The wind whispered with a deathlike chill as Kaizen sat alone near the edge of the ravaged cliffside outside the Umbra base. The moon hung above, blood-orange and heavy, like it too bore witness to the turmoil stirring inside him. His breathing was erratic. His hands trembled. Not from cold—but from something ancient clawing at the edges of his soul.
He hadn't slept in two nights.
Whenever he closed his eyes, visions flooded in—flashes of fire consuming cities, shadows of monstrous figures clawing at screaming humans, and at the center of it all… him. Standing in a sea of blood with burning eyes and charred wings.
"What am I becoming?" Kaizen whispered to himself.
Ayaka had tried to talk to him that morning. She saw the cracks forming. But he'd pushed her away.
He was afraid.
Not of others.
Of himself.
---
Inside Umbra Base – Secret Archives Chamber
Kaizen's feet moved on their own. It was like something was calling to him. Past the guard quarters, through a rusted corridor long sealed with ancient chains and forbidden seals, a whisper tugged at his mind. The doors opened without resistance. As if welcoming him.
In the center of the chamber stood a pedestal, glowing faintly with pulsing crimson veins.
A broken orb—ancient and swirling with flickers of flame.
As he touched it, a searing pain shot through his body.
Images—violent, unrelenting—rushed into him.
He saw his clan, the Flame Wielders—rising with unmatched power centuries ago, then betrayed by the other factions, accused of aligning with the Bist. He saw a child—him—being hidden during a massacre. His mother's last words:
> "Live, Kaizen. One day… burn it all if you must."
He collapsed to the ground, eyes glowing. Flames erupted around him uncontrollably.
---
Elsewhere in the Base – Squad Umbra's Quarters
Kita paced the room.
"He's not one of us," he snapped. "He's dangerous. Unstable. We all saw what he did at the last hive."
Aira frowned. "But Ayaka trusts him."
"She's blinded. He's going to get us all killed."
A low voice cut in from the shadows. "Or maybe… he's the only one who'll save you."
They all turned. One of the newer recruits, a quiet man named Velan, stood near the door. But something about his eyes—they were wrong. Too still. Too cold.
Too empty.
A moment later, Aira screamed. Velan lunged at her, but his face twisted, morphing into a hideous Bist creature—a Skin-Walker, capable of mimicking humans.
Aira was torn apart before she could react.
Blood sprayed across the walls.
"BIST! INSIDE!" Kita yelled, drawing his blade.
---
Kaizen's Return – Flames and Fury
The alarm blared.
Kaizen, half-dazed, burst from the secret chamber. The aura around him had changed. His body pulsed with energy. Veins glowed under his skin. His irises were ember-red.
He charged into the chaos—one part instinct, one part fury.
Kita and the others were barely holding off the Bist infiltrator when Kaizen arrived. With one swing of his flame-veined fist, the creature was incinerated in a column of fire.
The room went dead silent.
Everyone turned to him.
Kita pointed. "You… what ARE you?"
Ayaka stepped in front of Kaizen. "Back off!"
"No," Kaizen said softly, voice raw. "They're right to be afraid."
---
Outside – The Confession
Later that night, Kaizen sat alone again. Ayaka approached slowly, sitting beside him without a word.
"I saw it, Ayaka. What I really am. A Flame Wielder… a monster. Maybe they were right to kill us off."
Ayaka's hand trembled slightly. "Kaizen… you need to know something."
He turned toward her.
"I'm not… entirely human either," she said. "My mother… she was once captured by a Bist. I don't know what they did, but—there's something inside me. Something I've kept hidden."
Kaizen's eyes widened.
"You knew? All this time?"
"I didn't want to lose you," she whispered.
Silence.
Then Kaizen stood, walking a few steps away. Back still turned to her.
> "I don't know who I am anymore. And now I don't know who you are either."
Her voice cracked. "But I'm still me… and I still choose you."