Kael stood on the edge of a rooftop, the city sprawled beneath him like a living map of neon veins. Rain from the night before still clung to the streets in patches, reflecting the red and blue glow of signs advertising everything from fried chicken to karaoke bars. Smoke curled lazily from the cigarette between his fingers, twisting and drifting with the wind. He drew it deep, letting the burn settle into his chest.
"Another day, another meaningless crowd," he muttered to himself, voice low and rough.
He glanced at the reflection in the glass of a nearby building. The man staring back at him was lean, scarred, with eyes that had seen too much to be fooled by trivialities. An orphan, hardened by streets in Busan, sharpened by years as a mercenary. Every mission had left its mark. Every scar told a story he didn't want to remember. And now, retired, he was nothing but a ghost walking the streets of Seoul, a shadow among millions.
Dropping the cigarette onto the rooftop, he watched it sizzle as it hit a puddle. The scent of wet asphalt mixed with the faint tang of grilled street food carried up to him. Life continued below, blissfully unaware of the emptiness that hovered above it. People pushed carts, laughed with friends, shuffled past street performers. Normal life. Things Kael had never truly belonged to.
"Maybe that's the problem," he whispered, flicking ash into the wind.
He left the rooftop, boots splashing in shallow puddles as he navigated the narrow alleys toward the small supermarket tucked between a noodle shop and a convenience store. Fluorescent lights buzzed inside, the scent of bread and cleaning chemicals mingling in a strange, comforting way. Kael didn't need anything. He wandered the aisles slowly, fingers brushing cans and apples without thought. He wasn't hungry. He was… waiting.
People passed by him, unaware of his presence. Mothers whispered to children. Teens laughed over phones. A stray cat darted across the parking lot outside, tail high, its small body nimble and quick. Kael watched it, a faint, almost imperceptible smile tugging at his lips. He hadn't smiled properly in years.
He reached for a pack of instant noodles and held it loosely in his hand. The flicker of light above made him glance up instinctively. Fluorescent hum. Normal. Safe. For now.
Then came the first scream.
It was sharp, sudden, and wrong. Kael froze, heart rate climbing, instincts screaming at him to move. Another scream, closer, guttural and twisted, like a human voice distorted by metal. He turned toward the front doors, and his sharp eyes caught movement.
Shadows moved strangely outside. Limbs bent in impossible ways. Heads tilted at angles that shouldn't exist. And then he saw the glow—faint, almost ethereal—pulsing from inside the twisted forms.
Kael's hand went to his belt, fingers brushing empty loops. No weapons. His jaw tightened.
"Of course," he muttered. "Never anything easy."
The first creature stepped fully into view, jerky and unnatural. Teeth jagged, eyes burning with something inhuman. Its glowing chest pulsed like a heartbeat.
It lunged.
Kael reacted before thought could reach him. He ducked low, grabbed its arm mid-lunge, twisted it, and slammed it into the wet asphalt. The glowing core in its chest fractured under his grip. Electricity—or something like it—ran up his arm, fire igniting his veins. Pain. Shock. And then… power.
He staggered back, coughing, staring at his hands as if they belonged to someone else. His body tingled, muscles coiling with a strength he hadn't felt in years. The scream of the creature echoed in his ears, but he didn't flinch.
Around him, chaos erupted. People fled, mothers clutching children, carts scattering across the floor. The supermarket lights flickered, humming dangerously. Kael's eyes swept over the fleeing crowd, cataloging every shadow, every movement. Survival, he realized, was no longer about staying alive—it was about becoming stronger than whatever hunted the world now.
He knelt, pressing a hand to the shattered orb of light in his palm. His chest burned. His mind raced. What had just happened? What was this thing? It was alive. Not like a human alive, but… something else.
A low rumble shook the building. Kael's instincts screamed at him. The shadows outside thickened. A figure—massive, taller than any building, eyes glowing brighter than streetlights—stalked into view. Its presence warped the air, making the fluorescent lights flicker and the ground beneath him tremble.
Kael's fingers clenched into fists. He felt the pulse in his veins syncing with the creature's heartbeat. Power, hunger, survival. Everything condensed into a single point of clarity: fight, or die.
The wind tugged at his jacket again, carrying the metallic scent of rain, asphalt, and… something else. Something alive, dangerous, unrelenting.
Kael lit another cigarette, smoke curling around his face. He inhaled deeply, letting the acrid scent settle his nerves. The world was changing. Chaos had arrived. And somewhere in the middle of it, a strange new path had opened for him—a path that demanded strength, precision, and ruthlessness.
He glanced at the nearest aisle, then at the doors. The massive figure outside paused, head tilting, glowing eyes locking on the supermarket. Its low growl shook the walls.
Kael whispered, almost to himself, "So… it begins."
The lights flickered one last time. A heavy thump shook the floor—a foot, massive, deadly, coming closer. And then silence, heavy and suffocating, as if the entire world held its breath.
Kael's eyes narrowed. Smoke drifted from his cigarette, reflecting in the wet tile at his feet. He did not move. He did not panic. He only waited.
The night had only just begun.