The Unexpected Visitor

  The first rays of dawn crept through the gap in Kayo's curtains, painting a golden stripe across his face. His eyes fluttered open reluctantly, consciousness returning in fragmented pieces. For one blissful moment, he remembered nothing—not The Smiler, not the hospital, not the shadow hand that now replaced his flesh and blood one. For that single heartbeat, he was just a normal high school student waking to another ordinary day.

  Then reality crashed back, and with it came the whispered presence lurking in the darkest corners of his mind.

  "Good morning, dear host," The Smiler's voice slithered through his thoughts. "Did you dream of me? I certainly dreamed of you."

  Kayo groaned, pressing the heels of his palms—one real, one shadow—against his eyes. The phantom limb felt solid against his face, a constant reminder of his altered existence. Outside, birds were chirping with irritating cheerfulness, their melody a stark contrast to the hollow feeling spreading through his chest.

  As he lowered his hands and blinked away the last vestiges of sleep, Kayo froze. Standing at the foot of his bed, immaculate white trenchcoat gleaming unnaturally in the morning light, was The Seller. Its mercury eyes reflected the sunbeams like liquid metal, and its ever-shifting features seemed to settle momentarily into an expression of mild amusement.

  "AH— WHAT THE F—" Kayo yelped, scrambling backward until his spine pressed against the headboard. His heart hammered against his ribs, fight-or-flight response sending adrenaline surging through his veins.

  The Seller's lips curved into a perfect smile that never quite reached its quicksilver eyes. "Hello, my friend Kayo," it said, its multilayered voice filling the bedroom despite its conversational tone. "How have you been? Sleep well with your new... roommate?"

  "WHY ARE YOU HERE?" Kayo hissed, casting a panicked glance toward his bedroom door. If his parents heard him shouting... "YOU SCARED THE SHIT OUT OF ME!"

  The Seller moved with that unsettling fluidity that marked it as something not quite human, drifting closer to the edge of the bed without seeming to take steps. "Well, I was just making sure you're alive," it replied casually, as though appearing uninvited in teenagers' bedrooms was perfectly normal behavior. "Seems like you won the battle. That's... unprecedented."

  As Kayo's heartbeat began to slow, he noticed subtle details about The Seller he'd missed in their previous encounter. Its white trenchcoat wasn't merely white—it shimmered with iridescent patterns that seemed to move when viewed from the corner of the eye, like oil on water. The Seller's hands remained gloved, but the gloves appeared to be made from some material that absorbed rather than reflected light, creating strange voids at the ends of its arms.

  "What do you want?" Kayo asked, some of his courage returning now that the initial shock had passed. "Come to collect the rest of my soul?"

  The Seller's laugh rang like distant wind chimes. "Nothing so dramatic. Now then," it continued, producing a chair from nowhere and sitting with elegant poise, "any questions? Today is free of charge, to signify our upcoming friendship."

  "Don't trust it," The Smiler whispered in Kayo's mind. "The Seller never gives without taking. Every gift is a hook, every favor a chain."

  Kayo frowned, both at The Smiler's warning and The Seller's unexpected affability. "Why are you being nice?" he asked, suspicion evident in his tone.

  The Seller's features rippled like disturbed water, briefly revealing something ancient beneath the humanoid facade. "It's not every day someone beats The Smiler," it explained, leaning forward slightly. "In fact, it's never actually happened. The pilgrim you saw in The Smiler's memories came close, but he died of fear."

  That caught Kayo's attention. He shifted, swinging his legs over the side of the bed to face The Seller directly. "So you're telling me I'm the first one ever to conquer The Smiler?"

  "Precisely!" The Seller's mercury eyes gleamed with something that might have been admiration or hunger—it was impossible to tell. "That makes you quite the rare specimen, Kinoshita Kayo."

  Kayo's shadow hand flexed unconsciously, responding to his agitation. "I do have a few questions," he said finally, curiosity overcoming caution.

  The Seller spread its gloved hands magnanimously. "OK, shoot."

  "Does The Smiler have any power over me or my parents?" The question had haunted Kayo throughout the night, a persistent fear that despite his victory, his family remained vulnerable.

  The Seller's expression grew serious, its ever-shifting features settling into something almost comforting. "Nope," it replied confidently. "The only thing he can do is talk to you. An annoying houseguest, nothing more."

  "HE'S LYING, GOD DAMMIT!" The Smiler's voice erupted in Kayo's mind, loud enough to make him wince. "I HAVE COMPLETE CONTROL OVER YOU! I CAN MAKE YOU KILL YOUR PARENTS IN THEIR SLEEP! I CAN—"

  "No, you don't!" The Seller replied aloud, addressing the empty air beside Kayo's head.

  Kayo's eyes widened in shock. "W-WOAH, YOU CAN HEAR HIM?" He'd assumed The Smiler's voice was confined to his mind alone.

  The Seller nodded matter-of-factly. "Yes, of course. I can hear any spirits near me. It's one of my many... talents." It leaned closer, its voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "And our friend here is being quite dramatic. The terms of your victory were clear, Kayo. The Smiler is contained within you, bound by ancient rules even it must obey. It can speak, it can observe, but it cannot act. Not anymore."

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  "You'll never be rid of me," The Smiler seethed, though Kayo noted its voice had diminished somewhat, as if retreating deeper into his consciousness.

  Kayo rubbed his temples, trying to process everything. The morning sunlight now filled his room completely, illuminating dust motes that danced around The Seller's form. Strangely, the entity cast no shadow on the floor or walls, despite the direct light.

  "Oh, okay then," Kayo said, gathering his thoughts. "A few more questions... Is there more people like me? You know, with spirits inside of them?"

  The Seller's smile broadened, revealing teeth that were just slightly too perfect, too white. "Yes! Tons actually. Well, kinda. It's complicated." It paused, gesturing vaguely with one gloved hand. "Grab a bucket of popcorn or something. This is gonna be a long story."

  "Oh, okay, I guess," Kayo replied, shifting on the bed to make himself more comfortable. The springs creaked beneath him as he settled into a cross-legged position, his shadow hand resting on his knee. It felt strange yet natural, like a limb that had always been there but that he was only now becoming aware of.

  The morning light seemed to bend around The Seller as it began its explanation, its voice taking on a professorial tone that somehow made the fantastic information it shared seem almost academic.

  "So basically, there are two types of spirits," The Seller began, its gloved fingers tracing complex patterns in the air that left momentary afterimages of light. "One, which I call Bio-Engineered Supernaturals—these are supernatural entities made by humanity using bio-research. These are what most people possess, and the people who possess them are usually members of secret divisions of the CIA, PSIA, KGB—shit like that."

  Kayo's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Wait, governments know about spirits?"

  "Oh, yes," The Seller nodded gravely. "They've known for decades. They just keep it very, very quiet. Think about it—what government wouldn't want supernatural weapons? But they can only create pale imitations, shadows of the real thing."

  The Seller's form seemed to expand slightly, filling more space than its physical dimensions should allow. "Now, what you have is what I call a Pure Supernatural—just like myself. It's a spirit who wasn't made by humanity. These are extremely rare, and most people that do possess Pure Supernaturals possess Low-tier ones."

  Its mercury eyes fixed on Kayo with uncomfortable intensity. "But here's where you're lucky—the Supernatural you possess is a High-tier. Or S-tier in human terms. No one in the history of mankind has possessed The Smiler, and only three people ever have possessed S-tier Supernaturals. So count yourself lucky."

  The information washed over Kayo in overwhelming waves. He stared at his shadow hand, flexing the fingers experimentally. "So I'm basically overpowered?" he asked, struggling to process the implications.

  The Seller's laugh echoed strangely in the small bedroom, seeming to come from everywhere at once. "No, I mean, yeah—actually, kinda." It raised one gloved finger, its expression growing serious. "You'll get more powerful the more spirits you kill."

  Something in The Seller's tone made Kayo's skin crawl. There was an eagerness there, a hunger that reminded him uncomfortably of The Smiler's own predatory nature.

  "Does it have to be Pure or Bio-Engineered Supernaturals?" Kayo asked, part of him already plotting how to navigate this strange new world he'd been thrust into.

  The Seller shrugged, its trenchcoat rippling with colors visible only at the edge of perception. "Doesn't matter. Both of them have a soul, but Pure Supernaturals will give you way more power. They're really, really rare to find, though."

  "It's leading you down a path," The Smiler whispered, its voice now almost... concerned? "It's grooming you to become a hunter. To become like it."

  Kayo frowned, unsure whether to trust the warning from the entity that had tried to possess him or the seemingly helpful being sitting at the foot of his bed.

  "And what exactly are you?" Kayo asked pointedly, meeting The Seller's quicksilver gaze. "You're a Pure Supernatural too, right? What tier?"

  The Seller's smile turned enigmatic, its features shifting more rapidly for a moment. "That's a question for another day, when it's not... free of charge." It adjusted its immaculate white gloves with meticulous care. "Let's just say I'm old enough to remember when your species was still figuring out fire."

  A thought occurred to Kayo. "Can other people see you right now? If my mom walked in..."

  "Only if I wish it," The Seller replied. "Currently, I'm visible only to you and other spiritually aware entities. Your mother would walk right through me—though she might feel a slight chill." Its smile turned mischievous. "I can manifest physically if needed, but it's... taxing."

  Kayo opened his mouth to ask another question, but was interrupted by his mother's voice calling from downstairs.

  "Kayo! Breakfast is ready! You'll be late for school if you don't hurry!"

  The Seller rose in one fluid motion, its form already beginning to fade around the edges. "I must go. I'll see you later, Kinoshita Kayo." Its voice grew serious, mercury eyes darkening to the color of storm clouds. "But beware—people are watching you now. The victory over The Smiler has sent ripples through realms you cannot yet comprehend. There are those who will fear you, and those who will seek to use you."

  "Wait—" Kayo protested, dozens of questions still burning in his mind. "I need to know more!"

  But The Seller was already dissolving into the sunlight, its form becoming translucent, then transparent. Its final words hung in the air like the last notes of a haunting melody:

  "All in good time, Kayo. Remember our deal—help the spirits cross over, and you'll regain the pieces of your soul. I'll be watching your progress... with great interest."

  And then it was gone, leaving Kayo alone with The Smiler's whispers and the morning sunlight streaming through his window. Outside, the birds continued their cheerful song, oblivious to the supernatural drama unfolding within the ordinary bedroom.

  "You're trapped between monsters now," The Smiler observed with grim satisfaction. "The Seller and me. I wonder which of us is the lesser evil?"

  Kayo sighed heavily, rising from his bed and stretching. His shadow hand cast no shadow of its own, a dark void against the sunlit wall. "Shut up," he muttered to The Smiler. "I've got school to worry about."

  As he pulled on his uniform and prepared to face the day, Kayo couldn't shake the feeling that his life had irrevocably changed. He was no longer just Kinoshita Kayo, ordinary high school student. He was something new, something unprecedented—the first human to defeat and contain The Smiler.

  And according to The Seller, that made him both valuable and vulnerable in a world far larger and more dangerous than he had ever imagined.

  With one last glance at the spot where The Seller had stood, Kayo squared his shoulders and headed downstairs to breakfast, the first meal of his new existence.