Days passed.
Or maybe weeks.
Jin Ryu had no way of knowing.
Time blurred in the darkness.
But one thing remained constant.
The pain.
Every day, it returned.
Burning through him.
Testing him.
Changing him.
At first, he resisted.
He tried to suppress it.
Ignore it.
But it only grew stronger.
Until—
He stopped fighting it.
Instead—
He listened.
Sat cross-legged on the cold floor.
Closed his eyes.
And focused.
On the ash.
At first, it was chaotic.
Wild.
Unstable.
But slowly…
It began to respond.
A faint wisp formed in his palm.
Gray.
Soft.
Like dust.
Jin Ryu opened his eyes.
"…I can control it."
For the first time—
There was a spark of hope.
He clenched his fist.
The ash dispersed.
But this time—
It didn't hurt.
A voice echoed in his mind again.
"Destruction is not the end."
"It is the beginning."
Jin Ryu frowned.
"…Who are you?"
No answer.
Only silence.
But he understood one thing.
This power—
Was not a curse.
It was a weapon.
And he would need it.
Because somewhere out there—
The people who destroyed his sect were still alive.
And one day—
He would find them.