After the explosion, the city was no longer the same.
Green-black mist crawled through the streets.
It didn't drift like normal smoke.
It moved.
Like it was alive.
At first, people didn't understand what was happening.
Just coughing.
Burning throats.
Blurry vision.
Then—
Veins began turning dark.
A woman screamed.
A man collapsed.
A child cried for help.
WHU emergency alarms echoed across the entire district.
"Seal all sectors!"
"Deploy filtration units!"
"Poison levels rising!"
But it was already too late.
The toxin had entered their blood.
Sebastian stood on a fractured rooftop, watching the chaos unfold.
Asher stood beside him.
"This isn't just an attack…" Sebastian said quietly.
"This is transformation."
Below them, a group of civilians fell to their knees.
Their bodies trembled violently.
Bones tightened under skin.
Veins turned black-green.
Their eyes—
Emptied.
One by one, they stood back up.
Calm.
Silent.
Mechanical.
No fear.
No confusion.
No humanity.
Asher stepped back.
"They're not people anymore…"
"They're alive," Sebastian replied.
"But they're no longer themselves."
Then—
A familiar voice echoed behind them.
"Join us…"
Asher turned.
And froze.
"…Julian?"
Julian stood in the mist.
One of WHU's younger members.
Quiet. Intelligent.
Close to Vincent.
But now—
His veins were dark.
His eyes glowed green-black.
Yet he could still speak.
"It doesn't hurt…" Julian said softly.
"It's freedom."
Asher's voice shook.
"Fight it! You're stronger than this!"
Jualian tilted his head slightly.
"You cling to weakness."
Behind him, dozens of transformed civilians stepped forward in unison.
Sebastian moved in front of Asher.
"Stay back."
"No!" Asher shouted. "He's our friend!"
Suddenly—
Jualian moved.
Faster than any human should.
He lunged straight at Asher.
Sebastian intercepted instantly.
The impact cracked the ground beneath them.
Sebastian grabbed Julian's arm.
"Are you still in there?"
For a fraction of a second—
There was hesitation in Jualian's eyes.
Then something darker took over.
"Individual will… is obsolete."
He attacked again.
Relentless.
Stronger.
Sebastian defended carefully.
He wasn't striking to kill.
Asher yelled, "We can save him!"
But Sebastian already understood.
This wasn't infection.
This was control.
In the distance—
Within the thickest part of the mist—
A silhouette stood motionless.
Watching.
Miasma.
Sebastian felt it.
"This is his will…"
Jualian suddenly broke through Sebastian's guard and slashed across his shoulder.
Poison tried to spread instantly.
Sebastian burned it out with his own energy.
Asher stared in horror.
"Sebastian…"
Julian lunged again—
This time directly toward Asher.
Time slowed.
If Sebastian hesitated—
Asher would die.
One second.
One decision.
Sebastian stepped forward.
Energy gathered in his palm.
Julian's voice echoed faintly—
"Asher… join…"
Sebastian whispered:
"I'm sorry."
A flash of light.
A silent shockwave.
Toxic energy scattered into the air.
Jualian froze mid-motion.
For one brief second—
His eyes returned to normal.
Weak.
Fading.
"…Seb…"
He couldn't finish.
His body fell.
Still.
Gone.
Asher collapsed to his knees.
"NO!"
His scream tore through the street.
"We could have saved him!"
Sebastian didn't answer.
He stared at Jualian's lifeless body.
"To save someone… there must still be freedom left."
Asher's hands trembled.
"This isn't war…"
"This is slaughter…"
Sebastian lifted his eyes toward the mist.
Miasma stepped forward.
Poison swirled around him like a crown.
His voice echoed across the ruined city.
"This is evolution."
"We are removing weakness."
Sebastian met his gaze.
"Release them."
Miasma tilted his head slightly.
"You still defend humanity?"
"You carry my blood."
More civilians rose behind him.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Standing in silence.
Facing one direction.
Awaiting command.
WHU forces scrambled to form defensive lines.
But how do you fight your own people?
Asher slowly stood up.
Tears still on his face.
But something else had replaced grief.
Rage.
"If this is evolution…" he whispered,
"…then I'll destroy it."
Sebastian placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
"Not yet."
Miasma began stepping backward into the poison.
"This is only the first wave."
The mist thickened.
Half the city was already transforming.
The sky darkened unnaturally.
Sirens faded.
Screams stopped.
Because the people had stopped screaming.
They were rising.
And obeying.
Sebastian understood the truth.
This wasn't an invasion.
It was an internal collapse.
The war had shifted.
And this—
Was only the beginning.