The bar in Meteor City's outer rim smelled like rust and regret. Dim lights buzzed overhead, casting long shadows across cracked tables. Kael, a fresh Blacklist Hunter barely out of his twenties, nursed a drink he hadn't touched in twenty minutes. His target—a smuggler rumored to traffic in stolen Nen scrolls—hadn't shown. Instead, a man slid into the booth across from him like smoke.
Tall, pale, with eyes the color of old bruises. Hair tied back in a loose knot, a faint smile that never reached those eyes. He wore a simple black coat, but something about the way it hung suggested hidden weight.
"You look like someone waiting for trouble," the man said softly. Voice smooth, almost kind. "I'm Erynn. And you're… Kael, right? The kid who just got his license last month."
Kael's hand twitched toward his concealed knife. "How do you—"
"People talk." Erynn leaned forward, elbows on the table. "Especially when they're scared. You're hunting someone who deals in forbidden Hatsu knowledge. Dangerous work for someone so new."
Kael forced a laugh. "I can handle it."
Erynn's smile widened, just a fraction. "I like confidence. Here—" He pushed a small plate across the table. A single pastry sat on it, dusted with sugar that glittered oddly under the light. "On me. You look like you haven't eaten."
Kael stared at it. Something primal screamed no. But his stomach growled traitorously—he hadn't eaten since yesterday.
Erynn watched him, patient. Patient like a spider.
Kael took it. One bite. Sweet. Too sweet. Then warmth spread through his chest, slow and syrupy.
Erynn's voice dropped to a whisper. "Good choice."
The world tilted.
When Kael woke, he was in a dim room that smelled of damp stone and something metallic. His wrists were bound—not with rope, but thin, shimmering threads that pulsed faintly with aura. They didn't cut into skin; they sank into it, like roots.
Erynn stood over him, coat off now. Underneath, his shirt was open at the collar, revealing pale skin marked with faint, wriggling lines—like veins that moved on their own.
"You're awake," Erynn said cheerfully. "That's good. Means the maggot's settled."
Kael tried to speak. His throat felt full of cotton. "What… did you do?"
Erynn crouched, tilting his head. "I gave you a gift. Marionettist. My little friends like warm bodies. They string you up from the inside. Slowly. You'll feel yourself slipping—drowning in your own thoughts—until there's nothing left but me wearing your face."
Kael's vision blurred. He could feel it now: a cold, wriggling thing behind his eyes. Strings tightening around his nerves. His fingers twitched without permission.
Erynn reached out, brushing a thumb across Kael's cheek. "Don't fight it too hard. The more you struggle, the faster it spreads. In a few minutes, you'll be mine completely. Then I can borrow that shiny new Hunter license of yours. Walk right into the Association. Collect bounties. Make friends. Maybe even find someone… suitable."
Kael's mind raced. He flared his Ten, trying to burn the threads out. Aura clashed—his against something vast and patient. The strings tightened in response, and pain lanced through his skull.
Erynn sighed. "You have decent potential. Shame. If you'd been stronger, this might've taken hours instead of minutes."
Kael choked out, "Why… me?"
"Because you're new," Erynn said simply. "No one will miss you for weeks. And your birthday matches mine. Same day, same month. Different year, but close enough for the ritual if things go wrong." He tapped his own chest. "I've got backups. Worms waiting in willing hosts. One of them might even be you, someday. Same face. Same voice. But better. Improved."
Kael's vision darkened at the edges. Memories flickered—his first Nen lesson, his mother's laugh, the day he passed the exam. They felt distant, like someone else's life.
Erynn stood, stretching. "Almost done. When it finishes, I'll let you walk out of here. You'll report back to your handler. Tell them the smuggler's dead. Case closed. Then you'll come find me again. Because you won't remember wanting anything else."
The last thing Kael felt was the maggot blooming fully inside his chest—warm, possessive, right.
Then nothing.
——
Days later, a young Hunter named Kael walked into the Hunter Association branch in Yorknew. He smiled at the receptionist, handed over his report.
"Target eliminated," he said cheerfully. "Nothing left to worry about."
The receptionist nodded, filing it away.
No one noticed the faint, wriggling shadow behind his eyes.
No one noticed that "Kael" now preferred his tea a little too sweet.
And somewhere in the shadows of Meteor City, Erynn Voss smiled at his newest marionette.
One more string in the web.
One more life to wear.
He had all the time in the world.