The city didn't sleep, but it did hold its breath.
Jack stood on Helena's balcony with the skyline spread beneath him, smoke trails curling from the raid that had broken and retreated hours before. The glass towers blinked white like a nervous heartbeat.
Behind him, Helena stirred under sheets that smelled of sweat and fear. Carla was limp against the headboard, throat bruised with fresh marks she wore like jewelry.
Jack didn't look back. He let the night air cut across his jaw, sharp and cold. He wanted Marcus to feel it too.
The System whispered:
[Quest Progress: Rivalry — 80% → 82%]
[Authority Morale Reduced: 20% → 10%]
[Warning: Rival Marcus — Status Change Detected]
Jack's grin curved cruel. "Finally broke him."
But the System didn't purr this time. It hissed.
[Correction: Rival Marcus not broken.]
[Status: Predatory Class Terminated.]
[Status: Revenant Class Awakening.]
[Condition: Fueled by Ruin, Envy, and Loss of Assets.]
Jack stilled, fingers tightening against the railing. "Revenant."
Marcus's Awakening
Across the city, in the boardroom that had once been his throne, Marcus knelt in a pool of glass and blood. His screens glowed red, fragments of Helena's face frozen in betrayal, Carla's voice looped in broken moans.
His hands were shredded from pounding steel, but he didn't feel pain anymore. Only hunger.
The System burned him alive from the inside:
[Rival Status — Collapse Reached]
[Bond Assets: Lost]
[Control: 0%]
[Corruption Overflow: Threshold Exceeded]
[New Class Granted: Revenant]
The lights overhead snapped, plunging the room into shadows lit only by his HUD.
Marcus's grin split wide, blood streaking his teeth. "Good. If I can't win as a man, I'll win as a monster."
The System flared, feeding his ruin:
[Revenant Perk: Vengeance Feed — Strength grows when rival bond exceeds loyalty threshold.]
[Revenant Perk: Haunting — Presence lingers even when absent, seeding fear and doubt.]
Marcus staggered to his feet, aura boiling black, windows spidering as if the glass itself recoiled. He lifted his head to the ceiling and roared.
The Warning
Back in the penthouse, Helena jolted upright, clutching her sheets as if she'd heard it too. "What was that?"
Jack turned, eyes sharp. "A ghost."
Carla whimpered, her necklace clutched so tight the chain cut her skin. "He's not gone, is he?"
Jack crossed to her, crouching low until his shadow swallowed her small frame. "No. And that's the point. He's going to crawl back meaner, uglier, hungrier."
The System carved warnings into his skull:
[New Major Quest: Revenant's Return]
**Objective: Survive Marcus's resurgence | Protect bonded assets | Crush rival's reborn class.]
Reward: +2500 XP | Unique Skill Unlock]
Penalty: Asset Corruption if failed.]
Helena's breath hitched. "Asset corruption?"
Jack's grin sharpened. "Means if I lose, he won't just steal you. He'll twist you into something that hates me."
Helena went pale. Carla shivered violently.
Jack stood tall, cracking his neck. "Good. Let him try."
The Landlord Returns
The knock came like thunder.
Helena froze. "No…"
Jack smirked, already knowing. He opened the door before she could speak.
Her husband filled the threshold. The landlord. Back from his trip, his suit rumpled, eyes sharp with suspicion.
His gaze swept the wrecked room—Carla's bruises, Helena's trembling, Jack's bare chest. Rage bloomed like fire.
"You." His voice shook the walls. "What the hell have you done to my wife?"
Helena whispered, "He—he—" but her voice cracked, the bond pulling her eyes to Jack instead.
The System flared:
[New Quest: Husband's Wrath]
**Objective: Neutralize Helena's husband without breaking her anchor status.]
Reward: +1000 XP | Reputation Manipulation.]
Jack stepped into the man's space, close enough that their breath mingled. "Your wife? No. She's mine."
The landlord's fist flew. Jack caught it mid-air, twisting until bone popped. Helena screamed. Carla gasped.
The System chimed cold:
[Micro-Quest: Establish Dominance in Authority Figure]
Reward: +300 XP | Helena Bond Test]
Jack forced the man to his knees, dragging his arm until the sound of tearing muscle filled the room. "Say it," Jack murmured, eyes flicking to Helena. "Tell him who you belong to."
Her lips trembled. Her husband's eyes burned.
Helena's voice broke, sharp in the silence: "I belong to Jack."
The System roared:
[Bond Helena Cross: 97% → 99%]
[Anchor Status Reinforced]
Her husband's face drained of color. Jack shoved him back into the hall, door slamming shut like a coffin lid.
The Coming Storm
Jack leaned against the door, grinning. Helena sobbed into her sheets, broken but glowing. Carla whispered prayers that were only his name.
The System lit his vision with fire:
[Quest Progress: Rivalry 82% → 85%]
[Marcus Revenant Status: Active | ETA to Clash: 72h]
Jack poured himself another drink, raising the glass toward the skyline.
"To the dead man who doesn't know it yet," he muttered. "I'll bury you twice."
The city lights flickered, as if Marcus himself was already watching.