The ruins of Old Fairview groaned under the weight of a collapsing sky. Ash fell like dirty snow, coating the cracked pavement and fractured windows. Somewhere in the distance, a Hollowed howled—a sound like metal grinding over bone, like hunger given voice. And in the heart of it all, I stood clutching a jagged blade, my hands shaking.
Not from fear.
From what I had become.
"Elias," Adrian said beside me, his face smeared with soot, blood streaked across his temple. "You sure you want to do this?"
I looked past him at the skeletal remains of the Old Capitol building. Twisted rebar jutted from the sides like the bones of some long-dead leviathan. Somewhere in there, they said, was the Core. The Heart of the Scourge. And maybe—just maybe—a chance to end it all.
"I have to," I said.
"Even if it means letting the Beast out again?"
I clenched my jaw. That part—the part where I might lose control and go full Hulk-with-a-hangover again—yeah, that kept me up at night. But we were out of options. The Scourge was spreading faster than we could contain it. Cities fell like dominoes. Humanity was running out of time.
"If I don't," I said, voice low, "then who will?"
He nodded grimly. "Then let's go."
We crossed into the Capitol's shadow. The light dimmed immediately, like even the sun was afraid to shine here. The walls were scorched with ancient sigils—Scourge runes left by Hollowed priests during their rise. They pulsed faintly now, reacting to something in me.
Great.
It was like walking into a haunted house where you were the ghost.
I took the lead, following the map seared into my memory—thanks to the strange bond I now shared with the virus. Every step deeper felt like sinking into quicksand, and not just because the place was crumbling beneath us. The Core was close. I could feel it, thrumming beneath the ground like a second heartbeat.
We turned a corner and stopped cold.
Standing in our path was a creature I'd only seen once before—a Shadowbound. Not just Hollowed, but something worse. Taller than a man, with skin like scorched obsidian and eyes that shimmered like oil slicks. Its mouth curled into a mockery of a grin.
"Elias," it hissed. "Welcome home."
Adrian raised his rifle.
"Don't," I said. "It wants me."
The Shadowbound laughed. "So smart, for a beast."
My fingers twitched. The beast inside stirred. The scent of blood. The hunger. The power.
I resisted. Barely.
"What do you want?"
"To finish what we started. Join us. Embrace the truth."
"Not a chance."
"You already carry our mark. The Core calls to you. The Heart awaits."
It lunged. Adrian fired, but the bullets slowed as they neared it, like time itself was bending. I stepped forward, letting the change start—just enough. My arms lengthened, claws formed, eyes burned with amber light. The beast and I moved as one.
We clashed.
Claws met shadow. Roars echoed through the chamber. The Shadowbound twisted, phase-shifting through strikes, but I was faster. Stronger. I slammed it into the wall, cracking stone.
"You don't control me," I growled.
It spat black ichor and whispered, "Not yet."
Then it vanished, slipping into the shadows like smoke.
Adrian ran to me, panting. "What was that thing?"
"A warning."
The Core didn't just attract monsters. It made them. And if I wasn't careful, I might be the next one it remade.
---
The inner sanctum of the Capitol was a tomb. Walls etched with lost language. Statues of forgotten gods. And in the center, pulsing with a light like molten silver, sat the Core.
It was... beautiful.
And terrible.
"This is it," I whispered.
Adrian nodded, eyes wide. "What now?"
I stepped forward. The Core pulsed brighter. My veins burned. The beast screamed inside me, clawing to be free.
"Now," I said, voice breaking, "I fight."
Energy surged through me. Visions exploded behind my eyes—memories that weren't mine. Cities consumed. Worlds erased. And me, at the center, crowned in shadow.
"Elias!" Adrian shouted, but his voice was miles away.
The Core had me.
It showed me a future where I ruled, not as a hero, but as a god of monsters. The last king of ash and bone.
No.
I tore myself free.
"I'm not your weapon," I snarled.
The Core screamed in a voice like shattering glass. Light flared. I staggered. The beast inside roared.
I let it out.
But this time, I controlled it.
My skin hardened, claws extended, eyes burned like suns. I grabbed the Core, felt it resisting. It tried to rewrite me.
But I wrote back.
With a scream that split stone, I channeled everything into the Core—all the pain, guilt, hope, and fury. The light dimmed. The energy pulsed... and shattered.
The Core exploded.
A wave of force knocked us back. Silence fell.
Then the air cleared.
And for the first time in years, there was no Scourge energy in the air. The Hollowed... were gone.
Adrian groaned. "Did we win?"
I looked at my hands. Still monstrous. Still... changed.
"We survived. That's a start."
He stood, coughing. "What now?"
I looked at the ruins around us. The scars left behind.
"Now, we rebuild."