Grey stumbled through the forest, his heart pounding, his breath ragged. The ordeal in the cave had left him shaken to his core. As he moved, the grotesque images of the creatures haunted his mind. He needed answers, but more than that, he needed help.
"Help! Help!" Grey shouted, his voice echoing through the trees. He looked up at the sky, his face contorted with desperation. "I can't do this anymore!"
His breath came in short, panicked gasps, and he dropped to his knees, feeling utterly helpless. Tears welled up in his eyes. He was just an ordinary kid. This was too much.
Suddenly, a strange sensation washed over him. The air around him seemed to shimmer, and a soft chime echoed in his ears. Grey's vision blurred, and then, as if from nowhere, a translucent screen popped up in front of his eyes.
"The system recognizes you as a user. Initiate Soulburner."
Grey's heart skipped a beat. "What the—? Soulburner initiate?" he stammered, confused and terrified.
As the words left his mouth, his tattoo began to glow fiercely. The symbol on his arm shifted and morphed, the burning sensation returning. He watched in awe and horror as the tattoo changed shape, transforming into a new pattern. The pain intensified, but this time, Grey felt a strange sense of power coursing through him.
In an instant, the mark flared up, and a sword materialized in his hand. It was the same blackened, fiery blade he had found in the cave, but now it felt alive, pulsating with energy. Grey's fear gave way to a surge of adrenaline.
He stood up, the sword clutched tightly in his hand. The creatures from the cave, the insectoid Genesis monsters, had found him. They emerged from the shadows, their grotesque forms illuminated by the blade's glow.
Grey pointed the sword at the nearest monster, his grip firm despite his trembling. "Alright, you freaks. Let's see what this thing can do."
The sword felt like an extension of his own body. He swung it with surprising ease, the blade cutting through the air with a fiery arc. The first creature lunged at him, but Grey was quicker. He slashed down, and the blade cleaved the monster in half, its body disintegrating into rock.
"Whoa," Grey breathed, barely having time to register his victory before the next creature attacked.
He ducked and rolled, his instincts sharper than ever. The sword moved with him, a part of him. He swung again, the blade meeting another creature's carapace. The impact was powerful, and the monster crumbled into stone.
One after another, the insectoid Genesis monsters fell before him. Grey's confidence grew with each swing. He felt unstoppable, a force of nature. The sword's energy seemed to flow into him, guiding his movements and enhancing his strength.
"Come on!" he shouted, his voice filled with determination. "I'm not afraid of you!"
The last creature attacked him with a loud scream. Grey faced it directly, swinging his sword quickly through the air. He defeated it with a quick and accurate strike, making the creature break apart into pieces of rock.
Grey stood amidst the rubble, panting, his body trembling with exhaustion and exhilaration. He had done it. He had defeated them all. He climbed onto a large rock, triumphantly raising the sword above his head.
"I did it!" he yelled, echoing through the forest. "I did it!"
But the adrenaline rush was fading fast. His vision blurred, and he felt his strength leaving him. The last thing he saw before he collapsed was the towering figure of a man approaching him.
As Grey fell, the man caught him effortlessly. He was enormous, at least seven feet tall, with a long grey beard and piercing eyes. He looked down at Grey with a mixture of admiration and curiosity.
"You beat me to it, kid," the man said, his voice deep and resonant.