Max — alone on the bench — closed his eyes to embrace the silence of the early morning.
Deep breath in.
Deep breath out.
Something felt off.
His head was spinning.
His body, freezing.
His legs, aching — like he'd been running for miles.
He opened his eyes.
But he wasn't at the bench anymore.
He was lying under a tree, bathed in moonlight.
"What the hell…"
Max sat up fast, gasping for air.
He scanned his surroundings — unfamiliar, quiet, empty. Behind him stood a tall building. A high school?
He clutched at his waist.
His hoodie was gone.
"Where the hell am I?"
Then he felt a burning sensation over his left chest — just above his heart.
The burning sensation was sharp.
It was almost unbearable.
He stood up and started moving towards the school.
I need to get to the hospital.
He spotted the back gate — bent inward, metal twisted unnaturally. The damage looked fresh. Paint was scraped off, flakes still on the ground, and one hinge dangled loosely like it had just been hit.
Max didn't have time to think about what caused it. All he could think of was finding help.
He made it through the gate, dragging himself across the empty yard until he reached the front.
Almost there.
He pushed at the front gate.
"No way…" he whispered.
It was locked.
In his current state, climbing it wasn't an option.
He grabbed the bars, trembling. The only light nearby was from a lone street lamp across the road — everything else was drowned in shadow.
"Damn it…"
"Someone hel—"
His chest burned again — worse this time.
He couldn't yell.
Max dropped to his knees, wheezing.
What the hell is happening to me?
Then, in the silence...
He heard something.
Footsteps.
From inside the school.
Max slowly turned his head.
Maybe… someone's still here.
After some searching around he found an open door.
He couldn't yell for help so he had to start looking for someone all on his own.
The first floor was practically empty.
This was the only floor with lights on — looking for someone on the next floor would be a challenge.
But Max was certain he heard someone in this school. After all, this was his only hope.
Luckily the moonlight illumination made it easier to see through the dark of the second floor.
He heard something.
Sounded like someone was chewing something.
Max started rushing towards the sound.
Finally, I can get help.
The sound was coming from a room without a door at the end of the hallway.
"Please—" Max gasped, clutching his chest.
He finally turns to the room
"I need hel—"
Max stood in shock from the horrific sight he just witnessed.
A tall huge man covered in blood — next to a dead security guard with his chest opened up revealing his heart — eating what looks to be some red flesh ball the size of an apple.
He turns to face Max.
The man gave Max a grin covered in blood that made his stomach turn.
Max's instincts finally hit. He turned towards the direction he was coming from and started sprinting for his life.
He didn't have time to think about the pain in his chest — he just ran.
As soon as Max reached the bottom floor, The man broke through the ceiling blocking the exit.
Max turned back and started climbing up the stairs.
He kept at it until he reached the rooftop.
Damn it.
It was a dead end.
Nothing but the city skyline and a thirty-foot drop stared back at him. Wind howled past his ears. He took a step back, heart pounding like a drum. Behind him, heavy footsteps crushed the rooftop gravel.
Max backed up to the edge of the rooftop, facing the monster on its way.
His chest was burning again — the same pain that started it all. Except now it was rising, swallowing his ribs, climbing his throat.
Before he knew it, his knees gave out and he collapsed.
He could hear the thing getting closer to him — dragging its feet, slow and heavy. It wasn't rushing. It knew there was nowhere to run.
"Damn it…" Max whispered, trembling. "Why… why is it always like this?"
The world blurred.
Flash.
The orphanage hallway.
He was 11.
They called him a freak that day — again.
He stood outside the dining room, listening to the other kids laugh and talk like a real family. And he stood there, not even sure what it felt like to belong.
He turned away before they could see him.
Flash.
He was 13.
A couple had come looking to adopt.
They looked right past him.
He smiled at them, just in case.
They smiled back... then picked the boy beside him.
Flash.
He was 16.
He ran away.
Nobody followed.
Nobody cared.
Nobody.
Max clenched his fists.
"I… I get it now."
His voice was dry. Hollow.
"No one's coming. No one ever will."
The monster's steps got louder.
And just like that... he stopped shaking.
No fear.
No tears.
Nothing.
Only a dead weight in his chest — and the heat rising, uncontrollably.
His vision pulsed red.
Then—
FWOOOM.
A surge of flame erupted from his chest, knocking him back. The pain was unbearable — but familiar. Like the emotion had always been there, waiting.
Green fire — not warm, not comforting.
It was violent. Jealous. Spiteful.
It didn't roar, it screamed.
The rooftop lit up with wild emerald flames spiraling around him, licking the sky.
Max gasped for breath, his hands trembling as the fire responded to every twitch — like it was alive. Like it understood him.
The monster stepped back for the first time.
Max stood slowly.
Not because he believed he could win.
But because something inside him had already given up.
"…Let's get this over with."
He stumbled forward, dragging fire in his path.
The monster growled, lowering into a stance.
Max raised his hand. Fire curled around his palm, crackling.
They both lunged—
CRASH!
A blinding white light tore through the rooftop.
Max was flung back by the shockwave, flames scattering.
He coughed hard, rolling onto his back. His vision spun.
Through the ringing in his ears, he heard a calm voice.
"Step back," it said. "I'll handle this."
Max looked up.
A girl stood between him and the monster — hair as white as the moon — drifting like mist in the night. Her eyes were pure white, glowing with quiet intensity.
She wore no fear. No hate.
Just duty.
She reached for her blade.
"I am the Virtue of Loyalty," she said, unsheathing her blade. "You'll live. He won't."
Max's eyes widened, barely conscious.
"Virtue…?"
The last thing he saw was her silhouette, burning white against the green flickers of his fire—
Then darkness took him.