He woke to the scent of smoke and antiseptic.
The world around him swam in and out of focus — white ceiling lights, muffled footsteps, the hum of machines. For a moment, he couldn't tell if he was alive or dreaming.
Then the pain hit.
A cold, deep ache pulsed through every nerve, like fire crawling under his skin. He tried to sit up, but his muscles refused. His body felt… wrong. Heavy, dense, like it wasn't entirely his anymore.
"Don't move," a voice said quietly.
He turned his head.
Saya sat beside him, her arm wrapped in bandages, her expression sharp but tired.
"You've been out for two days," she continued. "You almost didn't make it."
Ren blinked. "Where… am I?"
"Underground base. The club has more than just one room in the school, in case of situations like this."
He let out a shaky breath. "That man… he—"
"Got away," she interrupted. "But not before he left you a gift."
She lifted the edge of his shirt. A faint black mark had spread across his ribs — branching like veins, pulsing faintly with dark light.
Ren stared. "What is that?"
"Poison," she said. "But not a normal one. It's Hive's toxin — a living organism. It's trying to merge with your hybrid gene."
His stomach twisted. "Merge?"
Saya nodded. "If it wins, you stop being you. You become one of them."
Ren clenched his jaw. "Then I'll fight it."
Her lips twitched, almost a smile. "Good answer. But you'll need to do more than fight."
She stood, turning toward the door. "Selene's waiting. She'll want to test your stability."
They brought him to a training chamber — cold metal walls, padded floor, faint hum of energy barriers.
Selene stood in the center, dressed in her usual black uniform, her silver eyes like moonlight against the dark.
"You look alive," she said flatly. "That's a start."
Ren frowned. "What's this about?"
"You were poisoned by Hive's organic strain," she said, walking in slow circles around him. "That means your body is adapting. We need to see how far."
She raised a hand, and the air shifted. Shadows peeled off the walls, swirling around them like mist. "Defend yourself."
Ren blinked. "Wait—"
The shadows attacked.
He barely reacted in time — twisting aside as one formed a blade that slashed across his arm. Pain flared, but something else too — satisfaction. The black veins under his skin pulsed, his vision sharpening.
He countered. Instinctively, his own shadow rose behind him, forming claws that struck out against Selene's constructs.
The impact cracked the floor.
Selene's expression didn't change, but her voice softened slightly. "Not bad."
He gritted his teeth, sweat beading his forehead. "Feels like… it's fighting me."
"It's always going to fight you," she said. "That's the point. Power without resistance is just corruption."
He staggered as the poison surged again. His claws flickered, his breathing quickened. He saw flashes — the masked man, Hive's symbol, dark wings, whispers in his mind.
Then, abruptly, it all stopped.
Selene lowered her hand, dissolving the shadows. "Enough. If we push further, the toxin might override your will."
Ren collapsed to his knees, trembling. His body steamed faintly from the strain.
"You lasted longer than I expected," she said. "That means you're still you."
Ren looked up at her, exhausted. "Still me, huh?"
"For now."
Later that night, when the others had left, Saya returned to the chamber.
Ren sat against the wall, staring at his hands. The faint glow beneath his skin hadn't faded.
She tossed him a pack of nutrient bars. "Eat."
He caught them, tore one open, and forced himself to chew. It tasted like dust and salt, but the burning in his chest eased slightly.
Saya leaned against the wall beside him. "You're lucky. Most people die before their body adapts."
Ren glanced at her. "You say that like you've seen it happen."
"I have." She folded her arms. "Hive's toxin kills fast. But if it doesn't… it changes you. Sometimes for the better. Sometimes not."
He looked down at his hands again. "And what if I become one of them?"
She hesitated, her eyes softening. "Then I'll be the one to stop you."
He chuckled bitterly. "That supposed to be comforting?"
"It's a promise."
Silence stretched between them, filled only by the hum of distant machinery.
Ren finally muttered, "I don't get you. You act like you don't care, but you do."
Saya shrugged. "I don't need to care to protect someone. I just do it."
He smirked faintly. "Sounds like you care."
She looked away, hiding the hint of a smile. "Eat your food, idiot."
That night, as Ren tried to sleep, he dreamed again.
The Hive's masked man stood before him — faceless, endless. Behind him loomed a shadow shaped like wings.
You can't fight hunger forever, the voice whispered. You'll either feed it… or it will feed on you.
Ren's reflection stared back from the darkness — eyes glowing silver, veins crawling like vines of night.
He whispered into the void:
"I'll decide what I become."
The darkness laughed softly.
We'll see.