The Eternal Tavern stood as a wounded sentinel, its rune-lit walls flickering with an uneven pulse, as if struggling to hold back the encroaching darkness. Moonlight spilled through cracked windows, casting jagged shadows across the worn wooden floor, where a new sigil burned—a sharp, angular design glowing with a crimson light that chilled Elias Varn to his core. The air was heavy with the scent of ash, stale ale, and a sinister hum of ancient magic. The [Echo of Nythera] in his inventory pulsed, its whispers intertwining with the voice that had echoed in his mind: A Mãe é apenas um passo. Eu sou o fim, Varn. His curse gnawed at his chest, a relentless reminder of his borrowed time, but Elias's grin was a beacon of defiance, his charisma a shield against the growing dread.
The tavern's patrons clung to their drinks, their eyes darting between Elias and the glowing sigil. Kaelith, her wings bandaged but her spirit unbroken, stood guard over the unconscious boy, whose lunar eyes had warned of Nythera's awakening. Lirien's tome floated before her, its pages shimmering as she analyzed the new sigil with a furrowed brow. Drenvar, the former keeper, leaned against the bar, his fiery scars flaring with each pulse of the sigil, his expression dark with unspoken knowledge. Sylva, her marked wrist now dormant, hovered near Lirien, her face pale but resolute. Mira, the halfling barmaid, moved through the crowd, her cheerful banter a thin veneer over the tension.
Ping!
The Vitality System's chime cut through the silence, its golden screen blazing with urgency.
Vitality System: Critical Alert! Threat Detected: Crimson Sigil.
Abilities: Nexus Corruption, Rift Amplification. Reward: +250 Vitality Points, [Crimson Pact].
Penalty: -800 Vitality Points if the nexus collapses.
Current Vitality: 805/500 (Excess stored for next threshold).
New Hint: The sigil is a contract with the true enemy.
Destroy it to delay their arrival, but beware the cost to your curse.
Elias's jaw tightened. Eight hundred points? That was nearly his entire reserve, a death sentence if the nexus fell. The hint was ominous—the sigil as a contract meant the red-eyed figure was no mere voidborn but a power rivaling Nythera. The [Echo of Nythera] and [Shadow Core] in his inventory pulsed in sync with the sigil, their energies clashing like a storm. His curse, Nythera's blood, and this new enemy were intertwined, and the tavern was the battleground.
He knelt beside the crimson sigil, his scars glowing faintly as he traced its sharp lines. The energy was colder than Nythera's, laced with a malice that felt personal, as if it knew him. "Lirien," he called, his voice steady despite the ache in his chest, "tell me this isn't worse than the last one."
Lirien's eyes were sharp, her tome humming with arcane light. "It's not Nythera's," she said, her fingers weaving threads of mana over the sigil. "It's tied to a deity called Klythar, the Crimson Sovereign. Pre-Prime, older than the First Ones. His sigils bind oaths—breaking them comes at a price."
Drenvar's voice was a low growl. "Klythar," he spat, his scars flaring. "I heard whispers when I hunted the Pantheon. He's their enforcer, the one who seals their pacts. If he's involved, Nythera's just a pawn."
Elias's grin sharpened, his charisma a spark in the gloom. "Pawn or not, they're trashing my tavern. Any ideas on how to break this contract without signing my own death warrant?"
Lirien's tome flipped to a page etched with a crimson spiral, its edges pulsing with warning. "The sigil's drawing power from the nexus and your curse," she said. "You'll need to sever both connections. The [Echo of Nythera] might amplify your control over the nexus, but Klythar's energy could corrupt it further."
Kaelith's wings twitched, her voice rough. "So we're fighting a god older than gods, and it's got a leash on Elias? Great. Use the echo, Elias. You're running out of time."
Elias hesitated. The [Echo of Nythera] was a gamble—its void-tainted energy could destabilize the nexus or worsen his curse. But the system's penalty loomed, and the crimson sigil's glow was spreading, cracks forming in the floor. He summoned the [Echo of Nythera], its cold, whispering energy burning his palm. "Hold the fort, Kaelith," he said, nodding to her. "Drenvar, you're with me. Let's see what this echo can do."
He led Drenvar to the nexus core chamber, the crystalline sphere pulsing with chaotic colors, its runes flickering wildly. The tavern's stability was at 60%, and the sigil's influence was draining it fast. Elias channeled power into the [Echo of Nythera], its whispers growing louder, forming words: You are mine, child of the void. The sphere flared, and a crimson thread shot from the echo, connecting to the sigil upstairs.
Ping!
Vitality System: Optional Mission Available! Mission: "Break the Crimson Pact."
Objective: Use the [Echo of Nythera] to sever the sigil's connection to the nexus and your curse. Cost: -60 Vitality Points.
Reward: +100 Vitality Points, [Klythar's Oath].
Accept? [Y/N]
Elias selected Y, wincing as the system drained him. Current Vitality: 745/500. The echo burned hotter, and he felt his curse flare, a sharp pain lancing through his chest. "Stay sharp," he told Drenvar. "This is about to get ugly."
They raced back to the main hall, where the crimson sigil now pulsed like a heartbeat, its light casting eerie shadows. The boy stirred, his lunar eyes opening, filled with terror. "He's here," he whispered, clutching his head. "Klythar sees you."
Elias's scars blazed as he drove the [Echo of Nythera] into the sigil's center, channeling the nexus's power. The tavern shook, runes screaming red as a rift tore open, revealing a towering figure cloaked in crimson flames, its red eyes burning like twin suns. "Elias Varn," it intoned, its voice a blade cutting through reality. "You cannot break my pact. Your blood is mine."
Ping!
Vitality System: Emergency Alert! Threat Detected: Avatar of Klythar.
Abilities: Oath Binding, Curse Domination, Nexus Rupture.
Reward: +300 Vitality Points, [Crimson Heart].
Penalty: -500 Vitality Points if the nexus is damaged.
Current Vitality: 745/500.
Elias's grin was feral, his charisma a defiant flame. "You want my blood? Come and take it."
He unleashed a torrent of starlight, the nexus's power surging through his scars, striking the avatar. It roared, retaliating with a wave of crimson flames that burned away 20 Vitality Points.
Current Vitality: 725/500.
Kaelith dove in, her wings slicing through the flames, while Drenvar's fire clashed with Klythar's, creating a maelstrom of light and shadow. Lirien's tome glowed, her barrier shielding the patrons as she chanted to stabilize the nexus.
The boy screamed, his eyes glowing red. "You're waking him!" he cried, collapsing. Elias's vision blurred, a memory flashing: a crimson altar, his own blood dripping onto it, Nythera's voice whispering, You are the key. The avatar laughed, its flames coiling around Elias, amplifying his curse. Another 30 Vitality Points vanished.
Current Vitality: 695/500.
"Enough!" Elias roared, driving the [Echo of Nythera] deeper into the sigil. The crimson thread snapped, and the avatar staggered, its form flickering. Drenvar hurled a fireball, and Kaelith's dagger struck its core. Elias channeled the nexus's full power, his scars blazing white-hot, and shattered the sigil with a final surge. The rift collapsed, the avatar dissolving into crimson ash, leaving behind a glowing orb—[Crimson Heart].
Ping!
Vitality System: Mission Complete! Avatar of Klythar Neutralized.
Rewards: +300 Vitality Points, [Crimson Heart].
Optional Mission Complete: Crimson Pact Broken.
Rewards: +100 Vitality Points, [Klythar's Oath].
Current Vitality: 1095/500 (Excess stored).
Nexus Stability: 55%.
Elias collapsed, his breath ragged. The tavern was intact, but the cracks in the ceiling widened, pulsing with a faint red light. Lirien knelt beside the boy, her tome scanning him. "He's alive," she said, "but his connection to Klythar is stronger than Nythera's. He's a vessel."
Drenvar's scars dimmed, his voice grim. "Klythar's not done. That avatar was a shadow of his power. The true enemy—the Crimson Sovereign himself—is coming."
Elias clutched the [Crimson Heart], its energy searing his palm. The system's screen flickered, revealing a new message:
Critical Objective Unlocked: Confront Klythar's True Form.
Reward: +500 Vitality Points, [Eternal Key].
Deadline: 3 days.
His curse flared, and a vision struck: a crimson void, Klythar's eyes burning, and a figure in chains—himself, bound to the tavern. You cannot escape, key, Klythar's voice echoed.
The tavern's runes pulsed, and a new crack split the floor, revealing a hidden chamber below, its walls etched with ancient sigils. A voice—not Klythar's, but familiar, soft, and deadly—whispered from within: The tavern is mine, Varn. And so are you.
Elias stood, his scars blazing, his grin a challenge to fate. "Not yet," he muttered, but the voice laughed, and the [Crimson Heart] pulsed, revealing a name etched in its core: Ashera, the Betrayer.