The sky hadn't changed.
Grey clouds still hung low over the ruins of his home, as if the world itself refused to move on.
Soul Ming stood among the graves he had carved with his own hands. His nails were split, his knuckles raw. The earth beneath him was dark with dried blood — his family's blood.
He felt nothing.
No grief left to give. No tears left to shed. Only a silence that felt heavier than death.
Then, something stirred.
A faint hum echoed inside him — cold, mechanical, ancient.
> [Synchronization complete.]
[System: "Revenant Protocol" — Initialized.]
The voice was not divine. It didn't sound like the gods' radiant systems — those false, holy machines that commanded life and death.
This one felt… older. Detached. Neither holy nor evil.
> [To wield my power, your soul must adapt.]
[Commencing soul assimilation.]
The world darkened around him. The light dimmed, and his own shadow stretched unnaturally long. From that shadow, something crawled out — a malformed creature, its body stitched from bone and smoke. Its eyes burned with hunger.
The system didn't warn him.
It didn't protect him.
It simply watched.
Ming clenched his fists, breathing steadily. He didn't run. Fear had died with his family.
The creature lunged, a blur of claws and teeth. Pain tore through his arm, but before he could react, black energy burst from his veins — wild, uncontrolled. His palm struck the beast's chest.
The creature froze mid-scream.
Dark marks spread like cracks through its body, and then it crumbled into ash.
> [Soul extraction complete.]
[Energy level: 1%]
[User recognized: Soul Ming — The Forsaken.]
He stood still, staring at his hand. Smoke rose from his skin, carrying a faint scent of burnt iron.
> "You're not one of their systems," he said quietly.
"What are you?"
Silence. Then:
> [I am what remains when divinity dies.]
[Purpose: Eradicate the pantheon.]
The words struck him harder than the battle had. His eyes widened slightly — not in fear, but realization.
This thing wasn't sent by the gods.
It was made to destroy them.
> "So even the gods have enemies…" he muttered. "Good."
The ground around him cracked, faint black energy seeping into the soil like veins. His shadow twitched again — not naturally, but as if alive, echoing his rage.
> [Mission generated.]
[Objective: Locate the first Fragment of the Fallen Realm.]
[Reward: System Unlock — Skill Slot (1)]
[Warning: Failure will result in soul destabilization.]
He frowned. "So even in death, I still have trials."
The wind carried the scent of ashes and rusted steel. He turned one last time toward the graves — three mounds of earth that represented everything he'd lost.
> "Wait for me," he whispered. "I'll make them pay for all of it."
Then he walked away.
Every step left faint traces of black light in the dirt, fading behind him like ghosts.
He didn't know where the path would lead — only that it led toward blood.
The gods had ended his life once.
Now, he was coming for theirs.