Alex stepped onto the bench, eyes locked with the crowd. His voice, sharp as steel.
"That black sludge you saw? It's not high. It's a curse. I've seen what it does—how it eats people alive from the inside."
He paused, letting the silence speak.
"When I dug into it, everything vanished—records, sources, lives. Like it never existed. That's how dangerous it is."
"So I'm asking—no, begging—don't touch it. If you want something, earn it. Don't sell your soul for shortcuts."
The team headed for combat training.
Alex, drained, lay back on the grass, eyes gazing skyward. The cozy breeze lulled him—the world grew still. He slipped into sleep while Gwen, Athina, and Ben trained nearby.
A girl walked toward him.
Ben spotted her.
"Hey! What do you want?" he asked, cautious.
Alex stirred, eyes half-open.
"Yo, senior… What's the story?"
She said nothing at first—just sat beside him.
Gwen, Athina, and Ben watched closely, tense.
Alex caught the worry in her eyes.
"Something's wrong… talk to me. What is it?"
She nodded slightly.
"What was that… when you burned the pill?"
Alex's tone grew darker.
"I believe... It's the work of devil worshippers. From what I've gathered... their roots run deep."
Her voice trembled.
"What do they even do?"
Alex stared at the clouds.
"Old reports say they used blood to 'baptize' people… pouring it into fields and wells. Later, they'd blackmail the victims—dragging them into cults to worship devils. Now… I think they've cursed these drugs with that same blood."
A beat.
"If someone's affected by it... can we save them?" she asked softly.
Alex nodded.
"There's one I saved. It's possible."
Her eyes widened.
"Who? How?"
Alex smiled faintly.
"Gwen. Me and Ben had to wrestle her down. We used a special flame to burn the curse out."
Her hope flickered.
"Can you save the others?"
Alex looked uncertain.
"I don't know… but if we can kill the main devil they've made contracts with, we might destroy every cursed seed they planted in people."
She leaned in, kissed his cheek gently.
"Then please… be careful. I've already taken care of every horse trying to chase you down."
Alex chuckled.
"Thanks for knocking them off the track."
Gwen stormed over, wiping Alex's cheek with a frown.
"Why'd she kiss you? Should I kill you now or later?"
Alex blinked.
"She asked questions. I answered. Then she kissed me and said she handled everyone after me."
Gwen narrowed her eyes.
"If you let anyone else kiss you again… I'll finish the job myself."
Alex saluted jokingly.
"Yes, madam."
Alex started practising the yin and yang movement after that . Ben , Athina and Gwen went to their training .
Alex walks out with them , he says tory on the car waving at him . Ben asked " who is she !".
" Oh, it was an old man, Mark's daughter and our senior disciple !"
Tory looked at them and said "hey Alex ! Come on, let's go ! you are wasting time !".
Athina asks " is't she the one who sneaks into your room to wake you up !".
Alex nods , " yep she was what's wrong!".
after send out every one to training , alex walk to tory
Alex slipped into the passenger seat of Tory's old beast of a car—leather cracked, engine snarling like a caged animal.
Tory smirked as she turned the ignition.
"Hey, Alex! Heard you've been brawling in school like a one-man demolition squad."
Alex rested his head back, eyes half-closed. "We discovered something… that pill? It's not just a booster—it's laced with a demonic entity. It doesn't power people. It kills them. Slowly."
Tory's eyes darkened as the car rolled onto the road.
"So they're doing… blood cult shit?"
Alex turned to her, eyebrows raised. "Blood cult? What do you mean?"
Tory kept one hand on the wheel, the other casually resting on the window frame. "One of those dark cult legends. They harvest human blood for cultivation and summoning rituals. Real twisted stuff. It's not just fiction anymore—those bastards are real. Worse than rumors ever painted."
Alex's voice dropped. "Human blood? Seriously? And no one's doing anything about it?"
She chuckled bitterly. "Oh, someone did. My father. At first, all the so-called 'fictions' tried to fight them… but eventually, most got twisted—became the very thing they swore to destroy. Blood was too powerful a currency."
Alex stared at her. "And your dad… what did he do?"
Tory's grip on the wheel tightened. "He wiped them out. All of them. Men, women… even the kids. Left nothing to breathe."
A silence blanketed the car like thick fog.
Alex whispered, "He… killed everyone?"
The mood in the car changed—colder now. More real.
"When you pull out evil," she said, voice hollow, "you don't trim the branches. You dig out the roots. Or it grows back... meaner."
The car stopped in front of Alex's house. He sat frozen, the door slightly ajar.
"Did he have to kill everyone?" he asked.
Tory didn't answer right away. Then came a hollow laugh. "Dad offered them chances. They spat on everyone."She watched him closely. "Something's troubling you."
Alex entered his house, questions gnawing at him like hungry rats. He barely made it to the dining table before Amber gently placed a plate in front of him. She began feeding him, like always.
He looked up, hesitant. "Did he really have no choice?"
Amber nodded slowly. "When your choices are to act… or let thousands die quietly… you act. Even if it haunts you later."
Alex stared at his food, chewing in silence. "The last option…"
After dinner, he walked to the living room, pulled out a crimson syringe, and injected it into his arm. The serum hissed through his veins. His body slumped against the couch, drifting off into unconsciousness.
John walked in moments later, lifted him without a word, and carried him to his bed.
Tory arrived the next morning. Training resumed—Qi focus, spiritual discipline, combat drills.
It felt… normal.
At school, Alex sat half-asleep in class, Ben, Gwen, and Athina like sentries at his side—glaring down anyone who dared disturb him.
Every day followed the same rhythm: classes, training, silence.
Too much silence.
Even James noticed. After sparring, he and Alex stood out in the field, sweat on their brows, breathing heavy.
"Why does it feel like the seniors just... vanished?" Alex muttered.
"I hate this. That dead calm in the middle of war. Like the air itself's holding its breath."
James chuckled. "Relax, man. Maybe they're scared of the serum. Or maybe they realized we're not worth messing with."
Alex didn't laugh.
He looked out at the empty fields, the ghostly quiet school.
Something was wrong.
And they were walking right into it.
The wind stilled.
Too wrong.
Then—
📱 Bzzzt!
James's phone lit up. A message.
"All seniors are heading to the stadium.
You're surrounded. RUN. They're coming for YOU and ALEX."
James's face turned pale.
"Alex. We're not just being watched… we're being hunted."
Alex didn't move. He slowly reached into his infinity bag, pulling out two crimson syringes, glowing like they contained bottled fire.
He read the labels.
Heart Enchanter (Red Level)
Body Enhancer (Red Level)
"…Emergency use only," he muttered.
James stepped back. "Wait—those don't look safe—"
Alex stabbed the first injector into his chest.
BOOM.
His body jerked like he'd been struck by lightning. He screamed, collapsing to one knee.
Veins flared like molten rivers. His heart thrashed like a beast trying to escape his ribcage.
"ALEX!" James shouted.
Alex looked up, barely conscious, hand shaking as he tossed the second syringe to James.
"TAKE IT! NOW!"
James caught it. "Bro—what the hell did you inject?!"
"JUST—DO IT!"
James bit his lip and slammed the needle into his arm.
Agony hit instantly. His skin bubbled with heat, his fists clenched so tight blood dripped between his fingers.
"WHAT IS THIS?! IT BURNS—IT BURNS!!" he screamed.
Alex was on all fours, panting, eyes bloodshot.
"It's a battle booster. Dora gave it to me for last-resort emergencies."
"You call this a BOOSTER? This feels like my soul is on fire!"
Suddenly, the pain in Alex's chest faded—like a dam finally breaking.
He stood, trembling but upright. Eyes glowing faint red.
From every path, shadowed figures began to emerge—students. Dozens. Hundreds.
James staggered to his feet. "They're all under it… the same drug. The same control."
Alex nodded. "Their aura—it's been hijacked. They're not enemies. They're victims."
The crowd surged forward.
James tossed a pair of sleek, obsidian-black combat gloves at Alex.
"Put these on," he said with a half-grin. "Don't worry. I had them custom-made—for you."
Alex caught them midair, raising an eyebrow. "Custom, huh? You sure they won't melt the moment I light up?"
James smirked, tapping his temple. "Artifact-grade. Straight from the Royal Catholics Church vault. Blessed, purified, and flame-tested in holy fire. You'll break before they do."
Alex slipped them on. They clicked into place around his wrists like they'd been forged just for him. As he tightened his fists, golden fire spiraled around his knuckles—calm, radiant, divine.
He exhaled slowly. "No killing. Just breaking bones and egos."
James chuckled, rolling his shoulders.
"Good. Because we've got about 357 idiots to enlighten today."
Alex grabbed his phone, fingers trembling. Dialed 1765.
The line clicked.
"…Code Alex," he said, voice low, cracking with tension.
"I'm not okay. Dad said to call when I really needed help…
Well…
I do."
Their backs touched .
A robotic voice replied, flat and impatient.
"Idiot, say the address if you're calling for help."
"Lands Avenue. New York. Hunter Academy."
Alex ended the call and tossed the phone aside.
He looked at James. "Let's go."
Synchronized.
Unshaken.
Ready.
Alex cracked his knuckles, flames flickering around his gloves.
"Let's fight like there's no tomorrow."