Chapter 28: The Seer's Gambit
Far to the east, beyond the mountains and wastelands, the Seer Citadel stood untouched by war — a tower of silver and song, cloaked in divine illusion. But within, behind the radiance and sanctified silence, High Seer Vaelra knelt before a throne of obsidian roots.
"Your plan has failed," came a voice like cracked glass.
Vaelra did not flinch. "Ashthane was only a test. The boy… awakened further than projected."
"'The boy' now commands the Berserk System in its evolving state," the voice hissed. "He remembers what should be forgotten. Yaren's echo has surfaced. And now… our seals weaken."
From the shadows stepped a figure not of flesh, but shifting light — a Spectral Councilor. One of the unseen architects of the original Systems.
"We warned you," the figure said coldly. "No true System can be erased. Only buried."
Vaelra rose, her face pale. "Then it is time we stop running."
---
Back at the Bastion, Rayden stood before his warriors. What was once a scattered band of rejects and unawakened teens was now a small army — disciplined, battle-tested, and touched by the chaos of Berserk energy.
Each had tasted pain. Each had survived it.
"Tomorrow," Rayden began, "we march."
The crowd was silent.
"The Seers have ruled by lies. By blood. By silencing those who awaken differently. But we are proof that power cannot be shaped by fear."
He raised his blade — reforged with crimson alloy, its edge flickering like unstable flame.
"They thought the Berserk System was a curse. Let's show them it's a reckoning."
Cheers erupted — raw, unchained, electric.
---
That night, Rayden sat alone by the mountain's edge. The stars above shimmered like watching eyes. Lyss joined him, silent at first.
"They'll try to break you," she said. "Twist your purpose."
"I know."
"And if you lose control?"
He looked at her, eyes glowing faintly red.
"I don't plan to."
Lyss hesitated, then placed a hand on his. "Then promise me. If you feel the System taking you too far… let me bring you back."
Rayden nodded, a rare softness in his gaze.
"I promise."
---
At dawn, the Bastion gates opened.
Banners stitched from torn cloaks and fallen flags were raised high. Rayden led at the front — no longer hiding his System, no longer fearing its voice.
As they marched, he felt a shift.
[System Update – Berserk Sync Level: 78%]
[Skill Evolved: Unchained Fury → Berserker's Dominion Lv.1]
[Warning: Emotional Overload Detected. Adaptive Runes Engaged.]
The ground beneath them cracked with every step. Nature bent — not in fear, but in respect. As if the world itself remembered the last time a Berserker walked free.
---
Meanwhile, deep within the Seer Citadel, ancient runes flickered to life.
Vaelra stood before a circle of chained children — each of them born with broken Systems, sealed from birth. Their eyes were empty. Their auras flickered erratically.
"They are your weapons now," the Spectral Councilor said.
"They are your penance."
Vaelra trembled. "This was never the plan."
The figure's voice was merciless. "Then make a new plan. Because Rayden Kael marches — and he will not stop."
---
As the Bastion army crossed the Black Divide, a storm rose — not of weather, but of will. The land trembled.
Rayden's voice echoed across the ridge:
"By flame, blood, and memory — we burn the veil!"
And the world… answered.