Marvel: Sin Lord

It had been a month since Inarius saw the dead girl in the alley. A month since her lifeless eyes haunted his every waking moment. The memory of that night, and the man with the blue flaming sword, clung to him like a shadow he couldn't shake.

For weeks, he avoided the sewers. They had once been his sanctuary, a place where he could slip into the darkness and feel some semblance of control. But now, every time he thought of going back, he remembered the man. The way he had stood over the girl's body, so calm, so unbothered. It made Inarius's stomach churn.

But staying away didn't help. The shelter felt suffocating, and the weight of the memories he carried—both his own and those he had absorbed—was becoming unbearable. He needed an outlet, a way to regain the focus he had lost.

So, late one night, after everyone else in the shelter had fallen asleep, he slipped out into the cold, quiet streets. He walked with purpose, his long black hair brushing against his shoulders as he made his way to the nearest storm drain. With a practiced ease, he climbed down into the sewers, the damp, stale air enveloping him like an old, unwelcome friend.

The tunnels were just as he remembered—dark, winding, and alive with the faint scurrying of rats and mice. He moved silently through the shadows, his grey eyes scanning for movement.

It didn't take long to find his prey. A rat darted across his path, and with a swift motion, he caught it. He felt the now-familiar pulse of energy as his power activated, the faint purple light illuminating the tunnel for just a moment before the rat vanished.

Its memories flooded into him—a blur of dark spaces, scraps of food, and the constant search for survival. Its strength, though small, joined the reserves he had been building for the past year.

Inarius repeated the process, catching and absorbing every rat and mouse he could find. He worked methodically, his focus sharpening with each one. By the time he was finished, the tunnel was eerily silent, and he felt the faint hum of borrowed strength coursing through him.

As he straightened, brushing his hands against his pants, a slow, deliberate sound broke the quiet: clapping.

The sound echoed through the tunnel, faint but unmistakable. Inarius froze, his heart racing.

"Well done," a voice said, smooth and cold, carrying easily through the still air.

Inarius turned toward the sound, and his stomach dropped.

It was him.

The man with the blue flaming sword stepped out of the shadows, his tall figure silhouetted against the dim glow of a nearby grate. His eyes gleamed with a strange light, and a faint, unsettling smile played on his lips.

"Efficient," the man said, gesturing lazily toward the empty tunnel. "Methodical. I like that."

Inarius didn't respond. His hands clenched into fists at his sides as he stared at the man, his mind racing. He wanted to run, but something told him it wouldn't make a difference.

The man took a step closer, his boots splashing softly in the shallow water. "I've been watching you, Inarius. You have potential. A gift that could be... refined."

"How do you know my name?" Inarius asked, his voice low and steady, despite the unease churning in his chest.

The man's smile widened. "I know a lot of things. About you. About your power. About what you've done." He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly. "And what you could do, with the right guidance."

Inarius's jaw tightened. "What do you want?"

"To offer you an opportunity," the man said simply. "Join me, and I'll teach you how to use your power. To control it. To make people fear you instead of the other way around."

The words hung in the air, heavy and tempting. For a moment, Inarius hesitated. There was a part of him—small, but persistent—that wondered if the man could be telling the truth. If he could actually help.

But then he remembered the girl. Her pale face, her lifeless eyes.

"I'm not like you," Inarius said firmly. "I'll never be like you."

The man's expression darkened, the faint smile disappearing. "Pity," he said softly. "I had hoped you were smarter than this."

He raised his hand, and Inarius's breath caught in his throat as blue flames began to flicker at the man's fingertips. The fire grew, twisting and writhing until it solidified into the shape of a sword, its blade glowing with the same cold, unearthly light Inarius had seen before.

The man stepped forward, the sword casting flickering shadows against the tunnel walls. "If you won't join me," he said, his voice low and menacing, "then you'll die."

Inarius's heart pounded as the man raised the sword, the blue flames flaring brighter. The tunnel seemed to close in around him, the air thick with the weight of impending violence.

And then, the man lunged.