Venom — Nika

Laki whispered to the Venom, “You wanted to free me. But you can’t free anyone by stealing their choice to cry. Joy isn’t forced. It’s shared.”

Laki saw his father’s execution. His mother’s tears. His sister sold into slavery. The Venom fed on it, growing blacker, heavier, losing the gold sheen. The Nika Venom was becoming just —a pure, raging parasite. The Turning Point: A Shared Laugh Just as Laki was about to consume his own allies in a wave of maddening laughter, a little girl from his village—blind and unafraid—walked up to the towering, nightmare-clown creature and asked, “Laki? Are you sad again? Do you need a hug?” nika venom

And late at night, when Laki is alone, he feels the Venom pulse against his heart. It whispers one thing: “What shall we break tomorrow, partner? And what shall we make them laugh at instead?” Laki grins—truly, freely—and answers: “Everything.” Laki whispered to the Venom, “You wanted to free me