Publisher's Synopsis
In the quiet of the ancient swamps of Guangdong, beneath layers of untouched sediment and whispering reeds, something slumbered. Long before humankind painted borders or invented gods, the leech had already perfected the art of hunger. It did not kill with venom, nor stalk with claws. It survived through patience. It infected with purpose. It became one with the blood it tasted-and learned. But time buried even the most persistent parasites. Until the earth was cracked open. It began with a chef in Seoul who wanted to serve something "exotic." A black-market vendor in Jakarta who claimed immortality flowed through its slime. A biotech startup in Tokyo that believed its regenerative enzymes could reverse aging. It spread fast. By the time the world realized the truth, it was too late. The leech was not just a worm. It was a sentient virus-a perfect hybrid of biology and psychic will. It could mutate. Multiply. Mimic. And it remembered. Governments collapsed. Cities burned. Cults rose in worship. Science turned to desperation. And yet, in the heart of this global nightmare, two humans emerged with fire in their veins and purpose in their souls: Aarav Sen, a geneticist haunted by loss, and Meera Ling, a pyrokinetic miracle born from the very parasite she swore to destroy. Together, they ignited a rebellion not only against infection-but against the ignorance and greed that unleashed it. This is not just a tale of worms and war. It is a story of what happens when human hunger meets ancient horror. A story of sacrifice. Mutation. Redemption. Of blood. Of fire. And of the leech that dared to become a god. Welcome to the beginning of the end. Or perhaps... its return.
