Ember 22, 2999 – Saturday | Inside the Relic Facility
Shiro jump in for a attack
Time slowed.
Not metaphorically—literally.
The air twisted as if it were water, every motion stretched thin and syrupy.
Blades gleamed mid-swing. Sparks froze in the air like dying stars. Even the sound of the twins' chant warped into a drawn-out wail.
Shiro hovered mid-air, twisted awkwardly from his last dodge.
His muscles tensed. Blood coiled beneath his skin like it wanted to burst.
The bloodbinding spell wrapped around his body, red veins glowing across his torso like cursed roots.
The time distortion held him in place, each heartbeat dragging out across seconds that refused to pass.
The Sable Wings stood below—hands raised, eyes blazing with cruel precision.
"Die," one whispered.
"Slowly," the other finished.
But before their magic could crush him—
The relic on Shiro's gauntlet pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
Then glowed softly, like something inside it had… awakened. Or maybe… been waiting.
Shiro's pupils dilated.
He didn't scream.
He didn't move.
He just—vanished.
⸻
Darkness.
There was no floor. No sky.
Just pitch black stretching in all directions, endless and still.
A low growl echoed from nowhere.
Then came the eyes—two golden orbs floating in the void, far too large to belong to anything mortal.
They blinked.
A beast's silhouette formed in the dark, shrouded in fog, muscles rippling beneath a hide that shimmered between fur, shadow, and something unnamable.
It didn't speak.
It just watched.
Shiro stood across from it, shirtless in the void, blood still dripping from his ribs.
His lip curled into a grin. "…So that's you, huh?"
The eyes narrowed.
Shiro stepped forward, bare feet echoing on nothing. "Or maybe you're me."
The creature inhaled deeply—like it was smelling him. Then—
It grinned back.
And everything went white.
⸻
Reality snapped like a whip.
The Sable Wings screamed as the time spell shattered with a sound like thunder cracking through glass.
The bloodbinding snapped, red tendrils recoiling as if burned.
Shiro landed on all fours in a crouch—steam rising off his body, muscles twitching, his back arched like a beast stretching after a long sleep.
He looked up.
Eyes glowing faint gold.
Canines longer than before.
His aura wrong. He wasn't just primal anymore—he was becoming something else.
The twins stumbled back.
The time mage clutched her head, bleeding from the nose.
The bloodbinder fell to one knee, pale and trembling.
Shiro tilted his head.
"Still want that threesome?"
Then he lunged.
⸻
Ten minutes later…
One twin lay unconscious in a pool of blood, shackled in arcane binds.
The other was gone—escaped, half-dead and swearing revenge.
Zarrah stood beside Shiro, speechless.
Grakka leaned on her axe, panting and bruised. "You good?"
Shiro wiped blood from his mouth. "Feel better than I should."
Lena approached slowly, holding papers in one gloved hand. Her eyes were narrowed.
"I found this," she said. "that relic in your gauntlet . her goes some documents on it."
Shiro raised an eyebrow. "So?"
She looked at him long and hard.
"It came from the east. From where beastmen first originated—centuries ago."
Grakka looked up. "You mean the Wild Spine?"
Lena nodded. "That region's been blacklisted and cursed for generations. But this relic… it's linked to you. I can feel it."
Shiro's smile faded, just a bit.
Something inside his chest stirred again.
Not fear.
Curiosity.
"…Guess it's time we go home, huh?"
Ember 22, 2999 – Saturday Evening
8:40 PM | Relic Facility – Lower Vault Sector
The air was heavy with burnt sigils and scorched blood.
One of the Sable Wings lay bound in glowing cuffs of enchanted obsidian, arcane runes circling her throat to prevent spellcasting. Her face was bruised, lips bloodied, but her posture still tried to hold some grace—defiant even now.
Her sister had vanished into the ruins, wounded and limping, trailing crimson through the shadows.
Shiro crouched near the conscious twin, shirt torn, eyes still faintly glowing gold.
"You gonna behave?" he asked.
The twin didn't answer. She just sneered, though her gaze lingered on the subtle shift in his form—his sharper jawline, elongated fangs, and the way his hands flickered with claw-tips he could now retract at will.
Lena stood behind him, holding a relic shard in one hand and a silver datapad in the other. Grakka paced near the rear wall, arms crossed, eyes locked on the prisoner.
"You're not dead," Shiro said calmly. "Be grateful. You've got maybe one shot to be useful."
The twin glared. "You don't scare me."
Grakka stepped forward. "Good. Then you won't scream when I take a finger."
Lena raised a hand, voice even. "Let her talk first."
Zarrah approached, whispering softly in Shiro's ear, "Let me try somethin'… I can sweeten her mind just a little. Not full control—just… loosen her tongue."
Shiro smirked and gave her space.
Zarrah stepped forward and lightly touched the twin's cheek. A faint, shimmering pulse passed from her fingers into the elf's skin. The woman's jaw unclenched slightly, lips parted.
"Talk," Lena said coldly. "Morrow. Where is he?"
The twin's eyes fluttered, resistance slipping. "…Lab… off the east causeway. Underground… not on maps. He's… changing things. Not just relics. Blood. Bone. Spirit…"
Grakka growled. "What's he building?"
"Soldiers… monsters…" Her voice wavered. "Even the Choir fears them. We were told never to look."
Zarrah's spell faded gently. The twin blinked, then gasped and looked around, furious at herself. "What… did you do—?!"
"We asked nicely," Shiro said. "Next time, I let Grakka 'ask'."
⸻
9:12 PM | Outside the Facility – Ruined Courtyard
Shiro stepped into the night air just as his comm link buzzed.
Dez.
The man's voice came through ragged, out of breath, and muffled by background wind. "Bro, you are not gonna believe how close I came to gettin' skinned."
Shiro chuckled. "You alive?"
"Barely. I'm back near the Inner Ring, but I found it. Morrow. Bastard's holed up in a private bio-research site under the Cirrus Reclamation Labs. Way off-grid. Shielded, triple-encrypted, and you're gonna love this—he's using Choir money and mercenary brainpower."
Shiro leaned against the facility wall, eyes narrowing. "What's he doin' down there?"
"From the files I skimmed? Splicing magic and biology. Like… relics bonded to living hosts. He's got experiments with titan-blood, primal essence, different species tissue samples."
Shiro's breath slowed. "You think they're weapons?"
Dez went quiet. Then, "I think he's trying to make something that can fight atleast a demigod. Or… eat 'em."
Shiro didn't speak for a moment.
Then: "Send me everything. Meet me at the mansion in the morning."
"Bet. And uh—remind Lena not to kill me if I track dirt into her glass floors again."
Shiro hung up, jaw clenched, but a grin slowly formed.
⸻
10:10 PM | Ruined Facility – South Wing Entry Tunnel
Location: Ember Sector | Black Choir Contingency Team Recon
The air shimmered with residual magic.
A cloaked figure walked through the destroyed hallway, flanked by a team of shadow-armored Black Choir agents. He was tall, unblinking, his boots leaving faint prints of obsidian mana with every step.
Gheron Vale.
One of the Black Choir's upper enforcers.
He crouched beside the collapsed chamber where the twin sisters had made their stand.
"Something powerful was here," he muttered. "Something primal."
An agent approached. "Sir. We found her."
The bloodied Sable Wing twin knelt in the corner of the ruin, face pale, clutching her stomach. Her eyes lit up when she saw him.
"I failed."
"You survived," Gheron said flatly. "That means you'll still serve."
She shook her head. "You don't understand. He's not normal. That beast… it smiled at me."
Gheron's face didn't change, but he muttered a quiet curse in ancient tongue.
"Tell the Choir," he said. "The Relic responded to him. We may be too late."
⸻
11:37 PM | Same Facility – Outer Perimeter
Officer Alke – Duskhaven Enforcement Division
Alke's heels clicked against the shattered tile as her flashlight cut through the darkness.
Her squad had cordoned off the site an hour ago, but she came alone—curious, and suspicious.
The site was a mess: melted runes, broken pillars, shattered golems. It wasn't just vandalism.
It was war.
She knelt beside a fallen mage's body. "Neck broken… precision strike. Fast hands."
Then she saw it—gouges carved into stone. Deep. Irregular. Like claws.
She stood slowly, eyes hardening.
"Claws…?"
She pulled out her holo-slate, scrolling back to the bounty case file from two days prior.
A dark-skinned man. Shirtless. Gold fangs. White dreads. Unknown species.
Her brow furrowed.
"…Connelly."