The sky above the city was clear, but Kai's mind was storming.
The battle with the dungeon boss left him more aware than ever—of power, of fate, of time running out.
He stared at his status screen again, this time not in frustration, but with focus.
> Name: Kai
Level: 25
Class: [Fated One – Limitless Variant (Locked)]
Traits:
– Timelocked Immunity
– System Rejection Barrier
– Passive II: "Reality Ejection"
– New (Dormant): Limitless Brand
"You have broken the chains. The System watches with caution."
"Your fate is no longer tethered to the World Thread."
---
"Limitless Brand."
It wasn't a power that activated. It existed. It bled through his soul like a mark too ancient to name. He could feel its pressure in his bones.
> "There will come a time when even the gods will ask your name. Will you be ready?"
---
But power alone wasn't enough. He'd seen the Seer's vision. He would fail without skill. Without preparation.
So Kai left the cities.
He traveled to the Forgotten Peaks—an isolated mountain range where monsters roamed freely and nature itself became the enemy.
There, he trained. He battled feral titans. Survived storms that could tear metal apart. He fought blindfolded in the snow. He clashed with shadow beasts during the Blood Moon.
His father's sword—old, worn, imperfect—never left his side.
And in the quiet between fights, it whispered.
> "You are not him… but you carry his fire."
"When the time comes, we'll see if that flame can withstand the storm."
---
Three weeks passed. Then came the voice. Not from a person, but from the sky itself.
> "You have reached the threshold."
"Begin Trial: [Godslayer Echo – Phase I]."
Suddenly, Kai found himself ripped from the world.
He stood in a place of floating islands, dead stars, and fractured gods chained in the distance. Their eyes empty, their thrones shattered.
He wasn't alone.
A phantom of a warrior stepped forward—tall, armored in obsidian, face hidden behind a shattered helmet.
> "This is where power becomes meaning."
"Strike me down, and the brand awakens."
No time to think.
The fight began.
---
The figure moved like lightning—no wasted motion, no hesitation. Every strike threatened to erase Kai's existence.
Kai dodged, parried, and countered—but his sword was old. Slow. Not built for this.
Yet he endured.
He bled.
He broke his limits—again and again—until finally, in a flash of resolve, his body moved on its own.
> Slash.
Break.
Pierce.
Survive.
Endure.
And then—he struck true.
The phantom fell. The trial dissolved.
A voice echoed through the empty space:
> "First Phase Complete."
"Godslayer Potential Unlocked: 3%"
"Do not seek strength for vengeance, Kai. Seek it because the world will abandon you if you don't."
---
He awoke at the foot of the mountain, sword still in hand, scarred and half-conscious. But something had changed.
In his hand glowed a new mark. A flame. A Limitless Sigil.
He was ready to fight.
But more than that…
He was ready to change the ending.
---
Next: Chapter 14 – "A Sister's Push"