Elias emerged from the shadowed cave into the barren expanse of the Ninth Circle. The icy wasteland stretched infinitely before him as each step he took crunched against the frozen ground below him. The silence pressed against him making his thoughts feel louder than they should.
[ You are now leaving a temporary safe zone. ]
The System's voice broke through the silence, startling him silently. He sighed as he shook his head.
"Safe zone? You call that cave safe? I was barely alive when I got there," he muttered with sarcasm.
[ It served its purpose. You are alive now. ]
"Alive huh…" Elias continued, narrowing his eyes.
[ Your survival defies simple explanation. Would you like to attempt understanding it, or shall we move forward? ]
Elias exhaled sharply. "Cryptic again. Figured that'd be the case…"
He trudged forward as the icy wind sliced through his tattered clothes. After a few moments of silence, he spoke again. "What about the Gatekeeper? Why was he so focused on me? Who – no, what – was he?"
The System's response came with its usual lack of elaboration.
[ The Gatekeeper serves a purpose, as do all things in this realm. Perhaps his interest in you lies in your history. ]
"My history? I don't even remember most of it. How can he know me?" Elias snapped frustratingly.
[ Memory is a fragile construct. Fragments often remain, even when the whole is lost. ]
"That doesn't answer my question though!"
[ Some answers are best discovered through experience. ]
Elias clenched his fists, his breath quickening in irritation. "Are you always this talkative and helpful, or is it just with me?"
[ Sometimes, you have to let your thoughts out. Besides, a touch of humor is noted in your tone. Are you lightening up, Elias? ]
The System's response caught him off guard. He frowned. "I don't exactly have much to be cheerful about, do I?"
[ Survival often brings clarity. Your current disposition suggests adaptability. A positive trait. ]
Elias rolled his eyes. "Adaptability doesn't mean I'm enjoying this."
He walked on in silence for a while, his thoughts spinning. The frozen landscape was unrelenting. The occasional jagged ice pillar or shattered ground offered the only breaks in monotony.
"System," Elias began after a while. "Why don't I feel the cold?"
[ Your body has been altered to endure this realm. ]
"Altered? When? And by who?", Elias asked.
[ Adaptation occurs when a soul descends to the Ninth Circle. The cold is not physical; it is born of despair. Only the unworthy feel it, and are consumed by it. ]
Elias frowned. "So what? I'm 'worthy' enough to walk through this place without shivering?"
[ Perhaps. Or perhaps your despair lies elsewhere, buried deep, deep below the center. ]
Elias shook his head, muttering under his breath. The System's cryptic responses had started to irritate him, but at least it offered some clarity this time.
"System," Elias began after some time. "Why can't I remember how I ended up here?"
[ Your arrival is tied to choices made before your loss of memory. Ascend, and clarity will follow. ]
"You keep saying that. 'Ascend'. What does that even mean?"
[ To ascent is to rise above your current state, both physically and metaphorically. In this realm, ascension often equates to survival and progress. ]
Elias huffed. "You know, for something designed to help, you're remarkably unhelpful."
[ Consider this a test of your patience. You appear to be struggling. ]
Elias muttered something under his breath and then, fell silent again. The icy wind howled around him. Despite his annoyance, he couldn't deny that the System was his only source of information – or companionship, for that matter.
As Elias trudged forward, the frozen silence around him was broken by a faint skittering sound. He stopped in his tracks, narrowing his eyes as he scanned the icy terrain. At first, he saw nothing, just the barren wasteland stretching endlessly. But then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed movement – small, dark shapes crawling out from cracks in the ice. They were insect-like, their segmented bodies glinting black and red as they darted across the ground. One of the creatures paused as it twitched its antennae as though sensing him, before scurrying back into the cracks in the icy ground.
Elias stepped back instinctively as his unease started growing. "What the hell are those?", he muttered loudly.
[ Lesser manifestations of malice. Insects. Harmless in isolation, but numerous enough to become overwhelming. Categorically insignificant. However, their presence signifies this area retains its historical essence. ]
Elias calmed himself down. "Historical essence?" Elias asked. "Care to elaborate?"
…
The System didn't respond.
Elias, frowned as his frustration started to mount. "Great. Cryptic silence. That's helpful."
The path grew steeper and the jagged ice glimmered like fractured glass under the dim, gray sky. As he climbed, the cold wind stung his face, and the barren landscape stretched endlessly around him. The monotony of the journey gnawed at him until something in the distance caught his attention.
On the horizon, silhouetted against the pale light, was a massive structure – a castle. Half of it stood tall and defiant, while the other half was buried deep in the ice, its jagged spires jutting out like broken teeth.
Elias stopped. "What is that?"
[ An artifact of an old world. Abandoned. Though, its presence here is… unusual. ]
"Unusual. How?" Elias asked skeptically.
[ For this one to remain suggests it has a purpose. ]
Elias frowned curiously. "Purpose? You mean something like a trap?"
[ Possibly. Or it could hold something of value. Whether that value is knowledge, power, or peril depends entirely on you. ]
"Of course," Elias muttered. The idea of shelter, even within a castle half-swallowed by ice, and possibly even finding some sort-of treasure, was tempting. His gaze lingered on the frozen walls of the castle. "Guess I'll check it out. Not like I have anywhere better to—"
The words barely left his mouth when his foot slipped on a patch of hidden ice. He staggered as he flayed his arms for balance. With a startled yell, he tumbled down the slope, rolling helplessly over sharp rocks and icy shards. Pain flared with every impact until he finally came to a stop at the base of the hill, with his body crumpled.
A sharp, searing pain shot through his arm, and he clutched it instinctively. His breaths became rough as he looked down to see his forearm twisted unnaturally.
Elias screamed as his arm crunched against the frozen ground. Tears pricked his eyes as he clutched his arm, the unbearable sting making him gasp for breath. The ice beneath him was unforgiving. A sob of frustration and despair escaped him as he lay there, trembling.
"Why… why am I even here?" he whispered, his voice cracking as tears blurred his vision. His thoughts spiralled like an endless descent into despair. Questions battered his mind like icy winds slicing across his skin, relentless and without mercy.
The searing pain started to consume him entirely as he clenched his broken arm. The icy wasteland stretched infinitely around him, vast and indifferent. It felt like a void – a place forgotten by the universe itself.
The silence pressed in. "Am I… destined to suffer here… forever?" he trembled with helplessness. He squeezed his eyes shut, tears slipping free as he felt the crushing weight of it all. The futility, the emptiness, the agony – it was too much. "I can't… I can't do this…" he muttered.
[ You are in critical condition. ]
The System's voice interrupted, mechanical yet strangely calm.
[ I recommend activating the Sigil of Vitality. ]
Elias barely heard it over his pain. "Of course. Just another 'recommendation'," Elias spat with fury. "You're so good at giving cryptic advice, aren't you? Why don't you try being the one with a broken arm for once? Or better yet, why don't you do anything useful for once?" His voice grew louder, trembling with rage.
The System remained silent.
Elias slammed his fist against the ground, wincing as the sharp chill bit into his skin. "You're supposed to help me! But all you've done is spout riddles and watch while I suffer. Do you even understand what it's like?" he whispered as he glanced at the emptiness around him. "To be utterly alone? To have nothing and no one… except a voice that doesn't care?"
The silence from the System was deafening, and Elias laughed bitterly. "Of course not. You don't care. Why would you!?"
[ Activating the Sigil of Vitality. Note: There is a 17% chance of corruption. ]
The System's sudden reply caught Elias off-guard. "Wai-" he screamed before he suddenly felt a surge of warmth through his entire body. It felt as if life were flooding back into the frozen limb. His bones shifted and knitted themselves tother in an excruciating yet oddly relieving process.
Elias clenched his teeth as the healing burned through him, leaving behind a faint ache where the break had been. He flexed his fingers cautiously, marveling at the restored mobility.
The System's voice returned.
[ The Sigil of Vitality has healed your injuries. You remain unaffected by corruption. ]
Elias let out a breath. The anger that had consumed him moments earlier began to settle down. He slumped to the ground, letting his head fall back as he gazed up at the gray sky. "Seventeen percent… Guess I got lucky.", he muttered in a soft tone.
The System offered no reply, and for a moment, the silence weighed heavily on him. But as Elias sat there, his mind drifted to the reason he was still alive – to find the truth, to understand his past, and to escape this frozen hell. He clenched his fists with eyes full of determination.
He stood up, brushing the frost off his clothes. "Alright, System. We are back to square one. No more tantrums."
[ Acknowledged. ]
"As robotic as ever, huh. Well at least you're consistent."
[ Your emotional outburst does not affect my operations. ]
"Let's keep moving."
Elias groaned and pulled himself to his feet. He glanced around, realizing the rumble had brought him to a different part of the landscape.
Before him lay a wide, frozen river. The ice was unnaturally clear, revealing a haunting sight beneath its surface. Dozens – no, hundreds – of shapes were frozen within the ice. Bodies, twisted and contorted in agony, their faces locked in expressions of terror. The faintest tinge of red stained the crystalline blue like diluted blood.
"What… is this?" Elias asked, staring at the frozen river.
[ The river Styx. A graveyard for those who dared defy this realm and failed. However, the sanctity of the river fell into ruin. Now, it serves as a prison for rebels, oath-breakers, and defiers. Their essence feeds the ice, strengthening this realm's grasp on the souls within. ]
Elias brushed his hand against the icy surface. The faint red swirls beneath him shimmered ominously, as if alive. "So are they still alive?"
[ Alive? Not in the sense you understand. Their agony persists, sustaining this realm for eternity. ]
Elias shivered, not just from the cold. Their frozen faces seemed to watch him. Their empty eyes seemed to plead silently to be released. He tore his gaze away and pressed on, unable to stare down at the bodies any longer.
The castle loomed closer now. Its sheer size seemed even more imposing up close. Frost clung to its walls, and jagged spires pierced the sky. Massive chains, half-buried in the ice, coiled around its base.
Elias hesitated. "This feels like a bad idea."
[ There is only way to find out, and that is to – ]
"to actually go in and check it out…" Elias finished with a nervous chuckle.
[ Ah, yes. You've learned quickly. ]
He took a slow step forward, but the hair on the back his neck stood up. Something felt wrong, as if the castle itself was watching him. A low creaking sound echoed from the direction of the castle's entrance.
Elias froze. "Did you hear that?", he whispered.
[ No… but I am sure you will hear much more before long. ]