Chapter 11: Blood of the Marked
The ruins around Rayden pulsed like a heartbeat—slow, rhythmic, primal. A haze of energy shimmered in the air as if the ground remembered a war long buried in ash. Cracked statues, broken obelisks, and a dozen sacrificial altars dotted the landscape, each engraved with the same twisted eye that now haunted Rayden's dreams.
He trudged forward, his boots crunching against shattered bones and old metal. The Berserk System had gone quiet since the last battle—too quiet. Rayden didn't know if it was lying dormant or simply watching, but the absence of its voice was unnerving. It made the silence feel deeper than the void.
At the center of the ruins, a circle of obsidian spikes jutted from the earth like jagged teeth. Within it stood a single figure—tall, robed in red, and wearing a golden mask shaped like a screaming face. Around the figure, a dozen others knelt, heads bowed, chanting in a guttural tongue that made Rayden's skin crawl.
"Marked ones," the System whispered, finally stirring. "Vessels of the old blood. Their deaths will feed us. But their strength… it is not trivial."
Rayden tightened his grip on his blade. He didn't recognize the masked figure, but he felt the same kind of pressure he had felt during his first awakening. Something ancient. Something deadly. As if on cue, the figure turned toward him, and the mask glowed with a dull crimson light.
"You bear the Seal of the Forbidden," the figure said, voice hollow and echoing like a tomb. "The Berserk System should have remained sealed forever."
"I didn't ask for this," Rayden spat, stepping into the ring of spikes. "But I'm not giving it up either."
The robed figure laughed, low and cold. "Then we shall see if your rage is enough."
Without another word, the acolytes stood. Each bore a different weapon—some forged of bone, others etched with curses. Their eyes glowed like burning coal. One lunged forward, twin daggers slicing through the air like vipers. Rayden sidestepped and slammed his fist into the man's face, snapping bone.
Another came from behind. Rayden ducked, twisted, and his sword screamed as it cleaved through the acolyte's chest in a blaze of red light. The System responded instantly.
[Skill Activated: Unchained Fury Lv.2]
Effect: +50% attack speed for 10 seconds. Rage counter +5
The fight blurred into a storm of blades, claws, screams, and blood. Rayden fought like something possessed, which—he realized—he was. The System flowed through him like a second soul, feeding on violence, pushing him further with every kill. His eyes burned, not with fatigue but ecstasy.
Only the masked figure remained. The ring of acolytes now lay broken, bleeding, and still. Rayden stood in the middle, panting, drenched in red.
"You are chaos incarnate," the masked figure whispered. "A seed of the Ender Flame. But you do not understand what you carry."
Before Rayden could respond, the figure raised both hands. The earth split behind him, and from the cracks rose a creature that wasn't quite man, demon, or beast—just a writhing shape of fury and flame.
[Quest Updated: Trial of the Marked – Defeat the Flamebound Revenant]
Warning: System Overload risk at 74%
Rayden grinned, his blade lighting with black fire.
"Good," he growled. "I was getting bored."