I barely caught my breath before they showed up. The system wasn't sending just any patrol after me. They sent a purifier, a top-tier extermination squad trained to wipe out thread anomalies like me. I heard them before I saw them. Boots clanging on broken concrete, energy pulses buzzing down narrow alleys.
There was no way I could outrun them in the open. I had to think fast. The purifier squad moved like a well-oiled machine. Three of them, clad in gleaming armor, weapons humming with suppressive energy. Their leader was a tall woman, face hidden behind a visor that glowed cold blue.
"Vaelric," she said, voice smooth but deadly. "You have no right to exist. Submit now or be terminated."
I didn't answer. Instead, I kept to the shadows, waiting for the right moment. My system pinged.
[Soul-Taken Trait Available: Echo Restraint]
[Cooldown: Ready]
I clenched my fists. The trait let me mimic law suppression briefly, but only for a few seconds. It was unstable and risky, but it might buy me a chance.
The first purifier aimed at me, a blast of energy that could burn through steel. I twisted just in time and shot a thread whip out, snagging his wrist.
The shock from the thread whip overloaded his gauntlet and knocked the weapon from his hand. I used the moment and dashed forward, slamming into the second purifier with a surge of kinetic energy stolen from the soul fragment I absorbed earlier.
He stumbled, surprised, but the third purifier was already firing. I dove into a pile of rubble just as the energy blast tore through the wall above me. I gasped, heart racing. This wasn't a game. They weren't just after me for fun.
I had to get stronger, fast. The purifier leader's voice echoed through the ruins.
"You cannot hide forever, rogue thread. The system will cleanse you."
I wiped dirt from my face and looked up. She wasn't wrong. But I wasn't going down today. I reached into my system window.
[XP: 48]
[Next Level: 42]
I was close. Just a few more kills, and maybe I could unlock a permanent trait. This world was brutal, but so was I. And if the system wanted a war, I was ready to fight. The purifier squad was still hunting me. I could feel their presence everywhere, like a shadow I couldn't shake.
I wasn't strong enough to face them head on yet. Not with the threadmark still unstable and my skills barely unlocked. So I did what anyone in my position would do: I hid, and I planned.
The Border Slums were a maze of crumbling buildings and forgotten tunnels. Perfect for someone who wanted to disappear.
I found an old underground workshop, half buried under rubble. The kind of place scavengers avoided because it was rumored to be cursed.
I set up camp there. The system still flickered. My threadmark was a question mark that kept throwing errors.
I tried to focus. If I wanted to survive, I had to learn how to use the traits I'd stolen. How to control the soul fragments without losing myself.
The first test came faster than I expected. One night, a gang of scavengers stormed the workshop. They weren't here for a friendly chat. They wanted my relics, my scraps, and maybe my life.
I didn't have many weapons. Just a few rusty scraps and the power the system gave me. But I wasn't about to let them take what little I had. I used the Echo Restraint trait I'd unlocked. It was unstable and temporary, but it gave me a burst of control over the Law suppression energy.
When the gang charged, I released it. Their weapons jammed, their bodies slowed as if trapped in molasses. I hit one of them with a kinetic burst that sent him flying across the room.
The rest froze, terrified. Then they ran. I sat down, panting. That was the first time I felt real power. And it scared me. Because I knew it wouldn't last.
The system was watching, always watching. The more I used these forbidden powers, the closer I got to breaking the rules. The closer I got to being deleted.
But what choice did I have? Survive and grow or die alone in the slums. I spent days scavenging and training, taking small fights, absorbing scraps of power. Every kill, every stolen soul fragment pushed me closer to the next trait unlock.
Slowly, I felt myself changing. I wasn't the unlinked orphan anymore. I was something else. Something the system couldn't handle. By the time the sun rose on the tenth day in the workshop, I was ready. Ready to step out of the shadows.
Ready to face whatever the system sent next. Because survival meant breaking every rule. I knew they were coming. The purifier squad wasn't the kind of enemies that gave up. Not after I wrecked their gear and disappeared into the slums.
They wanted to finish the job. Cleanse the rogue threadmark that shouldn't exist. I spent the night preparing. I took everything I had, scraps, relic cores, whatever energy I'd scavenged — and pushed my system to the edge.
[XP: 74]
[Next Level: 26]
[Available Trait Points: 1]
I had enough XP to unlock something new. I didn't know what, but I needed it. As the first light hit the city, I found a good spot, a narrow alley with only one way in and out. Perfect for an ambush. I heard them before I saw them.
Heavy boots pounding the cracked pavement. Energy shields buzzing like angry hornets. The purifier squad, coming for me. They spread out cautiously, eyes scanning. Their leader, the woman with the cold blue visor, called out.
"Vaelric, surrender now. We won't hesitate."
I didn't answer. Instead, I focused.
[Trait Unlocked: Soul Chain]
[Description: Bind enemy movement with ethereal chains fueled by consumed soul fragments]
That was it. The trait unlocked as I prepared. The first purifier stepped forward, weapon raised. I snapped my fingers, releasing the soul chain. Chains of dark energy shot out and wrapped around his legs. He tried to pull free, but the chains held tight.
The others reacted fast. They opened fire with energy rifles. I dove behind a stack of crates just in time. Blasts tore through the wood and concrete around me. This wasn't a fight I could win with brute force.
It was about outsmarting them. Using the shadows and my new trait, I kept binding one after another. The purifier squad started to panic. Their formations broke down. I saw an opening. The leader rushed forward, furious. She swung a plasma blade toward me.
I ducked and grabbed her arm. Energy crackled between us. Her visor shattered. I looked into eyes filled with hate and something else, fear. I squeezed the soul chain tighter. She gasped and fell to her knees. The fight was far from over, but for the first time, I stood my ground.
The system was unstable. The risk was real. But so was my power. I was no longer the orphan without a threadmark. I was the rogue who refused to die.
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