Occult: World of Yandere - Volume 1 Chapter 4 - Encounter

Nier’s grip tightened on the steering wheel as he focused on the news broadcast, the announcer’s somber tone filling the quiet cabin of his SUV.

“Initial reports indicate that the attack occurred during a private royal gathering in the western wing of the palace. Sources close to the investigation claim that the perpetrators infiltrated the heavily guarded estate through unknown means, utilizing advanced weaponry and tactics never before seen in the kingdom.”

Nier furrowed his brow. Advanced weaponry and unknown tactics? It didn’t sound like the work of any traditional rebel groups. The royal family of Kazbetle wasn’t without its enemies, but their defenses were practically impenetrable, or so everyone thought.

“The crown princess, Lady Arlise Kazbetle, managed to survive the assault thanks to the intervention of the royal guard, though reports suggest she is severely traumatized. The queen, Lady Mirela Kazbetle, remains in critical condition under the care of the palace’s top physicians. Details on her prognosis remain undisclosed.”

The announcer paused, letting the gravity of the situation sink in before continuing.

“No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Authorities believe this could be the result of a foreign power’s involvement, given the precision and scope of the assault. The assassination marks a pivotal moment in Aeloria’s history, and many fear it could destabilize the tenuous peace treaties between the eastern and western alliances.”

Nier couldn’t help but scoff. Peace treaties, my ass. They’ve been itching for a fight for years. This is just the excuse they needed.

As the broadcast continued, his thoughts wandered to the implications of this event. The royal family wasn’t just a symbol of unity in Aeloria; they were also one of the few entities powerful enough to keep the warring nations in check. Without them, chaos could easily erupt.

“In other news.”

The announcer continued, shifting topics slightly.

“The Great Cleave’s 11th-anniversary approaches, reigniting debates about its origins and its connection to the rising levels of Flux energy. Some experts speculate that the fissure’s influence may have indirectly contributed to tonight’s tragic events. We’ll have more updates as the situation develops.”

Nier’s focus sharpened at the mention of the Great Cleave. The thought that this fissure, this gaping wound in the sky could somehow be linked to the assassination felt far-fetched. But in a world where Flux energy could warp the rules of reality, what truly was impossible anymore?

A crackle of static jolted him from his thoughts as the station lost its signal. Nier sighed, fiddling with the dial to find another channel, but none seemed to hold his interest now. The weight of the news settled over him, making the darkness of the old highway feel even more oppressive.

The radio’s silence left him alone with his thoughts.

“King Demiture, huh…

Nier muttered under his breath.

“What kind of monster do you have to be to take down someone like him?”

His mind wandered, piecing together fragments of stories he’d heard about the royal family. If the rumors were true, King Demiture wasn’t entirely human, something about ancient bloodlines and military experiments that took place back in World War II.

But before Nier could make sense of the situation, something weird began to happen to the car radio.

Suddenly, the radio sputtered.

Static replaced the newscaster’s voice, growing louder until the sound was a jagged screech cutting through the small space of his car.

Nier frowned, distracted from his grim thoughts as he tried to fiddle with the dial. The station flipped, only more static, and then faint voices emerged from the speakers.

“… This… is… the last…

The whisper was unmistakable now, piercing the silence with unsettling clarity.

He jolted upright in his seat, his breath hitching as his pulse quickened. The voices swelled, overlapping in a dissonant, otherworldly chorus that shifted erratically in tone and pitch.

“How Beautiful… howHowhOwhoWW…… BEauUtifuL…

Each distorted word sent an icy shiver cascading down his spine. His skin crawled as the voice stretched and twisted, each syllable unnaturally drawn out, like a dark melody wrapping itself around his senses.

“What the hell…

Nier Said, in horror.

“… Shit… Why won’t this thing cut off…

The static grew worse, an undercurrent of crackling tension that seemed to wrap around his chest, as it continued to speak.

“…fInaLy…

“… a sUitable host…

The voice said, getting more and more distorted as time went on.

The hairs on Nier’s neck stood on end. He jabbed at the radio controls, trying to turn the thing off, but it refused to respond. The buttons clicked under his fingertips, but nothing happened.

The voices swelled, becoming a guttural growl.

“…T+@1&t3&…gLorY t0 t73 #&3$#+…

His heart pounded as the twisted voice filled the car, each word dripping with malevolence. His trembling hand flew to the dashboard, smacking it in frustration, but the voices only grew louder, more intense. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and the oppressive weight in the air made it harder to breathe. He wanted to scream, to tear the radio from the car, but he couldn’t move, as if some unseen force had frozen him in place.

“This reeks of Flux…shit!!”

“FUCKED… Don’t tell me it is an immaterial variant; if so I am so fuck…

Nier muttered to himself, dread lacing his voice as the situation spiraled into the unthinkable.

“Immaterial variants…”

He whispered, barely able to believe his own words. These were Fluxes beyond comprehension, beings of pure intangibility, untouchable, and immune to physical harm.

His voice cracked under the weight of the revelation, his mind racing in chaotic loops. He struggled to focus, his wide eyes flickering between the road and the growing unease gnawing at him. But reality itself seemed to slip further away.

Then, he saw it.

In the distance, illuminated faintly by the moonlight, a figure floated, a form that straddled the boundary between human and monstrosity.

Her upper body was voluptuously feminine, exaggerated to an obscene degree, almost as if designed to seduce and terrify in equal measure. Her chest, while seemingly human at first glance, harbored a nightmarish detail: instead of nipples, two grotesque mouths stretched wide, lined with sharp, jagged teeth that gnashed hungrily. Black, viscous liquid oozed from between their lips, dripping like venom onto the ground below. Her pale, almost translucent skin emitted a faint, eerie glow, and just beneath its surface, veins pulsed with a sickly, otherworldly red light.

Her face was a distorted amalgamation of beauty and horror, a twisted visage that defied comprehension. She had no eyes, only deep, hollow voids where they should have been, black holes that seemed to drink in the light around her. Her lips, in stark contrast, were unnaturally full and wide, curling into a grin so impossibly stretched it seemed to split her face. That grin radiated a maddening glee as if she were delighted by her own monstrous existence. A long, serpentine tongue flicked out from between those grotesque lips, tasting the air with a predatory intent, as though she were searching for prey.

Below her waist, the semblance of humanity dissolved into pure chaos. Her lower half was an amalgamation of monstrous forms, a chimera of horrors stitched together with no logic or order. Horns jutted out at odd angles, feathers bristled alongside exposed bones, and razor-sharp tongues slithered out of fleshy maws. Other indescribable organs, both organic and otherworldly, pulsated and writhed within the mass. The entirety of her lower body was a roiling blob of madness, constantly shifting and mutating as though rejecting the very concept of stability or form.

However, the most disturbing feature was her unsettling, glitch-like quality. Her form flickered and stuttered as though she were some kind of living error, an aberration in the fabric of reality itself. It was as if she were not entirely anchored to this plane, a sentient fragment of corrupted data imposing itself upon the physical world.

Nier stared at her, his eyes wide with a mixture of shock and unrelenting fear. His breath hitched, and his mind struggled to comprehend the impossible sight before him.

But he was soon knocked out of his shock when the radio began speaking again.

“fInaL-L-lll-Y….

The distorted voice from the radio slithered back into his consciousness.

“… L0¥~π… √oUUUyywjw….

“Dear God…

Nier said.

His voice did not shout, but the horror in it was clear.

“Why me?!”

He said, his hand shaking slightly on the steering wheel.

Panic seized him… He gripped the steering wheel with desperate force, his knuckles aching, but his limbs refused to respond. The creature’s eyeless gaze seemed to bore into his very soul, rooting him to the spot.

As it floated their head twisted as if observing with content grace.

At this rate, he was definitely going to crash into it.

“Move! Move, damn it!”

With a surge of adrenaline, Nier finally jerked the steering wheel to the right, his mind screaming for escape. The tires screeched against the pavement, and the car lurched violently to the side, veering off the road.

The world tilted as the vehicle careened down the embankment, spinning out of control. Rocks and dirt flew up around him, and the night filled with the screeching of metal as the car tumbled end over end.

Aghgraaaaa!!…

Nier was thrown around inside the cabin, his body slamming against the seatbelt as the car flipped through the darkness. His vision blurred, each crash against the earth a bone-jarring impact that sent shockwaves through him. The world spun violently, and then…

Silence.