Emberfall Chronicles

A1 City was collapsing into chaos.

Dark clouds loomed overhead as flames consumed buildings. Strays—twisted, corrupted beings—roamed the streets, slaughtering everything in sight. Their deformed bodies twitched unnaturally as they tore through civilians, leaving behind trails of blood.

Noble family soldiers and city police, usually feared for their oppressive rule, were now fighting alongside the people. The streets became a war zone, where gunfire and energy blasts clashed against the monstrous creatures.

A stray leaped onto a soldier, sinking its jagged teeth into his throat. Blood sprayed into the air as another officer screamed, firing his weapon wildly. But the bullets did nothing. The stray turned its grotesque head, grinning as it lunged forward.

Across the city, history repeated itself. The past was bleeding into the present.

Hundreds of years ago, Strays had wiped out entire civilizations. And now, they were here again—unstoppable, merciless.

A mother ran, clutching her child, but a stray pounced on her. She screamed as its claws ripped through her back, splitting flesh from bone. Blood poured onto the pavement as her child cried beside her.

Another stray lunged toward a group of children, its hollow eyes gleaming with hunger. The children backed away, trembling—until suddenly, a police officer jumped in front of them.

"Run!" he yelled, blasting the stray with a fire-enhanced bullet. It shrieked but kept moving, unfazed.

Nearby, a pregnant woman fell to her knees, breathing heavily. She clutched her stomach as shadows loomed over her. The stray in front of her tilted its head, then lunged.

She never even had time to scream.

Back in the Stadium

Rajiv wasn't moving.

Anil's possessed body stood over him, his hand still buried deep in Rajiv's chest. Blood trickled from the wound, staining Rajiv's shirt as his body trembled. His eyes were wide, but his body refused to respond.

Anil smirked. His voice, now mixed with something far older, echoed through the stadium.

"Golden child… I will kill you."

But then—

Anil paused.

Something was off.

A pressure filled the air—an unknown force pressing down on everything. Anil's head snapped to the side, his glowing red eyes narrowing. A strange energy pulsed from Rajiv's body.

Before Anil could react—

BOOM!

Anil's body flew across the stadium, crashing through a wall. The impact shook the ground as rubble collapsed over him.

Silence.

Then, Rajiv exhaled.

His eyes were hazy, his breathing unsteady. But something was changing.

Slowly, his wounds stopped bleeding. Black symbols began forming across his skin. They burned, shifting like living tattoos.

"What… is this?" Rajiv muttered, staring at his hands.

Small golden particles drifted from his body, glowing faintly. They pulsed, growing brighter—one by one, more golden sparks emerged, forming patterns across his arms.

Anil, buried under rubble, gritted his teeth. He could feel it—the shift in power.

"Damn curse…!" he spat, pushing himself up. His body crackled with dark energy. He didn't understand it, but he could feel it.

Rajiv was changing.

The stadium trembled.

The sky darkened further.

And in the depths of the noble family's secret archives…

The truth about the Strays was written in blood.

They weren't just monsters.

They were failed human experiments.