The streetlights flickered overhead, casting long shadows as Elias walked through the deserted alleyways of Red Hollow. His boots echoed with every step, the only sound accompanying the tight knot forming in his gut. The Devil's System buzzed faintly in his mind, a soft whisper urging him forward.
> [New Task: First Blood — Claim the soul of a sinner. Reward: Shadow Cloak Skill.]
Elias didn't know whether to be terrified or thrilled. Claim a soul? What did that even mean? He stopped beside a graffiti-stained wall, staring at the flickering message. Was this what vengeance looked like now? Retribution soaked in blood?
The System spoke again, its voice calm, inhuman, void of any moral compass.
> "Target identified: Marcus Trent. Human trafficker. Location: Warehouse 9, South Dock."
His breath caught.
Marcus Trent. Elias had heard of him in whispers and late-night news broadcasts. A man whose smile never matched the evil behind his eyes. A monster with clean fingernails and bloody hands. The kind of person you'd never expect to be a predator—until it was too late.
Perfect.
As Elias approached the South Dock, he could already feel the shift in the air. The place reeked of oil, old fish, and something far fouler—fear. The warehouses stood like metal giants, their broken windows glaring down like the eyes of sentinels watching his every move.
Warehouse 9 stood half-abandoned, a faded number stenciled across its rusted door. The gate groaned as Elias pushed it open. He entered slowly, careful to keep to the shadows. A dim yellow bulb swung from the ceiling, casting erratic light across the concrete floor.
He saw them.
Three men. One was Marcus, sitting on a metal chair with a cigar in his hand, laughing over some sick joke. The others stood guard near crates—likely not of fish. Chains rattled somewhere deeper inside. Elias' jaw clenched. This wasn't justice anymore.
It was personal.
Suddenly, his vision pulsed. The System flared.
> [Skill Unlocked: Devil's Sight – View the sins of others.]
Elias blinked—and gasped. The room turned red.
Marcus glowed like a bonfire. The sins clung to him—murder, trafficking, torture—all bleeding from his skin like steam from rotting meat. The guards weren't innocent either, but they were shadows next to this man.
"Are you seeing this?" Elias whispered aloud.
> "Only you can."
His fists tightened. He walked forward—no more hiding.
Marcus glanced up. "Who the hell are you?"
"I'm your consequence."
Before Marcus could react, Elias raised his hand. Shadows crawled from the floor, wrapping around the guards and slamming them into the crates. Bones cracked. One screamed. The other went silent instantly.
Marcus stood, reaching for a gun, but Elias was faster.
He charged.
Fangs of dark light erupted from Elias' palm. They sliced through the air, knocking the weapon away. Marcus fell back, crawling until his back hit a crate. "Wait! I got money! I got—!"
Elias grabbed him by the collar.
"Do you feel fear?" Elias asked, his voice deeper now, layered. "Because they did. Every girl you locked away. Every life you sold. You don't deserve mercy."
> [Soul Claim Available – Proceed? Y/N]
He didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
The Devil's Mark on his chest burned. Marcus screamed—not in pain, but in sheer existential horror—as dark energy swallowed him. His body twisted, dissolved, and vanished into a crimson flame that surged into Elias' hand.
Then, silence.
> [Soul Claimed. Shadow Cloak Skill Unlocked.]
Elias stumbled back, shaking. His heartbeat roared in his ears. His breath came in shallow gasps. The room was cold—but inside, something burned.
He turned to leave—but someone was waiting.
A figure stood by the broken door. Tall. Dressed in a tattered black coat. Skin pale as ash. Eyes like coal.
"Impressive," the man said. "You did it without crying. That's rare for your kind."
Elias froze. "Who are you?"
The man smiled. "Name's Lucien. I've been watching you since your rebirth."
"Rebirth?" Elias narrowed his eyes. "You mean the System?"
Lucien nodded. "It only chooses the desperate. The broken. But not everyone survives the trial. Most go insane. Or worse."
"What are you?" Elias asked.
Lucien stepped forward, his boots silent. "Let's just say… I'm one of the first. I've walked this path before you. And I'm here to give you a warning."
Elias tensed. "I don't need warnings. I need answers."
"You'll get them soon enough," Lucien said. "But know this—your journey is tied to something darker than revenge. The Devil's System isn't a tool. It's a test. And at the end, you either become the king of monsters… or a forgotten corpse in its graveyard."
Then he vanished—just like that. A flicker of shadow. Gone.
Elias stood alone, the wind howling through the broken windows.
For the first time, he wasn't sure if he'd won anything.