The world did not end with fire.
It ended in silence.
Kael Thorn knew that silence better than anyone—because in his village, even hope had forgotten to speak.
Morning light bled weakly over the crumbled stone walls of Briar Hollow, a border settlement no larger than a graveyard. The wind whistled through blackened timbers and roofless huts like a spirit without a name.
Kael stirred beneath his tattered cloak, cold dirt clinging to his back. He hadn't slept in a bed since his mother died two winters ago. Now seventeen, he lived alone in the outskirts where Hollow Beasts seldom came— unless they were starving.
Which, these days, they often were.
He rose slowly, brushing frost form his threadbare sleeves. His breath fogged in the air.
No bells. No birds. just wind and hunger.
And a whisper
[System initializing...]
Kael blinked, confused. "What...?"
A faint pulse rippled through his chest—like a second heartbeat. He clutched at it instinctively.
Nothing.
Had he imagined it?
Shaking it off, he grabbed the rusted scythe leaning beside his makeshift shelter and began his morning trek into the Witherwood—a cursed thicket just outside the village walls. It wasn't safe. But nothing in Briar Hollow was. At least there, he could find roots to boil. Maybe mushrooms, if the rot hadn't touched them.
The forest groaned as he stepped between dead trees and bone-dry moss. The air stank of mold and ash.
Kael knelt by a pale stump, slicing at the soil with his blade.
Then everything changed.
The trees fell silent. The wind stopped.
And something watched him.
Kael turned slowly.
It stood ten feet tall, with limps like broken spears and eyes of hollow blue flame. A Hollow Beast.
A Wailer—the kind that fed on sorrow.
Kael stumbled back, heart pounding. "No—no, no—"
The creature lunged.
its claws raked the air where his head had been moments ago. He dove to the side, crashing into roots and leaves. The scythe clattered away.
He scrambled for it, but the beast was faster.
It struck.
pain exploded in his side as he was hurled into a tree with bone-cracking force. Blood filled his mouth. His vision blurred.
The world faded.
And in that darkness... came the voice.
[ASHIR SYSTEM DETECTED]
[Host requirements met.]
[Initializing soul-bond...]
A searing white light burst behind his eyes.
[Welcome, Kael Thorn. You are now the final candidate.]
[Ashir System unlocked.]
He gasped—eyes wide—floating in a void of ash and stars.
A screen appeared before him. Not a hallucination. something real.
[ASHIR SYSTEM – STATUS WINDOW]
Name: Kael Thorn
Level: 1
Race: Human
Class: None
Title: Survivor of the Hollow
HP: 43/100
MP: 20/20
Strength: 6
Agility: 9
Endurance: 7
Perception: 11
Luck: 3
Ash Potential: Dormant
[New Trait Gained: "System Host"]
[Passive Skill Unlocked: "Last Stand"]
→ When HP falls below 10%, gain +50% to all stats for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 24 hours.
Kael could barely breathe.
He wasn't dreaming. He knew that voice wasn't his own. It echoed with something ancient. Alien.
[Emergency Quest Generated]
→ Objective: Survive the next 60 seconds.
→ Reward: Ashir Core Stabilized.
Sixty seconds?
The Wailer roared behind him.
Kael grabbed the scythe, Muscles burning. Something surged in his chest—strength he had never known. His vision sharpened. The beast slowed.
He moved.
Sidestepped a slash. cut upward. Rusted steel bit into corrupted flesh.
The Wailer screamed—and awful sound, like grief made flesh.
Kael struck again and again.
Not enough.
It surged forward, claws raking his shoulder. Blood splashed the roots.
[HP: 12/100]
Another blow—he fell to one knee
[HP: 9/100]
["Last Stand" Activated]
Power surged into him.
Kael howled and drove the blade through the creature's throat. It thrashed, twisted, then stilled—its body melting into smoke and dust.
Silence returned
[Quest Complete.]
[Core stabilized.]
[Ashir System fully awakened.]
Kael collapsed to the forest floor, gasping for breath.
But he was alive.
And the voice was still there.
[Congratulations, Kael Thorn.]
[You are now bound to the Path of Ash.]
[You may survive. Or you may burn.]