It was supposed to be a gray rift.
The simplest of them all. The lowest rung of the Underworld, where the monsters posed no real danger. Nobody was supposed to die in a gray rift.
And yet, the bodies of Professor Edward, Ludwig, and Beth were scattered across the coliseum floor. Red candles burned around a star carved in blood. The man who had caused all of this watched the survivors with a smile too wide to be human.
"Come on, kids — choose quickly who it's going to be. My patience is wearing thin; if you don't decide soon, I won't let anyone leave. Every last one of you will be sacrificed in the ritual. After all... he has an appetite that's nearly insatiable."
"We have to make a decision now!" Aurora said, her voice breaking. "We're out of time!"
But silence swallowed them all.
"Please! Someone say something!" Aurora continued, desperate.
"You say that like it's so easy... I don't think anyone here wants to die. Especially not without knowing what that man will do..." Sarah replied, leaning on Aurora just to stay on her feet.
"I vote for the black sheep..."
Leander said it without even looking at him.
"I vote for him too." Eryndor followed immediately, like someone who had already made up his mind long before.
Blake took a step back.
That was the nickname they had given him.
The reason? Simple.
He was the eldest son of Victor Grimswell — the most powerful sentinel in Eldralid. A surname that opens doors the moment it's spoken.
But Blake couldn't use magic. He couldn't connect with his ring — the only link that allowed a sentinel to access their power.
And his father had been clear: if he didn't pass the exam, he'd be thrown out of the house.
"Think about it," Leander continued, turning toward him for the first time. "You have no future. You're never going to connect with your ring. You're never going to be a sentinel. You're the perfect candidate — your life will finally have a purpose: dying so the rest of us can live."
"He's right... I vote for Blake too."
Aurora had made her decision.
"Wait!" Blake's voice barely came out. "You can't do this!"
Everyone ignored him.
"I'll go with whatever you all decide," said Sarah.
Only one person hadn't spoken.
Darius.
He was staring at the floor, lost in his own thoughts.
His hands were pressed against the wound on his side. He was pale, trembling — and still standing.
"Darius." Leander's voice cut through the silence. "Your grandfather. Think about your grandfather. Is this useless kid's life worth more than his?"
Darius Caldwell. The boy who at fourteen had done the math: a sick grandfather, a treatment that cost a fortune, the family savings long gone. Becoming a sentinel was the only equation that added up. It wasn't ambition. It was love.
He had protected Blake through the entire exam. Even when it wasn't worth it.
The silence stretched on.
"We don't have all day!" Leander turned on him. "Decide now! Is this idiot's life worth more than your grandfather's? For once in your life, think about yourself!"
Darius didn't look up.
"If you say nothing, I'll take it as you wanting to stay behind yourself." Leander waited. "Is that what you want, Darius?"
Then Darius raised his head. He was exhausted.
"Blake." His voice broke on the name. "I'm sorry. But I vote that you're the one who stays."
The world stopped.
"What...?" The word barely made it out. "No. You can't say that. Darius, tell me you don't mean it. Tell me."
Darius didn't answer.
"Get out of my way!" Blake tried to push through toward him. Aurora and Eryndor stepped in front of him. "I don't want to stay here! I have the same right to leave as all of you!"
"We've already made our decision." Aurora looked at him coldly. "At least have a little dignity and accept what's coming to you."
"No, no, no! Why does it have to be me?! I don't want to die!"
Eryndor shoved him. Blake fell backward. A drawn sword gleamed above his face.
"If you keep resisting, I'll cut off every last limb myself to make sure you stay here!" Eryndor's voice was ice. "Do you really want to push it that far?!"
"Please." The man's voice drifted in softly from the center. Almost gentle. "We all know there's no need to go that far."
He approached slowly.
"You're going to be a good boy and stay here with me, aren't you, Blake?"
Blake swallowed hard. Trembling.
"I'll take that as a yes." The smile widened. "And what are you all waiting for? You wanted to leave, didn't you? Go on then."
The doors opened. Aurora went first. Then Sarah, leaning on Eryndor. Leander followed without looking back.
And when the last one crossed the threshold, the man raised his hand. He closed his fist.
BOOM.
There was heat, impact, something wet in the air that Blake took a moment to identify.
The bodies had exploded. All of them. Blood and fragments scattered through the exit tunnel.
The man had never intended to keep his word.
Blake didn't scream.
Then he heard a dragging sound. Slow. Uneven.
Darius was on the floor — he had survived, though with most of his limbs gone. He was still trying to escape.
The man observed the scene with the detached curiosity of someone watching an insect.
"Fascinating." He studied him for a moment. "Still crawling."
Then he turned his gaze to Blake.
"Hey... which life do you think is worth more? Yours, or his?"
"What...?" Blake didn't understand what he meant.
"He has a grandfather waiting for him. A purpose that brought him here." He gestured toward Darius. "And you? You came because you were afraid of your father. Because if they throw you out of that house, you have nowhere to go."
Blake was bewildered, unable to tell where the strange man was going with this.
"In the eyes of society, his life would be worth more than yours — because he has a noble purpose. But in a situation like this, what matters most is the life of the strongest." He paused, letting it sink in as Blake began to understand. "Which is why I have a proposal for you. Kill Darius and let his blood fall on that star, and I'll let you go. Take it or lea—"
"I'm not doing that!" Blake cut him off.
"Then you'll be the sacrifice."
The man grabbed him by the arm and began dragging him toward the star.
"No!" Blake twisted and fought. "Let me go!"
He dug his feet into the ground. He struck the man's arm — nothing.
"I don't want to die!"
He bit his hand.
The man released him, irritation flickering across his face.
"Enough!" His voice erupted. "I'm losing my patience! If it's not going to be you, then it'll be him — but neither of you is walking out of here alive."
Blake looked at Darius. Then at the man.
"I'm not going to kill him. He's Darius. My only friend!"
"Friend?" The man's voice came soft, right beside his ear. "The one who voted for you to die?"
"He just wants to save his grandfather..."
"How noble." A loaded pause. "But you want to live too, don't you? Tell me, Blake... why is his life worth more than yours?"
"Because he's good. He has a purpose. I'm not—"
"Worthless?" the man finished. "That's what you think of yourself. What your father told you. What everyone told you."
"Stop..."
"And the worst part," the man continued, "is that they're right. You're worth nothing. You'll never be worth anything. Your younger sister is better than you in every way. Your father hates you. And Darius, your 'friend,' just sentenced you to death."
"Stop..."
"Why does he deserve to live and you don't? Just because he's 'good'? Just because he has noble dreams?"
Blake's hand found the knife on the floor.
"Exactly," the man whispered. "You want to live too. There's nothing wrong with that. It's instinct. It's survival. Didn't Darius do the same? He sacrificed you to save himself."
"But I..."
"You're different? You're not, Blake. You're exactly like him. You're just more honest about what you really are. Besides — I know you want to do it. I know how much dying terrifies you."
And without understanding what he was doing, Blake began to walk toward Darius.
"Yes, Blake! Yes!" the man shouted. "You made the right choice!"
Blake reached Darius. The knife trembled in his hand.
"Blake...?" His voice was barely a whisper.
Blake grabbed him by the collar. Started dragging him.
"No! No, please!" Darius struggled. "Blake! What are you doing?!"
"Excellent, Blake!" The man clapped. "Finally showing your true nature!"
Blake kept dragging him.
And the memories came, merciless.
Darius at twelve years old. "Don't get discouraged about not connecting with your ring. You'll get there someday. You're going to be unbelievably strong."
Fourteen years old. Darius in tears. "The treatment is too expensive — but if I become a sentinel, I can pay for it..."
"Traitor!" Darius's shout brought him back. "You're a goddamn traitor!"
They finally reached the carved star.
"After everything I did for you!" His words broke apart between sobs. "I defended you! I protected you! I almost died for you!"
Blake raised the knife above his throat. His hand shook violently.
"Why?!" Darius's voice shattered completely. "Why are you doing this to me?!"
"I'm sorry, Darius." Tears streamed down Blake's face. "I'm so sorry. But I don't know what else to do."
"Go to hell, Blake!"
And with a single clean slash across his throat, the blood poured instantly, falling over the star. Darius's body crumpled.
The coliseum trembled. The candles went out. Then ignited again — red.
Darius's corpse convulsed. His body contorted in ways that shouldn't have been possible.
"And now comes my favorite part..." said the man.
"Mor'khad! Rise and devour Blake! Make him your servant!"
Darius's skin tore apart.
Something emerged. Formless. Dark. Writhing tentacles. A massive stomach lined with teeth. Eyes that appeared and vanished.
"Make him part of your stomach! Let him be the one to satisfy your ravenous appetite — forever!"
The creature roared.
"What is this?!" Blake screamed. "The ritual was only supposed to need someone's death!"
The man ignored him.
Blake ran. He didn't know which way.
A tentacle slammed into a column. The stone exploded. He dodged the fragments, stumbled, kept running. Another strike. A wall collapsed. The dust blinded him.
Then he saw it.
The monster's back. Exposed. And there, pulsing with a faint light... a core.
"The core is a monster's weak point. It doesn't take great strength to destroy it."
He ran. Dodged a tentacle. Threw himself to the ground. His fingers closed around the knife.
He leapt. Closed his eyes. Drove the knife in with everything he had.
But the moment he opened them...
The knife was wedged between the monster's teeth. Its mouth had rotated. It was staring directly at him.
"Good try, Blake!" The man laughed from above. "Almost had it!"
Blake released the knife and tried to run, but a tentacle caught him. It slammed him into the floor. Then into the wall. Over and over.
"This is what happens when you refuse to accept your fate!" The man's voice rang out with delight.
The tentacle hurled him upward. Blake spun through the air, bleeding, falling toward the creature's open maw.
'Was this really how it all ended...? Devoured by a monster... like garbage? Without a single thing to show for it?'
'Maybe I should just be at peace with it. No more expectations. No more failing to meet them... So why do I feel so unsatisfied?'
'Why am I still holding on?'
'I know it's selfish. I know it's pathetic.'
'But even so...'
"I refuse to die!"
The jaws snapped shut. His cry was swallowed by darkness.
[Critical System Alert]
[Host Vital Status: Critical]
[Bodily Functions Collapsing...]
[Threat Detected]
[Entity Identified: Mor'khad]
[Classification: Extraplanar Invader]
[Entity Demands Immediate Integration...]
[Pact Proposal]
◈ Swear eternal loyalty… and deny the embrace of death.
Feed me when I hunger.
Exist only as long as my appetite is satisfied.
[Mor'khad Offers You a Blood Contract]
[Condition: Absolute Loyalty]
[Obligation: Satisfy Mor'khad's ravenous appetite upon demand]
[Benefit: Complete restoration of lethal wounds]
[Do you accept the pact?]
▸ [Yes] / [No]
'What... what's happening?'
Floating before him was a window that defied all explanation. His vision was soaked in blood.
'Deny the embrace of death...?'
[Final Warning]
[Time Remaining to Decide: 5 seconds]
▸ If you choose [No] or fail to respond: the digestion process will begin.
▸ Estimated time of death: Slow and extremely painful
▸ Process duration: 3 hours, 47 minutes
'That was enough. If there was even the slightest chance of getting out alive, he would take it. No matter the cost.'
With a trembling, blood-soaked finger, he reached out.
And pressed [Yes].
The window vanished. The darkness returned.
[Pact Complete]
"It's excellent! It's perfect! It's done! I knew you'd accept it!"
The man's frenzied voice reached him from somewhere far away. Even from inside Mor'khad's stomach, Blake could hear it.
Drained of blood. Covered in wounds. Blake lost consciousness.
[System Integration]
[Parasitic Infection: Successful]
[New Host Confirmed]
▸ Initiating bodily restructuring protocol...
▸ Rewriting cellular structure...
▸ Modifying neural consciousness...
[Process Complete]
▸ Bodily Restructuring: 100%
▸ Residual Free Will: 0%
▸ Permanent Role Assigned: Servant
[Status: Confirmed and Irreversible]
"Bon appétit, Mor'khad!"