The rain didn't fall. It slammed—brutal, unrelenting. Like the sky itself had chosen to punish him tonight.
Damien Blackwood knelt in the dirt, hands bound, face bloodied. His shirt clung to him, soaked in rain and crimson. His breath came in shallow, shaking gulps. Every inhale was a cruel reminder—he was still alive.
A bolt of lightning cut through the sky above, briefly illuminating the faces of the people he once called family.
"Got anything left to say, traitor?" sneered Marcus Blackwood, stepping forward. His voice was smug, heavy with betrayal.
Damien's lips twitched—not in a smile, but something colder.
"I should've buried you all years ago."
Caleb, his cousin, kicked him hard in the ribs. Damien collapsed onto the mud with a sharp grunt.
"Still talking tough?" Caleb laughed. "You're done, Damien."
They had planned this. Every backroom whisper, every fake smile, every promise of loyalty—it had all been a mask. He'd saved Marcus from exile, covered Caleb's crimes, even burned his own dreams to keep the family legacy alive.
And they lit him on fire in return.
Literally.
The mud beneath him smelled of ash and betrayal. As Damien struggled to rise, a boot pinned him down.
"You thought your awakening made you special?" Marcus spat. "You're nothing without the Blackwoods. And now? Now we wipe your name from this world."
He drew an old dagger—ceremonial, cruel, and gleaming.
Damien's heart didn't race. It quieted. Like a storm gathering in silence.
---
[System Initialization...]
A sound—faint and metallic—echoed inside his skull. Not real, yet undeniable.
[User Detected: Damien Blackwood]
[Status: Betrayal Confirmed. Vital signs critical.]
[SYSTEM OF SHADOWS — ONLINE]
[Activate Vengeance Protocol? Y/N]
His thoughts spiraled. Was this madness before death? A hallucination?
He whispered the only word that mattered:
"Yes."
[Vengeance Protocol Activated]
[Welcome, Host. Reconstructing soul core...]
[Power Source: Rage | Anchor: Betrayal]
The pain shifted—deeper, colder.
Something ancient twisted awake within him. It wasn't just power—it was hunger. A void he'd never known existed opened inside his chest, and it craved justice.
His skin shimmered—dark veins pulsing with unfamiliar energy. The ropes that bound him turned to ash. The gashes across his body sealed before their eyes.
Caleb stumbled back. "What the hell—?!"
Damien rose slowly. The mud no longer felt like it held him down. The earth itself seemed to tremble beneath his steps.
His eyes had changed—void black, glowing faintly like dying stars.
"I gave you everything," he said. His voice was calm, too calm. "And you gave me fire."
Shadows erupted beneath his feet, spreading outward in all directions like an oil slick. They hissed, reached, and pulsed with life.
"Kill him!" Marcus shouted.
Too late.
Damien raised a hand—and the shadows responded.
Caleb screamed as tendrils wrapped around his ankle and dragged him into the black. One second he was there. The next? Gone. His scream didn't fade—it simply ended, cut off mid-howl.
"Caleb!" Marcus roared.
Damien turned toward him.
"You took my family, my name, my soul. Now I'll take your legacy."
The system chimed again.
[Skill Unlocked: Shadow Grasp]
[Skill Unlocked: Pain Echo - Damage multiplier ×10 on emotional targets]
Marcus lunged with the dagger—but the blade shattered inches from Damien's chest. The pieces melted before they hit the ground.
The shadows struck back.
Marcus collapsed, choking, clawing at his own face as the system mirrored every injury he had ever given Damien. Blood spilled from invisible wounds. Bruises bloomed on his skin like spreading rot.
"You'll feel it," Damien whispered. "Every lie, every scar, every broken promise."
He took a step closer. Marcus tried to crawl back, but the shadows held him down.
"You wore my name like armor. Now you'll wear my vengeance like chains."
With a final scream, Marcus was swallowed by the darkness.
---
The rain stopped. Only silence remained in the courtyard where the Blackwood legacy was supposed to rise.
Now, it burned from within.
Damien stood alone. The air smelled of smoke and old blood. The same ground that bore witness to his betrayal now bore witness to his rebirth.
The shadows folded back into his body like loyal dogs returning home. They whispered to him, not with words but with hunger—asking for more.
[First Target Eliminated: Caleb Blackwood]
[Second Target Eliminated: Marcus Blackwood]
[Next Target: Sierra Monroe – Betrayer. Ex-lover. Spy.]
Her name hit harder than the pain. Sierra—the woman who once whispered forever in his ear while planning his death behind his back. The only one he ever trusted. The one who sold him out.
Damien's jaw clenched. He remembered her laugh, her touch, the night she promised she'd stand by him no matter what. He remembered waking up in chains the next morning.
"She dies last," he muttered. "So she knows how it feels to lose everything first."
He vanished into the darkness.
The system followed.
[System Note: Shadow Core Activated. Host entering Phase One: Ascension of the Fallen.]