The pain was constant, but Ha-jin had learned to live with it.

It was the only companion he had ever known. In the sterile, cold room of the facility, the harsh lights above did nothing to alleviate the crushing darkness inside him. His body had been altered so many times that it barely felt like his own. Muscles, bones, and skin reshaped, blood manipulated to enhance strength, speed, and resilience. He was a weapon now—nothing more, nothing less.

The test subjects had been growing weaker, but Ha-jin's mind was sharp, always alert. They had never understood him. He could feel their eyes on him, the scientists watching with morbid curiosity, tracking his every move. They thought they were in control, but Ha-jin had other plans.

They had been pushing him harder than ever, increasing the intensity of the trials. His latest assignment had been simple: eliminate the other test subjects. A necessary step, they said, to ensure he was ready for the final phase of the project. They called it the Specter Class—a weapon capable of controlling shadows, bending them to his will.

The process had already begun. The injections had started weeks ago, altering the makeup of his body, manipulating his very DNA. His eyes burned with the intensity of the experiments. But Ha-jin had never been one to submit easily.

"Prepare yourself, Subject 045," Dr. Choi's voice echoed through the speakers. "You are about to undergo the final test. Show us your true potential."

Ha-jin could hear the steel doors behind him creak open. He didn't need to turn around to know what awaited him. He could already hear their voices, faint but growing louder. His fellow test subjects. They were already gearing up for the fight, some of them weaker, some more ferocious, all desperate to survive.

But Ha-jin wasn't afraid. They were nothing more than obstacles in his way.

He felt the shadows stir inside him. It was strange—like a whisper in the back of his mind, urging him to embrace it. To give in to the darkness.

The room flickered for a moment, and then the lights went out, plunging everything into darkness. Ha-jin's heart quickened, but he remained still. He knew what was coming. He had trained for this moment his entire life.

The air grew thick with tension. Then, like a wave crashing against a shore, the other test subjects launched themselves at him.

The first one came at him with a blade, slashing through the air. Ha-jin sidestepped, his body moving faster than he ever thought possible. The blade missed by inches, and in a swift motion, Ha-jin extended his hand. Shadows surged from his body, forming a long, dark tendril that wrapped around his opponent's wrist, yanking the weapon from his hand. With a twist of his fingers, the shadow tightened, and the man was lifted into the air, choking as he struggled to break free.

Ha-jin didn't give him the chance.

With a flick of his wrist, the shadows constricted, snapping the man's neck. His body fell limp, the only sound the faint thud of his form hitting the ground.

The next one attacked, a woman with short-cropped hair and a wild look in her eyes. She came at him with speed, throwing punches, trying to overwhelm him with her aggression. But Ha-jin was no longer the weak boy they had tortured. The shadows at his feet obeyed his command. With a single thought, they rose up like serpents, coiling around her limbs and binding her to the ground.

She screamed in fury, struggling against the dark tendrils, but it was no use. Ha-jin's will was stronger. The shadows responded, dragging her closer to him until her face was inches from his.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "But I won't let you stop me."

He extended his hand, and with one swift motion, he squeezed. The shadows crushed her throat, silencing her screams.

Her body went still.

More came, each one more desperate than the last, but Ha-jin was no longer just fighting for survival. He was becoming the predator, hunting his prey in the dark.

In the chaos, he could hear the distorted, frantic breaths of his remaining opponents. They were terrified. And they should be.

His shadow moved with him, a part of him now, and Ha-jin was in complete control. With every flick of his wrist, with every thought, he could bend the darkness to his will. He could hear their hearts pounding in the stillness, feel the terror radiating off their bodies.

"Is this all you've got?" he whispered, his voice cold and emotionless.

The remaining test subjects hesitated. They could feel it, the shift in the air. Ha-jin wasn't the same anymore. His power had awakened, and he was no longer the broken child they had once controlled.

With a snap of his fingers, the shadows around him thickened, swirling violently. They formed into creatures—spectral beings made of pure darkness. The phantoms appeared before him, dark shapes that seemed to warp in and out of existence. Each one was an extension of his will, reflections of the rage and the pain that had been building inside him for years. They weren't just tools. They were him.

The remaining subjects tried to run, but it was useless. The shadows reached out, closing in around them like a tightening noose. They were dragged into the darkness, their screams echoing off the walls as Ha-jin's power consumed them.

When the last of them was gone, the room was silent.

Ha-jin stood amidst the carnage, his breath steady, his eyes cold. The shadows receded, leaving only the bodies of the dead behind him. He wiped his hands, though there was no blood to clean. The dark power had been absorbed back into his body, leaving him with a feeling of... hunger.

This was only the beginning.

He had passed the test, but Ha-jin knew that the true trial was yet to come. The facility had used him, turned him into a weapon. And now, he would use them. They would regret ever thinking they could control him.

As the door to the test chamber opened, Ha-jin took a step forward, his eyes hardening.

He was ready.