Silence.
Not the peaceful kind. Not the hush before sleep or the quiet of snowfall. This silence was heavier. Dense. Like the world had stopped breathing.
Alex didn't know if his heart was still beating. It felt far away everything did. He was floating somewhere between flesh and void. Pain had become background noise. The cold felt distant.
But one thing never left him: the weight of her body beside his.
Mia.
He didn't have the strength to move his head anymore, but he knew she was still there. Close. Still. Forever still.
He wanted to scream, but his lungs refused.
He wanted to die.
But the world wouldn't let him.
Something pulsed in his chest.
Once.
Twice.
A third time louder.
Then it came.
A chime.
Not heard, but felt. Inside the marrow. Like bells ringing in the core of his soul.
[SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
His eyes blood-crusted and swollen fluttered open.
A glowing blue screen hovered above him, floating in the dark like a phantom lantern. The letters were sharp. Cold. Unfamiliar.
[Booting up…]
His mouth moved, but no sound came. He wasn't hallucinating. The pain, the blood, the body it was all real. So was this.
[Restoring Host Body… 23%...]
[32%...]
[79%...]
Heat surged through his limbs.
A whisper of power slithered across his skin, tightening broken muscles, mending cracked bones. He felt his spine stretch, his ribs shift and set themselves with nauseating cracks. His fingers twitched.
[Restoration Complete.]
[WARNING: Host is experiencing extreme emotional trauma.]
[Initializing Primary Core Sequence…]
[Welcome, Host.]
Alex coughed violently. Blood spilled from his mouth then stopped. The pain faded, replaced by something colder, cleaner. His body stilled.
He could move.
Slowly, Alex sat up. Every inch of him slick with dried blood and worse. His dagger still lay nearby, blade chipped and red.
The screen blinked again.
[I am your system. You were chosen by the Demonic Chaos Dragon Protocol.]
[Would you like to view your status?]
His throat was raw. Words felt like knives.
But he forced them out.
"…open status."
The screen rippled.
[Name: Alexander Crimson]
[Age: 18]
[Bloodline: ??? (Sealed)]
[Innate Talents: Chaos Body, Dragon Eyes (Locked)]
[Strength: 5 | Speed: 4 | Endurance: 8 | Dexterity: 5 |
Constitution: 9 | Intelligence: 10]
[Skills: Passive - None | Active - None]
[Bloodline Abilities: Dormant]
[Emotional Core Trigger: 97%]
[Next Evolution: Pending…]
He stared.
It made no sense.
Why now? Why this? Was it divine intervention? A curse? A joke?
But then a second screen flashed different from the rest. Red. Pulsing.
[Mission Generated: Vengeance Protocol - Tier 1]
Objective: Slaughter those responsible for Mia Crimson's death.
Reward: Unlock Bloodline Seal (First Layer)
Status: Incomplete
Alex's hands curled into fists.
No more questions.
No more hesitation.
He turned toward Mia's body.
He didn't speak. He just looked. Memorized her face one last time.
Then he laid her down gently, brushing the blood from her eyes with trembling fingers. He stood barefoot, bruised, and reborn.
Another chime.
[Skill Awakening Triggered: Adaptive Combat Instinct (Rank E)]
[Status: Auto-Integrating with Host Reflex Layer]
Alex took a breath.
It didn't shake this time.
A voice his voice echoed in his skull.
Kill them all.