The crimson moon hung low, casting its sinister glow over the shadowed skyline of Hollow's End. The city, now cloaked in unease, buzzed beneath the surface like a hive ready to erupt. Elias stood at the edge of an abandoned rooftop, his breath rising in puffs of mist as he watched the streets below. His eyes, once filled with innocence, now gleamed with a sharpness only death—and rebirth—could gift.
"You can't keep doing this, Elias."
The voice came from behind, low and wary. It was Mariella, her arms folded, eyes scanning his silhouette warily. She was the only one who knew the truth—at least, parts of it. The rest Elias carried alone, stitched into the reborn seams of his soul.
"Doing what?" he asked, not turning to face her.
"Letting the system lead you like a hound on a leash. You're changing. I see it in your eyes."
He turned, his expression unreadable. "Maybe I was always meant to change. Maybe this is who I was always supposed to become."
Mariella didn't flinch, but her voice dropped. "You're not the only one who's lost people, Elias. But becoming something else entirely... isn't always the answer."
Elias stared at her for a moment, then stepped back from the edge. "Maybe it's the only answer that matters now."
---
That night, Elias roamed. He wasn't hunting—not yet—but he was restless. The system had been eerily quiet since his last soul collection. The taste of vengeance still lingered on his tongue, but it had dulled with time, as if the souls themselves were beginning to ask questions.
[System Notification: Quest Update]
Soul Harvest Required: 3 More to Unlock Skill Tier II
Optional Objective: Target individuals with power and influence. Reward: Enhanced Perception.
He clenched his jaw. The system never asked why. It only gave orders and rewards—like a devil in his ear offering gifts dipped in sin.
"Three more..." he whispered.
But who?
As if on cue, a memory slithered into his mind—the image of Dorian Vale, the corrupt prosecutor who'd fabricated charges against Elias's mother years ago. The man had vanished from public eye, but whispers said he now ran a private firm protecting Hollow's most despicable elite.
It was time to pay him a visit.
---
The building was opulent, overly so—chrome and glass that tried too hard to scream legitimacy. Elias stood across the street, his black hoodie pulled over his head, a pair of gloves tucked in his back pocket. He didn't need a weapon. He was one.
Inside, the air was clinical. White floors, grey walls, the kind of design meant to look modern but succeeded only in being lifeless. Elias walked in like a shadow. No receptionist. No guards.
Almost too easy.
He reached the elevator and tapped into the directory. Dorian Vale – Top Floor.
Of course.
As the lift ascended, the system pinged again:
[Warning: High-Profile Target Detected. Risk Level: Moderate]
Elias smiled faintly. "Moderate? You should know me better by now."
The doors slid open.
He walked into a silence so thick it felt orchestrated. Then came the voice.
"Elias Black. The boy they buried, now resurrected with a grudge."
Dorian Vale stood by a wide office window, hands behind his back. His silver hair was combed neatly, and his bespoke suit clung to him like arrogance. There was no fear in his posture, only curiosity.
"I didn't think you'd have the courage," Dorian said, turning slowly.
Elias tilted his head. "And I didn't think you'd still breathe. Life is full of surprises."
Dorian smiled. "You're not the first they've brought back. But you're not like the others, are you? You remember too much. You feel too much. That makes you... volatile."
Elias stepped forward. "That makes me human. Something you stopped being a long time ago."
In a blur, Dorian raised a palm. A burst of invisible energy rippled across the room, hurling Elias backward into the wall.
[System Alert: Mana Spike Detected]
Elias groaned, wiping blood from his mouth. "So you're one of them..."
Dorian laughed darkly. "We're everywhere, child. You think the system only found you? You're part of a game far older than you can imagine."
Elias lunged.
The battle was vicious. Every punch, every step, every scream echoed with power. Elias summoned shadows to bind, but Dorian shattered them with light. He ducked a punch and countered with a kick that sent Elias crashing into a glass table.
[System Boost Activated: Pain Conversion – Strength +10%]
Elias roared and surged forward, claws forming from shadow, slicing across Dorian's chest. Blood sprayed. Dorian staggered, finally caught off guard.
Elias pressed his advantage. Blow after blow landed, his fists a flurry of vengeance. With a final strike, he drove Dorian into the wall, cracking plaster and bone alike.
Panting, Elias watched as the man slumped.
[Soul Eligible for Collection]
He reached forward, and the mark on his palm glowed red. Dorian screamed as the life was drawn from him, his eyes wide with fear and betrayal.
[Soul Acquired: Dorian Vale – 1 of 3 Complete]
[Optional Objective Progress: 1/3 Influential Targets Collected]
Elias staggered back. His vision blurred for a second, then sharpened. Something felt... different. Not just power. Knowledge. He could see things—hear things—the city's hum, the breath of the dying, the fear behind closed doors.
He walked out as the building's alarms began to wail.
---
Elsewhere, beneath the ruined cathedral at the city's edge, a man stepped from the shadows. His crimson eyes gleamed with malice as he watched the flickering images of Elias through a pool of blood and bone.
"He's progressing faster than expected," the man said.
Another figure bowed behind him, faceless and cloaked.
"Shall we interfere, Lord Azkar?"
The man smiled, revealing fangs as long as daggers. "Not yet. Let him play. Let him feel powerful. Because when the truth breaks him, his soul will be ours."
---
Back at his safehouse, Elias stood before the cracked bathroom mirror. His reflection shimmered—eyes darker, veins more defined. The devil's gift was changing him. Inside and out.
He whispered, almost to himself. "What am I becoming?"
The system answered coldly:
[You are becoming what they feared most: The Blood Monarch.]