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Chapter 4: The Bloom of Chains and Blood
> When love becomes corrupted, even the smallest change can twist everything.
And he... was that change.
Chains and a mysterious void. Graves built for forgotten friends.
The birthplace of it all... a place no one remembers.
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In a city once peaceful, someone was suddenly thrown through a wall.
—"What the hell?!"
The police, caught off guard, raised their guns—
Only to be lifted into the air by roots.
Their Souls were drained instantly.
—"Damn it..."
The man who had been thrown tried to escape.
But a vine snared his leg.
—"Haha... fear and flight, is that all you have?"
The figure stood there, his red eyes gleaming.
His body was wrapped in thorns like armor,
a living shield against any normal attack.
—"I don't understand... Why did you change? Why are you killing innocent people?!"
The man dangled upside down, his voice trembling in anger and fear.
But the monster before him didn't care.
Crack.
His neck snapped, and his body faded into dust.
Only those with "marks" could vanish like that—to be reborn.
The rest lay dead on the streets, unrecoverable.
Their souls devoured by the Box, now only remembered as monsters.
Screams of terror erupted.
A disaster was unfolding.
The military arrived…
Only to collapse, drained of all life instantly.
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But is death all there is?
From the shadows came a strange hero—
one whose DNA had been altered.
His body covered in glitching, corrupted armor—
a walking virus.
He charged forward, punching the plant-like monster with full force.
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Let's call this plant-being... Flower?
It fits. But somehow, feels wrong.
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Flower stared at the new arrival.
—"Who are you?"
No answer. Only a punch.
Flower was flung backwards, but roots kept him grounded.
Yet blow after blow landed.
The hero grabbed Flower by the neck—
But instead of another crack, he staggered back,
clutching his face.
It was Flower's last weapon: a chronic toxin—
one that blinds and weakens anyone it touches.
—"I like this..." Flower whispered, smiling.
Roots burst from the ground, tearing apart the armored figure.
Despite the suit, he was still human underneath.
His soul was torn away and crushed.
But the people had time to flee.
Flower, burning with rage, sank beneath the earth.
There, he absorbed the souls he had collected.
The storm was far from over.
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