"What's happening?!" Aaron's voice wavered between confusion and panic.
His fingers trembled as they clawed at the ring, desperate to yank it off. But the metal burned like a brand against his skin, refusing to budge. The harder he pulled, the fiercer the pain became, as if the ring was sinking deeper, fusing with his flesh.
He stumbled toward the sink, twisting the tap open. Cold water splashed over his hand, but instead of relief, the pain only sharpened. The ring pulsed—glowing a deep, angry crimson, its radiance intensifying under the water's flow.
Aaron gritted his teeth, his breath coming in short gasps. He grabbed a damp cloth from his nightstand, wrapped it around the ring, and squeezed hard. Come on… cool down.
Nothing.
The heat was relentless, as if a fire smoldered inside the metal itself, untouched by water, air, or anything external.
His pulse hammered in his ears. He couldn't stay here. He needed air.
Shoving open the door, Aaron staggered outside. The night was eerily still. No wind, no rustling leaves—just the occasional flicker of the old streetlights, casting long, distorted shadows across the pavement.
Yet, the cold did nothing to ease the searing pain in his hand.
His thoughts reeled back to his mother, her voice clear as though she were standing beside him.
"Keep this ring with you always, Aaron. It will protect you when nothing else can."
A bitter laugh escaped his lips. Protect me? He clenched his fist, the glow of the ring leaking through his fingers. It's killing me!
Then—
A sound.
Soft, barely there, but enough to make his spine stiffen.
A rustling, like fabric brushing against stone.
Aaron froze, his breath hitching. For a brief moment, the pain in his hand became secondary. Slowly, he turned his head.
The street was empty.
The stillness stretched, pressing down on him.
"Hello?" he called out, his voice slightly hoarse.
Silence.
But the unease in his chest only deepened. Something wasn't right.
His pace quickened, his eyes darting to every shadow that seemed to shift in the flickering light. He turned into an alley, hoping to cut through to a busier street.
Then he saw them.
Two figures stood amammt the other end, shrouded in darkness. Their faces obscured beneath deep hoods. Their presence—wrong.
Aaron's breath stilled. The way they stood—unnaturally still, yet thrumming with an eerie energy—sent a bolt of fear through his gut.
Then they moved.
Not walked. Glided.
A chill shot down his spine. His feet reacted before his mind did—he turned and ran.
The pounding of his footsteps echoed through the empty streets, his breath ragged, heart hammering against his ribs.
He glanced over his shoulder.
They were following.
Effortlessly.
Their movements were smooth, unnervingly fluid, as if gravity didn't fully apply to them. No matter how fast he ran, they inched closer, closing the gap with impossible ease.
Aaron veered sharply, barreling down the stairs of an abandoned subway station. The dim platform was deserted. No trains. No people. Just the faint hum of flickering overhead lights.
A sign near the entrance read: UNDER REPAIR – DO NOT ENTER.
He didn't care.
His body ached, lungs burning, but he pushed forward, leaping over a maintenance barrier and plunging into the tunnel beyond. The air was thick with dust, the scent of rust and damp concrete clinging to his senses. Water dripped somewhere in the distance, the sound amplified in the vast emptiness.
He forced himself to keep going.
But the figures followed.
Aaron risked another glance back. They weren't running.
Yet they were closer.
"How?!"
His legs screamed in protest, but fear propelled him forward, dodging past debris and rusted metal beams. His vision blurred from the lack of light, the tunnel swallowing him in near darkness.
Then—
His stomach dropped.
A dead end.
A barricade of scaffolding and construction equipment towered ahead, cutting off the path. No gaps. No escape.
He skidded to a stop, chest heaving. Panic clawed at his throat.
Slowly, he turned.
The two figures had stopped a few feet away.
Their hoods obscured their faces, but their eyes—cold, unblinking, glowing faintly like embers—were fixed on him.
They stepped forward.
And one of them spoke, their voice hollow and sharp.
"There's no escape,"
"Hand over the ring," the other added, their fingers twitching. A faint, sickly green light flickered between them.
Aaron's heart slammed against his ribs. "I told you—I can't take it off!" He raised his hand, the Phoenix Ring glowing ominously in the dark.
The first figure let out a low chuckle. "Then we'll take it from your corpse."
Panic surged through Aaron. He yanked at the ring again, ignoring the searing pain. Nothing. It was stuck.
The second figure lifted a hand, their palm crackling with that eerie green energy. The glow pulsed, growing brighter—
Then they attacked.
A bolt of green energy shot toward Aaron. He barely had time to react before instinct took over. He raised his hands—
And the world exploded in light.
Electricity arced from his fingers, intercepting the attack mid-air. Sparks crackled, bouncing off the walls of the tunnel. The figure who had attacked convulsed violently before crumpling to the ground, their body twitching from the lingering shock.
The second figure hesitated—then turned to flee.
But the moment they spun around, a column of fire erupted from the tunnel floor, swallowing them whole. Their scream barely lasted a second before vanishing into the roaring blaze.
Aaron dropped to his knees, gasping for air. His hand still burned, but the glow of the ring dimmed, fading back into its original silver form.
His mind reeled.
"What the hell just happened?" he whispered.
Then, from nowhere, a glowing blue screen materialized in front of him.
THE PHOENIX RING HAS AWAKENED
Current level: 1
Initialization of Catalyst with 100 base points distributed across your new skills.
Stamina: +20
Speed: +20
Strength: +20
Reflex: +20
Agility: +20
Aaron gawked at the screen, his chest rising and falling in quick, shallow breaths. "What the…?" He reached out, but his fingers passed right through it.
Before he could process, another blue screen appeared, displaying icons labeled with the same stats.
Click on an icon for more details.
Aaron hesitated, then tapped Strength.
The screen shifted:
Your Strength has been initialized to 20 points.
However, your body remains too weak to fully benefit from this skill.
Physical abilities currently at 1% of maximum potential.
Aaron groaned. "What does that even mean?"
Before he could think further, a sound reached his ears—
A rhythmic tapping against the ground.
Someone else was coming.