Chapter 2: The Scarlet Mark

The alleyway smelled of rain, metal, and fear.

Kian staggered behind Amara, clutching his glowing arm as they sprinted through the narrow passageways of Neo-Tokyo. The sound of KAGE operatives echoed in the distance — metallic footsteps, inhumanly synchronized.

“H-How are they still following us?!” Kian gasped.

Amara didn’t look back.

“Because they aren’t normal humans. And neither are you.”

They broke out into a side street. Neon holograms flickered overhead, washing the soaked pavement in purple light.

Kian doubled over, gasping as pain shot through his left arm again.

The glowing symbol seared brighter — a crimson eye surrounded by jagged runes.

“Ahh—! It’s burning!! What is this thing?!”

Amara grabbed his wrist sharply.

“Hold still.”

“K-Keep your hands off—AGH!!”

She rolled up his sleeve. Rain dripped onto the glowing mark, sizzling as if falling onto hot metal.

The scarlet eye stared back at them.

Amara’s expression changed — a mix of fear and awe.

“…Impossible.”

Kian tensed. “W-What? What is it?”

“That symbol…” she whispered. “It’s a Primordial Rune. You’re not just an Awakened Weapon. You’re something much more dangerous.”

Kian felt the world tilt.

“Dangerous? I barely survived back there!”

Amara finally looked him in the eye.

“I’m trying to keep you alive. But you need to trust me.”

A shout echoed behind them:

“CONTACT FOUND!!!”

“Oh come ON!” Amara snapped. “They’re faster than I thought.”

“KAGE is everywhere,” Kian said, panic rising. “Why do they want me?!”

“Because,” Amara said, grabbing his hand again, “your awakening wasn’t supposed to happen.”

A metallic roar tore through the air.

A massive armored hound — half cyborg, half beast — sprinted toward them, eyes glowing blood-red.

KAGE had unleashed their bio-hunters.

“STAY BEHIND ME!” Amara ordered.

The hound lunged.

Amara slid forward, firing rapidly. Every bullet hit its joints, sparks flying off its metal limbs — but it didn’t stop.

“Damn it! Too much armor!”

The creature leapt at her—

“KIAN!!” she shouted.

Instinct took over.

The symbol on Kian’s arm flared violently.

A burst of crimson light exploded outward, forming a circular shield in front of him.

The hound slammed into the glowing barrier.

A shockwave shattered the street.

Glass flew everywhere.

Lightning lit the sky.

When the dust cleared, the mechanical beast lay twisted and broken at Kian’s feet.

Kian stared at his own hand, trembling.

“Did… I do that…?”

Amara exhaled shakily.

“…You’re evolving faster than expected.”

Kian swallowed hard. “Please… just tell me what’s happening to me.”

She took a deep breath.

“Fine. You deserve the truth.”

She knelt beside him, the neon lights reflecting off her glasses.

“Kian… you weren’t born in a normal hospital. You’re not an ordinary human. You were created inside a KAGE laboratory as part of the Awakened Weapon Program.”

Kian felt his heart stop.

“That’s a lie…”

“It’s not. You have enhanced biology, regenerative systems, and a dormant power core inside your body. But that rune…” She looked at his arm again. “…that rune is something ancient. Something KAGE failed to understand.”

Kian stared at his shaking hands.

“No… No, no, NO! I can’t be some experiment! I have a family! I have—”

“Your memories were implanted,” Amara said softly. “To keep you stable.”

Kian sank to his knees, rain soaking his hair.

His entire life… fake?

His entire childhood… a file?

A scream echoed down the alley.

The operatives were closing in again.

Amara grabbed his chin, forcing him to focus.

“Listen to me, Kian. You can break away from them. You can choose your own life. But right now, we need to MOVE.”

He looked at her through blurred eyes.

“Why… why are you helping me?”

Amara froze for a moment.

“…Because I helped create you.”

Lightning cracked through the sky.

Kian stared at her in shock.

But before he could say anything, a cold voice echoed from above.

“Subject K-01 located.”

Kian and Amara both looked up.

Standing on a rooftop was a tall figure with long black hair, wearing a black coat that fluttered in the wind. His pale-blue eyes glowed softly in the rain.

His presence was overwhelming.

“Leon…” Amara whispered, trembling for the first time. “Not now…”

Kian’s heart hammered in his chest.

This was no ordinary operative.

This was something else.

Leon looked down at him without emotion.

“Kian Arashi… You have awakened.”

He extended his hand.

“Now… come back to where you belong.”