> "Power is a debt. And eventually, someone always pays."
---
Time Passed: 3 Days Since Nightfall Ambush
The team limped through a war-ravaged valley called the Ash Vein. The land was cracked, blackened, and steaming. The trees here didn't have leaves—they had screaming mouths, branches grasping for warmth in a world that forgot how to feel.
Jayce was still fighting the rot.
His eyes were bloodshot, and sometimes, he mumbled gibberish. Lian had taken to riding beside him, one hand ready to knock him out if the hallucinations became dangerous.
Boom's fists were ruined. Wrapped in healing cloth and soaked with blood, every movement cracked the scabs.
Melia was better physically—but emotionally, she was shattered. The suppressant had stopped her trait from blooming, but the guilt… it lingered like frost in her voice.
Astra, as always, said nothing. But the tension in her movements said everything.
---
System Alert
> World Event Triggered: The Shrine of Reversal
Location: 9km South-Southwest
Description: A place that allows a single bound fate or corruption to be reversed. Only one choice. One exchange.
---
They stood before it after four hours.
The Shrine was built from bones—titan bones. Dozens of skeletons spiraled upward like a spiral staircase into the clouds. In the center, a glowing obsidian altar pulsed with a red heartbeat.
There was only one message carved into the stone:
> "To take back what fate has written, you must offer what fate has not yet taken."
They didn't need a translator.
One reversal. One life.
---
The Vote
> "It should be Jayce." Boom's voice cracked. "He's almost gone."
> "No," Melia whispered. "It should be me. He gave me the suppressant. Let me give him this."
> "We can't lose either of you," Lian muttered. "There has to be another way."
> "There isn't." Astra stepped forward. "We choose. Or we move forward knowing we let one of ours rot."
Jayce just chuckled.
> "I volunteer Boom."
Everyone turned.
He smiled. "What? I'm joking. Sort of. But seriously... it's my problem. I'll deal with it. Don't sacrifice anyone. Not for me."
His fingers trembled. The rot level ticked up.
[ROT: 18.7% – Advanced Hallucination Phase]
Suddenly, Jayce grabbed Astra's weapon and held it to his own throat.
> "No one gets to be the noble one. I've made people laugh while I was dying inside, okay? Don't take this from me. Don't make my story end with me being a burden."
Melia stepped forward. Quiet. Calm.
> "Then let me take the rot."
> [TRAIT ACTIVATED: Whisper of Decay – Transfer Option Unlocked Temporarily]
One-time option to absorb rot from another, risking full corruption.
> "No!" Lian shouted. "That's not a choice either!"
> "Shut up, Lian," she smiled faintly. "You're too good to let someone fall, even if it kills you. That's why I'm doing this. You're going to need your sanity more than me."
The system pinged.
> Transfer Rot to Melia?
Confirm: Yes / No
Melia's hand hovered over Jayce's chest.
Astra whispered. "If she becomes corrupted, I won't hesitate."
> "I know."
Lian hit "Yes".
The glow was blinding.
---
Aftermath
Jayce collapsed.
His rot level dropped to 2.1%.
Melia screamed.
> [Melia ROT: 23.9% – Unstable Phase Reached]
Her body spasmed, veins blackening, eyes dilating unnaturally.
> [Whisper of Decay: Evolving]
> New Trait: Vessel of Forgotten Voices – Melia is now partially bound to the Rot Network. Can channel Rot into enemies or allies at risk of permanent mental instability.
She cried.
Not because of pain—but because it worked.
> "Don't let me become a monster."
> "We won't," Lian promised. "Even if it kills us."
---
Loot Discovered in Shrine
[Fate Anchor Fragment] – Can temporarily lock a person's destiny against major changes. One use.
[Tears of the Reversed] – Rare currency usable in shrines only. (3x acquired)
[Echo Memory: Battle of Forgotten Realms] – Playable only in Sanctuary Zones.
---
End of Chapter 64
The team leaves the shrine forever changed.
In the distance, a new world flickers into focus: