The shack still stank of blood and shit.
The air hung thick, iron-rich and still. Alex moved slowly not because of pain, but because everything had changed. The world felt slower. Crisper. Like someone had wiped a layer of grime off his eyes.
Mia's body lay silent in the center of the room.
He knelt beside her again, but not like before. There were no screams this time. No tears. Just motion. Deliberate. Measured.
He wrapped her in the only clean sheet they had. She looked smaller now. Fragile. Like time had shrunk her. He tied the ends carefully, then lifted her into his arms.
She was light.
He stepped outside.
The moon lit the clearing like frostlight. The trees whispered in their sleep. His bare feet pressed into damp soil as he walked past the fence, past the broken firepit, to the patch of earth where wildflowers once grew.
He began to dig.
No shovel. Just hands. Dirt packed under fingernails. Stones cut his palms. He didn't care.
By the time the hole was deep enough, dawn had begun to stain the sky.
He laid her down gently.
Covered her with earth.
No words. No prayers. Just silence.
Then, the system spoke again.
[Quest Activated: "Let the Earth Remember Her"]
Objective: Bury your dead. Do not forget.
Reward: First Skill Unlock
Status: Complete.
A pulse ran through him.
[Skill Acquired: Blood Memory (Passive)]
Description: Emotional events may imprint combat efficiency and mental clarity.
Effect: +5% stat gain during vengeance-related actions.
Alex exhaled. Slowly.
His hands were red, not with blood now but the old kind. The kind you earned. The kind that soaked into skin and never washed away.
He stood.
Behind him, the shack remained. Inside it: nothing but ghosts.
He wouldn't return.
[Initializing Path Selection Protocol…]
Please Choose One of Three Early Evolution Paths:
Path of the Hunter – +Perception, +Stealth, unlock Tracking Skill Tree Path of the Executioner – +Strength, +Speed, unlock Brutality Tree Path of the Prophet – +Intelligence, +Mana, unlock Foresight Tree
Alex stared.
The Executioner path burned red like fresh blood.
He chose it without blinking.
[Executioner Path Selected.]
[Perk Gained: Predatory Burst (+10% damage to wounded enemies)]
[Title Gained: Crimson Initiate]
[New Quest Available.]
A new screen flickered up brighter. Sharper.
[Vengeance Protocol: Part I]
Target: Gorrin the Butcher
Location: Eastern Outpost – Raider Camp near Black Hollow
Time Limit: None
Reward: Skill - Crimson Rend
Warning: Failure is not an option.
Alex turned toward the woods.
He started walking.
And as he did, the final screen slid into place.
It pulsed once, then displayed two words:
[ WELCOME, MONSTER.]