The Devil's Bargain

Haruki felt the impact before he could react. Kain's fist crashed against his ribs like a sledgehammer, sending him skidding across the broken concrete. His vision blurred for a second, pain radiating from his side, but he forced himself to stay upright. He couldn't afford to lose focus—not now.

Kain didn’t let up. He was on him in an instant, movements precise and relentless. Another strike, this time to Haruki’s shoulder, nearly dislocated it. He barely managed to twist away before Kain’s knee drove into his gut.

Haruki gasped, staggering back. His mind screamed at him to counter, to fight back, but Kain was faster, stronger. Every hit carried weight—calculated destruction.

Haruki wiped blood from his mouth and forced a smirk. "So this is it, huh? The great Kain, still beating up people to silence his own damn guilt?"

Kain’s eyes flashed, but his voice was calm. "You think you know me, Haruki? You don’t. You’re just another fool pretending the world is something it’s not."

Haruki rolled his shoulder, ignoring the sharp pain. "And what world do you see, Kain? One where you're the only one who gets to decide who lives and who dies?"

Kain didn’t answer. Instead, he lunged again, fists striking like a storm. Haruki dodged the first few blows, barely keeping ahead of him, but Kain wasn’t just fast—he was precise. One slip, one hesitation, and—

A brutal kick caught Haruki in the side, launching him against a broken pillar. The stone cracked on impact, and Haruki collapsed to his knees, choking on air.

Kain loomed over him, eyes cold, merciless. "This fight was over before it even started."

Haruki coughed, each breath sending agony through his ribs. His vision swam, but he forced himself to focus. He wasn't done yet.

"You… you're wrong." He grinned through the pain. "If it was over, you'd have killed me already."

Kain’s expression didn’t change. He lifted his foot, ready to crush Haruki's skull into the ground.

And then—

The air shifted.

A whisper, barely audible, curled around them like smoke. Time seemed to slow, the very space between them stretching, distorting. The battlefield dimmed, colors bleeding out, as if reality itself was being drained.

Haruki’s breath hitched. Something was wrong.

And then he heard it.

"Poor, broken thing."

The voice came from nowhere and everywhere all at once. It was deep, smooth, threaded with something ancient and knowing.

Kain froze, his foot hovering inches above Haruki's face. His head snapped up, eyes narrowing. "What is this?"

The shadows around them thickened, curling in unnatural ways. A figure emerged—tall, featureless, draped in shifting darkness. It had no face, only the suggestion of one, and yet Haruki could feel its gaze on him.

"You've fought well," the voice murmured. "But you are fragile. Weak. Dying."

Haruki swallowed. His fingers dug into the dirt beneath him as he forced himself upright. "Who…?"

The figure tilted its head slightly, as if amused. "A friend. A god. A maker of kings and destroyer of empires. But you… you may call me Asvar."

Kain’s stance remained rigid. His fingers twitched at his side, ready for another strike. "I don’t believe in gods."

Asvar chuckled, the sound low and echoing. "And yet here I am."

Haruki’s pulse pounded. This wasn’t like Azrael. This wasn’t like anything. The air around Asvar shimmered with something primal, something wrong. It wasn’t just power—it was something older than power itself.

"What… do you want?" Haruki asked, voice hoarse.

Asvar’s gaze—if it even had one—settled on him. "You."

Haruki stiffened.

Kain’s scowl deepened. "You’re wasting your time."

Asvar ignored him. It stepped forward, its presence swallowing everything around it. "You are dying, Haruki. You cannot win this fight. Not as you are now."

Haruki grit his teeth. "And I suppose you’re here to change that?"

The god let out a low hum. "Perhaps."

Kain exhaled sharply, stepping forward. "He’s not interested."

Asvar turned to him, and for the first time, Kain hesitated. It was slight, nearly imperceptible, but Haruki saw it.

"Ah," Asvar murmured. "You’ve seen something like me before, haven’t you?"

Kain didn’t respond, but the tension in his stance said enough.

Asvar chuckled. "You are right to be wary, Kain. But you are not the one I have chosen."

It turned back to Haruki, reaching out a hand. "I offer you something few have ever been given—a second chance. Power beyond anything you have ever imagined."

Haruki’s fingers curled into fists.

Kain’s voice was cold. "Don’t be a fool."

Haruki barely heard him. His breath came shallow, his body screaming for rest, for relief. He was losing. He knew it. If he refused, Kain would finish this fight, and that would be it.

But accepting—

Haruki looked at the god’s outstretched hand.

He knew what this was.

A deal with the devil.

His mind raced. If he accepted, if he took this thing’s power, would he even be himself anymore? Would he become another Kain? Another Azrael?

But if he refused—

Haruki closed his eyes.

The fight wasn’t over.

But maybe he wasn’t fighting Kain anymore.

Maybe he was fighting himself.