Nightborn Evolution

The air grew heavier as Kairo and Lena made their way through the ruins on the outskirts of the city. This place had once been part of civilization, but now it was nothing more than a decaying graveyard of crumbling buildings, overgrown streets, and shadows that stretched unnaturally long.

This was Forsaken Territory.

Lena adjusted the grip on her knife, her eyes constantly scanning their surroundings. "I still think this is a bad idea," she muttered.

Kairo smirked, though he felt just as uneasy. "I didn't expect you to be afraid."

She shot him a glare. "I'm not afraid, I'm smart. There's a difference."

Kairo chuckled, but deep down, he understood her concern. The Forsaken weren't just failed evolutions. They were those who had survived the process, but at a cost—twisted bodies, fractured minds, and an existence on the edge of humanity.

Some were little more than monsters in human skin.

And they were about to walk straight into their den.

The deeper they went, the more unsettling the silence became.

No birds. No wind. Not even the usual distant sounds of the city.

Just… nothing.

Then—Kairo's system flickered.

[Warning: You are being watched.]

He tensed. "We're not alone."

Lena barely had time to react before movement erupted from the shadows.

Figures emerged from the ruined buildings, their shapes inhumanly twisted—some with elongated limbs, others with glowing eyes and patches of hardened skin like armor. They wore tattered clothes, remnants of their former lives, but their bodies told a different story.

They were evolved, but broken.

One of them, a man with dark veins crawling up his neck and claw-like fingers, stepped forward. "You shouldn't be here." His voice was low, guttural.

Kairo met his gaze. "We came for answers."

The Forsaken snarled. "And why would we answer you?"

Kairo took a breath, then said the words he hoped would make a difference.

"I've been touched by the Abyss."

A ripple went through the group. The Forsaken exchanged glances, their expressions shifting from hostility to something else.

Fear.

The lead Forsaken narrowed his eyes. "Prove it."

Kairo hesitated. His Abyss-Touched trait had no clear activation—at least, not one he understood. But the last time he had felt it…

He focused.

Immediately, the world around him darkened.

The shadows stretched unnaturally, flickering as if responding to him. The Forsaken all tensed, stepping back. One of them shook, his breath hitching.

"The Abyss… it's inside him," someone whispered.

The lead Forsaken took a slow breath. "Follow me."

Lena glanced at Kairo with an expression that screamed, Are you sure about this?

He wasn't.

But they had no choice.

The Forsaken led them deeper into the ruins, through a collapsed building that had been reinforced into a crude shelter. Dimly lit by flickering lamps, the space was filled with worn-out bedding, makeshift barricades, and strange markings carved into the walls.

Kairo recognized some of them. They were Abyssal symbols.

At the center of the room sat a hunched figure, wrapped in layers of cloth. His face was hidden beneath a hood, but the air around him felt heavy—as if reality itself bent around his presence.

The lead Forsaken bowed his head. "Elder Varian, we have a visitor."

The hooded figure stirred. Slowly, he lifted his head, revealing pale, sunken eyes. His skin was lined with dark veins, but his expression was calm.

"So," Varian rasped, "the Abyss has chosen another."

Kairo stepped forward. "I don't know what that means."

Varian chuckled, a dry, hollow sound. "Few do." His gaze pierced through Kairo, as if seeing something beyond the physical world.

Then, he spoke words that made Kairo's blood run cold.

"You are not the first… and you will not be the last."

Kairo clenched his fists. "Then tell me—what am I?"

Varian leaned forward. "You are Nightborn. A child of an ancient lineage, thought to be extinct. And the Abyss… it remembers you."

The room fell silent.

Lena's eyes widened. "Nightborn? You're saying Kairo's… part of some lost bloodline?"

Varian nodded. "Not just any bloodline. The first evolution. The ones who existed before the vampires, before the Forsaken… before the world changed."

Kairo's chest tightened. "Then why don't I know anything about it?"

Varian's expression darkened. "Because the world forgot. And those who remember… seek to erase the last of your kind."

Kairo felt a chill run down his spine. He had spent his life feeling different—like he didn't belong. Now, he was being told that he was part of something ancient. Something that had been wiped from history.

And if what Varian said was true…

That meant someone had been trying to keep it that way.

Varian sighed. "The Abyss does not mark without reason. It is a call, a reminder of what was lost. And now… your enemies will see you."

Kairo's system flashed a warning.

[New Faction Identified: The Ancient Ones.]

[Status: Hostile.]

Lena stiffened. "What the hell is that?"

Varian's voice turned grave. "The true rulers of the past. The ones who erased your people. And if the Abyss has awakened you… then they will come."

Kairo exhaled slowly. His path had already been dangerous. But now?

Now he had the attention of something even worse.

And it was only a matter of time before they made their move.