The darkness of the ruined city pressed in around Jin as the haunting roar ripped through the cold air. His right arm—still pulsating with veins burning crimson beneath his skin—twitched uncontrollably, a foreign power surging and twisting in his bones. The blood rain fell steady, soaking him to the skin, but his mind was a tempest of raw, fierce emotion: fear, guilt, and a ferocity he barely understood.
He had survived.
But at what cost?
The whisper echoed again in his mind, cold and demanding: "Sacrifice... or perish."
Jin's breath trembled as he stumbled over the broken stones. He was alive only because he shed his own blood—his sister's, Sora's, fragmented on the altar of this cruel new world. The scarlet glow down his arm was proof of that terrible pact. Yet, the system wasn't finished with him. That much was clear.
Ahead, twisted groans signaled the approach of new horrors amid the debris. He couldn't run forever. And deep inside, a new choice threatened to shatter what remained of his soul.
Jin crouched against a collapsed wall, breath coming ragged, his body aching with the weight of evolution. Beside him lay Minho, his closest friend since childhood—a bond forged over years but now tested by an unforgiving fate.
"You have to fight," Minho wheezed, gripping Jin's bloodied arm with trembling hands. "There is... no other way."
A system prompt glowed ominously in Jin's vision, crimson text burning against the darkened sky:
"[System Notice: You have sacrificed Minho - Bond of Friendship.]"
"[Reward: Flesh Reinforcement Lv. 1 obtained.]"
"[Warning: Humanity -5%.]"
"Sacrifice someone else, or die."
Jin's mind spun, memories rushing forward in a painful rush—laughter shared in quiet afternoons, promises made beneath starlit skies. How could he choose?
Minho's face twisted with desperation. "If you don't... I'll die. But it's better to save you... than lose us both."
Tears blurred Jin's vision as he shook his head. "No... I can't…"
But the pressure was unbearable. The chains tightened invisibly, binding not just his wrists but his heart.
Blood dripped from the ruined street, and Jin's hands clenched. He could feel the power inside him thrumming, waiting.
His hand faltered, almost betraying him. A whisper urged him on, crushing hope beneath cold necessity.
Then—time shattered.
Jin grabbed Minho's wrist with resolve born of fear and desperation. "I'm sorry..."
The moment the crimson blood left Minho's veins, a searing pain erupted through Jin's arm. The glowing scarlet sigils spread like wildfire beneath his skin, weaving themselves into living tattoos that burned with ancient power.
Power surged, raw and consuming.
Jin gasped, staggering back as waves of strength flooded through him, yet every pulse exacted a toll—fire burned his flesh, and shadows clawed at his sanity. His arm twisted grotesquely; veins throbbed with inhuman light.
From the edges of his vision, Jin saw the broken body of Minho, now just a lifeless husk softened by the blood rain. But inside Jin, something monstrous had awakened.
His muscles bulged painfully, bones shifting beneath cracked skin. Jin's breath hitched when his arm elongated slightly—fingers thickening, nails sharpening like claws.
A low rumble shook the city as a monstrous roar echoed closer—a beast drawn by the scent of his new power crept from the darkness.
Jin's heart pounded, a mix of terror and fierce pride coursing through his veins. This was the price of survival—the Price of Blood.
With every pulse, the system whispered cruel promises: strength beyond measure, but chained to sacrifice and loss.
And the beast was coming.
Jin squared his shoulders, every nerve screaming. The beast grew larger—hulking, hideous, its hide shimmering with unnatural resilience.
It lunged like a shadowed nightmare, claws slashing the air. Jin unleashed his newfound strength—a savage blow sent the creature staggering, though not defeated.
The fight was chaos; blows landed hard, bones cracked, but Jin felt his limits pushed and broken. The beast's resilience was terrifying, impervious to normal weapons.
His body bled from unseen wounds, but he threw himself into the fray with reckless determination. He was no longer just a scared boy; he was something fiercer, something terrifying.
When the beast finally collapsed, Jin sagged against a broken pillar, drenched in blood—his own and the monster's.
Others emerged cautiously, their eyes wide with fear and awe. Whispers passed among the survivors. Some called him cursed, others a monster in their midst.
Pain gnawed at Jin from within; the blood that fed his newfound power came at a terrible cost. His veins still throbbed with unnatural light, and the dark sigils that mapped his arm burned like a brand of damnation.
The world had changed. He had changed.
And the nightmare was only beginning.
The blood rain fell steadily, carrying the scent of death and despair.
A new roar echoed through the ruins, deeper and darker—a warning.
Jin clenched his fists, crimson veins blazing beneath his skin, and faced the coming horror.
This world was no longer his.
And he was no longer the boy who had lost everything.
He was a monster born of sacrifice.
And the war for survival had only just begun.