Death was not what he expected.
There was no warmth. No light. Just stillness.
But then—a tick. Like a clock starting for the first time in centuries.
Then another. A heartbeat.
> [Initializing…]
[Error.]
[Host Status: Deceased.]
[Override Protocol Initiated.]
Suddenly, Haron gasped awake.
He was no longer in the Trial Ground. Not quite.
He was floating in a void—between worlds—wrapped in shadows that pulsed like living things.
> [System Initialization Complete.]
[You have awakened the Forbidden Interface:
[Status: Soulbound | Class: Undefined]
[Do you accept the Pact of Shadow?]
A single line blinked before his eyes.
> [Yes] | [No]
He stared.
What was this? No one ever spoke of a second chance. Trials were absolute. Death was final. And yet—
He pressed [Yes].
The shadows around him shuddered, then flooded his mind like ink into water.
> [Pact Accepted.]
[Authority: Necrotic Sovereign Seed Embedded]
[Class Assigned: Warden of the Forgotten]
[Unique Trait Acquired: Soul Persistence – You will return from death once, bound to the shadows.]
His body reformed—not in the real world, but in a spectral reflection of the Trial Ground.
The monsters were still there. But they no longer attacked. They knelt.
And in the far corner of the ravine, the shadow cleaver the monster once wielded floated to him, offering itself.
> [Weapon Acquired: Umbral Severance]
[Skill Gained: Deathbrand Slash]
[System: Hidden | Authority: Restricted | Observers: None]
Haron didn't feel pain anymore.
He felt cold. And clarity.
This wasn't the power he expected—but it was his. And it was alive.
He whispered to the void, voice echoing deeper than sound:
"I'll burn the world to keep my family warm."
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