Kael slowly started coming to, as if his brain was trying to crawl out of a really dark hole. First of all, there was this huge smell of burnt air; then he realized there was this strange crackling energy buzzing around him. His body felt kinda odd, lighter, but every muscle was buzzing with this power he'd never felt before.
"His eyes fluttered open to a realm caught between the known and the unknown. The searing brilliance of the rift had subsided, replaced by a dim, otherworldly luminescence that seemed to hum with quiet menace. The beast that had lunged at him was nowhere to be seen. In fact, the entire area was unnervingly silent.
Kael heaved himself up from the ground, assuming he ought to be in agony now, but it didn't work out that way. He blinked and looked down at himself. The jagged rags of his gear were still dangling there, but his skin, which had been all mangled and bleeding just a moment before, was perfect. Not a bit of that gashed skin would show. No bruise anywhere.
What… the hell?" he muttered, his voice sounding kinda strange to him-it was way stronger and steadier.
He looked down at his hand. There lay a weapon-one he had not drawn. It was a blade, black as the midnight , pulsing faintly with a deep crimson glow. Intricate patterns etched along its length seemed to shift and writhe, almost alive.
Kael's breath caught. This wasn't the dull, chipped sword he had brought with him. This was something else entirely.
A low hum echoed in his mind, like the remains of a voice he couldn't quite recall. His head hurt as pieces of something—someone—flitted through his head. Power. Command. A presence so vast that his very existence seemed but a speck of dust.
He tightened his grip on the blade instinctively and in that same instant, rows of glowing, translucent screens materialized before him.
[System Activation: Complete]
Welcome, Kael Eryndor.
Class: Unknown
Rank: Undefined
Kael stood motionless, staring at the words suspended before him, glowing like lanterns. His heart thudded in his chest, but it was not from fear, for that he was beyond, but from the whirlwind of confusion that whirled around him. He had seen hunters with impressive abilities before, people whose natural talents let them do things that border on the extraordinary. But this? This was something else altogether, something larger, more profound, as if the rules of the game had just been rewritten before his very eyes.
This… this is kinda like those systems they always talk about," he mumbled, his fingers twitching like crazy. "But… why me?"
Skill Acquired: Instinct for Predator
Passive: You perceive the weaknesses of those around you. Fear is not your overlord.
Skill Acquired: Veil of Crimson
Active: Encase yourself within an aura of energy. Gives boosts to the velocity, toughness, and resiliency of you. Takes: 5 minutes. Cost: 1 hour.
Passive: So long as you breathe, wounds heal quickly with time.
Kael stared at the notifications, his mind reeling. These weren't things an E-Rank hunter could ever dream of. Hell, even an A-Rank wouldn't have access to something like this.
He took a shaky step forward, and as he moved, the blade in his hand thrummed with life. It felt like it was responding to him, waiting for his command.
A scraping of claws on stone brought his gaze to the other side of the rift. And there, coalescing out of the blackness he saw the creature. Its glowing eyes seemed to bore into him, but everything was different now.
It did not charge at him. It did not snarl. Instead, it hesitated. The beast was afraid.
Kael's lips curled into a bitter smile. Fear. The very thing that had paralyzed him his entire life was now written all over the creature in front of him. For once, the tables had turned.
He raised the blade, its hum growing louder. The monster took a step back, its massive frame trembling.
"Not so tough now, are you?" Kael said, his voice laced with newfound confidence.
The beast lunged at him, but this time, Kael didn't even flinch. He moved way faster than he ever thought he could, dodging the creature's claws and slicing his blade across its side in one smooth move. The weapon sliced through its tough hide like it was nothing, and the beast roared in pain, staggering backward.
Kael's heart was pounding with anticipation, not fear. It was intoxicating this power-it was coursing through him, demanding to be unleashed.
The beast charged again, and Kael dove straight at it. Crimson Veil flared to life, increasing the strength of every motion. His sword riffed through every color with a blur of crimson light, and the beast let out one final, guttural roar before crashing to the earth.
Kael stood over its dead body, panting but otherwise unharmed.
. The glow of his sword faded, and its vibration diminished as if the sword too enjoyed the end of the battle.
The oppressive silence that followed was oppressive. Kael stared at the body of the beast, his mind a maelstrom. All of a few moments ago, he was going to die, struggling to not resist and will himself to his own death. And yet, here he stood, triumphant, possessing powers he hadn't even started to understand.
He turned his attention back to the tear, and it pulsed with a soft light, as if it waited for something or someone. A chill ran down his spine. Whatever had happened to him, whatever had given him this strength, was not yet over. This was only the beginning.
Kael grasped the knife a little tighter and walked towards the door. Soft daybreak light crept in, but Kael felt he was stepping into a shadow much darker than he could have ever imagined.
For the first time in his life, Kael wasn't scared of what awaited him.