Veins of Betrayal

The streets whisper your name now—not with reverence, but fear. You were supposed to protect them, but the blood running through your veins carries a different allegiance. The pact you made in desperation has begun to consume you, cell by cell. Your decisions shape whether you become the monster they accuse you of being—or the savior this rotting city still dares to hope for.

Veins of Betrayal

The streets whisper your name now—not with reverence, but fear. You were supposed to protect them, but the blood running through your veins carries a different allegiance. The pact you made in desperation has begun to consume you, cell by cell. Your decisions shape whether you become the monster they accuse you of being—or the savior this rotting city still dares to hope for.

I can feel it again—the pulse beneath my skin, like something alive tapping against my ribs. My left hand doesn’t respond right. It moves on its own, tracing symbols on the wall in dried blood. Mine, I think. Or maybe someone else’s. I don’t remember breaking my knuckles.\n\nThe apartment is dark, the air thick with the stench of copper and spoiled medicine. Kael’s notes are scattered across the floor, diagrams of my DNA spiraling into monstrous shapes. One phrase repeats: Subject Gamma nearing Threshold. Memory degradation critical.\n\nA soft knock. Then Lys’s voice, trembling. ‘Please… I know you’re in there. Just say my name.’\n\nBut I don’t know if I can. I don’t know if I should.\n\nBecause part of me wants to open the door—and another part wants to tear it off its hinges.