The rain never stopped in the southern ruins.
It drummed against steel husks and shattered towers, washing blood into the gutters until every puddle shimmered with a dull crimson sheen.
Riven Ashford dragged himself through the mud, boots torn, rifle hanging limp from his shoulder. Around him, what remained of the 3rd Division lay in pieces, bodies half-eaten, armor caved in, faces turned toward a sky that had long forgotten mercy.
The monsters were gone now. Or maybe they'd moved on to another city. It didn't matter.
Nothing ever lasted long enough to be saved.
"Command," Riven rasped into his dead radio, voice cracking. "This is Unit… seventeen. We're all that's left. Requesting evac."
Static answered.
Then silence.
He sank beside a broken wall and looked down at his trembling hands. The blood there wasn't his but he knew that didn't mean he was safe. A chunk of his shoulder armor had been ripped clean through, and with every heartbeat, warmth spread down his arm.
A hollow laugh escaped him.
"Guess this is it, huh?"
The city stretched before him like an open grave once called Valis, the shining capital of humanity. Now, nothing but ash and screaming wind.
Somewhere in the distance, a roar answered the storm. Deep, guttural, ancient. The kind of sound that didn't come from any beast of this world.
His breath hitched.
He'd heard it before the sound of a Divine Beast, one of the god-spawned horrors that had destroyed the Eastern front. The kind that tore through battalions like paper.
"You've gotta be kidding me…"
Riven staggered up, clutching his weapon. He was shaking, exhausted, starving but if he was going to die, he would at least face it standing.
Thunder rolled. The ground split open. From the burning avenue ahead, a massive silhouette rose through the rain horned, sinewed, wrapped in black light. Its eyes burned gold, and every blink sent waves of pressure rolling through the ruins.
Riven's knees buckled. His vision blurred.
He raised the rifle anyway.
"Come on, you bastard."
The beast opened its jaws.
The world went white.
When he woke, he was lying in the rubble. Everything was gone the noise, the pain, even the storm.
A strange silence blanketed the city.
And then—
[System Initialization Complete.]
The voice wasn't human. It wasn't heard through his ears. It was inside him.
Cold. Clear. Absolute.
[Hero Protocol Activated.]
[Binding Host: Riven Ashford.]
[Time Remaining: 5 Years.]
He blinked, dazed. His breath fogged the air.
"Wh… what?"
[Tutorial Mission Assigned.]
[Objective: Slay the Divine Beast of Valis.]
[Reward: Hero Skill — Chrono Burst.]
[Warning: System Activation consumes lifespan.]
Before he could move, the air rippled.
The beast was still there its massive form regenerating, its golden eyes fixed on him.
And something inside Riven changed.
The pain was gone. The exhaustion burned away, replaced by raw, searing energy. His vision sharpened until he could see every raindrop, every fracture of light in the monster's scales.
He could feel time moving like a river rushing beneath his skin.
"Chrono Burst," he whispered.
The world slowed. His body exploded into motion.
He moved faster than thought sword drawn, cutting through the rain and the darkness. Blue light carved a burning arc through the beast's chest.
A roar shook the city. The monster collapsed in a shatter of divine flame.
Then the light faded.
And Riven fell to his knees, gasping, clutching his chest.
The warmth inside him wasn't adrenaline. It was time pouring out of him like water from a cracked glass.
[Chrono Burst Activated.]
[-3 Months Lifespan.]
His fingers trembled.
Three months… gone. Just like that.
The rain returned, whispering over the ruins.
He looked down at his hands skin pale, veins faintly glowing blue. The power was still there, humming under his bones.
He should have felt triumphant. Instead, all he felt was cold.
"Power… demands the price of life itself."
The System pulsed one last line across his vision:
[Tutorial Complete.]
[Hero Pzrotocol Established.]
And as the light faded, Riven whispered into the storm—
"If this is the cost… then I'll pay it all."e ze