oharazetsu

In a world where the gods are long gone, only their cursed relics remain—twisting anyone desperate enough to use them.

Vael never wanted power. He only wanted to survive. But when his village is destroyed by a warlord wielding a relic of the old gods, he’s left with nothing… except a choice: die broken, or take up the artifact that calls to him by name.

The moment he touches it, everything changes. The gods didn’t vanish—they were betrayed. And something older, something worse, is beginning to stir beneath the ruins they left behind.

As the power eats away at his mind, Vael must decide what he's becoming. Because in a world like this, monsters aren’t born.

They’re made.

NETHRYN

The wind squeeled through the ruins.

Vael followed Lira through the remains of an old fortress. Stones crumbled under his boots, but she moved like a shadow—quiet, steady, untouchable.

The crown throbbed on his skull.She's hiding something.

He watched her closely as they moved deeper in. The air here felt thick, like even time had rotted.

They stopped at what looked like a half-buried barracks. Rubble covered most of it. Only a narrow gap marked the entrance.

Her eyes narrowed. "You're wearing a damn Echo Relic. And you just killed an Echo Guardian like it was nothing. That doesn't happen."She glanced at the crown. "Not unless it's taking something from you."

Whispers curled tighter in Vael's mind.Don't trust her. She'll betray you.

He shoved them down. "It doesn't matter."

"It does," she snapped. "That thing isn't just cursed—it's a cage. And you're wearing it."

Vael's fists clenched.He already knew that.He felt it.

Every time he used it, he felt a little less like himself. A little more like… something else.

Lira's voice softened. "I don't care what you've done. But I know how these things work. The more you rely on it, the more you disappear."

His jaw tightened. "Then why help me?"

She hesitated. "Because I've seen people lose themselves to relics. I don't want to see it happen again."

Vael nearly laughed.Too late.

But before he could say it, the ground rumbled.

Lira stiffened. "We need to move."

Vael turned.The shadows shifted.Something twisted inside them. Something alive.

A deep, rasping growl echoed out from the dark.

Vael reached for his blade. "More of them?"

She nodded once. "And worse. If we stay, we die."

Stone walls flashed past them, broken doors and shattered halls blurring by. The ruins felt endless. But behind them, something followed.

It wasn't just chasing.It was hunting.And it wanted him.

Hunted