CHAPTER 81: CHAPTER 14.3: THE CRIMSON AWAKENING PART 3

Jin stayed frozen on his knees, fingers white-knuckled around the quantum katana’s grip while the forge’s dying light painted everything in sickly purple hues. His shoulders shook—but whether from rage or grief, no one could tell.

Clara’s tablet slipped from her trembling fingers, the crack of plastic on metal making everyone flinch. Through her glasses, data streams painted impossible readings that made her stomach churn. "J-Jin? What the—your brain activity is going crazy. Like, *really* crazy. What happened there?"

He looked up slowly, and the workshop’s temperature seemed to drop ten degrees. His eyes blazed crimson—not the warm brown they knew, but something that pulsed like dying stars. The color shifted and swirled, as if something else was looking out through them.

**[ENTITY SYNCHRONIZATION: 45% → 47%]**

**[WARNING: UNKNOWN NEURAL PATTERN DETECTED]**

"Nothing happened." His voice carried strange harmonics that made the metal walls hum. "Just... remembered something important."

The quantum katana at his side began resonating, wisps of red energy coiling around its edge like smoke made of blood. The blade’s whisper filled the silence—not words exactly, but a feeling of rage so pure it made everyone’s teeth ache.

Sera’s combat boots clicked sharp against the floor as she crossed to him, her amber eyes narrowed. "Seriously? Five minutes ago you were fine, now you look like you wanna tear someone’s head off. What gives?"

"Maybe I do." The words came out flat, emotionless, sending ice down everyone’s spine.

*Yes,* something whispered in Jin’s mind, sweet as honey and twice as cloying. *They wouldn’t understand anyway. They’re too soft and weak.*

Rosa backed toward the door, her usual playful attitude completely evaporated. "Okay, this is officially creeping me out. Jin, you’re kinda scaring everyone here."

"Good." He stood slowly, and the shadows in the room seemed to bend wrong, pooling at his feet like oil. "Maybe you should be scared."

Shūmei glided forward, silk-smooth and predatory, her crimson eyes gleaming with barely hidden excitement.

"Jin-sama doesn’t need to be normal," Shūmei purred, positioning herself between Jin and the others. "He needs to be strong enough to protect us."

Lin Xu peered around the doorframe, her gentle features creased with worry. The scent of fresh soil still clung to her from the hydroponics bay. "We heard yelling. Is everything alright here?"

"Everything’s perfect," he said, and his smile was all teeth and no warmth.

The temperature dropped another degree. Frost started forming on the metal walls, their breath misting in the suddenly arctic air. But Jin stood there in his torn shirt, seemingly immune to the cold that radiated from him.

"This isn’t you," Sera said firmly, though her voice shook slightly. "Something’s wrong. Talk to us, Jin. Let us help."

"Help?" The laugh that bubbled up from Jin’s throat sounded like breaking glass. "Where was help when—" He cut himself off, jaw clenching so hard they could hear his teeth grind.

*Don’t tell them,* the Entity crooned. *They’ll use it against you. They always do.*

Rosa tried one more time, pushing past Shūmei despite the dangerous flash in the other girl’s eyes. "Hey, remember you always apologise for every little thing, you always smile even if it’s awkward. That’s the Jin we know."

"That Jin was pathetic." The words came out venomous. "Weak and useless."

**[ENTITY SYNCHRONIZATION: 47% → 49%]**

"Enough." Jin’s voice cut through their arguments like a blade. The quantum katana flared with crimson light, and every piece of electronic equipment in the workshop flickered. "Get out."

"Jin, just listen—" Sera started.

"GET. OUT." The dual-toned roar shook dust from the ceiling. "Before I make you."

They filed out one by one, shooting worried glances back. Sera lingered at the door, amber eyes searching his face for any trace of the man she knew.

"We’re not giving up on you," she whispered.

"You should," he replied, turning away.

When the door was sealed, Jin stood alone in the freezing workshop. The Entity’s presence coiled through his thoughts like smoke, making it hard to remember why he’d been upset in the first place.

*They fear you now,* it whispered with satisfaction.

Outside, the team huddled in the corridor, voices low and urgent.

"What the actual hell was that?" Rosa demanded, hugging herself. "He’s never talked like that before."

"I don’t know," Clara admitted, studying her fractured data. "But it’s like something’s consuming him from the inside out."

"Then we stop it," Sera said firmly. "Whatever it is."

"How?" Elena asked. "He won’t let anyone near him."

Shūmei smiled that unsettling smile. "Perhaps we shouldn’t."

As they argued, Asha’s cameras tracked everything, the AI running millions of calculations. She’d detected the parasitic consciousness the moment it appeared, but her programming prevented her from revealing it without Jin’s permission.

All she could do was watch as something ancient and hungry slowly devoured the man who’d saved them all.

---

Inside the workshop, Jin collapsed to his knees, the quantum katana clattering beside him. The crimson energy flickered wildly, casting dancing shadows on the walls. His hands flew to his temples as a war erupted within his mind.

**[INTERNAL CONFLICT DETECTED]**

**[ENTITY SYNCHRONIZATION FLUCTUATING: 49% → 47% → 51%]**

*No!* Jin’s consciousness screamed, fighting against the invasive presence. *Get out of my head!*

*Why?* the Entity whispered, its voice like silk wrapped around razor wire. *I’m giving you what you need. Strength. Power. The ability to protect.*

*By hurting the people I care about?* Jin’s mental voice trembled with effort.

The workshop temperature plummeted further as ice crystals spread across the floor. Jin’s body convulsed, caught between two warring wills.

*They betrayed you,* the Entity hissed, showing him flashes of memory—his father’s face, the sound of energy weapons, his mother’s crumpled form. *Everyone betrays you in the end. Trust is weakness.*

*That’s not true!* Jin’s consciousness pushed back, warmth spreading through his mental landscape. *Clara, Sera, Rosa—they’ve been there for me. They care!*

*They fear you now,* the Entity countered, its voice dripping with satisfaction. *And they should. Fear keeps people loyal. But love makes them vulnerable.*

Jin’s eyes snapped open, the crimson briefly receding to reveal his natural brown beneath. "I won’t let you turn me into a monster!" he gasped aloud, his voice strained.

*Too late,* the Entity whispered, surging forward with renewed strength. *You invited me in when you reached for power. Now I’m part of you.*

The quantum katana flared violently, the red energy coiling around Jin’s arms like living serpents. His muscles tensed as the Entity’s influence spread through his nervous system.

*Fight it,* Jin told himself, clinging to memories of kindness.

*You are what this world made you,* the Entity countered, showing him images of battlefields, of enemies falling before his blade, of victory through ruthlessness. *Emotions are liabilities. Compassion is a weakness that enemies exploit.*

**[ENTITY SYNCHRONIZATION: 51% → 54%]**

Jin’s hands clenched into fists, his knuckles white. "I... am not... you!" he growled through gritted teeth, forcing himself to stand. The crimson energy pulsed around him, but small patches of warmth remained—flickers of his true self resisting the corruption.

*You will be,* the Entity promised, its voice fading as it settled deeper into his consciousness. *Soon enough. And when you embrace your true power, you’ll thank me.*

The workshop door hissed open, and Jin’s head snapped up, his eyes once again fully crimson. The internal struggle had left him breathing heavily, but outwardly, he appeared composed—cold and distant.

**[ENTITY SYNCHRONIZATION: 54%]**

**[INTERNAL CONFLICT: TEMPORARILY SUPPRESSED]**

As he straightened his torn shirt and retrieved the quantum katana, a single tear traced a path down his cheek.