"In a world where death grants power, only the forgotten can rise."
The reflection stopped smiling.
For a heartbeat it held his gaze, eyes empty and wrong, then faded into the glass as if it had never been there.
Raven sat very still. The only sound was the monitor's steady beep and the soft hiss of the IV.
The quest timer glowed faintly in the corner of his vision.
> [Time remaining: 71:57:13]
He blinked, but the numbers kept ticking down.
"Guess I'm really on the clock," he muttered again—only this time, the joke didn't land.
He swung his legs off the bed. The floor was cold, slick under his bare feet. The IV line tugged at his arm; he tore it free. Blue fluid splattered the tile, smoking faintly before vanishing.
The monitor flatlined.
> [Warning — Vital feed disconnected.]
[Soul Integrity dropping … 46 %]
Raven pressed a palm against his chest. The pulse under his ribs wasn't normal; it felt like six hearts beating out of sync. Each thud carried a whisper, too soft to make out.
"I'm losing it," he breathed. "This is just trauma. Mana poisoning. Something."
But the System didn't care about belief.
> [Harvest quota outstanding.]
[Directive: Stabilize host within 72 hours.]
The message burned behind his eyelids until he couldn't take it anymore. He ripped the heart-rate leads off and stumbled to the door.
The hallway beyond was dark.
No nurses. No guards. No sound except the buzz of the ceiling lights.
He walked—then ran. Every step echoed too loudly, like he was the only real thing left in a world made of static.
Outside, night clung to the city. Neon signs flickered in the drizzle; distant sirens wailed through the concrete maze.
Raven pulled his hood up and kept moving, one hand pressed to his ribs. The hospital looked abandoned from the street—no lights on any floor.
> [Soul Integrity 42 % ⚠ Deteriorating]
His breath came ragged. The cold bit through his clothes, but the deeper chill was inside him. His body felt… hollow.
"Fine," he rasped. "You win. Just tell me what the hell I'm supposed to do."
The answer came instantly, a pulse of light in the air before him.
> [Target Designation Unlocked.]
[Harvestable soul detected — radius 0.6 km.]
A translucent map unfolded across his vision, a blinking red dot deep in the neighboring district.
Raven swallowed hard. "That's… not funny."
> [This is not a request.]
He flinched at the cold tone. Then, before he could argue, pain exploded through his chest.
It felt like his veins were turning to ash.
> [Soul Integrity 37 % ⚠ Critical.]
He dropped to one knee, choking back a scream. The message hovered, merciless and bright.
When the pain ebbed, he forced himself upright and stumbled toward the red marker.
The streets blurred together—empty alleys, dripping gutters, flickering streetlamps that buzzed like insects.
The pulse led him to a back alley behind a half-shuttered convenience store.
A man slumped against a dumpster, clutching a knife slick with blood. His eyes rolled back when he saw Raven.
"You… Hunter?" the man croaked.
Raven froze. The man's aura flickered weakly, fading like a candle guttering in wind.
> [Soul stability: Low — Harvest window: 00:04:19]
"Harvest…" The word tasted like metal.
He backed away. "No. I'm not doing this."
> [Warning — Host Integrity dropping rapidly.]
[System collapse imminent.]
The agony came again—worse. His lungs locked; his heartbeat faltered.
The dying man reached toward him. "Help me…"
Something inside Raven snapped. Instinct—or fear—moved his hand faster than thought.
Steel flashed.
The dagger buried itself in the man's chest.
Silence.
Then the air rippled.
The corpse dissolved into threads of pale light that rushed toward Raven, searing into his skin. The alley filled with a low hum, like thousands of distant voices whispering at once.
He screamed.
The world went white.
[Harvest Complete.]
[Soul Integrity stabilized at 72 %.]
[New Trait Acquired: Deathbound Link.]
[Temporary Stat Increase → Strength +2 / Vitality +1.]
[Warning: Psychological deviation detected.]
Raven staggered backward, chest heaving. The dagger clattered from his hand.
The man was gone—no blood, no body, not even a stain.
Just him.
He pressed trembling fingers to his face. "What did I just—"
> [Compliance confirmed.]
[Host stabilized.]
The whisper came again, softer now, almost gentle.
> "One life for another, Collector. That's the rule."
Raven's vision blurred. The rain turned the alley lights into streaks of color as his knees gave out.
The last thing he saw before darkness swallowed him was the faint shimmer of text across the sky—
> [Harvest quota fulfilled.]
[Next directive pending …]
And then