The air was suffocating. Every breath I dragged into my lungs felt like swallowing glass, each exhale a testament to the pain gripping my body.
Blood—both mine and theirs—soaked the uneven stone floor beneath my feet. The scent of iron was so heavy in the air I could taste it, mingling with the acrid tang of ash and burnt flesh.
I stumbled forward, the weight of my blade dragging my arm down as though it had turned to lead. My vision blurred, darkness creeping in from the edges, but I refused to stop.
I couldn't stop.
Behind me, the guttural roars of the guardians reverberated through the labyrinth. The sound alone was enough to rattle my bones, a primal force that screamed inevitability.
Every strategy we had formulated, every plan, every desperate gamble, had crumbled like sand in a storm. The guardians tore through us with a ferocity that defied comprehension, dismantling our ranks one by one. It wasn't a battle—it was a massacre.
A scream cut through the din, raw and piercing. My head snapped toward the sound just in time to see Toren—always so defiant—snatched off his feet by one of those monstrous obsidian hands. The crunch that followed was sickening. I forced myself to look away as his lifeless body crumpled to the ground.
I tightened my grip on my weapon, my knuckles white despite the blood slicking my fingers. The hilt felt foreign now, a cold and unfeeling thing, like a stranger in my hand. My legs trembled as I forced them to move, stumbling forward with no real sense of direction.
Survive. Just survive.
Flashes of memory assaulted me. Not just of this life, but the life I had before. I saw myself as I once was: proud, unyielding, a man whose name carried weight and fear. I wasn't Kendrin the slave then. I was Auriel the sovereign. My name had been spoken with reverence, with terror. I had been a king.
And yet here I was, broken, battered, one step away from death.
Another explosion of sound erupted behind me—a deafening roar followed by the sickening wet squelch of a body hitting the ground. I turned to see Darfel—one of the slaves I had spoken with earlier, her face contorted in pain as she fought to rise, only to be crushed beneath the weight of another guardian's blow.
My heart thundered in my chest, not from fear, but from the overwhelming sense of failure. They were all falling, one after the other, and I was powerless to stop it.
No. That wasn't right. I wasn't powerless.
I clenched my fist so tightly that my nails bit into my palm, the pain sharp and grounding. My head dipped, strands of blood-soaked hair falling into my eyes, but through the haze of despair, a spark ignited. It wasn't much—just a flicker—but it was enough.
"I will not fail," I whispered, my voice hoarse but steady. The words felt foreign on my tongue, like something long forgotten but still familiar. I straightened, planting my feet firmly against the trembling ground. "I will not fall!"
The roar of the guardians grew louder, their steps shaking the very foundation of the labyrinth. I could feel the heat of their presence, the oppressive weight of their intent to destroy. But something shifted inside me. That flicker of resolve became a flame, and that flame became an inferno.
Even as the illusions of the labyrinth burned into my mind, even as the pain threatened my sanity, even as hell beckoned...
I still stood firm.
Then, like a whisper in the back of my mind, I heard it:
"Do you wish to use your available skills?"
The system's voice was cold and mechanical, but in that moment, it felt like a lifeline. A sinister grin tugged at the corners of my lips. The flame inside me burned brighter, fueled by the unquenchable thirst to reclaim what was mine.
"Yes," I whispered, the single word laced with venom. "I accept."
The change was immediate. Power surged through me, electric and intoxicating, flooding every nerve in my body. My vision cleared, the creeping darkness banished by a crimson glow. My body, moments ago on the brink of collapse, felt reinvigorated.
I called upon the shadows that loomed around me, watching as they coiled like serpents, writhing in anticipation.
[Umbral dominion] came to life at my command. The darkness wasn't just a tool—it was an extension of myself. I willed it forward, and it answered.
The first guardian swung at me, its massive obsidian fist descending like a hammer. I raised my hand, and the shadows obeyed. They surged upward in a tidal wave, meeting the blow head-on. The impact sent a tremor through the ground, but the shadows held firm. With a flick of my wrist, they lashed out, wrapping around the creature's arm and wrenching it backward.
I stepped forward, activating [Wraith step] in the same motion. My body melted into the darkness, disappearing from view. I reappeared behind the guardian, moving faster than it could react.
My blade carved through its molten veins, severing its arm in one clean strike. The creature roared in agony, but I didn't stop.
Each movement was precise, deliberate. [Wraith step] allowed me to weave through the chaos, striking from the shadows before slipping away. [Umbral dominion] gave me control over the battlefield, turning the guardians' own darkness against them.
"Push forward!" I bellowed, my voice cutting through the chaos. The slaves around me, battered and broken, lifted their heads. For a moment, they hesitated. Then, one by one, they rallied. Weapons raised, they surged forward with renewed vigor, inspired by my defiance.
The guardians fought with unrelenting fury, but for the first time, we had the advantage. The shadows consumed them, binding their limbs and dragging them down. The slaves struck with everything they had, their desperation turning into determination.
Minutes felt like hours as the battle raged on. My body screamed in protest, every muscle burning with exertion, but I pushed through. The last guardian, a massive titan with glowing crimson veins, let out a final roar before collapsing under the weight of our combined assault.
Silence fell over the battlefield, broken only by the ragged breaths of the survivors. I stood amidst the carnage, my body trembling but unbroken.
Ahead of me stood a massive stone wall, its surface smooth and unyielding, covered and laced by strange—alien patterns. I approached it, placing a bloodied hand against the cold surface. With a gentle push, the wall began to shift, grinding open to reveal the treasure within.
At the far end of the room stood an ethereal cube, its surface glowing with an alien light as it levitated above the ground.The sight of it sent a shiver down my spine, its silent call pulling at the edges of my mind.
"Finally," I whispered, my voice barely audible as I staggered. A menacing smile spreading across my face as I stepped forward with renewed strength.
"I shall claim power and instigate the first course of my rise"