Chapter 3 — When Blood and Lightning Answered

Courage Standing Against the Impossible

The mountain that once held laughter now trembled under violence. Wind tore through the trees, carrying dust and fragments of broken earth into the air. What remained of peace had already been erased.

At the center of it all stood — Sang - Jaey. A boy who should have run for his life. But he refused it.

Before him loomed the Humankind Monster—its presence twisting the air itself. Every movement it made felt unnatural, as if reality resisted its existence.

And yet to the terrified witnesses watching from afar, the battle looked unreal.

Sang-Jaey moved. The monster moved.

Their clash blurred the space between seconds, turning time into something unstable.

From a distance, the survivors watched in silence that felt heavier than screams. Scientists, teachers, students—none of them could look away.

A human boy… standing against something that should not exist.

Then realization struck one of the scientists like ice through his veins. The battlefield was shifting.

Closer.

Closer to the laboratory.

His voice broke through the chaos—

“Doctor… the fight… it’s moving toward the lab!”

Dr. Kwan reacted instantly, his expression hardening into urgency.

“If that creature reaches the spell, we have no idea what might happen—go, bring that!”

A scientist didn’t hesitate. He ran.

He sprinted toward the lab with everything he had, across the battlefield, through empty corridors. Through flickering lights. Through the weight of something unseen watching him.

Inside the chamber, the fragment rested— the spell. Glowing. Breathing. Alive.

His hands trembled as he reached for it.

“Please… don’t react now.”

He grabbed it carefully and rushed back towards the others.

But as he carried it back—toward the battlefield—

The spell awakened. Its glow pulsed violently. As if it had sensed something. Or someone.

A Race Against Time

Inside the silent remains of the laboratory, another discovery was about to be made. Dr. Shine stood frozen before the screen — displaying the result across the monitor.

The results did not change. No matter how many times she checked.

Her voice trembled with disbelief—

“This… this can’t be real.”

The global blood database had finished its search.

The message from the spell had led them to something impossible, the mysterious blood type mentioned in the decoded message had been identified.

Two results—only two in the entire world.

She grabbed the data tablet and rushed out, her heartbeat echoing in her ears.

“I have to tell them immediately.”

But when she reached the main room—

Silence.

Empty chairs. Idle machines. No one.

Her brows tightened in confusion.

“Where did everyone go…?”

Unaware of the storm outside, she moved deeper into the facility, chasing answers that were already unfolding beyond the walls.

A Body Breaking, A Will Unbroken

Outside, the battle had turned merciless.

Sang-Jaey’s breath came in broken gasps. His body trembled with exhaustion, barely holding itself together. Cuts covered his skin , blood ran down his arms, staining the ground beneath him.

Still— He stood.

The monster watched him, its head tilting slightly, studying the weakness creeping into him.

Then it spoke, its voice low, almost amused—

“Grrr… do you think yourself a hero?”

Before the words could fade, with terrifying speed it lunged forward and then — it struck.

Sang raised his arms to block — too late.

The impact crashed into the Sang-Jaey gut like the weight of the mountain itself.

His body flew across the rocky ground, slamming into the ground with a force that shattered stone and sent dust exploding into the air.

For a moment—

Nothing moved.

Then the dust settled.

Sang-Jaey lay broken.

His skin was torn. His body was shaking. Blood covering his face.

His left eye— gone.

The monster approached slowly, its victory already decided.

“Grrrr… pathetic human!”

But then—

A movement.

Small.

Impossible.

Sang-Jaey’s fingers pressed into the dirt. His body trembled violently as he forced himself upward.

Step by step.

Breath by breath.

He rose again.

And through blood and pain, his voice barely held together—

“I… can’t fall yet…”

The Spell Chooses Its Bearer

The scientist reached the edge of the battlefield, clutching the fragment tightly.

But it was no longer still.

As it came closer to Sang-Jaey . It shook violently in his hands, its glow erupting like lightning trapped within glass.

His voice cracked with fear—

“I can’t hold it! It’s reacting to something!”

Then—

It burst free.

The spell slipped from his grasp and crashed onto the ground.

At the same moment—

The monster raised its arm.

The final strike.

Its roar tore through the air—

“GRAAAAH!”

The shadow fell over Sang-Jaey.

Death descended.

But just before the blow could land— He moved.

His hand shot up, gripping the monster’s arm with desperate strength.

Blood streamed down his face.

And then— Something changed.

The eye that had been destroyed… opened.

From beneath the blood the pupil slowly emerged — it returned. Not as before. But different.

Both of his eyes began to shift. One burned with deep crimson. The other swallowed light into a dark, endless black.

The monster froze.

For the first time—

It felt fear. Real fear.

Its voice faltered, almost breaking—

“…Grr… what?”

It stared into Sang-Jaey’s gaze as if it had seen something ancient.

Something forbidden.

The Punch That Shattered the Monster

For a heartbeat, the world held still. The monster hesitated. And Sang-Jaey took that moment.

He moved forward, gathering everything left within him—every ounce of strength, every fragment of will.

His voice erupted from deep within him—

“GET AWAY FROM HERE!”

His fist struck.

The impact exploded outward. The ground cracked. The air shattered.

The monster’s body launched backward, thrown across rocks and debris like something broken beyond repair.

It crashed. And remained there. Half-dead.

Sang-Jaey stood for a moment longer, his body swaying as exhaustion consumed him. His breathing was uneven, fragile. Every eye— and every phone camera— was locked on him.

Then his eyes found something— The spell lay quietly on the ground, calling to him.

He stepped forward slowly, reaching out his hand— and collapsed before he could touch it.

The Truth Revealed

At that same moment, Dr. Shine emerged into the chaos outside.

“Why is everyone here?”

She mutters herself and shouts out that her voice cut through everything—

“I found him!”

The scientists turned instantly.

Dr. Kwan stepped forward, urgency sharp in his tone as shouted

“Found who?”

She raised the tablet, her breath still uneven.

“The blood type from the message… the one mentioned in the spell.”

Silence tightened around them.

She continued, her voice steady despite the weight of her words—

“The search revealed only two people in the entire world with this blood. But I can’t say with certainty that they have T-blood.”

A scientist leaned forward.

“Who are they?”

Dr. Shine answered slowly—

“One is an old man over a hundred years old.”

Disappointment spread quickly. One of the scientists’ eyes gleamed with both hope and disappointment as he whispered,

“Then this discovery is useless, what if the other one is also an old being?!”

Another voice interrupted sharply—

“Let her speak! What about the second person?”

Dr. Shine didn’t answer immediately.

Her gaze had already moved.

To the battlefield.

To the destroyed mountain.

To the fallen monster.

And then—

To the boy lying unconscious in the dirt.

She pointed.

Her voice quiet, but unshakable—

“First tell me something. What happened here?”

No one spoke.

Her eyes sharpened.

“Who is the boy lying on the ground? What is that thing lying over there?”

Dr. Kwan answered, his voice heavy with realization—

“He’s the one who fought that monster.”

Something shifted in her expression.

Urgency returned.

“Turn him over . You all saw him… I want to see his face too. .”

They obeyed.

Carefully, they turned him.

The moment she saw him—

Her breath stopped.

Her voice broke into a whisper—

“It’s him…!”

The Mark Revealed Beneath the Storm

At that exact moment. The sky answered.

Thunder roared across the mountains, shaking the air itself. Lightning tore through the clouds, striking a tree nearby and setting blaze across the branches, shrubs, bushes,and thickets across the battlefield.

Then came the rain. Heavy. Relentless.

It poured over the battlefield, washing away blood, dirt, and ash.

Flames roared as each drop of water poured from the sky.

And slowly—

Sang-Jaey’s face was revealed.

Dr. Shine stared, unable to look away.

Because beneath the fading blood—

Something appeared.

A symbol. Etched into his cheek. Not painted. Not scarred.

Born into him.

Her voice trembled with awe as the truth surfaced—

“We found him…the bearer! He’s the second one… who had the rare blood, I found on a global database.”