Chapter 1
The night sky stretched endlessly, a sea of stars flickering with silent brilliance. But inside a sleek black car, a boy sat slumped in the back seat, his fingers absently scrolling through his phone. His expression was hollow, his eyes drained of light, and his skin pale as paper.
"Why is life so unfair?" he muttered, barely above a whisper. "The rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and people like me… we just fade away, forgotten by the world."
Chris, a 17-year-old boy burdened by sorrow, had long since lost any sense of happiness. His parents had died when he was young—at least, that was what they told him. But he knew the truth.
He had seen it with his own eyes.
That night was burned into his memory like a scar that refused to fade. Amidst the wreckage of twisted metal and shattered glass, he had seen him—a towering figure cloaked in red and black, his glowing crimson eyes piercing the darkness. The man had stood there, motionless, as the car flipped and crumpled, as screams echoed into the cold night.
And then, he had vanished.
That was the night Chris lost hope. The night he realized that fate was never kind.
Now, years later, he was being forced to start over in a new city, far from the ghosts of his past. As the car rolled to a stop at the station closest to his new apartment, he stepped out, adjusting his bag over his shoulder.
The train ride was quiet, the rhythmic clatter of the tracks almost lulling him into a trance—until a flicker of red caught his eye.
Through the reflection in the glass, he saw them—those same burning eyes, staring at him from inside the tunnel. His heart lurched.
He turned sharply—nothing. Just a stranger gripping the overhead handrail, his face lost in his phone.
Chris exhaled, shaking his head. I must be more tired than I thought…
As soon as he arrived at his station, he wasted no time getting to his apartment. Exhaustion weighed down his every step, and the moment he unlocked the door, he collapsed onto the bed, still in his clothes.
Outside, the wind whispered through the alleyways, and cars honked in the distance.
Then, the atmosphere shifted.
A presence descended upon the window, unseen yet powerful. The moonlight shimmered unnaturally, illuminating the figure of a majestic being floating with eerie elegance. Its piercing gaze locked onto the boy before it passed effortlessly through the glass.
It hovered over Chris, its form barely tangible, as it placed its right hand upon his chest. A sharp pain shot through his body as the entity pulled—his heart wrenched from his body in an instant.
Yet, instead of death, something else happened.
Thick, dark blood pumped into his system, seeping into his veins like liquid fire. The being marveled at its work, its eyes gleaming with satisfaction. My master will be pleased, it thought. Perhaps… I will be rewarded.
And just as silently as it came, it vanished into the night.
Chris twisted in agony, his body convulsing as the blood coursed through him. His fingers clawed at the sheets, his breath ragged, his head hammering like any war drum. But soon, the pain faded, exhaustion overpowering him once more.
As sleep finally claimed him, he had no idea His life had just changed forever.