Nico quickened his pace through the haunting darkness of Chicago. Every breath felt heavy, creating a thin vapor that immediately mixed with the scarlet spore fog in the air. The cracked asphalt beneath his boots felt rough, sending waves of pain to his back, which was still throbbing after the fatal incident at the mall. A different kind of exhaustion crept in, as if it wasn't just his body being drained, but also another part of himself—his memories—threatened to fade away.“Sarah, can you still hear me?” Nico pressed the radio button on his left shoulder. His voice was broken by the sound of his own rapid breathing.Static crackled sharply before Sarah’s voice replied from the other side of the device. “Nico! Thank God you’re still alive! Your signal cut out during the explosion! What happened back there?”“I’m almost at the crash site,” Nico answered as he leaped over the wreckage of an overturned container truck. A pungent odor hit his nose. “The smell... I don’t know how to desc

"I'm not your Messiah, you bastards!" Nico screamed, his voice echoing through the cramped basement, filled with pure rage. Resentment and despair intertwined, burning within him.The crystal thorns on his back protruded with a heart-wrenching crack, tearing through the remains of the leather jacket he wore. Heat exploded at every nerve ending once more, granting a power that felt forbidden and dangerous, yet he chose to use it now.The golden-eyed giant remained unfazed. He swung his massive sledgehammer with one hand, smashing the workbench Elena had just occupied into splinters. The heavy steel embedded itself into the floor, leaving a deep crater. "Messiah? You are the architect of our future, Nico. Your blood is the seed that will turn this dead world green, and your body is the throne for His will! Do not resist destiny!"Behind the giant, dozens of Scavengers—rose-worshipping humans who had lost their sanity—crawled through the shattered doorway. They carried bone daggers and r

"Nico! Wake up! Not now, please!"Elena shook Nico's shoulder frantically. The man was still slumped, his breathing heavy and irregular, while his golden-yellow eyes stared blankly at the cabin ceiling. Outside, shadows emerging from behind the ash fog began to move. They were no longer just standing. They ran—fast, agile, and filled with a hunger that Elena could feel even through the cracked bulletproof glass."Damn it, damn it!" Elena cursed, tears of frustration welling up. "Nico, if you don't wake up, we're both going to end up as plant fertilizer!"Nico groaned softly. His voice was no longer human. It was a low-frequency hum that made Elena's ears ring painfully. Nico tried to move his hands, but his muscles seemed locked by the mutation that had just erupted, holding him in Sovereign's grip."Sovereign..." Nico whispered hoarsely. "It's... calling.""Ignore the call! Focus on me!" Elena grabbed Nico's seatbelt and pulled it with all her might. She had to move this man. The Tho

"Nico! Wake up! Don’t let him in!”Elena’s voice sounded as if it were coming from the bottom of a very deep well. The crimson mist inside the cabin of the Thorn-Breaker grew thicker, swallowing reality and replacing it with pulsating shadows. Nico felt it—a soul-freezing cold, followed by an exploding heat at the base of his brain. His hands, which had been gripping the steering wheel, slowly went limp, while his skin began to emit thin wisps of red steam.“Run... Elena...” Nico whispered, his voice hoarse, nearly lost amidst the low-frequency hum filling the room. A memory of his father, faint and blurry, almost flashed by before being struck down by pain.Nico’s vision went white. Suddenly, the smell of gasoline and death in Chicago vanished. It was replaced by the scent of ozone, pungent floor cleaner, and a fragrance of roses that was far too sweet to be natural.Subject 01, can you hear me?Nico opened his eyes. He was no longer inside the wrecked truck. He was lying on a cold m

"We have to pull over, Elena. Now!”Nico groaned, his hands gripping the steering wheel of the Thorn-Breaker, which now felt white-hot. Behind them, the Chicago skyline was no longer just a silhouette of skyscrapers. The city had become a giant crater spewing crimson light into the sky, a death beacon marking the beginning of the Great Bloom Cycle. The golden spores they had seen at the Willis Tower were now chasing them through the air, forming a storm cloud that crept forward slowly but surely.“Where? This entire highway is already covered in vegetation!” Elena shouted, her eyes fixed on a tablet screen displaying Nico’s heart rate, which was spiking into the red zone.“Exit at the Oak Park interchange. There’s a backroad only locals know. I know where to go.”The steel truck leaped down a ramp of cracked asphalt, smashing through a guardrail and sliding into a silent suburban neighborhood. Here, the red roses weren’t as aggressive as they were downtown, but they were still there—c