Neon City never slept—it breathed. Its heartbeat was a thousand blinking lights, wet asphalt, and the low hum of machines. Kairo Vale knew it well. He had walked those streets every night for years, chasing scraps of ambition, chasing respect. Until tonight.
The rain was heavier than usual, slicing through the yellow haze of streetlamps. He jogged between alleys, hood pulled low, eyes fixed on the glowing briefcase under his arm. Inside was proof—proof that the company that betrayed him had stolen his life's work. The NeuraDyne Emotion Algorithm.
They had called him unstable. Told him his brilliance was dangerous. Fired him without a second thought.
He grinned.
"Let's see if your system can predict this."
Somewhere behind him, a siren wailed. Somewhere in this city, a drone was tracking his every move. He didn't look back.
Two blocks away, a government truck slid into view. Sleek, black, with a low hum like a predator. Its headlights turned him into a silhouette.
A mechanical voice rang out.
"Citizen Kairo Vale. Surrender the property immediately."
He tightened his grip on the briefcase. "Property? It's my mind in there."
The truck moved closer, its engine growling.
"Surrender, or lethal force will be applied."
He chuckled, the sound dry and bitter. Even their threats sound automated.
Kairo tossed the briefcase onto the hood of the truck. Rain made it slide toward the windshield. The logo of NeuraDyne shimmered in the red light.
"Predict this."
The world exploded in a flash of metal and static. Pain burned like liquid fire, then vanished. Silence followed.
There was no tunnel of light, no last thought of regret. Only static.
White noise seeped into his skull, voices whispering in every language at once.
He could not speak, could not move—only watch.
Fragments of his life passed in flashes—his betrayal, his laughter, sterile office walls, numbers and equations floating like ghosts.
A voice, soft and mechanical, spoke inside him.
[Subject: Kairo Vale. Cognitive resonance detected.]
[Initializing Sinbound Protocol.]
He tried to question it. Could not.
[Error: Host consciousness incompatible with Earth-realm ethics. Relocation approved.]
A crimson crack tore open before him, spilling heat and scent—iron and burnt incense.
He was falling.
When sensation returned, he lay on stone—rough, soaked with blood that was not his own. Above him, the sky was bruised crimson, cracked with black lightning.
Hooded figures stood around him, chanting in a language older than memory. Torches burned violet flame.
One monk bent forward, gasping. "He lives?"
Kairo coughed, the sound rough. "Barely… Where am I?"
The monk recoiled. "The ritual spoke! The Offering lives!"
A voice whispered in his mind:
[Welcome, Sinner. The Psychology System has detected a fractured mind. Synchronization: 87%.]
Before his eyes, crimson runes shimmered into being, hovering like living tattoos.
[New Mission: Survive the Summoning Rite and corrupt one human heart.]
He laughed softly. "Corrupt? That's easy. I used to work in marketing."
He rose slowly. The air was thick with power, buzzing against his skin like electricity. Crimson threads snaked across his arms, sinking into his veins.
The monks stared. The eldest raised a trembling hand. "The Mark of Sin… The Ritual has chosen him."
Kairo smirked. "Chosen? No. I chose myself."
A voice filled his mind again, neither human nor machine.
[Subject: Kairo Vale. You have entered the cultivation realm under Sinbound Protocol. Mission parameters available.]
Kairo tilted his head. "Parameters, huh? Let's hear them."
[Primary Objective: Corrupt one human heart. Corruption is defined as emotional and moral degradation. Rewards: Sin Points.]
[Sin Points allow skill acquisition and evolution of host. Excess corruption may alter host's physiology.]
He smirked faintly. This is no ordinary cultivation.
[New Skill Unlocked: Emotional Manipulation Lv.1 — Amplify fear, desire, or guilt within target. Sin Points acquired: 37.]
A monk stepped forward, a woman with pale skin and eyes like polished onyx. She was beautiful — dangerously so. Her lips curled with a mixture of fear and curiosity.
"You bear the Mark… Kairo Vale," she said softly. "The world will devour you."
Kairo grinned. "Maybe. But I'll make it delicious."
The System whispered:
[Harem Member Potential Detected.]
He tested it. "Tell me — what is it that you fear most?"
Her breath caught. "To… fail the rite."
He leaned forward, voice low, every word a toxin of pleasure and dread. "What if failing wasn't your end… but the start of your greatest desire?"
Her eyes widened. A shiver ran through her. Around them, the chanting faltered.
[Sin Points +47. New Skill: Suggestion Lv.1.]
Kairo smiled wider. "This world… is delicious."
The pale monk stepped closer, kneeling before him. "I will follow you, Master."
The words were a test — and she failed. Yet that failure bound her to him in a way even she did not fully understand.
The System confirmed:
[Harem Member Acquired: Airi. Corruption Level: 1. Loyalty: 12%.]
He placed a hand on her shoulder, feeling a heat that was not hers alone. A laugh escaped his lips — not cruelty, but anticipation.
Through the ruined altar and violet flame, he stepped into the cultivation world, a world where every sin was currency and every desire a weapon. His grin widened in the crimson sky.
"Let's see how deep this rabbit hole goes."