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Sophia choked, gasping for air under Ethan's crushing grip. He finally released her.
Though bewildered, Sophia sensed the jig was up.
Her mask dropped. A bitter, mocking smile twisted her lips. "So you figured it out? How amusing."
"Watching you fools fawn over me was priceless." She spat the words, her voice raw.
Even gentle Mom snapped. "You—"
A spurt of blood escaped her lips. Overwhelmed by grief and the revelation, she crumpled.
Ethan yelled frantically for doctors.
Sophia watched, utterly indifferent. "One less problem," she thought.
She had the body now. No need to play nice. Time to explore the world she'd neglected while serving these 'masters'.
[Three years wasted on these pathetic fools. Finally free to see the world.]
Her thoughts, loud and clear, reached the remaining Johnsons.
Ethan burned with hatred. A dark resolve hardened within him.
He'd make Sophia pay, even if it cost him his life.
Before anyone could react, he struck Sophia hard on the temple, knocking her out cold. He hoisted her unconscious form and carried her away.
Sophia awoke tied to a cold, metal surface – like an operating table.
Ethan stood over her. Peering around, it looked like a crude, rural shack.
Sophia panicked. She'd assumed modern laws would protect her.
She was wrong. Lawless men existed here too.
A cold scalpel traced her skin. She trembled uncontrollably.
"What are you doing?" she rasped, voice thick with fear.
Ethan's eyes were bloodshot pools of darkness, fixed on her.
Outside the doorway, silhouetted against the light, stood Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, watching silently.
"Can Bella come back?" Ethan murmured, ignoring her question, speaking more to himself.
Before she could formulate a reply, the blade plunged into her thigh.
Sophia screamed, face contorting in agony. "AGH! STOP! IT HURTS!"
Sssshhlick!Another deep cut sliced her other leg.
Ethan remained unnervingly calm. "Well? Can she?"
"Really! I swear! I don't know!" she shrieked, tears streaming.
But her frantic denials only fueled him. He heard her thoughts.
[Gone! Dust! How the hell do I bring back dust?! Impossible!]
My parents, hearing this confirmation, stiffened further, their last hope extinguished.
Realizing Ethan wasn't bluffing, that he truly intended to make her suffer...
Sophia snapped. "Think this avenges her?" she screeched hysterically. "You fool!"
"YOU killed her! YOU betrayed your own flesh and blood! YOU drove her away with your lies and your preference for a fraud!"
"YOU are the murderers!"
The accusation struck like knives, embedding deep in their guilt-ridden hearts.
Ethan lost it completely. He dropped the scalpel, fists flying, pounding Sophia's face relentlessly.
Sophia smiled through the bloodshed, welcoming the potential quick end.
Suddenly, Ethan stopped mid-swing. A chilling, demonic smile spread across his face.
"You want me to kill you quickly?" He picked up a rag and meticulously wiped the blood from his hands. "Yes, I failed her. I am a murderer too. So... you won't die easy." His voice dropped to a terrifying whisper. "You'll suffer. Like I am. Every single day."
...
A new family moved into Stone Creek Village. They seemed older, their hair stark white, but polite enough. Neighbors found them quiet but harmless, willing to exchange greetings.
Their property had an odd structure, though – a small, windowless outbuilding near the back, sealed tight like a concrete box. Only thin slivers of light crept under the heavy door.
Strange, muffled noises sometimes emanated from it – whimpers, thuds, incoherent muttering. Soon, even the local kids avoided playing anywhere near the place.
Sophia was imprisoned within that makeshift cell.
Her world shrank to those damp, concrete walls. Food scraps and water appeared through a slot just enough to keep her alive.
Day after indistinguishable day, year after silent year, she marked time only by the thin strip of light shifting under the door.
She broke. Her mind shattered. Unable to form words, only incoherent gibberish and babbling sounds escaped her lips.
Her system, seeing a definitively failed host, vanished silently, leaving no trace.
One hazy afternoon, Sophia opened her eyes. Blinding light. Fresh air stung her lungs. She was outside.
Standing before her, bathed in sunlight, was Liam Walker, smiling gently.
"Liam!" she rasped, a surge of desperate hope flooding her broken mind. "You saved me!"
Liam kept smiling, silent.
Escaped from one hell, relief washed over her... only to plunge her instantly into the next circle of torment.
...
I opened my eyes. I stood on a bustling high school campus.
The final bell was ringing. I instinctively followed the stream of students heading towards the main gates.
How am I a high schooler?
Didn't I vanish? Didn't my soul shatter into dust?
As confusion swirled, a cold, mechanical voice echoed directly in my mind:
[System Initializing...]
[Host Identified. Welcome. I am System 334. Primary Objective: Establish permanence within this world by fully replacing the Original Host.]
[Critical Notice: Original Host will initiate reclamation of body control in three (3) years. Utilize this timeframe effectively.]
Dread crawled up my spine like icy spiders. My body locked rigid with terror.
Near the school gates, a woman stood watching the crowd. Her gaze settled on me, warm and tender.
As I approached her, drawn by some unseen force...
In a single, violent instant...
She seized my arm, shaking me violently, her eyes wide with primal fear. "Who are you? You're not my daughter
