Kurogami gasped at the chill gnawing at his bones, his breath fogging the air like smoke from a dying fire. Pain throbbed from his shoulder, a deep crimson stain spreading across his palm.
He pressed his hand against the wound, the warmth sickening in contrast to the cold forest floor beneath him.
Before him, towering like a beast born of nightmares, stood the black bear, muscles rippling under fur as dark as midnight. Its molten eyes—smoldering, fierce—bore into his own, a silent decree hanging in the balance.
"I... won't die here," he wheezed, the words scraping against his throat like gravel. Fear twisted tighter around his chest, a vice of despair.
The bear shifted, its growl rumbling low, vibrating through the ground like distant thunder. Confusion flickered in its eyes, as if it sensed the storm of emotion brewing within Kurogami.
"Get up," he grunted, struggling to rise, legs shaking beneath him. "Fight. Please."
The bear's large frame lunged forward, jaws yawning wide, teeth sharp and glistening like freshly polished knives.
Instinct screamed at him, and he clenched his eyes shut, awaiting the inevitable.
But then, a sudden gust whipped through the grove, rustling the leaves overhead as if the forest itself held its breath. A sharp scent of decay cut through the air, ominous and pungent.
Kurogami's eyes shot open. A violent crash sent a shudder through the ground.
He blinked, heart pounding against his ribcage, and watched as a shadow surged down from the foliage—darkness woven into form, twisting as it fell upon the bear.
"No!" His voice cracked, a mixture of horror and fascination filtering through his mind.
The monstrous figure coiled tight around the bear, suffocating its growls into panicked cries. The world grew still, heavy with the weight of silence that followed.
Kurogami's vision blurred, his surroundings dimming into a haze. He tried to shout gratitude into the void of darkness, but his voice faded like echoes in a cave.
A rhythmic pulse thrummed beneath the stillness—an undulating heartbeat that resonated through the trees, rippling towards him. It morphed into a chant:
"Rise, warrior, from the ashes of your pain. Absorb the strength, and let hatred reign."
Each word struck him like a hammer, digging deeper into his awareness, seeping into his skin.
"Vengeance is yours, a debt to be repaid. Rise, Kurogami, and let the shadows be your blade."
That was it. Everything went black.