[The Chase]

The moment the system messages faded, the pressure around me grew heavier.

It was like something vast and unseen had turned its gaze toward me. The air thickened, crackling with an unnatural force. I could feel it pressing against my skin, sinking into my bones.

My breath came out shaky. My hands trembled as I clenched them into fists. I didn't know what was watching me, but I knew one thing—I needed to move.

Then—

━━━ ◇ ━━━

[Your bloodline stirs.]

[The Abyss is watching.]

━━━ ◇ ━━━

A sharp pain shot through my chest. It was cold and burning at the same time, like frost spreading through my veins. I gasped, falling to one knee. My fingers dug into the rough stone floor as I tried to steady myself.

My body felt wrong.

Too light, too heavy—like it wasn't fully mine.

Then, I noticed it.

The corpse on the ground. My corpse.

At first, nothing seemed different. Pale skin. Dried blood at the mouth. Lifeless gray eyes staring into nothing. The same face I had now.

But the shadow beneath it—

It was moving.

I froze.

Shadows weren't supposed to move on their own. But this one did. It writhed and shifted, stretching in ways that didn't match the flickering lantern light.

And then, it spoke.

"You don't belong here."

A whisper. A voice that wasn't mine but still felt like it was part of me.

Cold fear crawled up my spine. I staggered back, my heart pounding in my chest.

This wasn't normal. None of this was.

The system had called me an anomaly. It said my true identity was only partially unlocked. Was this—was this part of it?

I barely had time to think before another sound cut through the silence.

The creak of a door opening.

I snapped my head up.

A figure stood at the entrance to the tomb.

A man in a long white robe, embroidered with gold. A silver pendant shaped like a sun hung from his neck. His face was hidden beneath a hood, but I could see his mouth moving as he muttered something under his breath.

I recognized that robe.

The Holy Order.

My stomach twisted.

In Eclipse of the Gods, the Holy Order was one of the most powerful factions in the empire. They were devoted to the gods. They worshiped the light.

And they destroyed anything that didn't belong in this world.

Like me.

I had no idea why a priest was here, but if he saw my corpse lying on the ground while I was still standing…

I didn't even want to think about it.

I had to get out of here.

Slowly, I pushed myself up, forcing my breathing to steady. The priest hadn't seen me yet—his attention was on something deeper inside the tomb. A faint blue glow reflected off the stone walls.

A magic circle.

I narrowed my eyes. That wasn't there before.

He lifted his hands, and the glow pulsed brighter. Symbols shifted across the floor, ancient words whispered into the air. He was performing a ritual—one I didn't recognize.

Whatever it was, it couldn't be good for me.

I took a step back—

My foot scraped against loose stone.

The sound echoed through the chamber.

The priest's chanting stopped.

My blood turned cold.

Slowly, he turned toward me. The hood obscured most of his face, but I saw his mouth twist into a frown.

"You…" His voice was quiet, but there was something sharp beneath it.

I ran.

I didn't know where I was going—I just knew I couldn't stay.

I bolted toward the only passage leading out. My heart pounded as I raced through the dark corridor, stone walls pressing in on both sides. Behind me, I heard hurried footsteps and the crackle of magic.

"Stop!" the priest's voice rang out. "In the name of the gods—"

I didn't stop.

A sudden force slammed into my back.

Pain exploded through my body as I was thrown forward. I crashed onto the ground, skidding across the cold stone. My vision blurred. Something warm trickled down my side.

Magic. He had hit me with a spell.

I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to push up on shaking arms. My whole body ached. I needed to keep moving.

The priest's footsteps grew closer. "You should not exist," he murmured. "And yet, here you stand."

I turned my head, locking eyes with him.

In the dim light, I could finally see his face.

Thin. Sharp features. Cold, calculating eyes.

Not just a priest. An inquisitor.

The Holy Order's hunters.

I swallowed hard.

"You are an anomaly," he continued. "You are a mistake in this world. And mistakes must be corrected."

His hand lifted. Magic gathered in his palm. A spell that would end me in seconds.

Panic surged through me. I couldn't die. Not again.

Then—

━━━ ◇ ━━━

[Your bloodline responds to danger.]

[The Abyss answers your call.]

━━━ ◇ ━━━

Something shifted inside me.

A presence. A power.

The shadows around me moved.

For a split second, I saw my own shadow stretch unnaturally—like it had a mind of its own.

Then, the lanterns in the corridor flickered and died.

Darkness swallowed everything.

The last thing I heard was the inquisitor's sharp intake of breath—

And then, the world vanished into black.