Elias couldn't remember falling asleep. One moment he was staring at the cracked ceiling of Adam's rundown flat, his thoughts spiraling, and the next, he was drowning in a dream.
Only… it wasn't just a dream.
He stood in a field of ashes. The sky was a sickly crimson, bleeding into black clouds that swirled violently. All around him, corpses of unknown creatures lay twisted and torn, as if the heavens had unleashed hell's fury upon them. In the distance, a throne made of bones stood tall, casting an enormous shadow even in the eerie light.
A voice, smooth as silk and sharp as razors, coiled around his ears.
"You cannot escape this, Elias. The world burned you… now burn it back."
He turned to find no one, but the pressure in his chest grew heavier. His skin tingled, eyes glowing faintly red. And then, from the sky, something descended—a woman in black robes, her face veiled but her presence unmistakably ancient. She raised her hand toward him, and a circle of blood symbols lit up beneath his feet.
Elias gasped.
The room around him flickered into view. He jolted upright, drenched in sweat.
The nightmare clung to his skin like smoke. It was the third one this week. The System hadn't spoken since the first night it bonded with him. But he could feel it—something was awakening.
"Elias?" Adam peeked into the room, shirtless, eyes still heavy with sleep. "You okay, man? You were mumbling weird stuff again."
"Yeah," Elias said, rubbing his temples. "Just a bad dream."
Adam stared at him for a moment longer, then nodded. "Weird s**t seems to follow you these days."
You have no idea, Elias thought.
---
Later that morning, Elias sat on a cracked bench outside the old metro station. Adam had gone off to buy cigarettes, but Elias needed the air. The sun filtered weakly through the fog, casting long shadows. A strange ache had settled in his bones, like something inside him was itching to break free.
He turned his hand over.
Black veins pulsed faintly under his skin, visible only when the sun hit just right. And when he focused… he could hear things.
"...sinful."
"...burn it all."
"Kill him."
Voices. Faint, distant, almost like whispers slipping between the cracks of reality.
Was it the System?
Was it him?
Just then, a shadow passed.
A man in a dark coat, face hidden under a hood, stopped across the street. He was motionless, yet his presence was magnetic. The air around Elias thickened, his breath shortening.
The man lifted his head slightly, revealing glowing red eyes beneath the hood.
Elias stood immediately.
But the man was gone.
No sound. No footsteps. Nothing.
Just a lingering sense of dread.
---
Back at Adam's flat, the air was tense. Elias was quiet. Adam, surprisingly, noticed.
"You sure you're okay?" Adam asked, lighting a cigarette.
"I think someone's following me," Elias said.
Adam raised a brow. "Like… mafia style? Or stalker style?"
"Worse."
Adam laughed, but Elias wasn't joking.
"I saw him this morning. He just stood there… watching me."
Adam blew out smoke. "Look, man, you've been acting strange since you came back. You barely sleep. You mutter in your dreams. And now you're seeing people who vanish into thin air?"
Elias didn't answer.
Adam sighed, sitting beside him. "You don't have to talk, I get it. Just—don't lose yourself, okay? You've been through hell."
Elias looked at him, his voice low. "What if… I never came back from it?"
Adam looked confused. "What?"
"Never mind."
Elias stood, walking to the window. Outside, the world moved normally. Cars passed, kids laughed, a dog barked.
But something was wrong.
Something was changing.
And Elias could feel it growing inside him.
---
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
"Power Level: 23% unlocked."
"New Ability: Soul Rend."
His heart thudded.
Then the whispers returned—louder.
"Unleash it. Tear them open. See their true selves."
He stumbled back.
The apartment's lightbulbs burst.
Adam jumped. "Yo! What the—?"
Elias fell to his knees, gripping his head.
Visions filled his mind: fire, blood, screaming. A city torn apart. And in the center—him—eyes black, wings of shadow stretching wide.
Then silence.
Adam rushed over. "Elias!"
Elias looked up, his eyes now a glowing crimson.
"I saw… everything," he whispered.
And then he passed out.
---
When Elias woke up, it was night.
The room was dark, save for the flickering TV. Adam was asleep on the couch, snoring softly.
But Elias felt… different.
Stronger.
Sharper.
The System wasn't just giving him power. It was awakening him—showing him memories that weren't his. Or maybe they were. From another life? From a cursed bloodline?
He didn't know.
But he knew one thing: the world was no longer normal.
Something was out there—watching him, hunting him, or maybe even waiting for him.
And soon, Elias would have to choose—remain in hiding… or rise and take what destiny owed him.
---
Far away, in a cathedral drowned in shadows, the hooded man from the street stood before a council of cloaked figures.
A silver goblet filled with blood was passed around.
One of the figures spoke, voice like gravel and smoke.
"He's awakening."
"Yes," said the hooded man. "And the Devil's System is responding."
Another leaned forward. "Do we intervene?"
"Not yet," said the leader. "Let him burn a little longer."
The candles blew out.
And the hunt began