Chapter 4: Weight Of Chains

Azrael lay still, his chest rising and falling in slow, measured breaths. The cold stone beneath him was rough, uneven, and yet, it was the most comfortable surface he had felt in… he didn't even know how long.

He should have been exhausted. His body should have been screaming in agony.

But it wasn't.

His muscles, once shaking and torn from the climb, now felt solid. Stable.

It wasn't natural.

And he knew exactly why.

"Oh, you're going to be fun."

The voice still echoed in his mind, its amusement unmistakable.

Azrael clenched his fists.

The system had already been unnatural enough—a cold, calculating thing that dictated his survival through brutal objectives and harsh penalties.

But this? This was different.

This was alive.

The contract had changed something inside him.

> [SYSTEM UPDATE: CONTRACT ACCEPTED]

New Status Effect: ??? (Active)

The words lingered before fading into the darkness of his interface.

What the hell had he just done?

Azrael took a deep breath and sat up. His surroundings were still as bleak as ever. The chasm loomed behind him, the abyss below swallowing whatever light managed to reach its depths. The air was damp, heavy, filled with the distant echoes of unseen things moving.

He wasn't safe yet.

He couldn't afford to sit still.

Forcing himself to his feet, he surveyed the landscape ahead. A narrow path stretched forward, winding along the jagged cliffside. The walls of this underground hell stretched endlessly upward, their surfaces slick and uneven.

The only way was forward.

No more waiting. No more hesitating.

He took his first step—

And his body moved too smoothly.

Too effortlessly.

His foot landed without hesitation, his balance perfect despite the uneven ground. The soreness, the exhaustion—it was gone.

Azrael stopped, flexing his fingers. His body felt normal.

No, not normal. Better.

"Is this part of the contract?"

"Sharp, aren't you?" The voice returned, smooth as silk, curling around his thoughts like smoke. "I told you, little one. You're mine now."

Azrael's jaw clenched. "Who the hell are you?"

A chuckle.

"Now that's an interesting question. But it's the wrong one."

A chill slithered down Azrael's spine. He hated this—this feeling of being watched.

"The right question is… what are you now?"

Before Azrael could respond, the world around him shifted.

A sudden, gut-wrenching sensation gripped his chest. The stone beneath his feet seemed to melt away. His vision darkened—then twisted, warping into something else.

And just like that—

He was somewhere else.

---

The Void.

That was the only way Azrael could describe it.

An infinite expanse of shifting black, deeper than even the abyss he had just escaped. Tendrils of shadow slithered across the unseen floor, coiling and twisting like living smoke.

And in the center of it all, it waited.

A shape. A presence without a true form, constantly shifting—sometimes humanoid, sometimes monstrous. A silhouette with no features, no substance. Only eyes.

Too many eyes.

All of them staring directly at him.

Azrael's breath hitched.

"This isn't real. This isn't real."

"Oh, but it is."

The voice surrounded him, filling the endless void. It was inside him, crawling beneath his skin, whispering directly to his thoughts.

"You let me in, little one. And now… you belong to me."

Azrael's fists clenched. "Like hell I do."

Another chuckle, dark and amused.

"Brave words for someone who wouldn't be standing if not for me."

The tendrils of shadow coiled tighter, shifting like they were alive.

"You don't understand it yet, do you? The contract isn't a burden. It's a gift."

The void trembled, and suddenly—

Pain.

A searing, bone-deep pain shot through Azrael's body. His vision blurred, his knees buckling as his muscles seized. It wasn't the pain of injury—it was worse.

It was as if something inside him was being rewritten.

> [SYSTEM ALERT: UNIDENTIFIED ENTITY ALTERING STATUS]

New Ability Unlocked: "Nightbound" (Dormant)

Azrael gritted his teeth, struggling to remain upright.

"Wh-what… did you do?"

The presence smiled.

Not physically, but he could feel it.

"I simply awakened what was already inside you. A fraction of what's to come."

The pain stopped.

Just like that, it vanished.

Azrael gasped, steadying himself, his body trembling from the sheer intensity of whatever had just happened.

He lifted his hand. It looked the same. Felt the same.

But deep inside… something was different.

Something was waiting.

The shadows around him began to shift once more. The world blurred, twisting, pulling him back—

---

He was back.

Azrael's eyes snapped open, and he found himself standing at the edge of the cliffside path once more.

Had it even been real?

His breathing was heavy, but his body still felt… fine. No, not fine. Stronger.

He glanced at the interface.

> [SYSTEM UPDATE: NEW TRAIT ACQUIRED]

Nightbound (Dormant) – ???

"What the hell does that mean?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

Azrael exhaled slowly, forcing himself to focus.

He didn't trust this thing. But it had given him something. And right now, survival was all that mattered.

He would figure out the cost later.

Without another word, he turned and continued forward, deeper into the unknown.

And behind him, unseen, the shadows followed.

---