected," Yousafer continued as the others watched Helmo writhe, "the Germ heads straight for the heart. Once there, it releases nine invisible, thread-like vessels. These veins stretch directly to the brain."
*Thump-thump... Thump-thump...*
Helmo's skin turned a violent shade of red as the Germ took hold. Haim tried to rush to his son, but Yuray blocked him. "Don't. This is part of the process."
"After the veins spread through the entire body," Yousafer said, his voice steady, "the first vessel snaps. That marks Level One. You gain a power based on the nature of your Germ."
He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. "There are nine vessels in total. Snap the second, and you reach Level Two. The third, Level Three. Each level grants immense power, but each ascent is more dangerous than the last. If you try to snap a vessel and fail, the Germ consumes you. There is nothing left for you then but death."
The Chief swallowed hard. "You said one loses their humanity. What is the difference between a Possessed and a monster?"
Yousafer scoffed. "To live in this world as a mere human is a form of suicide. If you aren't killed, you are enslaved. If not enslaved, you are used. Even if not everyone is a Possessed, having one or two who are strong is enough to protect the rest."
"But it is a path of constant peril," the Chief whispered.
"Naturally. To hold the power of a god, one must pay a mortal price."
"What happens if someone snaps the ninth vessel?" the Chief asked.
Yousafer looked up at a hawk circling high above. "How should I know? I'm only at Level One."
"And Level Two?" Haim asked, his face pale.
"Level Two grants a new ability. Every sense—sight, speed, strength—is magnified. As for the ability itself, it depends on the user's mind. Upon snapping the vessel, a wave of memories hits the brain, explaining the power's nature."
Helmo was now burning with a feverish heat.
"How do we know when we are ready for the next level?" Haim asked, his heart heavy for his son.
"The Germ's vessels are visible to the user," Yousafer explained. "Vessels one through three are filled with small red spheres—nuclei. Four and five are filled with brown ones. To advance, you must ensure all the nuclei in the current vessel have been depleted. That means the energy has been fully extracted."
Yousafer's gaze turned grim. "If you try to snap a vessel while it still holds its nuclei... you are surrendering yourself to the Germ. Death will be the only thing waiting for you."
**End of Chapter**