The cracked Blood Moon's pale light bathed the land in an eerie glow as Kai trekked deeper into the Bone Fields. Skeletal remains littered the landscape—human, beast, and other forms unrecognizable. The air was heavy with the scent of decay and something metallic, like rusted iron mixed with damp earth. Each step Kai took disturbed the brittle bones beneath his boots, sending faint echoes across the desolate plains.
He gripped the makeshift weapon—a jagged shard of bone he had found earlier. It was crude, but it was better than facing the unknown with bare hands. The Blood Mark on his wrist flickered faintly, its glow pulsating in sync with his anxious heartbeat.
"Hints again…" Kai muttered, his eyes narrowing. His ability to catch glimpses of the world's mechanics had triggered once more. Shadows flickered at the edge of his vision, and ghostly outlines danced between the skeletal remains. His perception expanded momentarily, revealing faint patterns etched into the terrain: runes carved into bones, connecting like a web of ancient energy.
"A trap," he realized, his breath hitching. These patterns weren't random; they were remnants of a ritual. The Bone Fields were alive, and they were waiting for their prey.
A low, mournful wail cut through the air. Kai froze, the sound raising the hairs on the back of his neck. The fog ahead thickened, swirling as if guided by an unseen force. From its depths, a figure began to materialize—a spectral entity, tall and gaunt, with hollow eyes that burned with faint crimson light.
"Crimson Aberrant?" Kai whispered, gripping his weapon tighter. But as the figure stepped closer, its translucent form revealed otherwise.
A voice echoed, layered with sorrow and malice, "A wanderer, lost in despair. What will you offer to escape?"
The specter's words resonated with the Blood Mark on Kai's wrist, its glow intensifying. A new system prompt appeared before him:
Quest Available: The Specter's Bargain
Objective: Offer a piece of your humanity to the Lamenting Spirit.
Reward: Passage through the Bone Fields.
Failure: Imprisonment within the spirit's domain.
Kai's mind raced. The world's cruel system constantly demanded sacrifices, but this… What did it mean by "a piece of your humanity"?
"No deal," Kai said firmly, stepping back.
The specter's hollow eyes narrowed. "Refusal has a price, child. This land devours the unwilling."
The air around him thickened as spectral chains emerged from the ground, lunging toward him. Kai dodged to the side, his enhanced reflexes—an ability granted by his Blood Mark—saving him from their grasp.
Fleeing wasn't an option; the Bone Fields stretched endlessly in all directions. Kai needed to act. Drawing on the faint energy reserves he'd absorbed earlier, he focused on his Blood Mark. It glowed brighter, and instinctively, he activated its latent ability:
"Essence Detection"
The world shifted. Colors faded, and Kai's surroundings turned into a monochrome realm where only energy glimmered in vibrant hues. The specter radiated a sickly crimson light, but beneath it, a faint core pulsated—a weakness.
"There," Kai murmured.
Charging forward, he swung the jagged bone shard at the core. The specter recoiled, its form flickering violently as the makeshift weapon struck true.
"You dare?!" the spirit howled, the ground trembling beneath Kai's feet.
The energy backlash sent him sprawling, but not before he glimpsed another hint—a vision of a buried artifact beneath the skeletal remains.
Kai scrambled to his feet, using his Blood Mark's guidance to pinpoint the artifact's location. He clawed at the brittle bones, ignoring the razor-sharp edges cutting into his hands, until he unearthed a small, crimson shard etched with runes.
Item Acquired: Shard of Defiance
Description: A fragment of forgotten power, capable of dispelling weaker spectral entities.
Use: One-time activation.
Kai turned to face the specter, holding the shard aloft. The entity hesitated, its form wavering as if recognizing the artifact.
"Leave," Kai commanded, his voice steadier than he felt.
The specter laughed—a cold, mirthless sound. "You wield power you do not understand. Do you think a single shard can silence the sorrow of ages?"
Ignoring the taunt, Kai channeled his remaining energy into the shard. It flared with crimson light, and the runes on its surface glowed fiercely. With a guttural roar, he hurled the shard at the specter.
The impact was immediate. The shard exploded in a blinding flash, and the specter let out a deafening wail. Its form disintegrated, the spectral chains vanishing along with it. The fog began to recede, and the oppressive weight of the Bone Fields lifted slightly.
Panting, Kai collapsed to his knees. The Blood Mark on his wrist dimmed, signaling his depleted energy reserves.
As he caught his breath, a new prompt appeared:
Quest Completed: The Specter's Bargain
Reward: Passage unlocked.
Hidden Penalty: Mark degradation detected.
"What?" Kai's eyes widened. The glowing sigil on his wrist flickered, its once-bright lines now faint and uneven.
"The system… even winning comes with a cost," he thought grimly.
Shaking off the fatigue, he rose to his feet. The Bone Fields stretched out before him, no longer veiled by the red fog. Far in the distance, the jagged peaks of the Sanguine Forest loomed—a new danger waiting to be faced.
Kai tightened his grip on his makeshift weapon. The Bone Fields had tested him, but he was still alive. And as long as he breathed, he would find a way to escape this crimson nightmare.
With the Blood Moon casting its fractured light, Kai walked forward, each step carrying him deeper into the horrors of the Crimson Expanse.