Stillness blanketed the forest. The scent of blood hung heavy in the air, a cruel reminder of the violence that had taken place.
Jin's body lay lifeless—or so it seemed. His limbs twisted at unnatural angles, face pale and lips blue. The night air turned colder, as if nature itself was mourning.
Then, without warning, the space around him rippled.
A pulse.
It was not heard, but felt—deep within the bones of the earth.
A pitch-black orb materialized above Jin's chest, perfectly spherical, absorbing the surrounding light like a void that fed on existence itself. It hovered silently, casting no reflection, no shadow. Only an overwhelming sense of dread.
Moments later, a second orb appeared—a radiant white one. Where the dark orb exuded dread, the white orb emanated serenity, balance, and light.
The two orbs hung in silence.
Then, they moved.
In an instant, they collided with each other, sending waves of invisible force across the clearing. Trees shivered, and the ground trembled beneath their clash. Though silent to the ear, their battle was deafening to the unseen world.
The orbs struck again and again, twisting and spiraling like celestial bodies caught in eternal conflict. Where the white orb touched, the leaves shimmered. Where the dark orb struck, bark withered to ash.
Energy clashed like storms in the sky.
Jin's body remained motionless beneath them, his breath barely discernible.
A final impact flared—light and darkness merging in a blinding burst. When the light faded, only the dark orb remained. Cracked. Dim. Weak.
But victorious.
It trembled, pulsing erratically, its power diminished, struggling to hold its form.
Slowly, it drifted downward toward Jin, as if drawn by some ancient pull.
Then—without ceremony—it sank into his chest.
Jin's body jerked violently. A surge of black mist erupted from his wounds, curling like snakes into the air before dissipating. His fingers twitched. The broken angles of his bones shifted slightly. His chest rose in a shallow, but certain, breath.
The forest went still again.
No birds sang. No wind blew. The orb had vanished within him, as though it had never existed.
But the air had changed.
Something ancient now slumbered beneath Jin's flesh—something not born of this world, nor meant for it.
And though Jin remained unconscious, his expression had shifted. No longer twisted in agony, it now carried a strange stillness. A hint of peace. A whisper of danger.
Far away, unnoticed in the forest's dark embrace, a new storm had begun to stir.