Kara heard everything. The sound of a Ghoul’s claws sinking into soft flesh, the knife cutting through rot and bone, and how the furniture broke under the weight of a fallen body, splitting in half. The vibrations in the air painted a picture in black and white. She still couldn’t see facial features or color, but it was hundreds of times better than reading the flow of Kinetic Mana.

Three dark spheres moved as if they were an extension of her. Notes, that was her power's name. Time moved senselessly for her as she played the piano. Instead of simply creating music the sounds her piano made allowed her to control her Notes.

They did more than simply observing. Each one of her Notes held power in them. Sometimes she used it to attack the Ghouls, driving them mad, but she found more joy in using it on the humans. She began to peer inside their Souls with her Notes, seeing their memories. Understanding their true essence. To them she gave a unique boon. Those who were unworthy broke.

Kara was searching for someone. She had the capacity to grant much more power, but she needed someone sturdy to handle it. It wasn't something she could freely give. There was the option to spread her power among many people, but that was not something she desired.

She began to worry. She couldn’t find anything concrete to place her weight upon. With each death her powers grew, adding to her voice, but her control lessened. It lashed out in hunger, trying to find a suitable host she could provide power to. Gentleness was never Kara’s strong suit. Ever Soul she found faltered under her weight.

Some did slip through her. One clever soul hid from her, dodging her net. She could not touch that one, and neither did she want to; it was an old, rotten piece that would not bear the strength of her Song. Another was strong yet devoid of any character. No desire or emotion was in her. Just a mindless killer, killing one Ghoul after the other for no ultimate purpose.

Still she searched for a suitable host, leaping from one disappointment to another.

At first, she chose the head chef of this very cafe. He was Kara's first successful recipient. The name of the buff that was granted to him was called Life Seeker. Each successful attack regained 5% of his HP, STM, and mana. Each kill increased his Strength by 2%. Flames began oozing out of his body, enchanting his cleaver. The chef was an amateur in thermal manipulation, and was not aware how to use the flames to his advantage, but it made for quite the spectacle.

Pride was the theme of his Song. He only grew when he had evidence of his feats. Conversely, mistakes would be harshly punished. Each missed strike took 5% of his HP. It was meant to be an enjoyable chase of life and death, but the fear of missing made the chef passive. He only struck when he knew with certainty he would succeed.

He was a disappointment. He did not have anything special within, neither in his fighting style nor in his character. All Kara saw inside was a man who desired power for power's sake—he had no loved one to avenge, no dream that he sought to achieve. He did not resist, could not resist. He was no different than the mindless girl before him.

Then, as if answering her calls, another prey wandered into her net. He dodged the chef’s strike and was the herald of a wave of Ghouls that fed her.

He was the one. What he lacked in power he made in character. She abandoned the chef then, and hunted for him.

A Dancer. A part of her knew what he was, but she couldn’t put words to it. The child simply felt right, as if the Notes had an affinity for him. Even without Kara’s control they naturally edged closer to him. His emotion, his bloodlust, his anger, it was almost palpable to Kara's senses.

Her Notes tried to wrap around him, offering power, but he refused. Her Notes were considered a Soul Attack, and he was able to defend against her using his Soul Defense.

So she struck again and again until she broke his Soul Defense. He wasn’t just stubborn—he was a fool. Defending against a Soul Attack much stronger than the Soul risked the Soul's destruction.

Kara stopped moments before her Notes killed him. It was control she wanted, not destruction. Was she really going to kill him just for rejecting her powers?

That left a sour feeling in her chest. This was not acceptable behavior.

Kara changed her method. If she cannot get him to open the gates for her, then she’ll just have to sneak in. Soul Defense can’t be used if the person is unaware of the attack. Slowly, her Notes reached deep inside of him, unnoticed, coiling their invisible strings around his heart.

The Notes reverberated within his body, allowing her to read his memories and emotions. Before she could grant a powerful boon, Kara needed to comprehend the person, but all she found was guilt, bitterness, and her old friend, wrath, budding inside his heart. She saw a glimpse of him holding on to a woman in his arm. Half of her body was gone, yet she still breathed.

That wasn’t enough—she needed to know why. Did he cause her death? Was that why the guilt was there? She went a bit deeper. He was vigilant, almost paranoid. Compared to everyone else, his Soul was… different.

It wasn’t enough. She needed more. Her coils grasped just slight degree firmer, for barely a fraction of a second. It was a tiny difference, but at that moment a wave of grief washed over Kara.

Ah, how sad and familiar. Kara pitied the boy. Almost felt sad for him. It made Kara lose her focus.

He kicked her out and hurled himself away, running away like a madman whimpering, tumbling and crawling ungracefully. He ran straight into the midst of combat, where her Notes had difficulty reaching in. The chaos mangled everyone together, causing too much noise.

Kara did not follow. She pulled her hands from the piano, letting them rest on her lap.

The things she felt inside him, it reminded her too much of what she had felt when Shinkro killed her. The guilt, the helplessness, the anger.

The desire for vengeance.