Episode 1 – Hybrid Awakening
The rain had stopped just before sunset, leaving the streets of Hollow's Point slick with a mirror-shine that caught every flicker of neon. Streetlamps hummed overhead, throwing long shadows across the uneven sidewalk.
Zeno walked alone. Eighteen, dark-skinned, slim but wiry, he carried himself with the weight of someone older. The years since his parents' death had carved out the boy in him, leaving something sharper. They had been killed two years ago—torn apart by a werewolf clan—while he hid in the closet of their apartment, powerless to stop it. The images never left him.
He had no one now. No family. No mentor. No friends who stayed long enough to matter. He lived quietly in a one-bedroom above a shuttered hardware store, scraping by on odd jobs after school.
And yet… tonight felt wrong.
The Walk Home
The school's ancient clock tower struck 7:00 PM. Zeno adjusted his bag and turned onto Harbor Street, a stretch he normally avoided after dark. The streetlamps here flickered, and the alleys seemed to lean inward, whispering.
A car engine revved somewhere distant, then faded.
The wind carried the scent of rust and rain.
Halfway down the block, Zeno felt it—a prickling at the back of his neck, as if someone were standing directly behind him. He spun around.
Empty street.
He exhaled, turned back—
The Attack
A shadow dropped from the rooftop above. He barely saw the blur before CRACK—white pain exploded in his skull as his neck snapped sideways. The world tilted, gravity vanished, and he hit the ground in a twisted heap.
Hot breath washed over his throat. Fangs tore into his neck, drinking deep. The taste of iron filled his mouth, though he wasn't the one feeding. Then a deeper snarl cut through the haze. Something slammed into his attacker, and a second predator was on him—this one's teeth sinking into his arm, crushing bone.
Vampire.
Werewolf.
Both claiming the same kill.
They fought above him, claws scraping against concrete, snarls echoing off the alley walls. Neither cared whether he lived or died.
A final shove sent him rolling limp into the shadows, discarded. He lay there, cold and still, the sound of their fight fading into the night.
The First Breath
Darkness folded in… then shattered.
Zeno's lungs seized, dragging in a breath so sharp it burned. His eyes snapped open—not to blurred streetlights, but to crystal-clear detail: the weave of the asphalt, the mist curling from rain gutters, the twitch of a cockroach's leg ten feet away.
He pushed himself upright. His hands looked… different. Smooth dark skin, unscarred, almost glowing faintly. And his hair—once cropped short and black—now hung loose and white, strands catching the alley's dim light like silver wire.
In the reflection of a rain puddle, his eyes glowed pure white. No iris. No pupil. Just cold, luminous light.
His fingers twitched. Painless cracks sounded in his knuckles. Then his nails lengthened—sharpening into jagged black talons streaked with faint green veins of light. The shapes were alien: half wolf claw, half demonic blade.
Somewhere deep inside his skull, a voice—calm, mechanical—spoke:
[LEVEL 1] — Hybrid Awakening
Species: Vampire–Werewolf Hybrid (First of Kind)
Abilities Unlocked: Instant Healing, Unlimited Stamina, Speed Tier 1
Skill Pool: 50,000 (Locked)
XP Gain: +3 Levels Per Fight (Permanent Rule)
Blood in the Alley
Above him, a low hiss.
Two shapes dropped into the alley, landing light as spiders. Their skin was stretched thin, eyes blood-red, mouths split in jagged grins.
"Well, well," the first rasped, lips peeling back from black gums. "A newborn hybrid. Rare meat."
The second's grin widened. "First bite's mine."
They lunged—blindingly fast by human standards. But Zeno was no longer human.
The world slowed. Every muscle in their bodies moved in syrup while his own blurred. His feet barely touched the ground before he was behind the first vampire, claws already arcing. The strike tore through its chest like paper, black ichor spraying hot across his cheek.
The second spun, striking wide. Zeno caught its wrist mid-swing, bones splintering under his grip. He yanked the creature forward, sinking his fangs into its throat. The taste was electric—burning, sweet, and overwhelming. His body drank until there was nothing left.
The corpse hit the ground with a hollow thud.
The HUD
A shimmer of light pulsed in his vision.
Level Up: 1 → 4
Claw Strength: +12% Damage Output
Speed Tier: 1.1 Activated
Healing Rate Increased
His breath slowed to nothing. Wounds from the attack sealed over, leaving no trace. The hunger in his stomach felt endless, but so did the energy surging through every vein.
The Realization
He stepped out of the alley, the city spread before him in fractured neon and shadow.
Billions of worlds existed beyond Earth 1. Worlds teeming with hunters, werewolves, vampires, witches, warlocks—beings from Heaven, from Hell, from places without names. On those worlds, the strong took what they wanted: crews, cars, homes, wealth, power. The weak paid for everything—if they lived long enough to pay.
Here was the truth: the moment you died and awakened, you started at Level 1. Each kill gave you experience; each fight shaped your path. Zeno's cap was already higher than most—100,000—but the voice whispered of a Limit Breaker, a second ceiling at 500,000.
As the only hybrid, he had access to 50,000 skills no other being could touch, with another 100,000 waiting after mastery. Every fight would give him three levels. No more. No less. Permanent.
And tonight, he had already taken his first steps.
Oath of the Hybrid
By the time he reached his apartment building, the blood had dried on his hands. He stared into the glass of the front door, meeting the gaze of his reflection—bright hair, white eyes, claws like a predator from a nightmare.
"I don't know why they chose me," he whispered. "But I know this—whoever bit me, whoever marked me, you've made something you can't control."
His claws slid back into human nails, slow and deliberate.
"They'll respect me, or they'll fear me. Either way… they'll remember the name Zeno."
Closing Hook
Miles above Earth 1, in the floating city of Helios Prime, the Hunter Network's master terminal blinked to life.
[HYBRID DETECTED] — Earth 1.
Status: Terminate or Contain.
Seven hunters saw the alert. All of them smiled.
And all of them began to move.
⸻
End of Episode 1
Level: 4
Skills Unlocked: Instant Healing, Unlimited Stamina, Speed Tier 1.1