Chapter 7: Shadows of the Past
Leon stood atop a jagged cliffside, gazing down at the sprawling ruins beneath him. The night air was thick with mist, swirling like restless spirits around the shattered remnants of what once had been a grand temple. His heart pounded with an unsettling familiarity—he had been here before. Or rather, a part of him had.
The Ascension System pulsed in his mind.
[New Location Detected: Ruins of the Forsaken]
[Hidden Memory Fragment Unlocked]
A sharp pain lanced through his skull, and suddenly, his vision blurred. The world around him distorted, and shadows rose from the ruins, forming ghostly figures locked in battle. Warriors clad in obsidian armor clashed against spectral beings with burning eyes. Screams echoed through time, their agony seeping into his bones.
And then, he saw himself—or rather, a figure with his face, standing at the center of the battlefield, surrounded by corpses.
The specter spoke, its voice a whisper from the abyss.
"You were one of us once… before you betrayed us all."
Leon staggered back, his breath ragged. He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palm as he tried to anchor himself in the present. A memory from a past life? A trick of the system? The answers lay within the ruins below.
The Descent into Darkness
Steeling himself, Leon descended into the ruins. Each step sent dust and loose stones crumbling beneath his boots. The deeper he went, the colder the air became. Faint symbols glowed along the walls, their meaning just beyond his understanding.
The system chimed again.
[New Quest: Unravel the Past]
Objective: Find the hidden inscription.
Reward: ???
Leon exhaled sharply. He had long since stopped questioning the system's motives, but something about this quest felt personal.
At the heart of the ruins, he found a massive stone door. Strange carvings covered its surface, depicting warriors bowing before a shrouded figure with glowing eyes. Beneath it, an inscription shimmered as if alive. He reached out, brushing his fingers against the ancient text.
The moment he touched it, darkness swallowed him.
Visions of a Forgotten War
A whirlwind of images flooded his mind. Fire rained from the heavens. Towering figures of immense power clashed in a war that sundered the sky. And at the heart of it all—himself, leading an army of Forsaken against an enemy he could not yet remember.
Then, betrayal. A dagger in the dark. Blood on his hands—his own.
The vision ended as abruptly as it had begun, leaving Leon gasping for air. His knees buckled, and he clutched his chest, as though trying to steady the storm raging inside him.
"What… was that?"
The system answered.
[Hidden Memory Fragment Recovered: 12% Completion]
Leon's fingers curled into a fist. The truth of his past was buried within these ruins, and he would find it—no matter what it took.
But as he turned to leave, a new presence made itself known. A low growl echoed through the chamber. Crimson eyes glowed in the darkness. The guardian of the ruins had awakened.
And it was hunting him.