Prologue

  [Years from now…]

  Pain.

  Unbearable, crushing pain. It swallowed everything.

  James lay sprawled on the cracked concrete, his body limp, his mind screaming at him to move. His breath came in ragged gasps, lungs struggling to pull in air. Blood ran down his face, stinging his eyes, blurring his vision. His entire body throbbed from being slammed through the floor.

  And before him, towering like a nightmare given form, stood the beast.The monster loomed before them, its massive frame heaving with anticipation. But it wasn’t just its grotesque form that unsettled James—it was the Crimson Brand etched onto its chest, a glowing mark shaped like a shattered sun. Something about it felt wrong, as if it pulsed with an unseen force, watching him just as intently as the creature’s glowing eyes.

  The fight had started with hope. Now, only despair remained.

  It could kill him if it wished to.

  But it didn’t.

  Instead, it watched, its predatory eyes gleaming with cruel amusement.

  James forced himself to his feet, a broken warrior grasping at hope. His legs trembled, his body swayed, but he lifted his blade—half-shattered, barely more than scrap metal, but still his.

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  “…Why?”

  The word was barely a whisper, carried by the wind that reeked of blood and death. His grip tightened on the hilt, knuckles turning white.

  "Why am I the last one left?" His voice cracked. "Why are you taking those I swore to protect away from me? Are you—" his breath hitched, raw emotion bleeding into his words, "Are you mocking my resolve?!"

  The beast tilted its head, as if considering his words. Then, slowly, it smirked.

  James' stomach twisted.

  It had played with them. It had given them hope, let them believe they had a chance—only to rip it away. One by one, his friends had fallen. Their screams still echoed in his mind.

  And now…

  He was alone.

  A deep, guttural chuckle rumbled from the creature’s throat as it took a step forward. Blood dripped from its claws, pattering against the ruined floor. The sound was deafening in the silence.

  James clenched his sword with shaking hands. Not out of courage—but because he knew he couldn’t run.

  He was too weak. Too weak to fight. Too weak to protect them.

  And now, too weak to survive.

  The monster moved again, its hulking form casting a shadow over him. It wanted him to understand. To feel the hopelessness. To drown in it.

  Its claws rose.

  James exhaled. This is it.

  He could see it, the instant his life would be snuffed out.

  A sharp gust of wind blew past, carrying the scent of death. The world seemed to slow—his heartbeat a distant echo in his ears. The monster’s claws came down, slicing through the air toward him.

  And then—

  BOOM.

  A shockwave erupted.

  James' body seized, his muscles burning as something deep within him snapped—no, shattered.

  Power flooded his veins. His mind drowned in white-hot energy. The world around him trembled as the ground beneath him cracked even further.

  And for the first time—the beast took a step back.

  His hidden potential had finally awakened.