The force ripped through the battlefield, engulfing the Void Reaver in a storm of black tendrils and crushing pressure. The monster's screech pierced the night as chunks of shadow and armor tore away from its form.
And still—it refused to die.
Even as its body disintegrated, it pushed forward, eyes burning with unrelenting hatred.
The ground beneath it fractured and warped, reality itself buckling under the Darkspawn's overwhelming presence.
Kael's breathing came in ragged gasps. The Rebirth Core was draining him. His limbs felt heavy. His vision darkened at the edges.
Then—everything shifted.
The battlefield vanished.
Kael stood in a vast, ethereal void, surrounded by swirling light and shadow. The ground beneath him was a shimmering mist, the air thick with an unearthly presence.
Before him, a fist size crystalline structure pulsed with power—
The Rebirth Core.
A voice echoed from the abyss.
"This is your power… but it comes at a cost."
Kael's heart pounded. The entity!
He glanced over and saw it still curled in a fetal position, sleeping beside his rebirth core.
The Heartstone gem, now the size of a pea, hovered between them, steadily supplying power.
Not it? Whose voice was it...?
"The Darkspawn will hunt you relentlessly."
Visions flashed before his eyes—endless battles, monstrous figures lurking in the darkness, the overwhelming hunger of something far greater than the Void Reaver.
"You must decide how far you are willing to go."
The voice faded, the mist swirling around him—
Kael snapped back to reality.
The Void Reaver stood on the brink of destruction, barely holding itself together.
Kael staggered to his feet, pain forgotten.
This ends now.
Then the Rebirth Core flared to life one final time.
[REBIRTH CORE ACTIVATED]
Temporarily Unlocking: VOID BREAKER
Kael lifted his sword, dark energy wrapping around him like a storm.
The Void Reaver lunged, its final, desperate attack.
Kael struck first.
A colossal wave of void energy exploded from his blade, swallowing the monster in a surge of raw destruction.
The Void Reaver's howl of defiance was drowned out as its form was obliterated, ripped apart atom by atom.
Then—silence.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Level 10 Elite Darkspawn (Void Reaver) Defeated
All stats increase by 5.
EXP: +1000
Dark Essence: x 10
Coins: 1500
SP: +8
The dust settled. The battlefield lay still.
Kael swayed, his strength draining away, his vision flickering.
But he was still standing.
He had won.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION:]
You gained 9,000 XP!
LEVEL UP! → Lv. 6
SP +5
All stats increased by +5
LEVEL UP! → Lv. 7
SP +5
All stats increased by +5
LEVEL UP! → Lv. 8
SP +5
All stats increased by +5
You have unopened drop rewards!
Kael staggered away from the battlefield, his breathing uneven, wounds still throbbing with dull pain. The adrenaline was fading, but his mind raced with everything he had just learned.
The Rebirth Core's power was undeniable, but it came with a cost. A heavy one. One he wasn't sure he was ready to pay.
Kael could feel his energy nearly depleted; he was on the verge of fainting, but he held on—just barely.
Yet, as he wiped the sweat from his brow, a slow grin crept across his face. His fingers curled into a fist, feeling the newfound strength coursing through him after leveling up.
Level 8.
Tonight's hunt had been exhilarating.
With one last glance at the vanished Void Reaver, Kael turned toward Greythorne, his steps lighter, his resolve stronger than ever.
*********
Lira sprinted toward the guild's portal platform, her heart pounding. With a flick of her wrist, she pulled out her Awakeners Pass and pressed it against the glowing mechanism.
"Destination?" The portal system's mechanical voice chimed, while a system notification flashed across her interface.
Her fingers moved swiftly as she selected Greythorne from the list of available locations.
As an awakener, every guild-affiliated member with an Awakeners Pass had access to teleportation portals across Erendath, their travel privileges determined by their pass tier.
Lira's Silver-rank pass granted her three free portal uses—and she was about to make the first count.
A surge of energy crackled around her as the teleportation sequence activated. The platform pulsed with radiant light, and in the next heartbeat, the world blurred.
When her vision cleared, she stood in Greythorne's Awakeners Ward.
Like all major cities, only Awakeners Wards housed teleportation platforms, ensuring that awakeners could move swiftly between strongholds, answering the call of missions, quests, and looming dangers.
Lira found Mylar waiting for her at Fanous Inn, seated at a dimly lit corner with a tankard in hand. As she stepped inside, he looked up and gave her a casual wave.
"That was fast. Did you use the portal?" Mylar asked.
Lira nodded, wasting no time. "Where is he? Is he okay?"
Mylar hesitated, glancing away before finally answering. "He's... safe. I mean, he's fine."
The way he said it made Lira's stomach twist. "But?"
Mylar exhaled sharply. "There's something different about him."
Lira's pulse quickened. "Different?" Her mind raced to the worst possibilities. Was he corrupted? Had the Darkspawn tainted him? If Kael had been corrupted... Lira swallowed hard, forcing the thought away.
"I think he lost his memories," Mylar admitted.
Lira let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "I thought you were going to say something worse."
A part of her was relieved. Lost memories were better than a lost brother. They could be regained, little by little. As long as he was alive… as long as he had family by his side.
"Where is he now? Does he know I'm looking for him? Does he even remember who he is?"
"He knows his name," Mylar said. "But nothing else. Not his past. Not his family. Not you."
Lira clenched her fists but quickly steadied herself. It doesn't matter.
As long as Kael was breathing, she would protect him.
"And one more thing," Mylar added. "He's awakened."
Lira's eyes widened. Then, slowly, a smile formed on her lips. But confusion quickly followed.
"Wait… if he's awakened, does that mean—?" Her voice wavered. "He's cured?"
Kael had always been... different. His mind distant, his words fragmented. A boy lost in his own world. But if he had awakened... did that mean he was no longer the same?
Mylar shrugged. "I don't know. He's still quiet. Still doesn't talk much. But at least now, his sentences make sense."
He glanced toward the entrance and tilted his head.
"You can ask him yourself."
Lira turned.
The moment she laid eyes on him, the world around her faded.
A battered figure had just stepped through the doorway. His clothes were torn, his body streaked with dried blood—some his own, most not. A heavy bag was slung over his shoulder, filled with the spoils of battle.
His face was barely visible beneath the layers of grime and monster blood, but Lira didn't need to see his features to know.
She knew those eyes—deep crimson, like polished rubies in the firelight.
Kael.
He stood there, staring at her.
Lira's breath caught in her throat. Without thinking, without caring about the filth or the stench of blood, she ran to him.
Tears blurred her vision as she threw her arms around him.
Something she never would have believed possible—today, she had reunited with her brother.
"Thank the ancestors you're alive. Finally, I found you!" Lira sobbed, tightening her embrace around Kael.