Waking alone in the oppressive stillness of a dense forest, a chilling wave of disorientation washed over me. "Think," I muttered, forcing myself to unsteady feet. The gurgle of a nearby river drew me in, offering a much-needed drink. As I quenched my thirst, I caught my reflection for the first time in the still water. Midnight-black hair framed a gaunt face, dominated by unsettling crimson eyes that held a serpentine glint. My body was thin, wiry, and clearly untrained. The memory of my disownment from Lysander– the reason I was here – stung afresh. Dead in my own world, reborn as the replacement for someone named Malachi Darkfall, and now stranded… This new world, Ashen Blood, was supposed to have stats and systems. "System!" I barked.
A translucent blue square materialized before me, my new name – Malachi – displayed in the top left corner. A wave of self-deprecating laughter escaped my lips. The interface offered a wealth of information: health, titles, abilities… but my focus was drawn to the stark reality of the stat window.
Level: 3
Strength: 4
Endurance: 3
Speed: 5
Luck: 10
Mana: 1
Intelligence: 6
Holy: -100
My stats were abysmal. Negative Holy? What did that even mean? Regardless, I needed a plan, and I needed to level up. Fast. Checking my pockets, I found a crumpled map of the country. The Darkfalls resided in the south, dangerously close to demon territory. Greystone, the capital city and home to the royal family, lay in the north. In the heart of Greystone the academy, my destination is located. Judging by the dense forest surrounding me, I was likely in the southwest, a vast woodland stretching across the country, distinct from the Elven forest in the northeast. "Kai didn't even carry a dagger," I grumbled, exasperated by the previous Malachi's lack of preparedness.
Following the river north, I scavenged for anything useful: sticks, rocks, even oddly shaped stones. Then, I stumbled upon a scene that arrested my attention: The air crackled with the raw energy of the ongoing battle. A hulking grizzly, its fur bristling with embedded arcane runes that pulsed with a faint, sickly green light, roared in fury as two dire wolves, lean and lethal, circled it. Their fur, the color of a winter storm, rippled over taut muscles as they darted in and out, their fangs flashing like shards of ice. The wolves, a whirlwind of snapping jaws and raking claws, harried the magically-augmented bear, tearing chunks of fur and flesh from its flanks. The bear, bellows of pain mingling with enraged roars, swiped with a paw the size of a shield, catching one wolf across the face with a sickening thud. The wolf yelped, tumbling back, dark blood welling up and obscuring its eyes. Encouraged by its companion's injury, the remaining wolf leaped, aiming for the exposed vulnerability of the bear's throat. Simultaneously, the blinded wolf, driven by instinct and pain, latched onto the bear's leg, its teeth sinking deep into the thick muscle. But the bear, in a final, desperate surge of brutal, rune-enhanced strength, slammed its massive paw down on the blinded wolf, crushing its skull with a sickening crunch. It then whirled, catching the other wolf mid-leap, its claws tearing through the wolf's belly in a spray of crimson gore. The bear, its breath ragged, its body a tapestry of wounds, lumbered away, leaving behind a gruesome tableau of torn flesh and shattered bone.
The stench of blood and viscera hung heavy in the air as I cautiously approached the carnage. A faint, gurgling whimper drew my attention to the blinded wolf, its body twitching, its life force stubbornly clinging on. Its sightless eyes stared blankly at the darkening sky. A wave of nausea washed over me, but beneath it, a cold, hard resolve solidified. Picking up a jagged rock, its edges sharp against my palm, I knelt beside the creature. With a grim determination born of desperation and a strange, twisted sense of mercy, I brought the rock down hard, ending the wolf's suffering with a single, decisive blow. The sound echoed in the growing twilight. Darkness had fully descended by the time I finished, the forest cloaked in an oppressive silence broken only by the rustling of leaves. Spitting bile onto the blood-soaked earth, I crawled inside the carcass of the larger wolf, the still-warm fur a grotesque but necessary insulation against the biting cold of the night. The coppery tang of blood filled my nostrils, a stark reminder of the brutal reality of my survival in this unforgiving world.
The next morning, I emerged from the fetid, slimy shelter, the stench clinging to me like a second skin. Putting distance between myself and the grisly scene was my first priority. Heading north, I soon spotted a rabbit. My stomach growled, urging me on. I gave chase, only to trip and land face-first in a patch of bright red berries. My parents, in my old life, had warned me against eating unknown berries, but hunger gnawed at my stomach, overriding caution. I ate, and thankfully, nothing happened except for the blessed relief of a full belly.
"System," I whispered, a flicker of hope igniting within me.
The blue square reappeared. My level had jumped from 3 to 7!
Level: 7
Strength: 5
Endurance: 4
Speed: 8
Luck: 10
Mana: 5
Intelligence: 6
Holy: -100
Three stat points per level. I allocated them strategically, prioritizing speed. I still had no unique abilities and no bloodline traits, but with these upgraded stats, a newfound confidence surged through me. I continued north, practicing moving with my increased speed, testing my limits. The river eventually ended in a roaring waterfall. Exhausted, I sat beneath a tree, focusing on my mana. My family, the Darkfalls, specialized in dark magic, yet I had no clue how to access it. Focusing on the energy within, I felt a building warmth, a slow burn spreading through my core, like embers catching flame. It pulsed, a rhythmic thrumming against my ribs, echoing the distant roar of the waterfall. Wait. That wasn't the waterfall. That was hot, ragged breath on the back of my neck.
My eyes snapped open to the chilling sight of a dire wolf, its shadow falling over me like a shroud. Its fur, the color of a moonless night, bristled with predatory intent. The scent of blood, the lingering remnants of the wolf's previous carnage, clung to its thick coat. Panic, cold and sharp, seized me, its icy tendrils constricting my chest. I scrambled back, but the living predator was too fast. Its claws, sharp as obsidian shards, raked across my back, leaving a trail of searing agony in their wake. I cried out, the sound choked by fear, and lashed out blindly, my fist connecting with the wolf's snout. The impact, though weak, bought me a precious second. I scrambled to my feet, adrenaline surging through my veins, and bolted towards the distant roar of the river, the promise of escape echoing in my ears.
But the wolf, enraged, lunged. I felt its weight slam into me, pinning me to the ground. Its hot, fetid breath washed over my face as its claws tore at my flesh, ripping through cloth and skin. A guttural growl, a prelude to the end, vibrated against my cheek. Terror, raw and primal, lent me a desperate strength. "Fire spell!" I screamed, the words torn from my throat, desperation fueling a primal, almost forgotten connection to my mana. "Fireball!" I could feel a massive surge of mana race down my arm, then when it was amplified, A small, sputtering orb of fire, tinged with orange and a sickly green, erupted from my outstretched hand, striking the wolf squarely in its open jaws. The beast recoiled with a yelp, momentarily stunned by the unexpected burst of heat and pain. It was my only chance. I scrambled to my feet, ignoring the throbbing agony in my back and the stinging lacerations on my face, and sprinted towards the roaring waterfall, the icy spray a beacon of hope in the encroaching darkness. With a desperate leap, I plunged into the churning depths, the icy water engulfing me like a shroud. The current, powerful and unforgiving, swept me over the edge, into the churning abyss below. Darkness closed in, a suffocating blanket. A chilling thought echoed in the roaring void: Had it all been pointless? All this struggle, all this pain, all for naught? Was I a fool to think I could survive as Malachi Darkfall?