The air around the Devil Zone was suffocating, the crimson rift pulsating ominously as Jin Seo and Kai stepped closer. Their phones buzzed in unison as they approached the threshold:
[Devil Zone: C Rank]
[Warning: Be Cautious]
Crossing into the Zone, the familiar sounds of the city vanished, replaced by an eerie silence. The landscape shifted violently, revealing a barren wasteland of jagged rocks and cracked earth. A thick crimson mist slithered along the ground, obscuring their vision and wrapping around them like ghostly tendrils.
"Stay close," kai instructed, unsheathing his blade. The ever-present smirk he usually wore had vanished, replaced by a hardened, serious expression.
Seo nodded, his heart hammering against his ribcage. This was nothing like the simulations or the little sparring sessions if father use to force him to do. The air here was charged, oppressive, alive. Every step they took felt like wading through invisible chains.
The pair advanced cautiously, cutting down a few low-level Devils that emerged from the mist. The encounters were manageable, though Seo found himself relying on Kai more than he liked. But as they ventured deeper into the Zone, the air grew heavier, and the tension thickened.
And then they saw it.
A Reaper.
Shrouded in shadows, the monstrous figure towered in the distance, its skeletal frame seemingly molded from the darkness itself. The mist curled around it unnaturally, as though it were alive, and its scythe gleamed with a dull crimson glow.
Kai froze in his tracks, his eyes widening. "No way… That's not supposed to be here."
Seo's breath hitched. He didn't need to be an expert on Devils to understand the raw, overwhelming power radiating from the creature. This wasn't a fight they could win.
The Reaper moved.
In the blink of an eye, it was upon Kai. The swing of its scythe was a blur, and Seo could only watch in horror as his friend's body crumpled to the ground. Blood stained the cracked earth, and Kai body lay motionless.
Seo barely had time to process what was happening before the Reaper turned to him. Its hollow eyes seemed to peer straight into his soul, freezing him in place.
"No… no, no…" Seo's legs trembled, but he couldn't move. He could only watch as the scythe swung toward him, death itself descending.
But then, amidst the chaos and fear, a female voice echoed in his mind.
"Accept me."
It was a low, sultry whisper, a sound both soothing and terrifying. The words wrapped around him like a dark promise.
"Accept me."
Time seemed to slow as the Reaper's blade neared. With death staring him in the face, Seo made his choice.
"I… I accept!"
The world erupted in light and darkness, a chaotic storm that tore through the Devil Zone.
When Seo opened his eyes, the world was still. The suffocating mist had thinned, hanging faintly in the air like the remnants of a dying storm. His head throbbed, and his body felt heavy, but something was different.
Before him lay the Reaper's massive corpse. Its skeletal frame was crumpled, its once-menacing scythe shattered beside it. Most hauntingly, its head lay several feet away, severed cleanly from its body.
Seo staggered to his feet, his legs unsteady. His gaze shifted downward. In his hand was a blade—a sinister weapon pulsing with red energy. Its jagged edges shimmered faintly, and the hilt seemed to vibrate in sync with his heartbeat.
"What… what is this?" Seo whispered, his voice shaky. He didn't remember grabbing the blade. He didn't remember swinging it. And yet, the evidence was undeniable. The Reaper was dead, and he was the only one standing.
The blade dropped from his hands with a metallic clang, but it didn't fade like a typical Devil Zone weapon. It remained rooted where it fell, the swirling red energy around it almost taunting him.
That was when Seo saw Kai.
"Kai…"
His friend lay crumpled a few meters away, unmoving. Seo stumbled over, dropping to his knees.
"Come on, man. Don't do this. Wake up!" Seo shook him, desperation breaking through his voice. "Kai! Get up!"
But there was no response. Kai's chest didn't rise. His shattered sword lay discarded beside him.
"No…" Seo's voice cracked as he clutched his friend's bloodied jacket. "No, no, no…"
Tears blurred his vision as the crushing weight of reality set in. Ji-woo, who had always been there for him who had always stay by him even tho he was considered a disgrace member of the Jin bloodline, was gone.
A faint hum pulled Seo from his grief. He turned toward the blade he had dropped. The red energy swirling around it had grown stronger, pulsing in tandem with the faint vibrations in the air.
"You survived because of me."
The voice from before echoed in his mind, low and velvety. It wasn't coming from the blade but from somewhere deeper—inside him.
"Who are you?" Seo demanded, his voice trembling with both fear and anger. "What did you do to me?"
A soft chuckle reverberated in his thoughts. "I called to you, little one. When death reached for you, I offered you power, and you accepted. That blade is your gift, the mark of our contract."
"Contract?" Seo's stomach churned. He glanced back at the Reaper's lifeless body, piecing it together. "You killed it? Or… I did?"
"We did," the voice purred, almost pleased. "I gave you power. You wielded it, even if you don't remember."
Seo clenched his fists, anger bubbling to the surface. "I didn't ask for this. I didn't ask for you."
"And yet, here we are," the voice replied, amused. "I needed someone, and you needed power to defeat what was about to kill you. Without me, you would be dead, just like your friend."
The words struck a nerve, but Seo knew they weren't wrong. Ji-woo was gone, but he was alive—because of this "contract."
Seo rose to his feet, his legs steadier now. His eyes returned to the blade, still pulsing with energy. He hesitated before reaching for it, his fingers wrapping around the hilt. Warmth surged through him, steadying his trembling body.
"I'll survive," Seo muttered, his voice colder now, filled with resolve. "But I'm not your puppet. Whoever you are, whatever you are, don't think you control me."
The voice chuckled softly. "We'll see, little one. But now, you must leave. The Zone is about to collapse."
The ground beneath him cracked, and the crimson mist began swirling violently. Seo took a shaky breath, tightening his grip on the blade.
There was no turning back now.