Elian's body collapsed beside the scorched carcass of the Guardian.
The living arena fell silent. The walls still pulsed, but with less fury. It was as if the prison... recognized his victory.
His right arm smoked. The black veins slowly receded, but his fingers remained deformed, elongated, with small scales now emerging beneath the skin.
[Contamination stabilized.][Corruption Level: 19% — moderate risk.][The Devourer's Hand has assimilated part of the mutation. Temporary ability evolved.]
→ New Ability Unlocked: Abyssal Claw (Lv.1)Temporarily manifests the corrupted arm for piercing attacks. Cost: 5% vitality per use.
Elian took a deep breath.
"I don't know if I've won… or if I've been infected by something worse."
The pain kept him lucid.
When he looked at his own reflection in a pool of black blood, he didn't fully recognize the face staring back. His eyes were darker, his gaze deeper. A whisper vibrated at the back of his mind.
— You've already taken the first step. —The voice didn't come from outside.
It was the Devourer's Fragment, still active within him.
Elian forced himself to stand. The Countercurse Core glowed faintly in his palm, pulsing like a heart. When he pressed it against his chest, a comforting warmth spread through his body.
[Corruption temporarily reduced: -5%.][Access to Second Floor: unlocked.]
But what awaited him next? He didn't know. Nor did he have time to think. He still had to understand what he was becoming.
"I'm just a prisoner. Just one of the damned… right?"
No. The system now told him something else.
[Status: Elian Kael]• Class: Awakened Condemned• Primary Curse: Silence of Urothea (Active)• Affinities: Shadow, Blood, Fragmentation• Unique Ability: Partial Death — (1/3)• Corruption: 14%• Curse Resistance: 27%• Bloodline: Undefined• Active Fragments: 1 — Argat'hul, the Devourer• Active Abilities:→ Abyssal Claw (Lv.1)→ Trail of Silence (Passive)→ Executioner's Eye (Unlocked — ???)
"Undefined bloodline?"The system couldn't decipher his origin.
But something felt off... Elian had never felt normal. Since childhood, he had dreams. Voices. Visions. A shadow behind his eyes. As if something — or someone — had been watching his entire life.
And now… the name listed as 'Active Fragment' echoed in his mind.
"Argat'hul... the Devourer. What the hell are you?"
The answer came like a lightning strike.
Visions. A cathedral without a roof. Broken statues of forgotten gods. An altar made of spines. And an empty throne — waiting.
— Son of ruin... — the voice murmured. — Heir of what was broken.
Elian staggered back two steps, his chest tight. This wasn't just an echo of absorbed power.
It was a living entity. And he carried it inside him.
If he continued using the fragments, he would gain power.But he'd also lose parts of himself — memories, emotions, essence.
"How many times can I die… before I'm no longer me?"
A light above caught his attention. The living flesh peeled back like a blinking eye, revealing a stone staircase ascending.
The path to the Second Floor.
But something stopped him.
Footsteps.
Someone was coming down.
Not a creature. A human.
Elian quickly hid behind the Guardian's dead statue, holding his breath.
A figure cloaked in deep purple appeared, floating slightly — his feet not touching the ground. His eyes glowed with a spectral green.
— So... the Awakened arrived before me, — said the stranger with a smile.
"Another prisoner? Or a Fallen?"
But one thing was clear: he also carried fragments.Elian's system triggered an alert.
[Warning: Fragment bearer detected. Possible hostility.]
— You felt it too, didn't you? The Call of the Empty Throne... — the man said. — Perhaps you and I are meant for something greater.
Elian clenched his fists. Unsure whether to fight… or flee.
But one thing he knew for certain:
In the Chain of the Condemned, there were no heroes.
Only survivors.