Awakening
The first time I kill a man, I don't mean to.
It's my eighteenth birthday, the day I was supposed to begin my life. Instead, I'm kneeling on cold stone in the Monastery's meditation hall, the weight of something ancient and dangerous stirring beneath my skin. It's a slow burn, always there now—an ache that claws at me from the inside out. I try to breathe steadily, but today, something feels wrong. A tension hangs in the air like a storm cloud waiting to burst.
Master Torin's shadow falls over me, and his hand—colder than usual—rests on my shoulder. His fingers tremble. I know him well. He's never trembled before.
"Focus, Aria," he says, his voice steady but strained.
I nod, my eyes still trained on the stone floor. I press my palms together, the markings on my wrists pulsing under my sleeves. They've been darkening all week, spreading like ink in water. Another secret to keep.
The bells toll noon, and that's when it hits. The air thickens, charged with something far beyond the usual hum of the Monastery. My skin prickles, and I feel the hairs on my arms stand on end.
Master Torin stiffens. His breath catches. He's felt it, too.
"They've found us," he whispers, his voice taut with something I can't quite place.
The doors to the hall burst open, the sound like thunder splitting the air.
Black-clad figures flood the room, silver sigils gleaming on their masks. They move like a well-practiced strike force, cutting off every exit. The lead figure steps forward, pointing a gloved finger at me.
"The abomination," she hisses. The voice beneath the mask is female—cold, biting. "Surrender it, and we'll spare this monastery."
Master Torin moves between us faster than a man his age should. His voice is a wall of iron. "She is under our protection. Leave this sacred place."
The woman tilts her head, eyes gleaming beneath her mask. "A shame," she murmurs. She draws a curved blade, its edge glowing a soft, deadly blue. "The Purifiers do not negotiate with demon harbors."
I don't have time to process her words, because that's when the attack comes. Steel flashes toward Torin's chest, and he shouts—"Run!"—before the blade sinks into him.
Everything blurs. There's a roar, but it's not mine. It's the roar of power—energy coursing through me like wildfire. The heat inside me grows unbearable. My veins burn. I try to scream, but the world is screaming with me. I can't stop it. I can't—
A wave of crimson energy erupts from my skin. It's a tidal wave—blinding, unrelenting. The stone cracks beneath my feet. The air itself screams. The Purifiers are caught in the blast like ragdolls, their bodies slamming into columns, limbs twisting at unnatural angles. Some simply disintegrate—flesh melting from bone in the wake of my power.
The scent of blood and burnt flesh fills the hall. The sound of bones breaking and bodies collapsing echoes in my ears. I blink, trying to clear my vision, and when it does, I'm met with a scene I'll never forget. The bodies of twenty-three Purifiers—some twitching, some still as death—are scattered across the stone floor.
I look down at my hands. Clean. No blood. Nothing to show for the carnage, and that is what terrifies me the most. The power came from me. And yet, there's nothing on my skin. No trace.
I spot Master Torin among the destruction. My legs feel like lead as I stumble toward him. His face is pale, his eyes wide with disbelief. A gaping wound sits where his chest should be, and blood pours from it, filling the air with an iron stench.
His heart—the very thing that once kept him alive—is exposed. It's still beating, though weakly, and with each beat, more blood pours out. I know what this means, and it shreds my soul.
It wasn't the Purifiers who killed him. It was me. I... did this.
"Master, no..." I choke out, my hands trembling as I try to hold him together. But there's nothing left to hold.
His blood coats my fingers as he speaks, voice broken but urgent. "What have you... become?"
I meet his gaze, the horror in his eyes an answer I can't deny. It's not fear—not yet. It's something deeper. Something far more terrifying. It's the realization that I am becoming something he never intended me to be.
"What am I?" I whisper, desperate for some kind of answer, but he can't give it. His gaze dulls as the life leaves him, and all I can do is clutch his hand, the weight of his loss pressing down on me like a thousand stones.
I hear a voice—soft, ancient—whisper through my thoughts, so clear it sends a shiver down my spine.
The Bloodline stirs. Demonic heritage awakened.
The words hit like a wave, crashing over me, making everything else fade to the background. My vision pulses with strange, glowing symbols. It's like I can feel something other inside me now—something that shouldn't be there.
A voice echoes through my mind, almost like a warning:
Arcane Affinity detected.
And then a screen appears in my mind, as though the world is suddenly governed by rules that I can now see but never understood before.
Name: Aria
Level: 1
Class: Unbound Hybrid (Rare)
Not human. Not demon. Something... between.
HP: 110/110
MP: 150/150
Strength: 8
Agility: 12
Constitution: 9
Intelligence: 14
Wisdom: 11
Charisma: 13
Skills:
Chaotic Surge (Lv.1): Untamed energy eruption. Power fluctuates unpredictably. 24-hour cooldown.
Passive Skills:
• Blood Resonance (Lv.1): Sense magical and demonic entities within 10 paces.
• Arcane Adaptation (Lv.1): Minor resistance to harmful magical forces.
A warning flashes behind my eyes:
Dark Resonance detected nearby. Take caution.
Pain lances through my chest again, a reminder of just how much I don't understand. And then the voice speaks again, more urgent:
Seek shelter. Complete the awakening in safety.
"What... what is this?" I croak, the weight of everything crashing down.
Master Torin's voice is weak, but he still manages to speak. "You must go," he says, his hands clutching mine, stained with his blood. "There's a tunnel beneath the herb garden. Follow the stream north until you reach the crossroads."
I feel the ache in my chest deepen. "The Huntsman," I say, not sure where the words come from. "You want me to find him?"
He nods slowly, his gaze softening with a sadness I'll never forget. "He knew your mother. He owes me a debt. Go to him. He'll protect you."
My mind whirls. "My mother... she's alive?"
Master Torin's eyes are clouded with grief. "I don't know, child... but I do know she was trying to keep you safe."
A distant crash reverberates through the monastery, jerking me back to the present.
The lead Purifier stirs on the ground, blood oozing beneath her mask. Her voice is filled with venom. "Demon spawn... we will hunt you to the ends of the earth."
I feel heat coil in my chest again, but nothing happens. My power, for now, is dormant.
I glare down at the Purifier. "Who sent you? How did you find me?"
She laughs—wet, gurgling with blood. "Your kind cannot hide. The blood calls to blood."
The ground shakes as more shouts rise from outside.
Master Torin pulls me closer. His hands are shaking. "Go. Now," His grip tightens on my shoulders, a final gesture of hope and regret. "Forgive me."
I run. Through the monastery that once felt like home—through hallways that echo with memories of childhood. The kitchen where I once peeled vegetables as punishment. The garden where I hid when my powers first emerged at seven.
I reach the tunnel beneath the weeping angel statue, and for a moment, I feel like I can still hear Master Torin's voice in the smoke behind me.
I pull the entrance shut.
The only world I've ever known burns behind me.
And it's my fault.
---
Quest Alert: Escape the Purifiers
Objective: Reach the crossroads and find the Huntsman.
Time Limit: 6 hours.
The pouch in my hand feels heavier than it should. Inside, I find a tarnished silver pendant etched with markings identical to the ones now glowing on my skin. And a piece of parchment, its ink faded but legible:
My dearest daughter,
If you are reading this, the wards have failed. You are in danger. Trust no one who claims to know your purpose. Find the Huntsman. He owes me a debt. Forgive me for what I've cursed you with.
—M
I clutch the pendant and slip into the dark tunnel, the entrance sealing behind me.
I don't know where this path will lead.
But it's my only choice.