Darkness swirled in Elias's mind. It wasn't the kind of darkness that was cold, not painful either. Just... weightless.
Like he was floating in a place where sound didn't exist. His chest burned, his body numb. Somewhere far away, he heard screaming, rage, and pain, all blurred into one hollow cry.
Then, the dark gave way to something else.
A boy.
Young, no older than twelve, with messy black hair and wild red eyes. He stood in a grand hall, clutching the hem of his robe, his lips trembling.
"I don't want it! I don't want the throne!" the boy screamed, tears running down his face as his voice echoed like thunder against the walls of a tall, silver-lined throne room.
He was surrounded by figures in shadow—three towering presences that radiated cold, merciless energy. The boy's brothers.
Their faces were blurred by smoke and malice, but the scorn in their stares could never be hidden.
"Coward."
"Weak."
"Unworthy."
And yet...
"You were born to rule, Vark," a deeper, crueller voice thundered from a man sitting on the throne. The Draven Patriarch. His silhouette was bathed in blood-red light, his eyes emotionless.
Vark screamed. It was filled with pure anguish. The sound shook the castle walls, making them crack and crumble. Guards covered their ears. Servants dropped to their knees. Even the shadows recoiled from the sound.
But still, no one helped him.
Then... silence.
Elias's eyes shot open.
Pain rushed back into his body like a train hitting a brick wall. Every inch of him throbbed, ribs cracked, muscles torn, blood dripping from his mouth. His vision swam, but he could still hear it... the battlefield wasn't quiet. Not yet.
He could also hear faint voices calling his name.
"He's awake!"
"Finally! I'm out of energy bullets! Are there any on him?" Riven asked, firing at the low-tier zombies that were crawling towards her.
Ivy touched Elias's body, searching for the energy ball, but found nothing.
"No!" She yelled back at Riven.
"Shit!" She turned the gun around and started to swing it around. "There are still more of these assholes here, that means that bastard is still around. He's going to come for Elias soon,"
"Well... I'm sure Elias will heal fast and..."
"You're loud; shut up, Ivy!" Elias grunted, touching his head.
Riven turned for a second and relief washed over her when she saw that he was alright.
"Nap time is over... Let's go before your brother returns," Riven yelled.
Elias sat up, grunting as he leaned close to a pole.
WARNING!
[Health critical - HP: 900/1500]
'At least, it's not that low. I'm healing pretty fast,'
> > [Major Wound Detected.]
[Auto-Regeneration in Progress.]
[Full Recovery in 00:07:45 minutes.]
He turned to Ivy, who sat there, without bothering the zombies. Her eyes were just filled with ease, seeing that he was alive.
There was no way to confirm if he was dead or not since he didn't have a beating heart.
"How long have I been out?"
"An hour or less," Ivy replied.
"I see," he lowered his head.
"Your brother said he's going to be back to rip out your heart," she said.
'Yeah, he said that already. What heart is he after?' Elias thought to himself, placing a hand over his chest. He couldn't feel any thump. 'It's empty!'
"Hey! Can you two leave your chat for later? Elias, can you control these creepy things like you did before?" Riven asked. Elias furrowed his brow, wondering what she was talking about.
"I did what now?"
'No! It has to be Vark's doing! Shit!'
[Berserk Meter: 87%]
He smacked his lips and stood up. He stretched his hand and touched Riven's shoulder.
"Thank you..."
Her cheek flushed red.
"I didn't do it for you! Hmph!"
"Isn't that a little touching? You're finally awake! I got bored waiting for you,"
His brother appeared again, standing not too far away, his dark armour now cracked along the shoulder where Vark had struck him.
Though he was breathing hard, holding a weapon tightly, and trying to act strong, he was still weak. He wanted to use the opportunity to get rid of his brother, who was weaker than him before he became the monster that he really is, and he's unable to understand how this is possible.
Elias turned to them behind him.
"Ivy, stay with Riven. The zombies won't approach you since you're bound to me,"
"Sure!"
"Bound to who?" Riven asked but Ivy didn't have time to explain. She just pulled her away.
"You should've run when you had the chance to," Elias muttered under his breath, spitting blood.
"Why the hell would I run when I haven't killed you yet?"
Elias grinned.
"Oh, fuck off. Still trying to kill your baby brother? Classy. Daddy must be real proud."
His brother flinched. Their father isn't aware that they are going to kill him. If they knew, their father would kill them with just the snap of a finger.
Elias grinned through bloodied teeth.
"You seem... Surprise!"
His brother watched him warily.
"I'm not. Why won't you use that power? Your original power. Are you unable to use it? Have you really become weak?"
Elias blinked.
Hmm! The original power still belongs to me!
But he said nothing.
"I don't know what's going on with you," his brother said coldly. "But you're not walking away from this alive."
"Didn't plan on running, asshole," Elias growled, his voice low.
"Bone Armour," he growled.
> > [System Notice: Skill Activated — Bone Armour]
[Bone Armour: A dense skeletal layer forms beneath the skin, increasing defence and physical strength by 50%. Duration: 10 minutes. Cooldown: 30 minutes.]
The bones erupted across his limbs—jagged, sharp, protective.
His brother's eyes narrowed.
"You're barely standing, Vark. Don't insult me."
Elias grinned. "Then come find out how insulting I can get."
He charged.
Their clash was brutal.
Elias struck low, driving his bone-covered fists into his brother's side, then swinging for the face. The man blocked and countered with a punch that cracked Elias's jaw. Blood spilled, but he didn't back down.
He growled and grabbed his brother by the armour, slamming his forehead into the bastard's face.
They both stumbled.
His brother screamed, lashing out with a wave of fire. It hit Elias directly, burning his armour and scorching his skin. But Elias kept moving, punching through the flames, landing a hit squarely into his opponent's gut.
"Fucking die already!" his brother roared.
"Why don't you go first?!" Elias spat.
His vision blurred again. Every inch of him hurt. But his blood sang.
He remembered the vision, the boy's scream. The castle crumbling.
'You were born to rule, Vark,'
'No... I was born to end this fucking family,'
Not that any of those visions mattered in this fight, yet they kept on replaying in his head over and over again.
Suddenly, his brother shoved him backwards with raw force, slamming Elias into a wall. His vision dimmed. Bones cracked.
He slid to the ground, gasping.
> > [Major Wound Detected.]
[Auto-Regeneration in Progress.]
[Full Recovery in 00:15:02 minutes.]
"Fuck! More injuries!" He grunted.
His brother raised a blade he picked from the floor.
Elias stared up at the blade above him.
"This is the end..."
"Are you sure?" He smirked.
His heart thudded that familiar feeling again.
'Wait! Not now! Not again!'
Then, a flicker.
His fingers twitched.
All sorts of emotions... Pain, rage... surged in him.
[Berserk Meter: 95% - 98% - 100%]
[WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!]
> >[Berserk Mode Engaged]
[Host life signs critical.
[Memory Bleed Unlocked: 4%]
[Partial Synchronization with Vark Draven achieved.]
His eyes rolled back.
The city rumbled and dyed red again, just like before.
Undead began to rise across the burning streets.
And a wide grin spread across Vark's lips.
[END OF CHAPTER TWENTY NINE]