Chapter 1 : Night of Fate
" A Broken Moon and a Bitter Heart"
---
The streets of Blackridge City were suffocated under the gray mist of early winter, where the cold bit into the bones of even the sturdiest. Lamps flickered uncertainly as if shivering, and puddles of dirty water reflected the fractured image of the broken crescent moon. It wasn't just the cold that made the streets feel empty—it was the unseen tension that seemed to press against the very air itself.
Among the empty roads, two figures walked side by side, their footsteps echoing in the silence. Serena Vale, Eden's ex-girlfriend, walked briskly, occasionally glancing behind as if hunted by shadows. By her side was Davin Hart, her current boyfriend, an arrogant youth from a middle-class Awakener family, whose every step seemed to carry disdain not just for the world, but especially for the one name he couldn't stop uttering.
"Why are you even worried about that trash? Eden? That bastard is probably rotting somewhere, still licking the boots of his precious step-parents," Davin sneered, kicking a loose can.
Serena stopped abruptly, forcing Davin to nearly bump into her. Her sharp eyes, slightly reddened from frustration, stared him down. "Don't talk about him like that. You don't know what he's been through."
Davin scoffed. "Oh please, I know enough. An Awakening failure, adopted, and still acting like a loyal dog for those people. He's worthless."
Serena's lips quivered. Not because she fully disagreed, but because deep inside, she hated how right it sounded. Eden, no matter how kind, was always a pushover. Yet, there was something about him that Davin would never understand—the silent pain behind those dull eyes. Serena sighed and chose to continue walking.
The street took a sharp turn towards an abandoned market square, once lively but now just a skeleton of rusted stalls and cracked stone. There, fate stirred.
A girl sprinted out from one of the ruined alleys, panting, bruised, and clinging tightly to a strange black suitcase. Her silver hair marked her unmistakably as an awakener—but not just any. The Vale family crest on her tattered cloak sent a chill through Serena.
"That's... a Vale insignia?" Serena whispered.
Before Davin could respond, the ground behind them erupted as several figures clad in black combat suits and masks emerged, their presence suffocating. These were no ordinary pursuers—they carried the cold, calculated air of professional awakeners.
"Hand it over, Selene," growled the lead hunter, stepping forward, his boots crushing the frost-covered ground.
The silver-haired girl, Selene Vale, gritted her teeth. "I-I won't let you take it! I stole it, it's mine now!"
Davin, dumbfounded, pulled Serena behind him. "What the hell is going on? Who are these people?!"
Before any answer could come, another figure entered the chaos—Arin Souldrake, Eden's stepsister, the same age as him, and coincidentally present at the market. Her amber eyes widened at the scene, especially when they fell upon the strange suitcase.
"What is this?" Arin mumbled, hiding behind a broken stall.
The situation spiraled fast. The hunters lunged forward, and Selene, desperate, flung the suitcase towards Serena and Davin. It popped open mid-air, revealing an experimental Awakening Crystal, pulsing unnaturally with dark violet energy.
A normal Awakening Crystal was supposed to be clear, but this one looked corrupted—veins of black twisting within its core. It was never meant for mass use, nor even safe use, but desperation left little room for choice.
Selene screamed, "Use it! Or you'll die!"
Davin, without hesitation, grabbed the crystal and, alongside Serena and the reluctant Arin, activated it. The crystal shattered into multiple streams of dark energy, forcibly fusing into them. The surge of foreign power twisted their very essence, triggering a chaotic and incomplete Awakening.
The hunters froze.
Selene's eyes widened in horror. "N-no... That wasn't meant for... you."
What followed was silence—the calm before the storm.
The corrupted energy raged through their bodies as if trying to tear them apart from the inside. Their screams echoed throughout the dead market. The night of Blackridge City was no longer peaceful.
And far away, on the outskirts of the city, a young man tending to a withered garden raised his head. His dull silver eyes reflected the broken moon above.
Eden D. Souldrake felt it—the curse within him stir as if sensing the activation of that same crystal. He instinctively knew that his peace was about to end.
---
"The Crimson Echo"
---
Chaos erupted.
The distorted awakening unleashed an uncontrollable surge of energy, swallowing Serena, Davin, and Arin in a vortex of blackened violet light. The corrupted energy twisted unnaturally, warping space around them. The broken market square fractured as if the world itself rejected what had just happened.
Davin's scream was the loudest, his eyes bloodshot as the energy tore at his body like molten threads. His veins glowed faintly violet beneath his skin, unnatural and painful.
Serena gritted her teeth, desperately trying to suppress the searing agony. The crystal was meant for something—or someone—else. Not them.
Arin, however, did not scream.
Her expression twisted in confusion and fear. The energy coursing through her felt... familiar. It resonated strangely with her, as if it was recognizing something.
"Why... doesn't it hurt?" Arin whispered to herself.
Selene, hidden behind the broken stalls, was paralyzed with horror. "No... this isn't how it was supposed to go. That crystal—! Only someone with—"
Her words were cut off as one of the hunters grabbed her roughly.
"Enough. They'll die soon," the lead hunter grunted. "We take Selene back. We don't need the others."
But the hunters had underestimated the unpredictability of corrupted awakening.
Without warning, an enormous surge of corrupted magic detonated, blowing several hunters away and shattering nearby buildings. The energy stopped short of killing the trio but marked them—tattoos-like glowing runes burned into their arms, signaling their unstable condition.
The leader scowled. "No. Change of plans. We take them all."
Selene trembled. "You can't! They won't survive the aftereffects. Their bodies will—"
"—Shut up," the hunter barked.
Meanwhile, far away, Eden clutched his chest as his breathing became ragged. The curse, sealed deep within him, pulsed like a heartbeat.
His eyes widened as a familiar presence resonated with the disturbance. His stepsister.
"Arin...?" Eden whispered. Despite the emotional wounds she caused him, a flicker of instinctual concern burned in his heart.
Then, like a whisper in his mind, the curse stirred again. The presence of the corrupted crystal called out to him.
He knew. He could feel it.
Something terrible had begun.
---
"The Forgotten Son"
---
The following morning, Eden stood before a mirror in his small, decaying room. The early sunlight struggled to pierce through the worn-out curtains, dust swirling lazily in the dim light.
His reflection stared back at him—tired eyes, disheveled black hair, and sunken cheeks. Eden D. Souldrake. A name most of the world had already forgotten.
He sighed heavily. Today marked another year since his adoption into the Souldrake family, yet no one had acknowledged it—not his uncle, not his aunt, not even Arin.
His phone buzzed weakly on the chipped wooden table. A message.
> [Unknown Number] "It's about Arin. She's missing. Please help."
Eden blinked. The number was familiar. He opened the contact.
It was his ex-girlfriend's mother.
For a moment, he hesitated. His first instinct was to ignore it. After all, the family had long cast him aside. But the thought of Arin, lost and possibly in danger, chipped away at his resolve.
He knew better than anyone how cruel the world could be.
Clenching his fist, he grabbed his coat and stepped outside.
---
Elsewhere, hidden deep within the underground chambers of the Great Ten Families, Selene and the three victims—Serena, Davin, and Arin—were shackled in an archaic ritual room. Strange symbols decorated the walls, and experimental equipment lined the perimeter.
The heir of the pursuing Great Family, Lucien Kaelis, leaned against a pillar, watching them like a cat observing cornered mice.
"Congratulations," Lucien said, smiling coldly. "You've survived... barely."
Davin glared, though fear dulled his anger. "What the hell did you do to us?!"
"You did it to yourselves," Lucien shrugged. "You stole what wasn't yours. And now you'll help me perfect it."
Serena struggled against her binds. "We had no choice!"
Lucien tilted his head. "Choices? Don't insult me. None of you were ever meant to make choices."
He approached Arin, inspecting the unusual markings on her arms. "Curious... You resonate with it far better than the others."
His words echoed in the chamber, leaving an ominous weight.
---
Back on the surface, Eden roamed the streets, following faint traces of corrupted energy only he could sense. His curse, painful as it was, acted like a compass to the familiar distortion that lingered.
As he entered an abandoned alleyway, a gust of sharp wind nearly knocked him back. He turned to find himself face to face with a woman, elegant yet commanding.
Silver hair tied neatly, eyes like frozen rivers, dressed in a modernized yet traditional combat uniform. She exuded power just by standing still.
"You can sense it too," she said calmly.
Eden blinked. "Who are you?"
"The one searching for the girl you're looking for," she replied. "Come with me. We don't have much time."
---
"The Awakening Queen"
---
Eden followed the mysterious woman through the labyrinthine backstreets. Her presence dominated the silence; Eden could feel it, the unshakable aura of someone powerful, someone feared. Yet, there was also a strange kindness beneath it.
As they turned into an abandoned subway station, Eden finally spoke, "You said you're looking for the girl too? Arin?"
The woman gave a soft nod without breaking stride. "My niece, Selene, is missing. Along with three others."
Eden's breath caught. "Selene... is she connected to the Great Families?"
"The Kaelis family pursues her. They don't forgive theft, especially of something like the Experimented Awakening Crystal."
Her words confirmed Eden's fears.
The Great Ten Families weren't just influential—they were sovereigns. Each held territory, armies, and their own twisted set of laws. If Arin had been caught up with them, her situation was far worse than Eden had imagined.
Eden glanced at the woman cautiously. "Who are you exactly?"
The woman stopped, turning slowly. "I am Velka Reinhardt. Head of the Reinhardt Clan. One of the Great Ten."
Eden staggered back. The Reinhardts were known for their terrifying control over spatial magic and being the most isolationist of the Great Families.
"And you?" Velka asked. "What is a normal boy doing tracking their scent? Only Awakeners can sense dimensional distortions."
Eden hesitated. He couldn't tell her about the curse. No one could understand it. No one ever did.
"I'm just good at finding people."
Velka squinted but did not press. "We will speak again after we find them."
---
Meanwhile, underground, Arin shivered. The mark on her arm pulsed gently like a heartbeat. Lucien paced around them like a predator.
"You see," Lucien said, "This experiment was supposed to create 'Forced Awakeners.' Normally, only those who awaken naturally can wield true power. But this crystal... could change the rules."
Serena clenched her fists. "That's insane. You'll turn us into monsters!"
Lucien smiled. "Indeed. But imagine the results."
He turned to Arin again. "Especially you. Your body accepted the corruption. I wonder why."
He whispered, "Or who made you compatible?"
---
Eden and Velka approached a hidden chamber beneath the subway. The air was thick with spatial distortion.
Velka's hand glowed softly as she created a stable portal. "They are beyond this door."
Eden's pulse quickened. "Let's go."
---
"The Broken Bond"
---
The hidden chamber was no ordinary room. It resembled an ancient ruin, filled with decayed statues and broken arcane machinery. Dim crimson light pulsed from the walls, like a heartbeat.
Velka stepped in first, her expression hardened. Eden followed, eyes adjusting to the eerie glow.
At the center of the chamber, Arin, Serena, Yuu, and Selene were bound by strange, shifting chains made of corrupted crystal. Lucien stood casually beside them, spinning a small fragment of the Experimented Awakening Crystal in his fingers.
Lucien's eyes glinted when he saw Velka. "Ah, Lady Reinhardt, you honor me."
Eden's eyes narrowed. He recognized Lucien's insignia—Kaelis. The ruthless family responsible for many awakeners' disappearances.
"I suggest you release them," Velka said calmly, but the underlying threat in her voice chilled Eden.
Lucien shrugged. "I would, but they're... research material."
Yuu tried to look away but locked eyes with Eden. For the first time, Eden saw fear in Yuu's eyes. Not arrogance, not mockery—fear.
Serena whispered bitterly, "What took you so long, brother?"
Eden's heart twisted. Even now, she only called for him when convenient.
Lucien twirled the crystal. "This artifact? It's incomplete. But with these four as catalysts, perhaps I could finish it tonight."
Velka's aura surged. The very air fractured under her presence. "Not tonight."
---
Eden stepped forward, hands trembling. He could barely feel his body as anxiety gripped him. Yet something inside, something honed by endless nights in the Negative Realm, forced him to stay.
Lucien grinned. "And who's this? A stray?"
Eden clenched his fists. "Let them go."
Lucien raised a brow. "Ah, the adopted brother. I heard you were pitiful. I suppose you're just a moth drawn to the flame."
Before anyone could react, Lucien flicked his finger, sending a spear of corrupted crystal directly at Eden.
Eden's instincts screamed.
For the first time, time slowed.
Eden saw the spear.
He saw Velka's startled expression.
He saw Serena, Yuu, and Arin's wide eyes.
And then, deep within him, something shifted.
The negative energy that plagued him every night surged—not to torment him—but to shield him.
Eden's body moved on its own. His palm extended, absorbing the spear entirely. A sudden pulse of darkness exploded outward.
Lucien stumbled backward.
Velka's eyes widened. "Impossible..."
Eden stood there, unharmed, yet a black, flickering mark now glowed faintly on his left hand—the same mark from his years inside the Negative Realm.
Lucien's grin faded into disgust.
"You..." Lucien muttered. "You're... connected."
---
"The Fragmented Awakening"
---
Lucien took a cautious step back, eyes narrowing as he examined the flickering black mark on Eden's hand. "That mark... it should not exist outside the Negative Realm."
Eden, still stunned, stared at his palm. His mind raced, but the memories were fragmented — like shards of a broken mirror. Yet, the sensation was familiar. It was the same energy that had tormented him every night, but now it pulsed in harmony with his heartbeat.
Velka's voice cut through the silence. "Eden, listen to me."
He turned to her, bewildered.
"You are resonating with the Negative Realm's curse. Don't let it control you."
Lucien scoffed. "Control him? That curse is a death sentence. He's nothing more than a ticking time bomb."
Yuu, bound and barely conscious, whispered, "Eden... run..."
But Eden didn't run. Something ancient inside him refused.
Lucien lunged, releasing a volley of corrupted spears. Velka flicked her wrist, erecting a defensive barrier, but the impact cracked it instantly.
Eden's instincts flared. He stepped forward without thinking.
A system window appeared.
[Awakening System (Corrupted)]
[Main Quest: Survive the Trial]
[Optional: Accept the Curse's Power]
Eden hesitated. The words were foreign, yet eerily familiar. He knew what accepting meant. More suffering. More madness. More nights reliving the Negative Realm.
But running away would doom Serena, Yuu, Arin — even Velka.
"I accept," Eden whispered.
---
A surge of black mist erupted from his body, swallowing the chamber in a whirlwind of negative energy.
Lucien's eyes widened in horror. "You fool!"
Eden's body convulsed, yet he remained standing. His senses sharpened, every motion around him slowed. He could see the arcane patterns in Lucien's attack, the subtle cracks in the chains binding the captives, even the hesitation in Velka's stance.
[System Update: "Negative Awakener" Class Obtained]
[Bloodline Recognition Detected... Unknown Bloodline: Confirmed]
[Birth Skill: "Predator of the Forgotten" Acquired]
[System Synchronization: 7%...]
Eden felt no joy, no relief — only resolve.
He clenched his fist, and dark tendrils extended from his palm, deflecting Lucien's next spear like it was nothing.
Velka stared. "You... awakened?"
Lucien's voice trembled. "No... he shouldn't be able to..."
But he did.
And for the first time, Eden took a step forward — no longer running.
---
"Predator of the Forgotten"
---
Lucien stumbled backward as Eden's aura twisted the very air. The black mist that swirled around him wasn't just energy — it was alive. Tendrils writhed like serpents, whispering fragmented voices from realms beyond understanding.
Yuu, Serena, and Arin stared, horrified. Even Velka, a veteran awakened, gritted her teeth. "This isn't natural... That energy, it's older than the systems themselves."
Eden's eyes reflected the abyss — irises darkened, ringed by silver, almost like celestial eclipses. His breathing steadied as knowledge foreign to him streamed into his mind.
[Predator of the Forgotten: Passive Skill Activated]
[Effect: Automatically adapts to all forms of energy, consuming corrupted energy to strengthen host]
Lucien, fueled by pride and rage, roared and dashed forward, his spear enveloped in blue flame.
Eden sidestepped.
Not dodged. Sidestepped. Fluid, perfect, as if he had seen the attack hours before it happened.
He grabbed Lucien's wrist mid-air, the corrupted spear crumbling into dust.
Lucien's eyes bulged. "Impossible—!"
The tendrils reacted instinctively, slamming Lucien into the chamber wall. The ground cracked under the pressure. Eden didn't even register it; his instincts had already shifted to the next problem.
The chains.
He walked over to the captives. With a mere touch, the chains corroded and disintegrated.
Yuu flinched. "Eden...?"
Arin shook her head, her pride shattered. "No, that's not Eden. He—he's..."
Velka interrupted coldly. "He's chosen to survive."
Eden's pulse quickened. His mind remained clear, but he could feel it — the temptation to lose himself. The negative energy whispered, offering power in exchange for his humanity.
And it was so, so easy.
[Warning: Corruption Level Rising]
Eden clenched his fists. "Not yet."
Lucien pulled himself out of the rubble, blood dripping from his mouth. "You think... you can control it? You'll end up like those before you. Like them all."
Eden took a deep breath. "Maybe. But not tonight."
He raised his hand, and for the first time, consciously controlled the tendrils. They obeyed. Lucien's eyes filled with terror as they lashed forward, grabbing and pinning him.
---
Meanwhile, unseen by Eden, Velka's gaze lingered on him.
"Negative Awakener... Impossible... those should've gone extinct during the Abyssal Purge."
Her hand trembled slightly.
For she knew.
Such power came with a price.
---
"Bargain with the Abyss"
---
Eden's control wavered as Lucien struggled in the tendrils' grasp. The whispers from the Negative Realm swirled inside his mind, tempting him.
[System Notice: Hidden Choice Triggered]
[Option 1: Devour Lucien and fully synchronize with the Negative Awakening.]
[Option 2: Restrain Lucien and suppress the corruption.]
[Option 3: Submit to the Negative Realm and let instinct take over.]
The options flashed, but Eden didn't hesitate.
"I'm done obeying monsters."
He clenched his fists, veins bulging as the tendrils shrieked in protest. The whispers turned into angry howls as Eden forcefully suppressed the corruption. His body trembled, but the tendrils reluctantly obeyed.
Lucien gasped for air as the tendrils loosened, dropping him like discarded trash.
The captives could hardly believe it.
Yuu mumbled, "He... he resisted it?"
Serena, who had mocked him for years, stared wide-eyed, clutching her wounded arm. Even she could see it—Eden was no longer the same person.
---
Suddenly, a ripple distorted the space above them. A rift to the Negative Realm briefly flickered open.
Velka's eyes widened. "Eden, step away!"
But Eden stood firm. From the rift, an eerie being half-shrouded in shadows emerged. Its form constantly shifted — eyes, mouths, and limbs appearing and disappearing. It wasn't fully there.
It spoke not through words, but through raw thoughts.
{You are marked. You belong to Us. Return. Complete the pact.}
Eden's heart sank. This was the very curse that had ruined his life since age 12.
He glanced at Lucien, unconscious and defeated. His friends, barely standing. Velka, who didn't know whether to fight him or help him.
And then, for the first time since he was a child, Eden smiled—not out of joy, but defiance.
"I don't belong to anyone."
He threw his hand forward, channeling every ounce of suppressed power. The rift cracked like glass and violently closed, leaving behind only silence and the lingering scent of void energy.
[Quest Updated: Survive the Night]
[Bonus Objective: Resist the Abyssal Whisper]
---
The chamber fell deathly silent.
Velka slowly lowered her weapon. "You... you're unstable."
Eden turned to her. "Not unstable... stubborn."
---
"The Chains That Bind"
---
Silence echoed after Eden sealed the rift.
Velka's sharp eyes darted to him. "That wasn't normal."
Eden, breathing heavily, felt the residue of the abyss tugging at his soul, but the system overlay distracted him.
[System Update: Awakening Path Chosen]
[Path: Predator of the Forgotten]
[Alignment: ???]
[First Bloodline Activated: Fragmented Soul of the Abyss - Incomplete]
[Birth Trait: Devourer's Hunger - Sealed]
[System Remark: Fragmented Path detected. Automatic stabilization initiated.]
He didn't know whether to feel relief or dread.
---
Velka approached cautiously. "You're cursed... yet you still chose to resist?"
Eden clenched his fists. "The day I submit is the day I die."
Her expression softened for just a flicker. "You're stronger than you look."
---
Across the room, Yuu supported Serena. "Is that... really Eden?"
Serena, struggling to stay conscious, murmured, "No... that's someone else."
---
Without warning, Lucien stirred. His battered body twitched as strange lines of energy seeped from his wounds. Eden's eyes widened. "No… don't tell me—"
Velka cursed under her breath. "He's forcing an Awakening. A bastardized one."
Lucien's body convulsed violently. His eyes burned red as a corrupted version of Eden's tendrils sprouted from his back. The Experimented Crystal's remnants must have fused with him during the battle.
A chilling laugh escaped Lucien's mouth. "If I can't win as a man... I'll win as a monster."
The system immediately reacted.
[Emergency Quest: Terminate the Rogue Awakener - Lucien]
[Reward: ???]
Velka gritted her teeth. "We need to put him down now, or the whole city dies tonight."
Eden stepped forward.
Yuu shouted, "You can't! You're not even fully awakened!"
Eden glanced back, a half-smile on his face. "I've survived worse."
---
"Predator vs. Abomination"
---
The cold night wind whipped through the broken windows as Eden stood between Lucien and the captives. Velka raised her sword, but Eden gently held out a hand. "He's mine."
Lucien's corrupted form grinned, tendrils flailing like mad serpents. "You think you can win with half a system and broken bones?"
Eden's cracked glasses gleamed in the moonlight. "Better than losing as a coward."
Lucien lunged.
The clash shook the building. Tendrils met tendrils, but Eden's were sharper, controlled by experience rather than madness. Yet the gap in power was evident. Lucien's sheer brute force overwhelmed Eden, slamming him into the ground.
[System Warning: Vitality Critically Low]
[Fragmented Soul of the Abyss - Passive Skill Triggered]
The shadows around Eden stirred. From the cracked tiles, black chains slithered out like serpents. His memories flashed—the years of devouring monsters in the Negative Realm, the countless deaths, the loneliness.
Not yet.
The chains wrapped around Eden's limbs and back, not to restrain him—but to mend him.
[Passive Skill Effect: Body Stabilization - Temporary]
Eden stood, blood dripping from his chin. "Your power is borrowed. Mine... was earned."
He lunged forward. Lucien roared as Eden's tendrils pierced through his corrupted core.
The rogue Awakener convulsed, his body rejecting the unstable power. Cracks spread along his body as the Experimented Crystal's remains shattered fully.
With a final scream, Lucien exploded into a storm of unstable energy.
Eden staggered but stayed standing.
[Quest Complete: Terminate the Rogue Awakener]
[Reward Acquired: Permanent Access to Awakening Path - Predator of the Forgotten]
[Skill Unlocked: Devourer's Hunger (Sealed)]
Velka rushed forward, grabbing Eden before he could collapse. "Stay awake!"
His eyes fluttered open. "I'm still... here."
---
The night ended with the authorities discovering the ruins, the surviving students being rescued, and Velka reporting the incident to her family. Yet, deep inside the Negative Realm, something stirred in response.
{He returned...}
Eden, unaware, was now bound tighter to a path no one could walk and remain human.