When the sky turned crimson, the world fell silent. The Blood Towers rising in the heart of the cities pulsed like beating hearts. With each throb, someone vanished, someone returned… but nothing was ever the same again.
I am Kael. That night, I lost my family. My mother's screams, my father's final breath… and the sickening hisses of the Blood Shadows. I remember it all. But that night, I survived. I didn't know why. Not until today.
Twenty years spent fighting in the streets had turned me into nothing. A few coins won from underground fights weren't even enough to feed me. But that day, everything changed. As I passed by the Blood Tower in the city's center, a force pulled me in. I couldn't resist. It was as if a hand grabbed my soul and dragged it into the darkness.
When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a colossal arena. I was surrounded by stone walls laced with red veins. The air was thick with the stench of blood. Above a massive gate across from me, words appeared:
"Welcome, new hunter. Connect to the Resonance System."
I felt a burning sensation on my forehead. When I touched it, a mark appeared. A beam of light formed a screen before my eyes:
Resonance System Active
Name: Kael
Class: Sacrifice
Resonance Points: 0
Ability: None
Sacrifice? This had to be a joke.
I looked around. Other hunters were appearing. One wielded a flaming sword, another had lightning crackling in his palm. Me? I had nothing. Just my torn clothes and a rusty knife in my pocket. Mocking eyes turned toward me.
"A Sacrifice?" said a tall, armored man. "The System's biggest joke yet, kid." His laugh echoed across the arena.
His name was Vyrn, leader of the "Cosmic Hunters" guild. His class: Executioner. His Resonance Points showed 500 on his screen. He looked at my zero and grinned.
But our conversation was cut short. The arena trembled. Walls split open, and Blood Shadows burst forth. Those disgusting creatures… the ones that tore my family apart. My heart filled with rage, but I had nothing in my hands.
The other hunters sprang into action. Vyrn slashed a Shadow's head off in a single swing. Another hunter incinerated three with lightning magic. And me? All I could do was run.
A Shadow dug its claw into my shoulder. I collapsed in pain. My blood dripped onto the stone floor as a System alert appeared:
Resonance Echo Active
Enemy Ability Copied: Claw Strike
Suddenly, claws formed in my hands, just like the Shadow's. In shock, I struck the creature— and it shattered. I collapsed, gasping for breath. What the hell was happening?
The System flashed again:
Resonance Points: +10
Warning: Blood loss detected. Resonance Echo may become unstable.
Vyrn turned to me with a frown. "Interesting," he said. "A Sacrifice with an ability… but that won't save you."
He raised his sword.
At that moment, the arena shook again, and a voice echoed:
"First Floor: The Trial of Greed begins."
The ground split open. Below us was a labyrinth paved with gold. But between the gold… something else— a trap.
Vyrn and the other hunters leapt toward the treasure. I stayed still.
The System gave me a task:
Mission: Reject Greed
Reward: ???
I didn't touch the gold. But the others… as they did, the gold began to melt. Screams filled the air. It devoured their bodies like lava.
Vyrn barely escaped, but his eyes burned with fury as he looked at me. "You… how did you survive?"
I didn't know. But the System flashed again:
Mission Complete
Reward: A Memory Fragment
A vision appeared before my eyes. A child—me. A woman embraced him.
"Kael, never give up," she said.
That voice… it was Mira. My childhood friend. But why had I forgotten this?
Vyrn pointed his sword at me. "Before I kill you, I'll take that ability of yours."
But just then, the ground gave way completely. Both of us fell into the depths of the labyrinth.