"In a tower that breaks the soul, only monsters climb to the top."
It was cold. Not the kind of cold that nipped at your skin, but the kind that wrapped around your bones and whispered that the end had come.
Kael lay in a forgotten alley, bleeding out under a flickering neon sign. Rain washed the blood down the cracked pavement in slow, winding rivers.
His body was broken. His breath came in ragged gasps. Every heartbeat felt like a countdown.
He didn't cry out.
Didn't beg.
Didn't curse the ones who betrayed him.
They had smiled to his face, shaken his hand, fought beside him… and then stabbed him in the back when it mattered most. Not for revenge. Not for power.
Just for convenience.
His vision blurred. Everything began to fade—sound, light, thought. But then—
[You have died.]
The voice didn't come from outside. It came from within. Smooth, mechanical, emotionless.
[Primordial Evolution System initializing…]
[Host detected: Kael Vire. Condition: Terminal.]
Kael tried to breathe, but it wasn't lungs that moved—it was something deeper. A force awakening inside him. Pulling him back from the brink.
[Reconstruction beginning.]
A pulse shot through his chest. His heart stuttered, then restarted. Bones shifted. Muscles tore and rewove themselves.
The pain was unbearable.
He clenched his teeth so hard they cracked. But he didn't scream.
He endured.
[Welcome, Kael.]
[You have qualified for the Primordial Evolution Protocol.]
[Do you wish to evolve?]
The question echoed in his mind.
Kael's lips barely moved, but the answer was clear.
"Yes."
[Evolution Path Chosen: Predator Variant.]
[First Trait Acquired: Adaptive Regeneration.]
[Warning: The system requires growth through conflict. Stagnation leads to decay.]
Kael opened his eyes again, but the alley was gone.
He stood in a massive, circular chamber of dark stone and flickering torches. The air was heavy—thick with the scent of blood and something older.
Corpses littered the ground. Human. Beast. And things he didn't recognize.
At the far end of the room, something moved.
A creature stepped forward—towering, all muscle and claws and bone-plated skin. Its eyes glowed red in the torchlight.
Kael didn't flinch.
[Initiating Combat Trial: Kill or Devolve.]
The beast let out a roar and charged.
Kael exhaled slowly. His body ached, but it was already healing. His blood was still wet, but it no longer spilled.
"I already died once," he said, voice calm.
He took a step forward, toward the charging monster.
"Let's see what happens if I survive."
End of Chapter 1