### A Fateful Decision
Kael stood amidst the carnage, his breath steady despite the chaos surrounding him. The battle had awakened something deep within—something far beyond human comprehension. His hands still tingled from the raw power he had just unleashed, and he could feel his sealed memories stirring within his mind, like whispers of a forgotten godhood.
Elyra's gaze never left him. Fear, awe, and confusion swirled in her eyes. "Kael… you're not normal, are you?"
He exhaled slowly, considering his next words. "No. But I don't know what I am yet."
The city was dying. Fires raged in the distance, the wails of the infected echoed through the streets, and the military was losing ground. Kael knew they had to leave soon—before the real horrors began.
---
### The Mark of Divinity
As they scavenged for supplies in the wreckage of a ruined pharmacy, Kael caught sight of something in the shattered glass of a display case. His reflection… but different.
A faint golden mark shimmered on his forehead, barely visible, yet radiating an ancient energy. He touched it instinctively, and a flood of incomprehensible images flashed through his mind—endless stars, kneeling figures, a throne that stood above existence itself.
Then, the pain struck.
A searing agony exploded through his skull as more memories fought to surface. He staggered back, gripping his head, his vision darkening.
"Kael!" Elyra grabbed his arm, trying to steady him. "What's happening?!"
He gasped, barely holding on. *Something is breaking.*
---
### The Arrival of the Unknown
The moment his mind cleared, he sensed them.
Not the infected. Not the military. Something worse.
A presence loomed in the air, suffocating and ancient. The ground trembled slightly, the very atmosphere vibrating with an unnatural resonance.
Elyra shivered. "Do you feel that?"
Kael's eyes sharpened. "We need to go. Now."
They barely made it into the underground metro station before it appeared.
A figure descended from the sky—cloaked in darkness, its body adorned with glowing crimson runes. It was humanoid, yet undeniably inhuman. Its eyes burned with a sickly golden light, scanning the streets as if searching for something… or someone.
Kael's heart pounded. *It's looking for me.*
---
### The Revelation
Hiding in the shadows of the metro tunnel, Elyra whispered, "What the hell is that thing? It's not infected, is it?"
Kael's fists clenched. "No. It's something far worse."
The entity raised a hand, and an invisible force erupted outward, toppling cars and sending debris flying. A single word echoed from its lips, a language neither human nor earthly.
"Found."
Kael's body tensed as the entity turned its gaze directly toward the tunnel entrance.
They had been discovered.
---
**To be continued…**