Kai sat on the edge of a rough cot, elbows on his knees, eyes fixed on the dirt floor. The cold breeze slipped through the seams of the canvas walls, causing them to flap gently.
What the hell happened to me?
He touched his chest again. Smooth. No wound. No scar. Just dry blood stiff on his shirt.
Dead. He'd been dead. That wasn't just a feeling. He remembered it—the pain, the cold, then the darkness. And then—
That voice.
[PARASITE SYSTEM INITIALIZING…]
A shiver ran through him at the memory. Not just hearing it. He'd felt it. Inside his head. Inside his bones.
But now, it was quiet.
"Hello?" he whispered, feeling stupid. "System. Whatever you are. Are you still there?"
Nothing. Just the flap of canvas and his own breath.
"Figures," he muttered. "You wake up inside me, rip through my body like fire, and now you don't say a damn thing."
No answer.
Kai leaned back and stared up at the roof of the tent.
Am I still even me?
He felt… different. Stronger, maybe. His body didn't ache the way it should. Not after what he'd been through. His thoughts felt sharper. And that knight… He hadn't killed him. He couldn't have. But the knight was dead. Helm split. Skull crushed.
And the screen.
[Skill Extracted: Iron Skin.]
None of it was normal. The parasite—or system, or whatever it was—had done something to him. Changed him.
He clenched his fists and then opened them. "What are you?" he asked again. Still nothing.
Great. Guess I'll have to figure this out myself.
The next morning, Kai dragged himself out of the cot, boots heavy with dried blood and mud. His body still worked. That was something.
Outside, the sun broke weakly through a layer of gray clouds. The camp was already moving. People stirred pots over low fires. Kids dug through bags. A man chopped wood, exhaustion written across his face.
Kai wandered until he found her again.
Elswen.
She stood near a long table, handing out bread and dried meat to a small line of people. Her sleeves were rolled up, and her black hair was tied back now, but the golden strands still caught the light when she moved.
When she noticed him, her eyes flicked over him quickly—neither cold nor warm.
"You sleep?" she asked.
"Sort of," Kai said.
She passed a chunk of bread to a girl no older than ten, then turned back to him. "You're what? Fifteen?"
"Seventeen," Kai corrected.
She raised a brow, then nodded. "You look younger."
He shrugged. "Been a rough year."
That almost got a smile. Almost.
"You eat yet?" she asked.
"Not really."
She handed him a chunk of bread and a strip of dried meat without another word. He took them, surprised.
"Thanks," he said.
"You're not the only one who lost everything, Kai Veroth," she said, her gaze drifting over the camp. "But you're the only one who showed up yesterday with blood on his shirt and no wound to match."
Kai froze mid-bite.
"I'm not accusing," she added, voice quieter now. "I've seen worse. Just saying—you're not normal. Doesn't mean it's bad. Just means you better think about what that makes you."
Kai didn't know how to respond, so he didn't say anything.
Elswen glanced at the people lining up for food again, then back at him. "If you're not planning to run off again, there's work. Watch duty. Helping with supplies. We're short on hands."
He nodded. "I'll help."
She gave a short nod in return. "Then you're not just another mouth to feed. Good."
As she turned to leave, he called out, "Elswen."
She looked over her shoulder.
"Thanks," he said again. "For giving me a chance."
This time, she did smile. Just a little.
"Don't waste it."
Kai finished his breakfast, the bread dry and tasteless in his mouth, but the meat gave him some strength.
After a few more moments of silence, Elswen turned and left, moving toward another group of people by the fire. Kai watched her for a moment, then pushed himself to his feet. His boots were stiff from dried blood and mud, but they still held up as he moved toward the camp's outskirts.
The work she had mentioned was there. Watch duty, supply runs, whatever kept them going. Kai didn't care. He just needed to stay busy, to keep moving. The more he thought about the parasite—or whatever it was—the less he felt like himself.
He didn't want to think about it.
As Kai walked past a small group of tents, a shape caught his eye—a body.
It was a man, lying in the dirt. His arms splayed out, his face turned toward the ground. Kai froze. There was no blood around him, no obvious injury. Yet, the man looked… wrong.
Kai stepped closer, his boots crunching over the gravel as he examined the body. His hands hovered over the man's back, feeling the faint heat radiating off his body despite the chill in the air. There was no sign of a struggle. Nothing obvious.
The man was dead, but his body felt too… calm. Too clean. Like he hadn't fought. Not like the others.
[Skill Extracted: Deadeye]
The voice inside Kai's head startled him. But instead of panicking, he felt a strange calm wash over him. His vision sharpened, the world around him crisp and clear. The fine details—the dust in the air, the cracks in the man's skin, the way the light hit his face—became vivid. It was like he could see the entire scene in a way he never had before.
He knelt down beside the man, his fingers hovering over the cold skin. No wound, no injury to speak of. His chest was still. No rise, no fall.
What the hell happened here?