The air stank of iron and sweat as Kai Veroth ducked behind a crumbling wall. His pulse hammered in his ears, louder than the clash of steel echoing across the battlefield. The rogue knight—some nameless bastard in dented armor—was carving through the village militia like they were wheat. Kai's hands shook as he gripped the rusted sword he'd scavenged from a corpse.
This is it, he thought. This is where I die.
He was no warrior. Just a skinny kid from a nowhere village, dreaming of heroics while scrubbing pots for coppers. But dreams didn't stop swords, and the knight was getting closer. Kai peeked over the wall. The man's helm glinted under the dying sun, smeared with blood that wasn't his. A villager screamed, then went silent.
Why am I even here? Kai's mind spun. He'd only joined the fight because the elder promised a loaf of bread. One loaf. Now half the village was dead, and the other half was running.
The ground shook. Heavy boots crunched closer. Kai's breath caught as the knight's shadow loomed over the wall. No time to think. He lunged, swinging the sword with all the strength his scrawny arms could muster. The blade hit the knight's pauldron and bounced off, jarring Kai's wrists. The knight didn't even flinch.
"Pathetic," the man growled, voice muffled by his helm. He raised his sword, and Kai saw his own reflection in the steel—wide-eyed, dirt-streaked, already dead.
The blade came down. Pain exploded in Kai's chest, white-hot and final. The world tilted, and he hit the dirt, blood pooling under him. His fingers twitched, reaching for nothing.
I didn't even get the bread.
Darkness swallowed him.
He woke to silence. No screams, no steel, no pain. Just a vast, shimmering void, like a lake of liquid starlight stretching forever. Kai blinked, his hands patting his chest. No wound. No blood. He was whole, standing barefoot on nothing at all.
What the hell is this?
A ripple spread across the void, and something emerged—a figure cloaked in shadow, its edges fraying like smoke. Two pinpricks of white glowed where eyes should've been. Kai stumbled back, heart lurching. The figure didn't move, but its presence pressed against him, heavy and cold, like a hand on his throat.
"You're dead," it said. Its voice was a rasp, sharp enough to cut. "But not done."
Kai's mouth went dry. "Who… what are you?"
"Call me the Reaper." The figure tilted its head, as if amused. "You're in the Echo Nexus. A place between places. And you, Kai Veroth, have been chosen."
"Chosen?" Kai's laugh came out brittle. "For what? I'm nobody. I got gutted by some random knight."
"Exactly." The Reaper's glow flickered. "Nobody. Nothing. Perfectly… malleable. So I'm offering you a deal."
Kai's skin prickled. He didn't trust this thing—whatever it was—but the alternative was… what? Staying dead? Floating in this creepy void forever? "What kind of deal?"
The Reaper raised a hand, and a sphere of light pulsed into existence, swirling with colors Kai couldn't name. "A power. One life ends, another begins. Kill, and you'll steal a piece of them. An ability. Random, unpredictable. It could make you a god… or a fool."
Kai stared at the sphere. It hummed, pulling at something deep inside him, like a hook in his gut. "Random? That's it? I kill someone and get… what, a lottery ticket?"
The Reaper's laugh was a low, grinding sound. "Life's a gamble, boy. This just makes it interesting. Take the deal, or fade into nothing. Your choice."
Choice. Kai's hands curled into fists. His whole life, he'd had no choices—just scraps and orders. Now this thing was dangling power in front of him, and all it cost was blood. His stomach churned, but not from fear. From hunger. Not for food, but for something more.
"Fine," he said, voice steadier than he felt. "I'll take it."
The sphere shattered, and light flooded Kai's body. It burned, then froze, then settled into his bones like a second heartbeat. He gasped, clutching his chest.
[New Ability Unlocked: Unknown]
Source: None
Level: 1
Description: The first spark. Kill to ignite it.
The words didn't come from the Reaper—they just… appeared, etched into his mind like a brand. Kai blinked, trying to make sense of it. "What's that supposed to—"
The Reaper was gone. The void dissolved, and Kai was falling.
He hit the ground hard, air rushing out of him. Grass tickled his face, and the stench of blood slammed back into his nose. He was alive. Back in the village, sprawled in the dirt where he'd died. The knight's body lay a few feet away, helm cracked open, eyes staring at nothing. A villager stood over it, panting, holding a bloodied axe.
Kai scrambled to his feet, legs shaky. The villager—a grizzled man named Torv—glanced at him, then did a double take. "Kai? Thought you were dead."
"So did I," Kai muttered. His chest ached where the sword had cut him, but there was no wound. Just smooth skin under his torn shirt. What the hell is happening?
Torv grunted, wiping the axe on his sleeve. "Knight's done. We won. Barely." He nodded toward the village square, where survivors were dragging bodies into piles. "Help clean up."
Kai nodded, but his eyes lingered on the knight's corpse. That sphere, the Reaper, the words in his head—it all felt like a fever dream. But the weight in his bones was real. Something had changed.
As he followed Torv, a new sensation prickled at the edge of his mind. A pull, like a thread tugging him toward the knight's body. He stopped, glancing back. Nobody was watching.
One life ends, another begins.
His hands trembled as he knelt beside the corpse. The knight's armor was heavy, but Kai shoved it aside, exposing the man's chest. He didn't know what he was looking for—just that he needed something. His fingers brushed the cold skin, and a jolt shot through him, sharp and electric.
[Ability Stolen: Iron Skin]
Source: Rogue Knight
Level: 1
Description: Harden your flesh to withstand blows. Duration: 10 seconds. Cooldown: 1 minute.
Kai staggered back, heart racing. The words burned brighter this time, solidifying in his mind. He flexed his hands, and for a moment, his skin felt… heavier, like it was laced with steel. Then it faded, leaving him dizzy.
Iron Skin. He'd taken it. Stolen it. From a dead man.
"Kai!" Torv's shout snapped him out of it. "Move your ass!"
"Coming," Kai called, but his voice sounded distant, like it belonged to someone else. He stood, the knight's empty eyes staring up at him.