Marcus didn't hesitate. The moment he saw Kael smile, he drew and threw.
Three daggers flew through the air in perfect formation, aimed at Kael's throat, heart, and gut. Marcus had killed seventeen men with that exact combination. The targets never saw the third blade coming because they were too busy trying to dodge the first two.
But Kael wasn't there anymore.
The world seemed to slow as instinct took over. Kael's mind touched the Void Step ability, and reality bent to accommodate him. The alley twisted, compressed, and he was suddenly standing five meters to the left. The daggers passed through empty air and clattered against the stone wall behind where he'd been standing.
[Void Energy: 40/50]
The sensation was intoxicating. One moment he'd been in Marcus's line of fire, the next he'd simply... stepped... through space itself. No running, no dodging, just an instantaneous relocation.
"What the—" Dren started to say.
Kael didn't give him time to finish. Another Void Step brought him directly behind the big man. This time, Kael let his instincts guide him fully. His hand, wreathed in crackling black energy that seemed to devour the light around it, thrust forward and pierced through Dren's leather armor like it was paper.
The Void energy around his fist didn't just penetrate—it consumed. Dren's eyes went wide as he felt his life force being drained away, pulled into the hungry darkness surrounding Kael's hand.
[Void Drain Activated]
[+15 Health]
[+5 Void Energy]
[Enemy Defeated: Dren the Enforcer]
[+50 EXP]
[Quest Progress: 1/3]
Dren's body hit the cobblestones with a heavy thud. Kael stared at his hand, watching the Void energy dissipate. He'd just killed a man—someone he'd known for two years—and felt... nothing. No guilt, no remorse. Just cold satisfaction and the hunger for more.
Was this the Void changing him? Or had this always been inside him, just waiting for permission to emerge?
Marcus had already recovered from his surprise. "Monster!" he shouted, drawing more daggers. "You're some kind of demon!"
"Close enough," Kael replied.
Marcus threw again, but this time he adjusted his aim, predicting where Kael might teleport. Four daggers filled the air, covering multiple escape routes.
Smart. But not smart enough.
Kael activated Void Step, but instead of moving sideways, he went up. He materialized on top of a stack of crates along the alley wall, looking down at his former comrade.
[Void Energy: 30/50]
"The Kael I knew couldn't do this," Marcus said, slowly circling, eyes tracking Kael's every movement. "He was weak. Soft. Always asking questions instead of following orders. Whatever you are, you're not him."
"You're right," Kael agreed, jumping down from the crates. "The old Kael died in this alley. I'm what came after."
Marcus feinted left, then threw right. Kael saw through it but pretended to fall for the feint. As he dodged left, Marcus's true attack—a dagger thrown with his off-hand—streaked toward Kael's chest.
This was the move that had killed a dozen men. Marcus's signature technique.
Kael caught the dagger.
With his bare hand.
The Void energy coating his palm absorbed the impact, black tendrils wrapping around the steel. Marcus's confident expression crumbled into shock.
"My turn," Kael said.
He threw the dagger back.
Enhanced by Void energy, the blade moved three times faster than Marcus had thrown it. It took the assassin in the shoulder, spinning him around. Before Marcus could recover, Kael closed the distance with another Void Step and delivered a Void-enhanced punch to his temple.
[Void Energy: 15/50]
The impact sent Marcus crashing into the alley wall. He slumped down, unconscious but breathing.
[Enemy Defeated: Marcus the Shadow]
[+50 EXP]
[Quest Progress: 2/3]
That left Tam.
The boy had backed against the far wall, torch dropped and forgotten, hands raised in surrender. "P-please," he stammered. "I didn't want to— They made me come. I just joined last month. I didn't even know you!"
Kael walked toward him slowly, and Tam's terror grew with each step. The Void markings on Kael's skin pulsed with dark light, and his eyes—had they always been that color? They seemed to hold depths that shouldn't exist in human eyes.
"You stood there," Kael said quietly. "When Vorcen killed me, you stood there and watched. You did nothing."
"I couldn't! He would have killed me too!"
Kael stopped an arm's length away. The logical part of his mind—the part that was still human—knew that Tam was just a scared kid trying to survive in a brutal world. Killing him would accomplish nothing except satisfying the dark hunger that had grown in Kael's chest since his resurrection.
But the Void whispered to him. It spoke of power, of dominance, of the strong consuming the weak. It showed him visions of what he could become if he just... let go. If he stopped clinging to mortal weakness like mercy and compassion.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Your choices shape your evolution. Mercy or ruthlessness? Each path leads to different powers.]
Kael's hand, still wreathed in Void energy, reached toward Tam's face. The boy squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for death.
Instead, Kael grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up. "I'm going to let you live, Tam. But you're going to deliver a message for me."
Hope flickered in the boy's terrified eyes. "Anything! I swear, I'll—"
"Tell Captain Vorcen that Kael Draven is coming for him. Tell him that death made me stronger. Tell him that every member of the Crimson Hand who stands with him will share his fate." Kael's eyes flashed with violet light. "Tell him the Void is hungry, and I'm going to feed it his screaming soul."
He released Tam, who stumbled backward. "Run. And if I see you again, mercy won't be an option."
Tam didn't need to be told twice. He bolted from the alley like demons were chasing him, his footsteps echoing into the night.
[Enemy Spared: Tam the Initiate]
[+0 EXP]
[Quest Progress: 2/3]
[Quest Failed: First Blood]
[Bonus Objective Failed]
[NEW QUEST RECEIVED: THE MERCIFUL PATH]
[Hidden Quest Unlocked Through Choice]
Objective: Spare 10 enemies who deserve mercy (1/10)
Reward: Title - "He Who Restrains the Void", Unique Skill, +5 Wisdom
[ALTERNATE QUEST RECEIVED: VENGEANCE BEGINS]
Objective: Eliminate Captain Vorcen and his inner circle (0/12)
Reward: 1000 EXP, Skill Book: Void Blade, +5 to all attributes
Time Limit: 7 days before Vorcen flees the city
Kael stared at the quest notifications. The System was adaptive, responding to his choices. By sparing Tam, he'd unlocked a completely different progression path than if he'd killed all three.
But that didn't mean he was going soft. Tam had been a pawn, a victim of circumstance. Vorcen and his lieutenants, though? They'd chosen their path. They'd killed him in cold blood for asking questions about mysterious shipments.
They deserved what was coming.
Kael looked down at Marcus's unconscious form. The assassin was still breathing, but he'd be out for hours. Part of Kael wanted to finish him—the Void whispered sweet promises of power if he would just drain every last drop of life from his former comrade.
Instead, Kael turned and walked toward the alley's exit. Marcus was a tool, following orders. He'd live.
For now.
[LEVEL UP!]
[You are now Level 2]
[All attributes increased by 1]
[You have gained: +50 Maximum Health, +25 Maximum Void Energy]
[New Ability Unlocked: Void Sense (Rank F) - Detect hostile intent and life force within 15 meters. Passive ability.]
The power surge felt like lightning in his veins. Kael gasped as his body strengthened, his senses sharpened, his connection to the Void deepened. This was what progression felt like. This was what growing stronger meant.
In the old world—the world before his death—power came slowly, painfully. Mages meditated for years to advance a single rank. Warriors trained decades to master their techniques.
But Kael had the System. And the System didn't believe in slow progression.
He needed to grow stronger, and fast. In seven days, Vorcen would run. And before that happened, the captain would send every asset he had to finish what he'd started.
Kael smiled grimly as he stepped out of the alley and into the lamp-lit streets of Valdris City's lower district. Let them come. Let them all come.
He had six days to become strong enough to burn the Crimson Hand to ashes.
Time to hunt.
[CURRENT STATUS]
Level: 2
EXP: 0/200
Health: 150/150
Void Energy: 75/75
Active Quests:
Vengeance Begins (0/12 targets eliminated, 7 days remaining) The Merciful Path (1/10 enemies spared)
Current Location: Valdris City, Lower District
Time: Two hours past midnight
Threat Level: MODERATE - Crimson Hand assets mobilizing