He doesn't speak.
The man in the bone throne just sits… tapping fingers on his mask… like he's waiting for something.
A reaction. A mistake.
The silence drips like blood from the ceiling.
Then—The masked man leans forward.
"You thought you were the first," he says. Voice layered. Mechanical, human… and something else. Something broken."You're just the latest failure wearing a mask that doesn't belong to him."
The air turns cold.
The throne shifts—breathes. Bones grind like teeth.
He steps back… instinct.
But the shadows don't follow.
They cling to the walls… afraid.
[System Warning: Unknown Entity Overriding Command Priority][Initiating Failsafe—Error: ACCESS DENIED]
Not good.
The masked man chuckles.
"You call yourself a shadow? No… you're just prey wrapped in darkness."
And then he moves.
No warning.
One second he's seated—
Next, he's inches from his face.
Eyes glowing behind the mask. No light. Just… emptiness.
"Tell me… what did she offer you?"
He doesn't answer.
Won't.
But his silence isn't strength. It's survival.
The man presses a gloved finger to his forehead. Cold… burning cold.
And suddenly—
A memory erupts.
The alley.The red door.The girl's whisper—"Open it and I'll give you everything."
His heart races.
The masked man grins wider.
"Ah… her. Of course. The original liar."
He steps back.
The throne reforms behind him… dragging itself from the floor.
"You're playing a game that started long before you were born. And now you've triggered her."
He turns his back.
Dismisses him like he's nothing.
But then—
A voice in his head. Not the system.Something older.
"Kill him before he remembers."
He doesn't hesitate.
Blade drawn from shadow. Silent. Swift.
He strikes—
But the blade shatters mid-air.
Like it hit the world's end.
The masked man turns slowly… sighs.
"You failed the test."
And with a flick of his hand—Reality tears open.
A maw of darkness opens beneath him. Screaming shadows claw at his feet.
He falls—
Through layers of forgotten things.
A battlefield.
A cathedral.
A tower that pierces the sky… all of it gone in a blink.
He lands. Hard.
But not broken.
Dust rises around him. Concrete. Machines. Pipes.
He's… in a ruin. Underground. Deep.
[Location: The Hollow Core][Status: Trial Reset][New Objective: Survive.]
He coughs.
Pain blooms in his side.
He stands. Bleeding. Alone.
But something watches from the ceiling.
Dozens of red eyes.
Clicking… twitching.
And then… they drop.
Spiderlike machines. Teeth where faces should be.
[Threat Level: 7 – Devourers][Combat System Rebooting… 5%]
No weapons. No shadows.
Only instinct.
He runs.
They chase.
Metal on metal. Screeches. Sparks.
He dodges a strike—barely.
Lands beside a shattered drone. Dead thing. But its core still glows.
Without thinking—He grabs it. Slams it into his chest.
[Synchronizing Core Fragment…][Skill Unlocked: Fragmented Pulseblade – 1 Use Only]
The blade forms in his hand.
Glows red like fire forged in hell.
He turns.
They leap.
He screams—and swings.
The world flashes white.
Then—
Silence.
Ashes fall.
The creatures gone.
He drops to his knees.
Alive. Barely.
And from the far wall… a door creaks open.
A voice echoes from within.
The girl's voice.
"Good… now we can really begin."
His hands shake.
Not from fear.
From the truth—
This isn't a test.
It's a hunt.
And he's not the predator anymore.
To be continued...