Apocalypse Catalyst

The small confines of his laboratory, illuminated only by the occasional flicker of the fluorescent light, felt like home to seventeen-year-old Ren Kuroda. He hunched over a petri dish containing a thick, black fluid that gleamed faintly in the dim light. His black-rimmed glasses reflected the screen glow of the computer nearby, displaying data from his latest experiment. Ren wasn't like other teenagers; he was a prodigious, albeit reckless, scientist with a sharpness of mind as dangerous as the experiments he conducted. His ambitions were clear, singular, and relentless.

Ren wanted nothing less than to awaken the dead.

For years, he'd pursued his vision in silence, working under his father's roof, buried in his own world of ideas and experiments. He saw society as contemptible—a hollow construct that smothered true freedom and vision. Now, with his Lazarus virus nearly complete, Ren could finally realize his dream: a world reborn in his image, a world that would burn society's empty shell to ash.

But he was not as hidden as he thought.

On the edge of the city, Ren's experiments had attracted the attention of an ancient group sworn to maintain balance, the Order of the Phoenix. Their ranks included warriors, scientists, and masters of arcane arts—all united in preserving the world from threats that few ever knew existed. They had faced destruction before, but this time, it was a teenage genius who could topple their equilibrium.

In response, they sent one of their best—a quiet prodigy just as young as Ren. Akiro Hayashi, seventeen, was as much a mystery as he was a legend within the Order. With unparalleled expertise in biochemistry and biology, Akiro had no need to boast; his skills were matched only by his silence. He accepted his mission with a calm resolve: locate Ren Kuroda, and stop the creation of the Lazarus virus by any means necessary.

For Akiro, the mission was simple. For Ren, it was destiny. And for both, it was a battle of wills that could reshape the world.