The first thing I felt was cold.
The second was pain.
And the third... was the smell.
It was the smell of blood, thick and heavy, like rust and rot. I could taste it in the air. My chest rose and fell, but every breath hurt. Slowly, I opened my eyes.
Dark.
I was surrounded by shadows. Something wet and soft pressed against my back. My hands moved weakly, brushing against skin—cold skin. My fingers slid over open wounds and stiff limbs.
Bodies.
I was lying on a pile of corpses.
I froze, trying to understand. All around me were the dead—twisted faces, broken arms, skin gray and lifeless. Some had horns. Others had scales or claws. Some looked human. Others didn't. I sat up slowly, every bone in my body aching.
That's when the voice came.
System initializing…
Eclipse Core detected.
Integration complete.
The words echoed in my head, calm and strange. I didn't know where they came from, but I felt something inside me shift. My heart beat faster. My vision became clearer. I could feel energy flowing through my veins.
I looked down at my hands.
They were... different.
My fingers were longer. My skin was pale gray with black marks like burn scars running up my arms. My nails were sharp. I reached up and touched my face. My ears were pointed, and two small horns curved out from my forehead.
What... am I?
The last thing I remembered was the accident. A bus crash. Metal tearing, screams, pain. Then nothing.
And now… this.
I stood up slowly, bones cracking. I was naked and covered in blood, but none of it was mine. I looked around.
I was in a pit. A deep, round hole surrounded by tall stone walls. The corpses filled it like trash. Dozens. Maybe hundreds. All dumped here like they didn't matter.
Then I heard voices.
"Check the pit. Make sure they're all dead."
Footsteps echoed above me. I crouched behind a large corpse and peeked upward.
Two soldiers stood at the edge, wearing silver armor with a glowing sun emblem. One of them carried a long spear. The other held a glowing crystal in his hand.
"The Inquisitors said one of them resisted the holy flames," one said.
"That's impossible," the other replied. "No cursed thing survives judgment."
"Still. The body glowed. That's not normal."
The man with the crystal climbed down into the pit. He landed just a few steps away from me.
I didn't move.
His boots crunched on bones as he walked, checking faces. Then he stopped.
"This one… he's still warm…"
He reached out to touch me.
I grabbed his arm.
He screamed as I pulled him down. I twisted his wrist and slammed him into the ground with all my strength. Bones cracked. He stopped moving.
"What was that?!"
The second soldier looked down, eyes wide.
I stood up fully, letting the body drop.
Naked. Bloody. Alive.
And angry.
"You… you're one of them!" the soldier shouted. "Cursed filth!"
He raised his spear and jumped down to attack.
But I moved faster.
I dashed forward and punched him in the chest. My fist hit harder than I expected. His armor shattered. He flew backward, crashing into the wall with a sickening sound.
System message:
Skill unlocked – Ash Sovereign's Body
Physical damage reduced. Enhanced strength active.
I stared at my own hand. It didn't hurt. It felt… powerful. Like it wasn't even human anymore.
Another message appeared.
Skill unlocked – Sin Authority: Wrath
You may release destructive fire when anger rises.
I turned as another man in armor appeared at the top of the pit. He aimed a bow at me.
He fired.
I didn't move. The shadows around me twisted and rose like smoke. They caught the arrow mid-air and crushed it.
System message:
Shadow Reaction: Active
The man froze.
"No... no, stay back!"
I raised my hand.
"Wrath."
A burst of red and black fire exploded from my palm. It roared through the air and slammed into the archer. He burned so fast he didn't even scream. Just ash.
Silence fell.
I looked around the pit. All the soldiers were dead. I stood there, alone, surrounded by corpses.
Breathing.
Alive.
But definitely not human.
My hands shook.
What am I?
Another voice answered.
System update…
Demon Core: Integrated.
Divine Spark: Detected. Processing...
I didn't know what that meant. But I felt it—two powers deep inside me. One hot and angry. One calm and heavy, like distant thunder. Both were mine now.
I climbed out of the pit.
The fortress around me was in ruins. Broken walls. Cracked statues. Rusted weapons. A red sun hung low in the sky, turning everything blood-colored.
There were no birds. No wind. Just silence.
I looked back into the pit.
Hundreds of bodies. Dead for days or weeks. Some looked human. Others didn't. All cursed. All abandoned.
Like me.
A memory returned. The voice of the soldier.
"The Inquisitors didn't know what you were. Not demon. Not human. So they threw you here. To rot."
I clenched my fists.
If this world hated me for being different...
Then I'd give it a reason to fear me.
Footsteps echoed behind me.
I turned.
A young girl stood near the ruins. She looked around sixteen. Her skin was tan, her eyes golden. Two short ears twitched on her head—beastkin. She wore torn clothes and had chains around her wrists.
She stared at me in shock.
"You… came from the pit?" she whispered.
I didn't speak.
She took a step back, afraid. Her voice trembled.
"I-I saw the knights throw you in. They said you were a monster. I thought... you'd die like the others."
"I didn't."
She nodded slowly.
"Are you going to kill me too?"
I looked at the chains on her wrists. Her arms were thin, bruised. She wasn't a fighter. Just another prisoner.
"No."
She stared at me for a moment longer, then bowed her head.
"Then I'll follow you."
I blinked.
"Why?"
"Because you lived."
Before I could answer, a sharp noise rang out.
Crack.
The ground beneath us shook.
I turned. Something deep inside the ruins had moved. A rumbling sound echoed from the broken cathedral nearby. Dust fell from the ceiling. The girl screamed and grabbed my arm.
"What was that?!"
System alert:
Cursed Core detected. Proximity too close.
Warning: High-level threat awakening.
From the cathedral ruins, a huge shadow rose.
Tall.
Wide.
Wings spread from its back. Its eyes glowed bright green. Its skin was made of black stone and red lava. It let out a low growl that shook the air.
System message:
Boss-class monster awakened: Infernal Warden
Recommended Action: Run or Die
I stood still, staring at it.
And smiled.
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