A Deal with the Dark

Haruki barely clung to consciousness, his vision flickering in and out of focus as blood dripped from his forehead onto the broken concrete beneath him. Every breath felt like fire in his ribs, each movement an unbearable ache spreading through his battered body. His limbs were heavy, his muscles barely responding. His katana lay a few feet away, just out of reach, its blade smeared with dirt and streaks of crimson.

Across from him, Kain stood tall, barely winded, his dark coat billowing slightly in the unnatural wind that had started to swirl around them. The air felt thick, charged with something far beyond human comprehension. And at the center of it all, standing between them like a shadow made flesh, was Asvar.

The god’s form shifted constantly, never quite staying still, like an inkblot bleeding into the fabric of reality. Its face was featureless except for two piercing slits of silver, its body a swirling abyss of black tendrils and shifting patterns, moving as if it were made of living smoke. Haruki felt its presence pressing against his skin, cold and ancient, like something that had existed long before the world even began.

"You are dying," Asvar said, its voice a whisper that echoed inside Haruki’s skull rather than the air around him. "A fragile thing, clinging to a futile fight. How human."

Haruki gritted his teeth, forcing himself upright despite the blinding pain that shot through his ribs. His entire body screamed for him to stop, to give in, to just let it end. But he refused. He had fought too hard, bled too much, to surrender now.

"And let me guess," he rasped, wiping the blood from his lip with the back of his trembling hand. "You’ve got an offer to fix that, don’t you?"

Asvar’s smile—if it could even be called that—stretched wider. "Clever boy."

Kain exhaled sharply, his expression unreadable. "You don’t have to listen to this."

Haruki ignored him, his gaze locked on the god. "What do you want?"

Asvar tilted its head, regarding him like a curious insect. "I want to give you what you need."

Haruki let out a breathless laugh, his ribs protesting at the movement. "Yeah? And what’s that?"

"Strength," Asvar murmured, its voice like silk wrapped around steel. "Endless, boundless power. The kind that would render you untouchable. The kind that would make you more than just a man bleeding in the dirt."

Haruki’s heart pounded.

He had felt weak for so long. Always behind, always fighting an uphill battle. The thought of power—real power—was intoxicating.

But there was something else in Asvar’s tone, something lurking beneath its words.

He glanced at Kain, who stood perfectly still, his gaze fixed on the god with an intensity Haruki had never seen before.

"You’ve seen something like this before, haven’t you?" Haruki asked.

Kain didn’t move. Didn’t speak.

Asvar chuckled. "Oh, he has. He knows the price. He has already paid it."

Haruki turned sharply to Kain, searching his expression. "Is that true?"

Kain’s fingers twitched. Just for a second. A small, almost imperceptible motion.

"Yes," he admitted quietly.

Haruki’s breath caught.

"You accepted its power?"

Kain didn’t answer right away. But then he nodded, once.

Haruki stared at him. "Then why the hell are you telling me not to?"

Kain exhaled slowly, running a hand through his disheveled hair. He looked—tired. Worn. Like someone who had been carrying the weight of something far heavier than himself for a very long time.

"Because I know what it does to you," he said finally. "It gives you everything you think you want. And then it takes everything you actually need."

Haruki swallowed hard. "What happens?"

Kain’s expression darkened. "It changes you. At first, it feels like nothing. You’re stronger. Faster. Your wounds heal before you even register the pain. You think you’re unstoppable." His voice dropped, quieter, like he was speaking more to himself than Haruki. "And then it starts whispering to you. Showing you things you don’t want to see. Twisting your thoughts, your decisions. Until one day, you wake up and you’re not you anymore."

Silence stretched between them.

Asvar smiled. "Oh, but tell me, Kain… was it not worth it?"

Kain’s fists clenched. "No."

Haruki felt something cold crawl up his spine.

"That’s why you left, isn’t it?" he realized. "That’s why you’re like this. Because you took its power, and now you’re trying to outrun whatever it did to you."

Kain didn’t respond.

That was answer enough.

Haruki looked back at Asvar. The god was patient, waiting, unbothered by the conversation playing out before it.

"You’re stalling," Asvar said. "But you have no time left to waste."

Haruki’s entire body ached. He could barely breathe. The fight wasn’t over, but if it continued like this, it would be.

He had a choice to make.

He clenched his fists.

"You want me to take your power," he said slowly. "But what do you get out of it?"

Asvar’s smile widened. "You."

Haruki’s blood turned to ice. "What does that mean?"

"Power is never free, child," Asvar murmured. "You will take what I offer, and in return, you will belong to me."

Haruki’s stomach twisted.

"And if I say no?"

"Then you die," Asvar said simply. "Here, now. And all your struggles, your pain, your desperate attempts to change fate? Meaningless."

Haruki let out a short, bitter laugh. "You really know how to sell it, huh?"

Asvar’s silver eyes gleamed. "I do not need to. You are already considering it."

He wasn’t wrong.

Haruki could feel his strength slipping, could feel the weight of exhaustion dragging him down.

But Kain’s warning rang in his head.

Power wasn’t free.

And the cost might be more than he was willing to pay.

He exhaled shakily, forcing his body to stay upright. "I don’t trust you," he said to Asvar. "And I don’t trust this."

Asvar’s smile didn’t falter. "Trust is irrelevant."

Haruki’s fingers curled into fists.

And then, slowly, he took a step back.

Kain’s eyes widened slightly, just for a fraction of a second.

"You’re refusing?" Asvar asked, something almost… amused in its tone.

Haruki exhaled. "Yeah."

A long pause.

Then Asvar sighed, almost disappointed. "Pity."

The darkness around them trembled. The air grew colder.

And then Asvar moved.

Faster than anything Haruki had ever seen, the god’s hand shot forward, aiming for his chest.

But Kain was already moving.

In an instant, he was between them, his blade flashing through the air. Steel met darkness, and the impact sent a shockwave through the ruined battlefield.

Haruki staggered back, heart pounding.

Kain didn’t look at him. His eyes were locked on Asvar, his grip on his weapon steady.

"You should leave," Kain said, voice low.

Haruki swallowed hard. "And if I don’t?"

Kain exhaled. "Then you won’t make it out alive."

Haruki hesitated.

And then he ran.