The Arcane Scripture didn't just bring destruction to the world, it changed people's destinies, rewrote them according to the nature of the new existence. Only by coming to the Astral Dimension could a man see his doom.
"Where the hell am I...?"
Kain looked around, lowering his gaze fearfully.
The clean clothes were gone replaced by a torn black cloak covering his body. The coldness came from the ground on his bare feet.
"Why am I dressed like this? Could it not be me..." Kain muttered as his face turned pale.
He quickly rushed forward to the pool of blood gathered by one of the bodies. In the reflection, he saw only himself.
"Agh... At least something is good," he put his palm to his chest.
A shudder.
"Hm?"
A shiver passed across the puddle, then another and another. Two red eyes reflected in the dark depths.
A wide murderous jaw lashed out, clenching in front of Kain's face.
"Holy shit!"
Kain jerked backward, stumbling and falling to the ground. A sharp peak caught his leg, leaving an unnoticed cut.
An elongated silhouette emerged from the pool of blood, becoming a ghastly creature with a gaunt body, bearing taut skin and deep-set eyes.
'Sword! I need a weapon...' Kain tried to stealthily crawl back. 'Only a little more to go.'
The shadow of the beast looming over him made his eyes full of fear.
But at the last moment, something made the beast stop.
A trickle of blood ran from Kain's right leg, along the stone grooves. Like a moth before the sun, the beast could not hold back its desire and leaned toward the ground. A long tongue gathered the desired drop.
The beast halted.
Suddenly, bumps appeared all over the beast's body, as if something was trying to break free until...
The beast exploded into bloody shards.
With his face drenched in stinking blood, Kain froze. Slowly, he brushed the thick layer of blood off his face and crawled over to the sword.
"Fuck it. I don't know why I'm here, but I gotta get outta and find a safe place!"
He touched the hilt of the sword when a wave of runes ran along his arm, causing his eyes to flash.
[Old Steel Sword
Type: Weapon
Tier: I
Significance: None]
[A simple sword used throughout the continent... Perhaps a master could perform something impressive, but there is nothing remarkable about this weapon.]
"I see..." Kain muttered while running his gaze along the blade. "Kserx's words make sense now. Even if we would get better weapons and armor. What would be the point?"
Slowly, Kain stood up, looking around, he couldn't stop his urge to touch the body lying next to him.
With a crunch, a skeleton clad in the same cloak as he showed up.
Kain gulped. Then, he ran up to the next body, the second and third.
"What? They're all skeletons...? The dust is coming off of them! They died a hell of a long time ago, but..." he stared at the bloodstains covering the ground. "Where's this blood coming from then?"
Wasting no time, Kain grabbed his sword and headed closer to the stone throne. His target was the slope to the left, the only exit from the Sacrificial Plateau.
'Now that's a massive...' Kain stared at the throne before stopping at the cliff.
A bright fire burned in the distance - the only clue he had.
'Alright, I'll head over there, perhaps I can find our people there, but before I do...'
[Name: Kain
Codex: -
Mark: Forsaken Sacrifice
Rank: Tarnished
Core: Shattered
Traits: [Cursed Blood] [???] [???]
Runes: [Tainted] [Rune Brand]
'No change. Two Traits are still hidden. Hmm, however... I'm only interested in my Mark.'
The Marks were the foundation. Everyone had them, but only the Tainted ones could find out about it through the activated Rune Brand. Also, the Traits were connected to the Mark in some degree.
[Forsaken Sacrifice] Mark description: [A sacrifice with the great purpose of giving its flesh and blood to the glory of a god, but forgotten, by itself, the world and its followers, until its heart begins to beat again, reminding of its crucial purpose.]
Kain's fists clenched in cold fury, his pupils narrowed.
No answers, no good news, just mystery.
"What? Not only is my blood cursed so I'm just a sacrifice for someone more important?" he hissed. "I see... So Reina..."
Smirking bitterly, Kain shook his head. "Only her sacrifice gave me a chance to change things. A sacrifice for the sake of sacrifice... Well, I won't miss this opportunity.
"I will become a Keeper, no curse will stop me."
A shadow fell over Kain, he turned around as his eyes went wide.
The bloody beast lunged at him, throwing the two of them off the cliff straight into the abyss. Kain's arm stretched out, wanting to grab his sword but it was too late.
'Right, my blood! I don't know why, but these creatures can't stand my blood!' Kain inwardly exclaimed, intending to bite his hand.
Strangely enough, he felt no fear. The beast caught him off guard, but his heart was beating at its usual pace, and his mind was working to find a way out of the situation.
Had Kain ever been scared to his core?
Bam.
Before his teeth could touch his own flesh, they crashed into a bulging rock.
In a chaotic spin, Kain occasionally saw the dark lake below.
Falling from such a height even into the water was guaranteed death.
Only one could survive, the one who would fall into the water second. It was a 50/50 chance.
Splash.
And... Of course, it was a beast who crashed into the hard surface.
Kain turned to look at the stunned beast sinking to the bottom.
Black tentacles clutched at the beast's paws, tearing it to pieces. In a heartbeat, a pack of ravenous fishes lashed out at the flesh in a bloody cloud.
With a pale face, Kain swam quickly towards the shore, moving as if his life depended on it.
"Gha!"
Sucking in air, Kain came to shore, breathing heavily.
Turning his head he saw an old man pouring water into a jug, he was wearing the same cloak. The old man stared at him as if he were a miracle.
A slight smile appeared on Kain's face. 'Is it finally good news?'
Soon, he would regret these thoughts.
...
At the same time, a shadow climbed up the steep slopes to reach the Sacrificial Plateau.
A girl with eyes as calm as the blue ocean.
The swords, stone throne, and corpses on the ground were of no interest to her - she had come here for something else.
Step.
She stopped in front of a bloody stain, scraps of flesh scattered as if from an explosion. Her pupils went wide, examining the frosted line left behind by a lone trickle of blood that should be hot.
"He's here... A sacrifice befitting a god..." she whispered, her breathing quickening. "I must find him. I can't let those talentless cultists from the Dark Horn waste such a sacrifice on something insignificant!"