The blood-red glow of the moon lingered in the sky like a wound torn open to the night. Limgrave had transformed under its eerie light—familiar paths now twisted with shadow, trees seeming to shiver unnaturally, and the air thick with something corrosive, invisible, yet deeply unsettling. The system's warning was clear, flashing relentlessly in the Tarnished's vision.
VIRUS A LEVEL RISING — 12.7%
SOURCE: UNKNOWN
RECOMMENDATION: CONTAINMENT REQUIRED.
He swallowed hard, feeling the weight of the Voidwalker's Blade heavy in his hand. The blade's subtle pulse seemed to beat in time with his heart, a dark rhythm in the growing silence.
His limbs ached from his previous fight, and the wound on his right arm throbbed with an almost sentient pain. The system interface had labeled it as "integrity loss," a concept he was still grappling to understand. He knew one thing for sure: this System was no blessing—it was a battlefield within itself, a dangerous entity grafted onto his soul.
He limped forward, eyes scanning the dense underbrush for threats.
"Who goes there?"
The voice was soft, cautious, yet edged with something desperate. The Tarnished froze, the blade's shadow falling over a slender figure stepping from behind a twisted oak.
She was young, clothed in leather patched with bits of chainmail, her hair tangled and streaked with dirt. Her green eyes flickered with uncertainty, but there was a spark of recognition.
"You're Tarnished," she said with a bitter smile. "Like me… like all of us."
He studied her carefully. Her ragged clothes and scarred hands marked her as a survivor, one of the countless pilgrims lost to the wilds and wars of the Lands Between.
"Name's Kira," she said, stepping closer, her gaze sharp. "And if you don't mind, you're walking into a nest of corrupted knights and worse."
The system pulsed urgently in his mind.
WARNING: VIRUS A SPREADING
INFECTION HOTSPOT AHEAD
CONTAINMENT RISK HIGH
He nodded silently, motioning for her to lead the way.
They moved cautiously through dense woods toward the ruins of a small keep known as the "Fallow Nest." Rumors told of a cursed knight who guarded its gate, twisted by corruption and the spreading virus that infected the land like wildfire.
Kira's voice was low as she spoke of the "Null" — the name flickering in his mind since the system's warning.
"Null," she whispered, "is a shadow beyond shadows. A ghost in the system. Some say it's a spirit, others a curse, but I believe it's something… worse. A being that watches and plays with us like puppets."
Her eyes darted nervously to the trees.
"The corrupted knights, the infected beasts—they're all pawns in Null's game. And it's using your system to make things… interesting."
The Tarnished clenched his jaw. "Why me? Why give me this power—and then make the world harder?"
Kira shrugged. "Maybe because Null wants to see what you'll do with it. Or maybe because you're the only one who can break the system from within."
The words settled like stones in his gut.
As they neared the Fallow Nest, the air grew heavy with rot. The earth beneath their feet was cracked and brittle, glowing faintly with a sickly green light. The system flashed:
VIRUS A LEVEL: 20.5%
SOURCE IDENTIFIED: CORRUPTED KNIGHT 'SIR MALDRIC'
From the crumbled walls, a figure emerged—a towering knight clad in armor cracked and warped, a greatsword dripping with corrupted energy. His eyes burned with malevolent fire, voice booming.
"Another Tarnished dares to challenge the legacy of the Fallow Nest?" Sir Maldric taunted, raising his sword.
The Tarnished gripped the Voidwalker's Blade tighter. His mind flashed back to the broken sword in the crypt and the terrible price of power. But he was no longer helpless.
The first clash rang out like thunder. Steel met steel with a shower of sparks and a pulse of corrupt energy that rippled through the ground. Sir Maldric's strikes were heavy and brutal, his corrupted blade leaving trails of dark flame.
The Tarnished dodged, weaving through the flurry of attacks, seeking an opening. The system flashed warnings and counters, guiding him toward the knight's weaknesses.
WEAK POINT: LEFT ARM JOINT
RECOMMENDATION: STRIKE FOR MAX DAMAGE
He lunged, the Voidwalker's Blade slicing through the corrupted armor, tendrils of dark energy bursting from the wound.
Sir Maldric roared in pain but retaliated fiercely, forcing the Tarnished to retreat under a barrage of swings and crushing blows. The system's integrity bar flickered dangerously.
INTEGRITY LEVEL: 65%
Every strike of the Voidwalker's Blade drained him, every use of its power coming at a cost. The system pulsed ominously.
Suddenly, the ground beneath them cracked, glowing with sinister light. From the fissures emerged smaller corrupted knights, clawing their way into the fight.
Kira shouted, "Watch out! You're surrounded!"
With no time to hesitate, the Tarnished unleashed a surge of the Voidwalker's power, a wave of corruption spreading out in a violent pulse. The corrupted knights screamed as the energy tore through them, but the cost was severe.
His vision blurred, limbs trembling as his system integrity plummeted.
INTEGRITY LEVEL: 40%
WARNING: SYSTEM OVERLOAD IMMINENT
He stumbled back, gasping for breath, his mind racing to find a way out.
Kira grabbed his arm, her voice urgent. "You need to get to the nearby grace! Rest and recover before Null takes advantage of your weakness."
He nodded, following her through the trees as corrupted creatures stirred in pursuit.
The grace flickered ahead—an amber flame burning faint but steady. Reaching it, the Tarnished collapsed, system alerts fading as his body soaked in the blessing's warmth.
But the system whispered still.
[MESSAGE RECEIVED FROM UNKNOWN SOURCE]
"Your journey has only begun, Tarnished. Embrace the power, but beware the strings that bind you. Null watches, waits, and plays."
The Tarnished clenched his fists.
If Null was the puppeteer, then he would be the one to cut the strings.
The road ahead promised ruin and redemption.
But the Tarnished was ready.
He was no longer just a lost soul wandering the Lands Between.
He was a breaker of fate—and the system was his crucible.