Cael's first conscious breath felt like inhaling shards of glass. He lay sprawled on a cold, uneven stone floor, dust coating his cracked lips and torn tunic. Above him, moisture‑darkened vaults arched into shadow; stale air carried the distant drip of groundwater echoed through rotted timbers. He tried to move, but agony flamed through his ribs. A dim shimmer pulsed at the edges of his vision—something alive, humming inside his skull.
A soft click sounded, though there was no door to close. Then:
[==== SYSTEM NOTICE: BEGIN ====]
Rebirth Sequence Complete.
War God System Activated.
Host: CAEL
Role Assigned: "Broken God—Tier 0"
Initial Protocol: Survive First Trial (7 Days Underground)
[==== SYSTEM NOTICE: END ====]
Cael's mind reeled. He forced himself upright, every breath a struggle between fear and intrigue. Seven days underground? He didn't even know where "underground" ended. He pressed his palm to the damp stone, feeling the runes carved into it—ghosts of an arcane defense system long fallen to ruin. Yet here they were, alive in his perception.
He rose to his feet, swaying. Muscle memory urged caution: keep weight off his injured side, test the space around him. A rat scuttled past, its beady gaze fixed on an old puddle of stagnant water. Cael swallowed the bile rising in his throat. If he survived the trial, that puddle might be his only source of hydration.
The corridor yawned before him, torch sconces long since emptied. Stones underfoot were slick with moss. Somewhere ahead, a faint rumble of voices—scavengers? Explorers? None of them likely friendly.
He took a trembling step and…
[==== SYSTEM NOTICE: BEGIN ====]
New Skill Unlocked: "Battlefield Awareness (Passive)"
Effect: Automatically detect nearby threats and ambush points.
[==== SYSTEM NOTICE: END ====]
His vision sharpened. In the gloom, two figures crouched behind a collapsed pillar—scrap‑clad scavengers arguing over a rusted bucket. They hadn't noticed him yet. Cael's heart hammered. He could sneak past, or he could disarm them. But the trial was survival, not heroics. He hugged the wall and moved like a shadow.
---
When he emerged into a collapsed chamber, the ceiling had given way to a squat brick building above. Moonlight spilled in through the gaping hole, illuminating his path as if fate itself pointed the way.
He climbed a broken ladder—one foot, then the other—until the air smelled of dawn. He stumbled onto cracked cobblestone in a narrow alley of the Lower Warrens: the slums' underbelly, where only rats and exiles dwelled. Before him stretched a tangle of rotting carts, broken market stalls, and shuttered doorways.
A second later, he heard the footsteps: heavy boots on loose stone.
Cael darted into shadow.
---
A woman's voice cracked the air like a whip. "He went this way! Get him!"
She sounded young—maybe seventeen—but fierce. Cael peeked around a pillar. Three Wyrmguard scouts, lanterns swinging, cut through the gloom. Their sigils—black spears piercing crowns—glistened on their breastplates.
He swallowed. If the Wyrmguards caught him above ground, he'd die before his trial ended.
He checked the system again.
[==== SYSTEM NOTICE: BEGIN ====]
Objective Updated: Avoid Wyrmguard patrols.
Hint: Use "Broken God's Gaze" to compel fear in low‑rank soldiers.
[==== SYSTEM NOTICE: END ====]
He locked eyes with the lead scout, focusing until the man's legs wobbled. The guards halted, jaws slack, staring at Cael as though at a specter. Cael slipped past them, adrenaline sluicing through his veins. His ribs burned, but he kept moving—breathing shallow—until the lantern light disappeared.
---
He didn't stop running until the Warrens gave way to open ruins. There, in the wide square of the old Merchant Quarter, lay the shattered skeleton of a once‑grand warehouse. Its door hung off rusted hinges, and moonlight painted the cracked walls in silver.
Cael pressed himself against the stone and looked at the system:
[==== SYSTEM NOTICE: BEGIN ====]
Quest Unlocked: First Trial, Stage 2
Objective: Claim the Forgotten Map
Location: Warehouse M‑07, south wall
Time Remaining: 6 days, 22 hours
[==== SYSTEM NOTICE: END ====]
A map. He needed a map to navigate out. Probably scribbled on a crumbling parchment or etched into metal. He forced his battered form onward, stepping over broken crates and shards of glass.
Inside, the floor was slick with moss and old oil. The pillars had collapsed in a twisted heap. Somewhere, water dripped steadily. He could feel the weight of every second ticking against him.
---
As he tiptoed to the south wall, a whisper followed:
"Hey kid, you lost?"
Cael spun. A slight girl—barely older than him—leaned against a fallen beam, a crooked wooden staff in her hand and a crooked grin on her face. She wore mismatched boots and a cloak snagged on a nail.
He recognized the street‑smarts in her eyes. "Who are you?"
She hopped off the beam. "Name's Mira. I'm the queen of these ruins." She jabbed her staff at a rusted sign: No Trespassing—Imperial Property. Her grin widened. "Least, I claim it. You're new."
Cael's ribs spasmed pain. "I'm… passing through."
Mira sniffed. "Everything passes through. Why don't you find something to pass along? Looks like that wall's got something shiny."
She pointed to the brick: faint lines scratched into mortar—a crude city grid. Beneath it, outlines of streets and alleys. Cael knelt and traced the lines with his finger. This was it—the map.
But the wall had collapsed to waist height. To retrieve the lower section, he'd have to squeeze through a narrow gap bordered by rotted beams and falling debris.
He glanced back at Mira. "You're sure it's safe?"
She shrugged. "Safe-ish. I do this every night. Just don't piss off the cave rats."
Cael weighed his options, then dove through. Sharp wood lacerated his arm, but he landed on crumbling mortar. He pressed his palm to the lines:
---
[==== SYSTEM NOTICE: BEGIN ====]
Item Acquired: Fragment of Forgotten Map (Scroll Piece 1/5)
Durability: 100%
Effect: Reveals Merchant Quarter layout
Experience +10
[==== SYSTEM NOTICE: END ====]
---
He exhaled, relief mingling with triumph. Mira cheered, tapping her staff against her palm.
"See? Didn't hurt none."
Cael flexed his cut arm. He'd bleed, but he'd live. He turned to the deeper ruins.
"Where to next?" he asked.
Mira shrugged. "I know a safehouse. We can stitch that map piece to the others. Then you can get out before the patrols tighten."
He nodded. "Lead the way."
---
Under the pale moon, they navigated shattered streets. Cael's mind buzzed with newfound knowledge: tactical routes, ambush points, hidden caches. The system whispered strategies for efficient travel, hidden alcoves, and decoy paths.
It felt… exhilarating.
At last, they reached a half‑buried cellar beneath a collapsed bakery. Inside, an old desk held scraps of parchment and inkpots—Mira's workshop.
She pulled a brittle tablecloth from a crate and spread it out. Cael laid the map fragment on it. Next to it he placed a shard of broken mirror—an offering to the War God, he joked to himself.
Mira smirked. "You're weird."
He grinned. "You've met a stranger."
She leaned in, eyes curious. "What's that itch in your eyes? You keep staring at nothing, like you're reading the ruins."
He pressed a fingertip to his temple. "I'm… remembering."
She raised an eyebrow. "Remembering what?"
He closed his eyes. Echoes of wind‑swept plains, armies forming at dawn, thunder of hooves. Strategy sessions beneath a blood‑red sky. He inhaled, and the memory subsided into a dull ache.
"Nothing… just dreams."
Mira studied him, then shook her head. "Weird kid."
He smiled. "We're evenly matched."
---
He unrolled the fragment. Ancient symbols marked merchant guildhomes, hidden tunnels, a secret exit gate. He traced the route:
[==== SYSTEM NOTICE: BEGIN ====]
Progress: 20% toward First Trial Completion.
New Objective: Recover Map Fragments 2–5.
Bonus Reward: "Cartographer's Insight" at 50% fragmentation.
[==== SYSTEM NOTICE: END ====]
---
Cael's chest tightened with purpose. The trial was no longer mere survival—it was mastery. Seven days to find five fragments. Then perhaps the crypt would open fully, granting him the path to power.
Mira packed away the parchment and slung her staff over her shoulder. "Get some rest. Tomorrow, we raid that merchant's vault."
He nodded, though sleep felt distant. He stepped outside into the chill. The moon hovered low, a silent witness to his vow.
He was no longer Cael of the slums. He was the Broken God's Heir, walking the ashes of an empire to reclaim a throne washed away by blood.
And his journey had only just begun.