CALAMITY : Legends Of The Chosen

"If you fall for a lie, does that make the feeling any less real?"

Scene 1 – Afterglow

A geothermal spring hissed within the ruins of a shattered Korean spa town. Steam danced beneath the collapsed roof, weaving ribbons of warmth through moonlight and moss.

The Chosen were camped here for the night.

Shojiro and Karl argued softly near the fire about map routes. Max had already curled into a quiet slouch, arms behind his head, staring at the sky.

But Morgz Ryuuga wasn't with them.

He was at the far end of the spring, half-submerged, steam clinging to his shoulders. His eyes weren't on the stars.

They were on her.

She sat across the pool, legs folded, her silhouette barely lit by the fading embers. Eyes gold, but unfocused. Like she wasn't fully in her body. Like her soul was still trying to remember where it belonged.

And Morgz — young, warm-hearted, foolishly hopeful Morgz — saw her not as a threat… but as someone lost.

Someone like him.

Scene 2 – His Confession

He approached her slowly, water rippling around his calves.

"You know," Morgz said gently, "back before all this, I studied marine life. Thought I had the ocean figured out. Ecosystems, predators, chemical layers…"

She didn't answer. Just blinked at him.

Morgz smiled. Sat beside her.

"But when I died, none of that helped. It crushed me like a soda can. Pressure doesn't care what you studied." He looked at her. "You ever feel like that? Like the world's pressing down on your chest and you don't even know why?"

She finally spoke.

"I feel… cold."

Her voice was soft. Too soft. But it struck him deep.

Morgz leaned closer. "That's not your fault. I think you're a Chosen. I think… something happened. Something bad. Maybe a trial gone wrong. Maybe your memory got scrambled by exposure to too much raw Vythra."

"I don't remember anything," she said.

"That's okay," he whispered. "I'll remember for you."

Scene 3 – The Soft Trap

She touched his hand. Cool fingertips. He didn't pull away.

"You really think I'm one of you?"

"I know it. You're not like the demons. You're not like the artificial constructs. You feel real. Your soul's still fighting to exist. That's what all Chosen have in common."

Her eyes glimmered faintly. She leaned in.

"Then show me."

"…What?"

She whispered, "Show me how I'm supposed to feel. Kiss me. Maybe I'll remember."

Morgz's breath caught.

This wasn't how he imagined it — not exactly. But she was close now. Her body cold, but not lifeless. She was trembling, or pretending to.

And Morgz — a boy who had never truly belonged anywhere before — wanted desperately to belong to someone else.

He leaned in.

Their lips met.

Scene 4 – The Kiss

It wasn't passion.

It wasn't fire.

It was drainage.

The instant their mouths touched, a pulse echoed through his bones. Morgz felt a current rip through his chest, like something ancient pulling from his core — not his breath, but his essence.

His Vythra.

But it was subtle. Not violent. Just… hungry.

He didn't notice at first. All he knew was that her arms felt cold but right. That her voice trembled when she pulled away.

"Thank you," she whispered. "I feel… warmer now."

Morgz smiled, dazed.

"Guess I'm good at that."

She kissed his cheek gently — a calculated gesture. A reward.

"I'm lucky you found me."

Scene 5 – The Denial

When Morgz finally returned to the others, Shojiro noticed the paleness in his face.

"You good?" he asked.

"Yeah," Morgz grinned, wiping sweat from his brow. "Hot spring's just hotter than I thought."

Max glanced at the mystery girl.

"She didn't come with you?"

"She's still thinking. I think… I think she's remembering things."

Karl raised an eyebrow. "Like what? Her class? Her Primordial?"

Morgz hesitated.

"She doesn't remember those yet. But they'll come. She's been through a lot."

"She said she doesn't know what a Calamity Weapon is," Max muttered.

"Amnesia," Morgz insisted.

"She doesn't respond to any of the Trials we mentioned," Karl added.

"She's scared, man," Morgz snapped, too quickly. "Just let her be."

The others exchanged glances.

But dropped it.

For now.

Scene 6 – Alone Again

Back at the spring, she sat perfectly still beneath a broken lantern.

She touched her lips again.

Tasted the stolen Vythra on her tongue.

A flicker of gold shimmered down her throat like bioluminescent liquid.

And she smiled.

Not the smile of love.

The smile of a parasite that just found a generous host.