He walked through neighborhoods he didn’t recognize, past convenience stores that looked over-inflated with some prices looking absolutely insane, and eventually…

  …he stumbled into a forest.

  At first, it was just a normal path—thin dirt trail, overgrown weeds, with some birds flying overhead. But the deeper Kaizo walked, the less it felt like a city park and more like something out of a survival story.

  The trees grew thicker, the temperature dropped slightly and the shadows lengthened.

  And then he saw it.

  Buried behind a collapsed fence, hidden beneath vines and years of neglect, was a building.

  A cracked sign hung loosely on rusted hooks.

  CHRONO LABS — the letters faded, but still legible if you tilted your head.

  Kaizo (to the audience): “…Well, this isn’t suspicious at all. (slight pause) Am I still supposed to be here?”

  He stared at the abandoned facility for a moment.

  Kaizo (mockenly): “But if I don’t go in… the plot doesn’t move.”

  He walked forward.

  The interior was worse. Broken tiles, shattered glass, a faint chemical smell lingering in the air like a public bathroom. Light filtered in through cracked windows and collapsed ceilings, painting the ruined halls in eerie streaks of orange and green.

  Kaizo: “Yep, totally normal after-school activity.”

  He explored room after room—dusty control panels, broken lab equipment, and scribbled notes. Most were about genetic testing… something about hybrid lifeforms, cellular syncing, animal DNA...

  He kept walking. Something… pulled at him, like all his senses were screaming at him to look out..

  Kaizo (breathing slightly increasing): “It’s been a while since I’ve felt like this…”

  Then, it happened.

  [SQUELCH]

  Kaizo stepped on something that was sticky, warm and… moving!?!

  He looked down.

  Kaizo: “…Fantastic.”

  The black ooze—viscous and writhing—latched onto his shoe, then slithered up his leg.

  Kaizo (calmly): “Yep, definitely not ideal.”

  It moved fast—up his thigh, across his torso—and before he could even scream, it was over his mouth, and it covered his head.

  Kazio’s vision went black and he collapsed on the floor.

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  When Kaizo awoke, he wasn’t in the lab anymore.

  He was floating. Or falling. Or maybe just existing—in a dark, silent void.

  In front of him… was the gloop.

  It pulsed and shimmered like oil, slowly rising into a vaguely humanoid shape before—surprisingly—collapsing back down and reforming…

  …into a cat.

  A black cat with glowing, bioluminescent eyes.

  Bio Core (awkward, raspy): “…Hey, Kaizo.”

  Kaizo (stares… then slowly glances at the audience): [“…Wow, it even knows my name…”]

  He looked back at the strange feline creature.

  Kaizo: “…Hey.”

  Bio Core (sitting upright): “First things first, this is probably not the best way to start this off but you and I… we’re bonded now. I, uh—if you die, I die. If I die… you’ll probably be fine, honestly.”

  Kaizo (raising an eyebrow): “Wow. That’s very comforting.”

  Bio Core: “I was… a research subject here. I think I started as a house cat. Then they tried to splice me into… everything. Animal DNA. Regeneration models. Evolutionary threads. I could shift, adapt… eventually, I wasn’t really a cat anymore. They called me a “bio-core”, or whatever that means.”

  Kaizo (thinking): “Damn, straight into the backstory as well? When do I catch a break?”

  Its voice faltered, revealing some regret and sadness.

  Bio Core: “…I’ve been alone for a long time. Some animals would crawl in here from time to time and I would attempt to “attach to them" but I didn’t have much luck. No suitable hosts. No one that could sync with me properly. I could tell that I was getting close… to disappearing. And then you showed up.”

  Kaizo crossed his arms, pacing in the mindscape.

  Kaizo: “You mentioned a host, and you're a Bio-Core? Aren't you basically a symbiote, like Venom?”

  Bio Core (confused): “Uh… What? I don’t believe I’m venomous or anything, what do you mean?”

  Kaizo: “No it’s…. just continue.”

  Bio Core: “…Anyway. I don’t remember everything. It’s been a few years. Decades maybe? Most of it’s… gone. But I remember wanting to survive. I want to experience and learn what’s out there, ya know.”

  There was a silence between them.

  Bio Core: “…So. Will you accept me?”

  Kaizo (to the audience): “…C’mon. What do you think I’m gonna say? If I refuse, the story ends right here and we all go home.”

  Kaizo (to Bio Core): “Yeah. I’m in.”

  Bio Core (surprised): “Really? That’s it?”

  Kaizo nodded slowly.

  Bio Core (excited): “Well, alright then!”

  Suddenly, the black space shattered like glass, and Kaizo’s eyes flew open.

  He sat up in the lab’s hallway, with his heart pounding and body aching. The goo was… gone. No—within. He could feel it, somewhere beneath his skin. It felt really oily though.

  Bio Core (in his head): “You’ll feel weird for a few hours. Maybe some mild existentialism. I’m still trying to get used to your body and vice-versa. Don’t fight it.”

  Kaizo stood slowly and looked around.

  Kaizo: “…Well, that happened.”

  As he exited the ruined facility, the evening air hit his face like a wave of clarity.

  The city lights glittered in the distance. Life moved on, like always. But something inside him had changed… permanent.

  Kaizo: “Alright… I guess I need to call you something.”

  There was a long pause of silence till Kaizo finally spoke again.

  Kaizo: “…How about Infinity?”

  Bio Core (bright, pleased): “Ooh. I like that.”

  Kaizo smirked, hands in his pockets, walking back toward the streetlight-lined road.

  Kaizo (to audience): “Yep. Maybe I’ll become a monster, guys. This story looks great so far.”