Chapter 1: Enter the Maw
The sun had long set on the city of Korrin, its towering skyscrapers now nothing more than dark silhouettes against the night sky. Ryo Kazan stood before the iron gates of the Beast's Maw, a monolithic structure that stretched higher than anything he had ever seen. The stench of sweat, blood, and decay permeated the air. The world had descended into chaos, and this place... this place was the heart of it all.
Ryo had been a soldier once, trained in the brutal art of warfare. But that life, that world, seemed so far away now. What had once been a clear line between right and wrong had blurred, and the choices he had to make no longer came with guarantees of honor. He was here for one reason: Ren, his younger brother.
Ren had vanished two years ago, after he was coerced into taking the Fang Serum, a drug that promised the strength of beasts but cost the very soul of its user. In the years since, Ryo had scoured every black market and corrupt back alley for a trace of him. Every dead-end had led him here—Beast's Maw, where fighters like Ren disappeared, and many never returned.
The gates groaned as they opened, revealing the fighting pits within. A dense fog of dust hung in the air, shrouding the arena with an eerie, ominous feeling. Fighters, their bodies covered in scars and tattoos, surrounded the perimeter, watching with cold, lifeless eyes. They were here for the fight, but Ryo had a different goal. He wasn't here to win or to be a part of the system. He was here to find Ren.
Ryo walked forward, his boots echoing against the hard concrete. The sound of fists meeting flesh filled the air as he passed the cells where the fighters were housed. Some were human, some were grotesque, mutated forms that could hardly be called anything other than beasts. Their eyes, wide and savage, followed him as he passed, a silent warning of the dangers ahead.
"You're new," a gruff voice called out from behind him.
Ryo turned to see a large, muscular man leaning against a wall. His face was hard, and his eyes burned with the same cold hunger Ryo had seen in the eyes of soldiers before they went into battle. This man was a fighter. But something about him was different—he wasn't fully corrupted by the serum.
"Name's Kai," the man grunted. "You don't belong here."
Ryo's eyes narrowed. "I'm not here to fight for fame or glory. I'm here for my brother."
Kai scoffed. "Everyone's here for something. But the Maw doesn't care. You want your brother? You'll have to fight like the rest of us."
Ryo clenched his fists. "I'll fight if I have to."
"Better be ready for what's coming," Kai warned, stepping aside. "The first round is tomorrow. And you'll be facing a real beast."
The warning hung in the air as Ryo turned and walked deeper into the Maw. His mission was clear. Find Ren. Survive.