Chương 7: a dark voice
Jack's eyes fluttered open, and all he saw was darkness—vast, endless, suffocating.
His breath hitched as he tried to move, but his body felt strange, like a suit he hadn't worn in years. A chill crept up his spine.
'Am I back in my old body?' The thought sent a jolt of confusion through him.
He tried to steady his breathing, but something about the air, or lack thereof, unsettled him.
A flicker of light appeared at the edge of his vision, forming into floating text.
[Path: Become the next Lord of the Dead]
[Mission: Stop whatever force threatens your path]
Jack frowned.
"What the hell?" he muttered, his voice echoing in the abyss.
'I don't remember reading about this...' He reached out, instinctively trying to swipe the message away, but it refused to budge.
With a sigh, he tried again—blinking, waving, cursing under his breath.
"Get out of my face!"
As if obeying his command, the message vanished.
Jack blinked.
'Wait… did that actually work?' He hesitated, then thought,
'Come back.'
The message reappeared.
[Path: Become the next Lord of the Dead]
[Mission: Stop whatever force threatens your path]
His heart pounded.
'I can control it with my thoughts…' Before he could dwell on it, new text replaced the old.
[You have been granted access to the Altar!]
'Altar?' The word barely settled in his mind when the ground beneath him trembled.
A cold pale green fire erupted in a circle around him, illuminating the space.
It revealed something looming ahead—an altar, ancient and cracked, resting in the void.
Atop the altar sat a small black orb, pulsating with an eerie energy.
It seemed to absorb light itself, swallowing it whole.
And yet, Jack felt a connection to it, something deeper than curiosity.
As if in a trance, he stepped forward.
Just as his fingers neared the orb, a blinding white light slashed through the darkness, striking the object with terrifying force.
Jack staggered back as the impact rippled through his very being.
A piercing, soul-rending pain tore through him.
He barely had time to scream before his body convulsed, nerves burning as if they were being ripped apart.
The light didn't stop.
It kept attacking, each strike sending fresh waves of agony through him.
It was like thousands of needles piercing his entire body.
Then, the radiance condensed, taking shape.
A small, winged figure emerged—an angel, sculpted from pure energy, wielding a luminous spear.
It hovered above the altar, its bright eyes locked onto the orb with a silent but deadly resolve.
Without hesitation, it raised its weapon and plunged it downward.
Jack's body moved on instinct.
His limbs felt sluggish, weighed down by the lingering pain, but the moment the spear neared the orb, his instincts screamed.
'No! It's connected to me!'
With all his might, he threw himself between the spear and the altar.
A shockwave erupted as the weapon struck an unseen force around him, pushing the angel back.
The creature regarded him with an unreadable gaze, but Jack knew one thing—it wouldn't stop.
The ground beneath them rumbled. Skeletal hands clawed their way up from the void, their empty sockets glowing with green fire.
More and more of them emerged, forming an army of the dead.
A deep voice rumbled through the abyss.
"Who are these intruders? Kill them all."
The command sent the undead into a frenzy.
Without distinction between friend or foe, they attacked both Jack and the angel.
A new message flashed before his eyes.
[New Mission: Take control of the Altar. Obtain the Orb of Death.]
'Take control…?' Jack barely had time to think as a skeleton lunged at him, rusted sword swinging.
He twisted his body, the blade grazing past his ribs as he countered with a punch.
'Ouch' he winced, rubbing his knuckles
Bones shattered, but the creature kept coming.
He ducked another strike, rolling out of harm's way.
The angel was locked in its own battle, fending off the skeletal horde, still intent on reaching the orb.
Jack clenched his jaw. He needed that orb, and he needed it now.
Kicking off a skeleton's skull, he leaped onto the altar.
His fingers closed around the orb.
A surge of energy coursed through him.
Darkness wrapped around his limbs like armor, sinking into his very soul.
The skeletal warriors hesitated, their movements faltering.
Even the angel froze, its radiant form flickering.
Then, the vision shattered.
---
"What's happening? Is my child alright?" Arwen's voice trembled as she clutched her son's small form.
Jamiel, standing beside her, placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"There is nothing to fear. The spell is taking effect. I must leave now—I have been summoned elsewhere."
Though his voice was steady, an urgency burned in his eyes.
With a graceful motion, he lifted the unconscious Asriel and placed him gently in Arwen's arms.
"Thank you, Ancestor Jamiel, for your kindness," Aldermond said, bowing deeply.
Jamiel nodded.
"Family is family. I will not allow my grandchild to come to harm."
With those parting words, he dissolved into pure light, vanishing into the void.
Aldermond turned to his wife, his gaze softening.
"Trust him. Our ancestor would never lead us astray. Asriel will be fine."
Arwen pressed a kiss to her son's forehead, whispering,
"I hope so…" But her fingers trembled as they brushed his small face.
---
Jack floated in darkness again.
But this time, it wasn't empty.
It was familiar.
A screen appeared before his eyes.
[Host has become one with darkness. The gate to the underworld has been opened!]
[Mission successful.]
[New skill acquired: Corruption.]
[Reward: +10 soul essence.]
Jack's eyes flickered open.
The memories of the altar, the orb, the searing pain—it all felt like a dream.
And yet, something had changed.
Something inside him was… different.
He could feel it.
He had lost a part of himself.
But in its place, there was power.
Cold, dark, intoxicating power.
And for the first time, he didn't mind.
'Why should I care?' he thought with a smirk.
The void inside him wasn't empty anymore.
It was home.
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