The Titan staggered from the blow, glaring down at Kalen with contempt. Blood streamed down its massive leg, but the wound seemed to barely faze it.
"You're fast...for a human." the Titan sneered, its voice laced with hidden anger. "But you're weak."
His grip tightened around Lucian's hilt as he struggled to stay upright from the earlier blow.
'I think I broke a rib or two. I have to end this now.'
The Titan raised his fist again and Kalen knew he didn't have enough time. The crushing pressure was unbearable, but the Titan's weight was still uneven. His eyes flickered to the Titan's wounded leg. It was weakening him, slowing down his movements.
'I need to make it count.'
With all the strength Kalen could muster, he dashed forward again, using the Titan's slowed speed to gain an advantage.
The Titan swung at him again.
A gust of force slammed into him before the blow had even connected. The sheer pressure of sending debris and dust into the air. Kalen forced his body to bend over, his ribs buckling and placing him under unimaginable pain. The wind from the strike tore his clothes, and the impact against the ground shattered stone.
Kalen couldn't even classify that as a dodge. He had barely survived.
His heartbeat pounded against his broken ribs as he forced his shaking legs to carry him forward. He had no choice but to get closer. Since the Titan was abnormally large, it would be limited. If he could stay in its blind spot—
The Titan kicked.
Kalen's eyes barely allowed for that motion to register. But his body didn't. A wall of muscle or armor had slammed into his side. Pain exploded through his entire body as he was sent back a few meters before crashing into stone.
His vision blurred. The impact forced the air out of his lungs, his arm bent in multiple different directions. He wasn't even sure if any of his ribs were intact anymore.
He bit back a scream as tears fell down his face.
Whispers flooded into his ears.
"Get up."
His fingers dug into the stone.
"Get up!"
His arms although one brutally smashed, he violently pushed against the ground, his muscles spasming.
"You don't get to die here."
"Not yet."
The Titan advanced its movements slower than before. It was slow and deliberate. It was toying with its prey before delivering the final strike.
Kalen's breath came out in ragged gasps. A strong metallic taste flooded his taste buds. He crawled towards Lucian, barely keeping a grip on it. Then his tear-streamed eyes locked in place with the Titan's wounded leg.
The axe that the Titan previously discarded flew up into the air, straight into the Titan's hand.
It raised its axe, the blade gleaming with the promise of death.
Kalen's lip parted as his stomach dropped. "T-that's just not fucking fair."
Kalen had to move.
Now.
He threw himself forward.
The Titan surprised by Kalen's sudden movement, swung down in surprise.
Too slow.
Kalen dropped low, inches away from the descending axe. The wind from the attack howled across his ears, the force alone cutting into his skin.
In one swift motion, Kalen stabbed downwards, driving Lucian into the Titan's knee, deep in the joint.
The beast howled in pain, staggering from the gushing wound.
While gasping for air, he ripped Lucian out from the knee as he took a few steps back.
But that was no time for celebration.
Swinging at ferocious speed, sending Kalen spinning through the air once again. But now, its strength had decreased massively. It couldn't generate any power from its legs.
Kalen writhed in pain, as it consumed him whole.
But he wasn't done.
"I-I'm not going to die. Not yet!"
Both sides were weakened.
Kalen gripped Lucian with his last remaining strength, forcing himself to his feet. His knees buckled. But he didn't care. He could barely muster any strength but he had to do this.
The Titan raised its axe but this time, it faltered.
Kalen saw the hesitation. He saw the way it failed to balance itself.
He lunged.
The Titan swung down.
Lucian clashed against the axe.
The impact shook his entire body. Blood began to spurt out, but Kalen quickly swallowed it back in. His boots scraped across the ground, his muscles burning from the force. But he would never waver.
Not now. Not ever.
Then an opening.
With a final burst of strength, Kalen twisted Lucian, slicing the Titan's wrist.
The axe fell.
But Kalen wasn't done.
He didn't let it reach the ground. He stepped in, driving Lucian deep into the Titan's ribs.
The Titan let out a guttural scream as it echoed through the labyrinth. Its body jerked, inky blood flowing from the fresh wound. It swayed, showing signs of life, before collapsing to its knees.
And then it fell.
Silence.
Kalen stood over the beast, panting, his body and sword stained with the Titan's blood. He felt a sense of euphoria as he wiped his face, sweat drenching his shirt.
Looking at the Titan's body, his eyebrows furrowed.
'He should be dead, right? Well, better to be safe than sorry.'
He stabbed it again.
And again.
And again.
His blade pierced unmoving flesh, each breath accompanied by a hoarse, breathless curse.
It was a very reasonable reaction.
He had no malice behind it whatsoever...
You believe him...right?
Kalen finally stopped, lifting his shirt and seeing a purple bruise form around his whole torso.
"Shit, if I see another monster, it's going to be the death of me."
Clenching his fist, he relished the fact he had killed the Titan. Victory. But was it truly a victory? If the Titan had come with the intent to kill at first, would he have been breathing right now?
Perhaps not.
Falling to the ground and unable to catch his breath, the labyrinth spoke:
"Ah…little pawn. You endure. You bleed. You survive. For now…"
The sound had echoed in every corner, walls pulsing as the mocking voice resounded through them.
Kalen was still trembling from the adrenaline and victory, wiping the blood on his worn and tattered tunic.
His eyes narrowed.
"Enough." His voice was hoarse but defiant.
He had expected mockery but not this. Victory felt hollow now that it had been tainted by the labyrinth's unassuming tone.
Once again the labyrinth spoke:
"You've fought bravely, clearing the trial. So, to celebrate your triumph… I shall grant you a gift."
Kalen's eyes widened. A gift? Was this some sort of joke? He held tight to the sword's hilt, but he didn't lower it. Not when he didn't even know what was going to happen next.
"I shall grant you the power of Voidweaving. The ability to manipulate the fabric of space itself. With this power, you shall have to carve your way forward, bending reality to your will. Or be devoured by it.
Kalen's body screamed at him to move. But he was frozen, held down by the entity known as the labyrinth.
'Voidweaving' the word crept into his ear rooting deep into his mind like a parasite. "The power to carve your way forward….or to be devoured by it."
Something burned deep in his soul. He gasped and staggered, It felt as if space had been cracked open around him. It felt as if the sensation of magic was poured into his body again, awakening Kalen's senses of this new power, 'Voidweaving.'
Was this a gift or a curse?
A sly smile found itself on his face.
"Finally," he whispered, "I got one of my transmigration perks. Though it hurt like hell."
The voice laughed.
The air trembled. The walls shuddered. It was as if the space was curling inwardly pressing toward his skin like unseen hands.
"You amuse me, Forsaken."
Kalen stiffened. "Forsaken?" His breath still ragged, he wiped the sweat from his brow.
"No." His voice was hoarse and firm. "I have a name it's-"
"Ah…no, not Forsaken. Bloodmarked. Yes, that suits you better.."
The voice coiled around as if it was temporarily releasing him from its serpentine hold. The black blood of the Titan had already begun to vanish, seeping into the obsidian stone along with the body dispersing into dust. The only proof of the battle was his aching muscles, two broken ribs, and the cold iron grip of the sword that weighed at his hip.
'That axe was worth something, man.' Kalen sighed.
"And now, Bloodmarked, your trial ends."
The floor beneath him pulsed with light an unnatural light spawning that slithered up to his legs like chains made of raw, pure magic his body tensed as he felt the weight of the chains dragging him.
"Ah, but look at you," the voice mused. "A wretched sight, worn, tattered, and bloodied. Such a pitiful being."
The shadows coiled around Kalen, flailing around and forming into dark fabric. The cloak fluttered before setting on his shoulders.
"There, " the labyrinth said with an amused tone. "At least his will help you look less pathetic while journeying through the unknown, undetected by those who want the world to die."
Kalen's breath hitched as he looked down at the cloak. He felt a strange sensation as his bruises and cuts began to close. The pain that had been burdening him before, dulled. As he lifted his shirt, his ribs and arm no longer felt broken, and the bruise faded into smooth skin.
"W-What the hell?" He muttered, reaching his fingers across the smooth skin. "You healed me?"
He could still feel the aftereffects of the pain, but it wasn't as potent anymore. The labyrinth was somewhat taunting but aiding him...
The voice responded, amused. "A little parting gift, Bloodmarked. Consider it a favor to keep you going.
Kalen gritted his teeth, still recovering from the bewildering sensation.
"Wait!"
He took a shaky step forward, resisting the pull. "There's no town here! No people! Where are you even sending me?"
"Does it matter?"
The voice was neither cruel nor kind. Simply unmoving.
The sigils beneath him expanded, unraveling like some part of a network. It felt as if space itself was being torn apart. Kalen wasn't simply being thrown out— he was being cast out into the unknown.
"Explore the Castle rooted deep in the Sky, Dark Hollows, the Tundra, the Desert, the Forgotten Plains, and the Deepforest. There, you can find the answer you so desire. Or perhaps….."
The voice curled around Kalen as if leaning in to whisper at the back of his skull.
"...you will only lose yourself further."
The light surged, swallowing him whole. His body twisted, weightless as if he had been sent to the abyss with no end. The last thing he saw was the labyrinth's cold unmoving walls. The last thing Kalen heard:
"Farewell, Bloodmarked. Do try not to disappoint me."
And then, the world shattered.