Chapter 15: Duskvale's Silence
Rayden's boots crushed the brittle leaves as he approached Duskvale, a once-quiet farming village now consumed by eerie silence. The birds circling overhead weren't just carrion—they were watching, intelligent in their gaze, and oddly still. Not a single caw escaped their throats.
The village gate hung on one hinge. He nudged it open with his foot, sword drawn. The streets were empty, the homes dark. Smoke drifted lazily from chimney holes where fires had clearly gone out. A dropped toy cart lay in the mud. No bodies—no blood.
Just absence.
[Caution: Temporal Disruption Detected]
[System Note: Time within this location does not flow consistently.]
Rayden tensed. "A time trap?"
The System didn't answer.
He stepped into the center of the village. At the town well, a single figure stood frozen—an old woman, hand reaching into the bucket, her entire body locked in mid-motion. Around her, others emerged like statues: a child chasing a ball, a man with a pitchfork, a woman with her mouth wide open in a silent scream.
Then—
click
The sound echoed like thunder.
Time snapped forward.
All the villagers moved at once, but their eyes were pitch black, and their mouths hung open in silent howls. They turned toward Rayden in perfect unison.
[Hostile Entities Identified: Echoed Husk – Pale King's Influence]
[Threat Level: Moderate]
He drew his blade just as the first villager lunged at him unnaturally fast. Rayden ducked, slashing upward through its ribs—no blood spilled, only wisps of white mist. Another attacked. Then three more. They moved like puppets yanked on invisible strings.
Rayden's sword roared with berserker energy. He let go of restraint, leaning into the fury humming beneath his skin.
[Skill Activated – Unchained Fury Lv. 1]
Attack Speed: +50% | Pain Resistance: High | Mental Clarity: Low]
His eyes glowed red. Each swing became a blur, his blade leaving trails of black lightning. The husks fell one by one, dissolving into smoke—but they kept coming.
A scream cut through the air—shrill, layered, unnatural.
The husks stopped.
From the far end of the village came a shape. Tall. Pale. Wrapped in robes that looked woven from stretched skin. Its face was covered by a bone-white mask with six eyeholes, all glowing faintly red.
The Pale King.
[System Alert: Major Entity Detected – Pale King]
[Classification: Warden of Time | Aspect of Control]
[Warning: This opponent can suppress System functions]
Rayden's rage flared, but he felt it being pulled away. His limbs slowed, the glow of his System flickered.
"Interesting," the Pale King said in a voice that sounded like it came from behind Rayden's ears. "The Berserk System… fragmented, yet functional. I haven't tasted your kind in centuries."
Rayden growled. "You want a taste? Come take it."
The Pale King didn't move. Instead, he pointed a bony finger, and time bent.
Suddenly, Rayden was on his knees, gasping. His vision blurred. Memories scrambled.
[System Interference Detected]
[Skill Auto-Triggered: Madness Threading Lv. 1]
Effect: Reality Instability Reversal – 25% immunity to temporal manipulation]
A jolt of pain surged through Rayden's skull—but clarity returned.
He stood up slowly, grinning through blood.
"You want chaos?" he spat. "Let's dance."
Their battle began not with strikes—but with time itself unraveling around them.