The golden scar pulsed like a second heartbeat.
Three days had passed since the blood ritual, but Mike still woke gasping from visions of the void—of that shadow colossus with eyes like dying suns. The tribe now treated him with wary reverence, leaving offerings of fruit and smoked meat at his hut's entrance. Even Marpe's glares lacked their usual murderous edge.
» MARK OF THE BRIDGE (EFFECTS: UNKNOWN)
» TRIBE REPUTATION: RESPECTED (NEW PERKS: FREE HEALING, +10% BARGAIN POWER)
Mike probed the scar with his fingers, hissing as a jolt of pain lanced through his ribs. The flesh around it was unnaturally warm, veins of gold spiderwebbing under his skin.
Flashback:
The void's voice: "YOU ARE THE SEAM."
A rustle at the doorway. Abby leaned against the frame; arms crossed. "Moko wants you. He says the scar's ready."
"Ready for what?"
She tossed him a freshly sharpened machete. "To dig up the past."
They hiked beyond the village to a cliffside choked with violet orchids. A crude steel cross stood tilted in the dirt, its base overgrown with vines.
» LOCATION DISCOVERED: CAPTAIN RIGGS' RESTING PLACE
» HIDDEN QUEST TRIGGERED: "GHOSTS OF THE FALLEN"
Moko knelt, brushing away decades of leaf litter to reveal a flight logbook sealed in animal hide. The pages crackled as he opened it, revealing sketches of jungle flora, star charts—and a detailed drawing of the shadow colossus, labeled:
"Entity guarding the 'Bridge' (DO NOT TRUST)."
Mike stiffened.
"You recognize it."
"Yeah. It's the thing that spoke to me during the ritual."
As Mike touched the logbook, his Mark flared, triggering a flashback:
Riggs' last moments, carving his dog tags into the cave wall.A woman (Abby's mother?) weeping as she buried the log under his bones.
Mike's fingers found a loose rock near the skeleton. Underneath—rusted dog tags:
» CAPTAIN JAMES RIGGS // US AIR FORCE // BLOOD TYPE A+
Abby's breath hitched. "My father."
Moko traced Riggs' final log entry:
"Day 287: The tribe says I'm 'chosen.' Bullshit. The golden-eyed shadow is just using me to cross over. It wants our world. Found proof-"
The rest was torn away.
» QUEST UPDATED: FOLLOW RIGGS' TRAIL
» CLUE: CHECK THE "SPIRIT CAVE" (WEST OF VILLAGE)
Mike's scar burned. Golden ichor dripped from his nose as another vision struck:
The shadow whispering: "ANOTHER BRIDGE WILL COME."
» REALITY SYNCHRONIZATION: 53%
The cave exhaled a breath that smelled of wet stone and something older—copper and burnt hair. Bioluminescent fungi painted the walls in pulsing blues, illuminating handprints in dried blood.
» DANGER: SPIRIT-GUARDED TERRITORY
» RECOMMENDED LEVEL: 5+ (Base recommendation for cave exploration, NOT the wraith)
» ACTUAL THREAT: GUARDIAN WRAITH (LV.40) (Extreme outlier boss)
» CURRENT LEVEL: 4 (2,100/3,000 XP to next level)
Abby lit a torch. "This place changes. Stay close."
The walls breathed as they descended. Then—
Click.
Mike's boot dislodged a human skull. Dozens more lay stacked in niches, all with gold-flecked eye sockets.
» DISCOVERY: PRIOR "BRIDGES" (12 SKULLS MINIMUM)
A whisper: "Join us."
The torchlight revealed Riggs' remains—his skeleton propped against the far wall; ribcage splayed open. Clutched in his fingers:
» ITEM OBTAINED: TORN NOTE (LAST WORDS)
"The mark isn't a bridge, it's a lock. Abigail must never-"
Abby's dagger clattered to the ground. "That's my mother's name."
The cave shuddered.
The darkness coalesced into a towering specter, its body a swirling vortex of screaming faces. The Guardian Wraith (LV.40) unfolded from the shadows, its claws scraping the ceiling.
» ABBY'S WARNING: "Don't let it touch you!"
The wraith moved.
One moment it was across the cave. The next—
» CRITICAL HIT!
» HP: 87 → 42/100
» DEBUFF: SOULFROST (MOVEMENT -30%, HP -3/s)
Mike gasped as agony lanced through his chest. The wraith's talons had phased through his flesh, leaving no wound—just a deep, soul-deep chill.
Abby lunged, her daggers flashing. They passed harmlessly through the specter.
"It's not solid!" she snarled.
The wraith spun, its form dissolving into a black tide that slammed Abby into the wall. Bones cracked.
» ABBY: HP 65% → 22%
Mike's pulse hammered. Think!
His Mark of the Bridge seared hotter. The wraith flinched—just slightly—from its glow.
Exploit that.
He grabbed a skull—one with golden eyes—and hurled it. The bone passed through the wraith, but the gold flecks flared on contact.
» WRAITH SHUDDERS (WEAKNESS DISCOVERED: SPIRIT-TIED OBJECTS)
Abby rolled to her feet, blood dripping from her lip. "Distract it!"
Mike charged, his scar blazing. The wraith swiped—he ducked, feeling claws graze his hair, and slammed his glowing palm onto a skull-filled niche.
» MARK OF THE BRIDGE ACTIVATED!
» EFFECT: "SPIRIT ANCHOR" (FORCES PHYSICAL FORM FOR 5s)
Golden light lassoed the wraith's misty body, yanking it into solidity.
"NOW!"
Abby's daggers found purchase, shearing through the wraith's now-corporeal ribs. Black ichor sprayed.
» WRAITH HP: 100% → 67%
It wrenched free, retaliating with a Soul Scream that shattered the cave walls.
» DEBUFF: STUNNED (2s)
Mike's vision whitened out. When it cleared, the wraith had Abby by the throat, its essence seeping into her mouth.
» POSSESSION IN PROGRESS
» MECHANIC: Wraiths can control those with unresolved spiritual tether (Abby's half-spirit bloodline).
Her pupils dilated into voids.
"Mike..." Abby's voice, but wrong. "Join us."
Her dagger flashed toward his heart—
» KINSHIP CHECK: 55/100 (SUCCESS)
Mike grabbed her wrist, his Mark flaring. "Abigail Riggs! Remember your mother!"
The wraith hissed, its grip faltering. Abby convulsed, her body rejecting the invasion.
Mike slammed his glowing palm onto her chest, channeling the Mark's energy.
» PURGE ATTEMPT: "BRIDGE'S LIGHT"
Abby arched, her mouth opening in a silent scream as the wraith burst from her lips in a cloud of black mist.
» WRAITH EXPOSED!
Mike tackled it, his scar detonating in a sunburst of gold.
» FINAL BLOW: "BRIDGE'S JUDGMENT"
» DAMAGE: IGNORES LEVEL DISPARITY (MARK OF THE BRIDGE EXCLUSIVE)
The wraith imploded, its death wail scattering the skulls.
» BOSS DEFEATED: (LEVEL UP: LV.4 → LV.7)
» REWARDS:
"Spiritbane" (Undead DMG +25%)
"Wraith's Knowledge" (See spiritual tethers)
Abby's Kinship +20 (Now 75/100 – "Trusted")