My mind raced, spinning in confusion and disbelief as the voice's words echoed through the darkness that surrounded me.
'Kill Devon?' My colleague's name felt like a blade pressed against my throat, a threat I didn't fully understand.
I opened my mouth to protest, to demand answers, but I was still voiceless—trapped in this prison of shadow. My heart hammered against my chest, the sensation unsettling. As if my body was no longer entirely my own. All I could do was listen, helpless as the ancient presence within the spire continued.
"I see your hesitation, little dragon," the voice said, almost amused. Its tone was rich with an unsettling calm. The kind that only comes from something ageless, patient, and deeply sinister. "Do not misunderstand. I am not offering a gift. My soul is a pure curse and you will come to see that one day. It is the only thing that will save you from the fate you've walked into."
My mind churned through fragmented thoughts. A curse? The spire's power, its darkness, felt infinite and overwhelming—could I handle this? Could I refuse?
I strained against the force holding me here, willing my body to move, to break free of the oppressive weight that bound me. But it was no use. My hand was still glued to the stone in the meadow, yet my soul was here, tethered to the heart of the spire.
'Why Devon?' I asked myself.
"I can feel your uncertainty," the voice hissed. "But time is a luxury you no longer have. The longer you resist, the more this spire will consume you. You will become nothing but a hollow echo of your former self—lost in a sea of endless agony, if you don't accept my soul."
The voice's words were like ice, sinking into my chest. I didn't have a choice but believe to it. The spire's energy was already digging into me, its tendrils of dark power reaching deeper into my essence. The thought of being trapped here forever—becoming one with this ancient, malevolent entity—sent waves of terror through me.
But I wasn't ready to accept its terms. Not yet.
'Why him?' I thought desperately, pushing the question to the forefront of my mind, hoping the voice could hear my silent demand.
For a moment, there was silence. The presence that had been so overpowering, so suffocating, suddenly stilled. Then, in a voice quieter than before, almost contemplative, it answered.
"I invited five people here before you and your friend came in. Devon was one of them, and he has shed human blood in my tomb. He consumed their souls for his selfish desires and I believe he's already going down the false path. If he leaves this realm, he will become a demonic Nexus Being, A Dark Monarch. As a monarch myself, I don't want to see those things roaming this universe."
My heart lurched. 'Devon shedding human blood? That's impossible.' I shook my head as my mind refused to believe whatever this stranger was sprouting out.
Yes. It was utter nonsense. I grew up knowing Devon as an older brother. Never once had I ever seen him as a killer or someone even capable of murder. He was too kind for that.
I was trapped between two impossible choices. Accept this being's curse—its soul—and become entangled in its ancient web. Or refuse and face annihilation, the spire consuming me until there was nothing left.
But why me? Why had this Being chosen me? The thought gnawed at the back of my mind, lingering alongside the pain that throbbed through my body as the spire's dark energy continued its relentless invasion.
As if reading my thoughts, the voice responded again, with a cruel, knowing smile in its words. "You have been chosen because your fate is already intertwined with ours. You touched the core and our blood awakened. There is no going back now."
Another pulse of energy surged through me, and I could feel the spire tightening its grip. My vision blurred as the walls of the chamber closed in. The meadow, the flowers, the black rock—they felt so far away, slipping through my grasp.
"Choose, child of the stars," the voice whispered, now laced with venom. "Take my soul, or lose yourself to the spire. Kill Devon, or condemn everything you've ever known to ruin."
I gasped, fighting against the wave of agony that threatened to drown me. My entire body screamed in protest, but I could feel the spire pulling me deeper, its dark tendrils wrapping tighter around my soul.
In that moment, I realized I had no choice. I could've let myself die today but I was a coward. I didn't want to die. My breath trembled and tears started streaming down my face.
If Devon was indeed a threat as this being claimed, then I had no choice. I wanted to live too.
So, with a final, agonized breath, I made my decision. "I accept."
As the words echoed through the void, the darkness surged forward, engulfing me. The spire's power slammed into my body like a tidal wave, flooding every corner of my mind, my soul, my very essence.
And through it all, I heard the voice again, in a triumphant tone.
"Good. Now go, little dragon. You are bound to me until your task is complete. Find Devon. And kill him."
Those were his words to be before I was yanked back into my body, collapsing to the ground in the meadow. My hand was free from the rock, though it still tingled with residual pain. I gasped for air, my chest heaving as I tried to steady myself. The meadow had returned, peaceful as ever, as if nothing had happened.
But something had changed.
The black rock stood before me, silent, yet I could feel it. The bond wasn't entirely broken. A part of me was still connected to the spire. It was as though I had left a piece of myself inside, a tether linking me to whatever darkness lay within that black stone.
My breath trembled as the system made an announcement:
[You have acquired a level five soul, Azreal the Dragon Monarch.]
[You have not met the requirements. Awakening is incomplete]
My hands quivered when I heard that message. I was indeed trapped in this realm until I did as the voice demanded.
One question though. How was I going to kill the strongest subject among us?
***
Amid the silence, the occasional gentle sound of water drops descending to the deep floor echoed across and back the entire chamber. It wasn't dark but neither was it well lit as a chamber should be.
[You slain a Dormant Human]
[You have acquired a dormant soul]
Devon smiled at the Nexus's announcement as a surge of energy flowed into his body. He had just strangled the final challenger in this damn place. She was a young girl with beautiful cone-rolls in her hair. Her green eyes were staring at him lifelessly and her face was trapped in a state of shock.
Of course she was shocked. She had put up a good fight thanks to her skills. But, in the end, she was still no match for him.
"I'm sorry Tyris, you were a good one." He sighed as slowly withdrew his hands from her warm neck. The cuts on his face closed with ease as soon as the young girl's soul merged with his.
His strikingly red eyes remained staring at her lifeless body. He felt no regret even after killing four of the closest people he knew in his life. Devon had grown up with these kids, they were supposed to be his family. Yet, after murdering them, he felt little to no remorse.
Death comes for everyone, after all. He just brought theirs closer.