Zarik's world was engulfed in flames and shadows, a tempest of crimson fire coursing through his veins. The voice of the Astrid System resonated in his mind—Tier Advancement Imminent. Survive—as the courtyard of the ruins ignited around him. The pillar of the First Flame seared the sky above, its heat blistering his skin, while the Shadow Mark on his chest pulsed in sync with it, feeling like a fiery brand threatening to tear him apart. Lira grasped his arm, her shouts drowned out by the roar of the inferno, but his gaze was fixated on a figure within the flames—a cloaked silhouette, its molten gold eyes locked onto him, poised and patient.
His knees weakened, the ground trembling beneath his feet. The Shadow Mage had vanished along with her beast, yet the ruins seemed alive, the ancient stones vibrating with energy. Zarik's hands glimmered, sparks flickering across his fingers, but he couldn't discern whether it was Astrid or something older and more ravenous. Survive, the system had commanded. It was a simpler notion than the reality of his unraveling body.
"Zarik!" Lira's voice pierced through the chaos, sharp and urgent. She tugged him back, her tool belt clanking as she dragged him toward a crumbling archway. Her face was smudged with soot, her wide brown eyes filled with panic yet fiercely determined. "You can't give up on me now. Move!"
Zarik stumbled in her wake, each step a struggle against the icy grip of the Shadow Mark and the fire overwhelming his senses. "I'm… trying," he panted, his throat raw. The system flickered: Elemental Essence Points (EEP): 0. System Overload. Stabilization Required. The words blurred before his eyes, but Lira's grip steadied him, her strength anchoring him amidst the chaos.
They ducked under the archway, the stone offering refuge from the worst of the blistering heat. The First Flame's pillar throbbed, casting jagged shadows across the ruins. Lira slammed Zarik against the wall, her hands examining his wounds—his bleeding shoulder and the burns on his arms. "What's happening to you?" she demanded, her voice trembling. "That glow, that mark—you're freaking me out, Zarik."
He forced a weak smile, though his chest hurt. "Freaking you out? I'm the one with a cursed tattoo." He glanced at the Shadow Mark, its dark runes weaving like veins beneath his skin. The pain had shifted to a pull, enticing him towards the flame with whispers of power if he just surrendered.
Lira's jaw clenched, but she didn't flinch. "Stop joking. This isn't just some Freehold scrap. That thing—" She gestured toward the pillar, its crimson light pulsing more rapidly. "It's affecting you. And that system? It's not Concord tech. It feels… wrong."
Zarik's laugh turned bitter, cut off by a cough. "Wrong? It's the first thing that's ever been right in my life." He pushed away from the wall, fighting off the dizziness. "I was nothing, Lira. Just a scavenger, a nobody. Now I have a chance to fight back."
"Fight back?" She grabbed his arm, her voice quiet but fierce. "Against what? That mage? The war? Or whatever's consuming you from the inside?" Her eyes searched his, and for a moment, he saw the girl who stitched him up after each failed job, who shared scraps of her food when he had none. "You're not alone, Zarik. Don't pretend you are."
Her words struck deeper than any mage's shadow. He wanted to argue, to convince her he could handle this, but the chill of the Shadow Mark and the system's silence said otherwise. Before he could respond, the system buzzed to life: Stabilization Achieved. Tier Advancement Complete. New Ability Unlocked: Ember Pulse.
A wave of warmth coursed through him, alleviating the rune's sting. His hands glowed brighter, a new sensation falling into place—like a spark ready to be shaped. EEP: 50, the system announced, and Zarik felt it: raw, powerful energy humming in his veins. He raised his hand, forming a small orb of flame that pulsed steadily.
Lira's eyes widened. "Okay, that's… new." She hesitated, then smirked. "Show-off."
Zarik's smile was genuine this time, but it faded as the ground shook once more. The pillar of the First Flame began to shrink, its light condensing into a single core hovering above the fissure. The air thickened with static, the ruin's low growl intensifying.
"We need to go," Lira urged, her voice desperate. She pulled out a gadget from her belt—a scanner, its screen flickering with data. "This place is unstable. Whatever that flame is, it's waking something up."
Zarik nodded, though his gaze remained fixed on the core. It beckoned to him, not through words but with a deep tug in his chest, as if the system itself was attracted to it. Access Denied, the Astrid System repeated, but this time its tone felt eager, almost alive. He took a step forward, only to halt, Lira's hand on his shoulder.
"Don't," she cautioned softly but firmly. "Not until we know what we're dealing with."
He met her gaze, torn between the core's allure and her warning. "I need to figure this out, Lira. The system, the mark—they're all connected to it." He pointed at the core, its light reflecting in her eyes. "If I don't, it will destroy me."
She held his gaze before sighing and revealing another gadget—a small, spiked probe. "Okay. But let's be smart about this. Stay here." She darted over to the fissure, her movements quick and practiced, plunging the probe into the ground. Its screen lit up with streaming data, but before she could analyze it, a shadow shifted.
Not the mage—another figure, cloaked in gray, emerging from the ruins. Tall and lean, he wielded a curved blade gleaming in one hand, with a faint wind swirling around him. His face hidden beneath a hood, his voice was low but authoritative. "Step away from the core, girl. It's not meant for you."
Lira froze, hand still on the probe. "Who the hell are you?" she shot back, though her voice quaked. The man's blade flicked, and a gust of wind sliced the air, cleaving a nearby pillar in half.
Zarik's heart raced. EEP: 50. Ember Pulse Ready. He stepped forward, the flame orb flickering menacingly in his hand. "Back off," he warned, his voice more resolute than he felt. "She's with me."
The man regarded him, tilting his head as if assessing him. "A system user," he noted, his expression unreadable. "And a Shadow Mark. You're already damned, boy." He raised his blade, wind whipping around it, and Zarik steeled himself, the Shadow Mark throbbing with warning.
Lira yanked the probe free and darted back to Zarik's side. "He's Concord," she murmured, her scanner beeping incessantly. "Wind-wielder. We're in trouble."
"Wonderful," Zarik mumbled, as the flame orb flared to life. The man advanced, his wind carving grooves in the ground, and Zarik's thoughts raced. He didn't yet know how to wield Ember Pulse, nor if he could trust Astrid, but he wouldn't let Lira perish here.
"Stay behind me," he instructed, raising his hand. The system's voice returned with a calm precision: Ember Pulse: Release. He unleashed the orb, and it burst into a wave of fire, forcing the man to leap back as his wind dispersed the flames. The effort drained Zarik—EEP: 30—and the Shadow Mark flared, pain igniting within him.
The man landed deftly, unscathed, his blade glinting. "Not bad," he remarked, a hint of amusement in his tone. "But you're no match for me." He lunged, wind roaring, and Zarik shoved Lira aside, raising his hands in defense. The blade halted inches from his throat, held back not by the man's strength but by another's.
A second figure emerged, cloaked like the first but shorter, with water swirling around her hands. "Kael, enough," she commanded firmly. "They're not the enemy."
Kael lowered his blade but continued to glare. "They're meddling with the Flame. That makes them the enemy."
Zarik's head swam, the Shadow Mark's ache merging with confusion. Lira gripped her scanner, darting her gaze between the newcomers. The core pulsed faster, the ruins' growl reaching a deafening crescendo, and Zarik sensed it—a shift, as if the world was holding its breath.
Then the core detonated, not in flames but in a shockwave of pure energy that sent everyone sprawling. Zarik crashed into the ground, his vision fading, the Shadow Mark flaring brighter than ever. The system's voice was now a whisper, almost gleeful: Core Unlocked. Prepare for Contact.
Above the fissure, the cloaked figure from the flames materialized, solid and real, its golden eyes fixed on Zarik. "Welcome," it intoned, its voice resonating in his very essence, "to the end of everything."