The Storm Unleashed
The Storm Unleashed
The battlefield fell silent.
A suffocating, unnatural stillness spread across the village walls and the surrounding forest. The once-relentless beast tide had halted mid-charge, their monstrous forms twitching in confusion, their primal instincts screaming danger.
But it wasn't fear of the village.
It was him.
Miguel stood at the center of the devastation, his hand clenched around his spear, his body trembling—not from exhaustion, but from something far worse.
Lio's small body lay limp in his arms.
The warmth was already leaving him.
Miguel's vision blurred, not from pain, not from fatigue—but from the unbearable weight crushing his heart.
The rogue's corpse was already at his feet, lifeless, forgotten. The real damage had already been done.
A deep, visceral growl tore through Miguel's throat, something primal, something furious, something broken.
The sky above darkened instantly.
The air grew thick with static, crackling arcs of lightning slithering through the black clouds like living veins. The ground beneath Miguel's feet fractured outward, a violent ripple tearing through the battlefield.
Then—his power erupted.
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A Dead Zone of Power
A blinding shockwave of raw force blasted outward from Miguel's body.
The earth itself shattered, fissures spreading like broken glass. The beast tide lurched backward, shrieking in terror, their monstrous eyes wide with something Miguel had never seen before—absolute submission.
The other players, even those who had despised him, instinctively stepped back, their weapons lowering.
Miguel wasn't just powerful in this moment—he was untouchable.
A black storm of fire, lightning, and gravity coiled around him like a living storm, surging outward with every trembling breath he took.
No man. No beast. No force of nature dared to step closer.
And in the center of it all—Miguel sank to his knees, clutching Lio's body against his chest.
---
Flashes of a Life Once Lived
His hands shook as he ran them over Lio's small frame, his mind fracturing under the unbearable grief.
The memories hit him all at once.
—The day he married his wife, holding her hand as they danced under warm candlelight.
—The sleepless nights, rocking his newborn son in his arms, whispering lullabies to calm him.
—The quiet mornings, making breakfast for his children, watching them grow, feeling needed, important, loved.
Then the darker memories surged.
—His wife, frail and weak, lying in a hospital bed, her fingers barely grasping his as the light faded from her eyes.
—The funeral. The cold, gray day. The realization that he was alone.
—His children, now grown, patting his shoulder, telling him they were grateful for everything he had done… but they didn't need him anymore.
—That hollow feeling in his chest. That lonely silence as he sat in an empty home, surrounded by memories of a past that no longer existed.
And then—
Lio.
Lio's bright, eager smile.
Lio's unwavering belief in him.
Lio calling him "family."
The boy had filled the emptiness Miguel had long accepted as permanent.
And now, he was gone too.
"No," Miguel whispered, his fingers gripping Lio's shirt. His breath shook. "I won't—"
A storm of energy pulsed through him.
"I won't let you go."
---
The Awakening of the Necromancer
Lightning screamed from the sky, colliding with Miguel's armor, flooding his veins with raw, untamed power.
The storm coalesced around him, tendrils of lightning and shadow curling around Lio's body.
Then—Miguel's hands moved on their own.
He pressed them against Lio's small chest.
Not with the controlled precision of a healer.
Not with the delicate touch of farewell.
But with something far deeper.
Something desperate.
Something impossible.
A dark pulse of energy sank into Lio's body. The world shuddered.
A system notification flickered in Miguel's vision, but his rage and grief made it unreadable.
Then, beneath his fingertips—
Lio moved.
His small frame convulsed once—twice—then arched upward, a violent gasp escaping his lips.
The storm overhead exploded outward.
---
The Beast Tide's Final Boss Approaches
The monsters outside the village howled—not in rage, but in absolute terror.
Then, the final enemy emerged.
From the depths of the beast tide, a massive creature stepped forward.
A towering, six-limbed abomination, covered in obsidian plating and glowing, molten veins. Its eyes gleamed with something intelligent—something aware.
Miguel barely glanced up.
His fingers curled around his spear.
Lio was still limp in his arms—but his body was cold no longer.
Something new had taken root.
Miguel lifted his head, and for the first time, he saw something that had not been there before.
Lio's eyes opened.
They burned with ghostly blue light.
The system's voice echoed through Miguel's mind.
[NEW CLASS UNLOCKED: NECROMANCER]
Miguel's grip tightened. His rage crystallized into something lethal.
No hesitation. No second thoughts.
He poured everything he had into his spear—his lightning, his fire, his gravity, his grief, his fury.
The weapon glowed with overwhelming energy.
The final boss charged.
Miguel launched forward.
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The Strike That Broke Reality
Miguel's spear collided with the final boss's armored chest.
And then—the world turned white.
---
Outside the Game – The System Overloads
Alarms blared inside the facility.
"Power surge detected!"
"The readings are spiking beyond safety limits—"
"System instability! Eos—contain it!"
A technician's hands flew across the console, panic flashing in his eyes. "The game's entire energy signature is—"
BOOM.
Lightning struck the building.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Lights flickered. Screens distorted into chaotic static.
Then, with a final crash of thunder—
Everything went dark.
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