The sky was dark with ash. Cinders floated down like black snow, carried by a breeze that smelled of rusted blood and melting plastic. Kai walked in silence, his footsteps slow but firm across the cracked asphalt. Burned-out cars lined the streets like carcasses, and the corpses that littered the sidewalks no longer even twitched.
He was alone again.
The last few hours had been a blur of screams and blood, but the clinic was safe now. Aira had stayed behind to tend to the survivors. Kai needed to scout, to breathe — if only to keep the growing silence inside his mind from consuming him.
[Deadbound Integration: 76.2%]
[Loss of Self: 3.1%]
His claws had receded for now. His skin still burned faintly from the mutation, and the scent of iron clung to him like guilt.
He turned a corner — and stopped.
"Look what we have here," a mocking voice called out.
Kai's eyes flicked up.
Josh.
The man stood atop a burnt-out SUV, arms folded, flanked by two armed survivors in black tactical armor. His smirk was just as punchable as Kai remembered. His voice still carried that same arrogant swagger — but now, there was something different about him.
"Didn't think you'd survive," Josh said, hopping down with the grace of a panther. "But hey — even roaches make it through fire sometimes."
Kai didn't answer. Not yet.
Josh walked closer, boots crunching over broken glass. His right arm gleamed under the flickering light of a distant fire.
It was metal.
Not a crude prosthetic. This was sleek, blackened chrome with glowing red etchings and humming micro-servos. A cybernetic arm — and a high-end one at that.
He flexed the fingers, and the tips clicked into claws.
"Nice, huh?" Josh grinned, shoving the arm inches from Kai's face. "Lost mine to a crawler two nights ago. Screamed like hell. Thought I was done. But Victor... Victor saved me."
He pulled back and punched a nearby streetlamp. The metal pole bent inward like paper.
"Now I'm stronger than I ever was. And that's just a taste of what Victor can do."
Kai's eyes stayed on the arm. Calculating.
Josh saw the silence and scoffed. "Still quiet, huh? Always the brooding loner. That act's old. Listen carefully, Kai — I'm giving you a shot here. Victor is building something. A new order. He's a god now. A real one."
One of the men behind Josh — faceless behind a helmet — nodded. "The Blessed," he said solemnly.
Josh grinned. "He heals people. Enhances them. Grants powers. Some say he's not even human anymore. You've seen the monsters out there — now imagine having someone who can control them."
[System Alert: Rumor Acquired – "The Blessed One"]
[Victor – Status: Unknown Class | Mutation Level: ??? | Blessing Ability: Rumored True]
Josh took a step closer. "You don't have to be a worm your whole life. Join us. Serve Victor. You'll be protected. Elevated. Or you can keep pretending to be a hero and get torn apart out here."
Kai didn't flinch. "And if I say no?"
Josh shrugged. "Then you stay what you've always been — a background character. A trash. But hey, you're useful. You fight okay. So this is me being merciful."
He leaned in.
"Victor's giving people blessings now. Handpicked. You show loyalty, you get rewarded. Enhanced senses. Healing. Maybe even... immunity to the infection."
Kai's breath slowed.
[Deadbound Instinct Triggered – Psychological Suppression Detected]
[Engaging: Pride Resistance Protocol]
[Effect: Emotional Containment Active | Tactical Judgment Boosted]
Inside, a growl built.
He wasn't afraid. But something about the offer — the tone, the arrogance — lit a fire in him.
Josh smirked again and tapped his cybernetic shoulder. "Think about it. You can either be blessed... or broken."
He turned to walk away.
Then stopped.
"Oh — and one more thing. Victor's watching. He remembers everyone. Even you."
He and the others walked off, boots echoing against the broken road.
Kai stood still.
[Loss of Self: 2.7%]
[Anchor Detected: Personal Pride | Emotional Surge Managed]
He looked at his hands. Still human. For now.
But the world was changing. And as always Victor had already started rewriting the rules.
Kai turned and walked in the opposite direction, toward the abandoned church near the city square. If Victor was building something, Kai needed to learn more.
Because no one plays god without bleeding first.
And Kai was starting to believe that in this deadbound world — gods can die too.