Chapter 4 - Echoes of the Forgotten
The monsters knelt.
Not out of reverence—but obedience. Their eyes, once hungry and savage, now dimmed into hollow white embers. The Trial was still ongoing, yet its rules had changed.
And Haron stood at the center of it all.
He looked at his hands. No blood. No wounds. Yet the memory of dying remained etched into his bones. The pain. The fear. The helplessness.
Now replaced by something colder.
A system window flickered into view:
> [Your Death has been Recorded.]
[Authority: Partial Override Initiated.]
[Remaining Time in Trial: 03:29]
Three minutes left.
The Gate wanted him to survive.
The System demanded he conquer.
The two wills clashed—yet he remained between them, a crack in the order.
Haron took a step forward. The shadows followed.
The shadowy creatures parted as he walked through them, silent as ghosts. His fingers curled around the weapon—Umbral Severance—a cleaver formed from compressed darkness. It pulsed in his grip, like a heartbeat.
Another prompt appeared:
> [Would you like to convert fallen enemies into Shadow Fragments?]
[Fragments: Fuel for Skill Advancement and Domain Expansion]
[> Confirm]
He confirmed.
The corpses of the slain monsters began to unravel, turning into swirling particles that vanished into his chest like embers drawn into a forge.
A burning sensation coiled in his spine.
> [Shadow Fragments Collected: 12]
[Skill Progress: 34% — "Deathbrand Slash" evolving…]
[Warning: System Classification—Forbidden. Remain Undetected.]
Remain Undetected?
That line chilled him more than the death had. Who—or what—wasn't supposed to see this?
He didn't have time to wonder.
A tremor rippled through the realm.
Then came the final beast.
Towering. Massive. Wrapped in broken chains, like a creature once sealed. Its presence darkened the already black sky.
> [Trial Final Boss: "The Devourer of Failed Souls"]
[Time Remaining: 01:52]
Its maw opened wide, and from within came the wails of the dead—candidates who had perished in their trials, consumed and forgotten.
Haron's grip tightened.
"I remember them," he muttered, stepping forward, shadow tendrils lifting him into the air. "I'll make sure you don't forget either."
He charged.
The clash was silent—but devastating.
Shadow against despair. A newly reborn soul against an ancient eater of dreams.
He moved like smoke, slicing through the beast's leg with a single strike. Deathbrand Slash carved necrotic wounds that didn't bleed—they rotted. The Devourer screamed.
> [Boss Health: 78%]
[Skill Progress: 97%]
[Caution: System Energy Spike Detected…]
The cleaver vibrated violently in his hands.
Too much power—too fast.
But Haron didn't stop. He couldn't. This wasn't just a fight for survival anymore—it was a rebellion against the fate he'd been given.
With a final roar, he drove the cleaver straight into the Devourer's eye.
Light exploded. Then darkness swallowed all.
---
When the world returned, Haron was on his knees in the real colosseum.
People stared.
Drazers whispered. A judge moved to speak but froze mid-sentence.
Because above Haron's head floated something impossible:
> [Candidate #451: Haron Velric]
[Status: Trial Cleared - Unique Condition]
[Class: Unknown | System: Unregistered]
[Warning: Observation Flag Triggered by ???]
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