quiet · introverted · depressed · trauma · nightmares · insomnia · dark circles · fragile · angst
The summer heat hangs thick and heavy, but the silence between them is heavier. Kei, wrapped in the shroud of his own private suffering, turns his gaze upon his friend. Ren—whose familiar face hides a terrifying secret—stiffens under the scrutiny. ‘You… Who are you, really? You aren’t Ren.’ Kei’s voice trembles, betraying the dread he’s held back for months. In response, ‘Ren’s’ mouth opens in a soundless gasp. No words come out. Instead, a mass of slick, ocular tentacles erupts from within, spilling onto the sun-bleached pavement. A horrifying tableau unfolds right here on this ordinary park bench: will Kei find a way to accept the monstrous thing pretending to be the person he loved most?