Dace groaned as his eyes fluttered. The movement, despite being minute, made his head swim and throb. 

Ugh, I must have overindulged last night, he thought as he squinted, willing his eyes to adjust to the light but to no avail. He recalled making his way back to his room just fine after dinner with the gang. But his quarters had never been this bright, had it? Pressing his fingers to his temples, he sat up on his bed with his eyes still closed.

The air smelled different—a hint of green mixed with wood that reminded him of the forests outside of Atros. That is, before ExA had gone and destroyed it. The aroma helped settle his dizziness a little, and he finally managed to crack his eyes half open to find himself assaulted by an explosion of orange. He squeezed his eyes shut. “I must be seeing things…” he muttered. The only orange anyone could find in his room was his ginger hair. Everything else was either navy or black. But when he opened his eyes again, the scene in front of him remained as offensive. A swirl-patterned orange carpet. An orange jacket draped over a chair. A wooden desk with orange-coloured paraphernalia scattered all over it. Gosh. No wonder his eyes hurt. He looked down. Orange clothes and orange bedsheets.

Where am I? Adrenaline pumped through his body and his senses sharpened in a panic. He stood up as his question echoed in his head. It sounded odd, as if it was someone else’s voice. But now was not the time to overthink the voices in his head. Did I get locked up again? Why would I be wearing this prison uniform otherwise? Someone must have kidnapped me in my sleep. The wide window, with its (you guessed it) orange curtains pulled open, letting in copious amounts of sunlight was a dead giveaway that he wasn’t at PEER any longer. But which Sector in Atros was he in? And why had his captors put him in a room like this? It was nothing like the spartan cell that he had been in before. Even the buildings outside looked unfamiliar, though he could tell he was definitely in a high-rise structure. He walked to the door. Could it be unlocked? Was this a trap?

Why can’t I control my movements? said the voice in his head.

Dace halted.

Where am I? And who are you?

“Um…your alter ego?” he mumbled. “Must be going crazy.” Maybe his kidnappers were Ifarls who had enchanted him into having a split personality. Regardless. His priority right now was getting out of here. He unlatched the door and twisted the doorknob, his eyes widening when he found that he could open it easily. The door led to an empty corridor and a host of questions that he had no answers to. After some hesitation, he closed and locked the door again. If he went out now, he might be walking into a trap. Perhaps staying in the room and getting his bearings first would be the smarter thing to do.

Stalking to the wardrobe, he opened it and came face to face with a mirror. The orange prison uniform looked different from what he remembered, but it still clashed terribly with his hair. That’s when he heard a gasp in his head.

Who are you and why am I stuck in your body? I gave my soul to Rumi.

The voice was really too distinctive to be clocked as one of those other random voices in his head. Plus, what soul and roomie who? He decided to ignore it as he searched for something less attention-grabbing to change into for his impending prison break. He pulled out a grey tee and a pair of jeans. What sort of kidnapper would provide a whole closet of clothes for their hostage? Was this some kind of twisted new game? He must really be losing his mind.

No, you’re not.

“All right, cool,” Dace muttered. If the voice in his head did not belong to him, there would only be one explanation. “Definitely a hybrid now.” He thought back to when Keix had been fused with a spirit and the cold rage that had shot out of her eyes and overtaken her. Why did he feel not the same way now? “What’s your name, Ghost? And where’s Zej and the rest? Are they in this building too? Man, I thought Iv’t sealed the portal for good. The dust had barely settled and now I’m facing another battle to save the world again? Give me a break.”

What do you mean, ghost? I’m a demon. Wait, I’m just a soul now. And who’s Zej? Who are you?

“You’ve asked that question three times now, Demon Soul Voice In My Head. Why don’t you tell me something more useful so I can kick you out of my body and we can move on to lead our own separate lives?” Dace looked around to see if anything could be used as a weapon, and his eyes landed on a bat leaning against the wall.

A beat passed before the voice said, If I give you the information you need, will you help me get to someone?

“That’s pretty bold of you, Demon, trying to strike a bargain with me when you’re nothing but a parasite living rent free in my head capable of nothing but irritating me!” Dace picked up the bat and zeroed in on a screen in the room. He searched for a controller to switch it on. There’s bound to be something on the news—unless his kidnappers had cut off the stream.

All right, stop calling me Demon. I have a name. I’m Jinu. And you’re in Seoul.

“What do you mean, I’m a soul? I’m not a soul because I’m not dead! Not as far as I recall, anyway.”

Seoul! Capital of South Korea. Ring a bell yet?

“Nope. How far is it away from Atros?” Dace was getting a headache now.

What’s Atros?

“Where I come from. Duh.”

In my four hundred years on this Earth and the demon realm, I had never heard of a place called Atros.

The pounding in Dace’s head intensified. He couldn’t find any explanation for the fact that he was conversing with a voice in his head which claimed: one, it was a four-hundred-year-old demon-turned-soul; two, there was such a thing as a “demon realm”, and three, Atros is not a place, or even a thing, and that everything around him looked so familiar yet felt so foreign—except to accept his mind was long and truly gone. Even what the people appearing on the screen was speaking in tongues, not matter which channel he switched to.

Wait! Stop there!

Jinu’s shout made Dace’s finger pause, hovering above the controller button. And he finally managed to make out what the person onscreen was saying. “—global K-pop sensation Huntrix’s comeback is scheduled for next week. And even though they haven’t dropped any teasers…”

Rumi…

“Roomie?” What roomie was Jinu talking about? It sure looked like this unlocked cell housed only one prisoner.

Rumi! R-U-M-I! She’s the one we have to find if you want me out of your head!

Ah, it’s a person’s name. What a strange name. Just like Jinu. “Which one is Rumi again?” Dace looked at the photo of the three young women in bedazzled costumes pulled up at the top right corner of the screen.

The one in the centre!

“With the purple hair? How about the one with black hair? She’s cuter.”

That’s Zoey. And before you say anything else, no. You’re not her type.

“What do you mean? I’m everyone’s type!”

Ugh. Don’t say that ever again. That’s not your line.

Dace didn’t understand the disgust in Jinu’s voice.

“—nothing standing Huntrix’s way now that the Saja Boys have disappeared,” the presenter continued, as the photo on screen was replaced by one with five young men. “It’s been two months since Huntrix took over the stage from them at the Seoul Olympic Stadium. There are plenty of speculation and conspiracy theories…”

I’ve been gone for two months…

“Huh? You mean you’re one of them? Which one are you?” Dace moved closer to the screen to get a better look at the photo. “This one?” He pointed to the man in the floral shirt.

No, that’s Abby. I’m the one with black hair.

“Oh. Well, black hair certainly doesn’t work on everyone. Or it could be the face…”

When Jinu remained silent at his jibe, Dace decided to change tack. “So, how do we find Rumi? Is she wanted—that’s why she’s on the news? And what is a K-pop, anyway? Is it a codeword here in this soul realm for criminals?”

Jinu’s reply wasn’t immediate, but when he spoke, there was a newfound arrogance in his tone. You’re not from around here, are you?

“Do you have short-term memory, or something? I already told you I’m not. Stop wasting time going around in circles. Figuratively, I mean.”

No, I mean you’re not from this universe, are you?

Dace sucked in a deep breath. He could find his way back to Atros on his own now, or he could first check out this potential shortcut that Jinu was offering him in the form of Rumi. Besides, he wanted Jinu out of his head. “If you’re trying to psych me out,” he said evenly, “it’s not going to work. I’m the one in charge of this body, remember? You have no bargaining power.”

Jinu’s laugh sent chills down Dace’s back as he said, Oh, you’re wrong. I have all the bargaining power now. Because this is my world, and you’re just an accidental visitor here.