The rain in Sector 9 didn't wash things clean; it just made the grime slicker.
Ren walked through the alleyways of the Slum District, his hood pulled low. The neon signs of noodle bars and pawn shops reflected in the puddles—pink, electric blue, and warning red. Drones buzzed overhead, broadcasting holographic ads for the latest Guild recruitment drives, their cheerful jingles clashing with the coughing of homeless addicts huddled in doorways.
"This place," Gluttony murmured, "smells of oil and despair. I prefer the dungeon. At least the rot there is honest."
"Be quiet," Ren muttered. "I need to focus."
He was limping slightly, not from injury, but from exhaustion. The adrenaline of the climb had faded, leaving a hollow ache in his bones. He clutched the stolen Mana Potions in his pocket like a lifeline.
He reached his building—a towering, brutalist concrete block stained with acid rain. The elevator had been broken for six years. Ren took the stairs to the 14th floor.
He stood in front of door 14-B. The paint was peeling. He reached for his key, his hand trembling.
He had been gone for three days. In the Scavenger line of work, three days was the cutoff. After 72 hours, the Association stopped looking. After 72 hours, the landlords evicted your family.
He unlocked the door.
The apartment was dark. It smelled of stale medicine and lavender air freshener—the scent Maya used to hide the smell of her sickness.
"Maya?" Ren whispered.
No answer.
He stepped inside, locking the door behind him. The living room was tiny—a couch, a small holo-TV, and a kitchenette. On the table, there was a digital tablet blinking with a notification: [Final Notice: Rent Overdue].
Ren moved to the bedroom.
Maya was asleep. She was seventeen, three years younger than him, but she looked frail. Her skin was pale, almost translucent, a symptom of "Mana Blight"—a condition where the body's cells broke down due to ambient mana exposure. It was a disease of the poor; the rich could afford Filtration Wards.
Ren sat on the edge of the bed. He watched her chest rise and fall.
"She is dying," Gluttony stated. It wasn't an insult; it was a clinical observation. "Her core is leaking energy. She is a broken vessel."
"She's my sister," Ren thought back, his mental voice fierce. "And she's not going to die."
"Why? In the wild, the weak are left behind to ensure the survival of the pack. Investing resources in her is inefficient."
"She is the pack, you parasite."
Ren reached out and brushed a strand of hair from Maya's forehead. His hand—the same hand that had turned into a bone-claw and punched through a monster's skull an hour ago—was gentle.
Maya stirred. Her eyes fluttered open. They were cloudy.
"Ren?" she rasped, her voice thick with sleep.
"Hey, May," Ren smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. "I'm home."
Maya sat up, her eyes widening. She grabbed his arm, her grip weak. "You... you were gone. The news said the Weeping Caverns collapsed. They said everyone in Sector 4 was dead."
"I got lucky," Ren lied smoothly. "Found a pocket of air. Took me a while to dig out."
Maya looked at him. Really looked at him. "You look... different."
Ren froze. "Different how?"
"Taller," she whispered. She touched his cheek. "And your skin... it feels cold."
Ren pulled back slightly. His body temperature had dropped since the bonding with Gluttony. He was running at a reptile's pace now.
"Just the rain," Ren said, standing up. "I'm going to shower. Then I'm going to make dinner. Real dinner. Meat."
Maya's eyes lit up, the suspicion fading under the promise of food. "We can't afford meat, Ren."
Ren patted his pocket where the stolen potions sat. "I got a bonus. Don't worry about it."
He walked into the bathroom and closed the door. He turned on the shower, letting the water run cold.
He looked in the mirror.
The face staring back was his, but sharper. His jawline was more defined. His eyes, usually a dark brown, now had a faint, violet ring around the iris.
"You cannot hide what you are becoming," Gluttony whispered. "You can play house, Ren. But the sheep will eventually smell the wolf."
Ren punched the mirror. A spiderweb crack appeared, but his knuckles didn't even bruise.