Kaelen's breath rattled in his lungs. The system's glow faded slightly, its interface dimming to a waiting pulse.
Three paths.
One choice.
No time.
Outside the cave, armored boots crunched over loose stone.
"Fan out. The tracker led us this far. He's close."
Kaelen's mind raced. His ribs were cracked. His mana if that's what it was felt like ash. His fingers trembled from overuse of system-enhanced reflexes. But none of that mattered.
The system was still waiting.
[ Selection Required: Choose a Sub-Path ]
1. The Oathbreaker
2. The Vowkeeper
3. The Forsworn
Each pulsed faintly, as if alive. Kaelen didn't know what each path entailed, only fragments hinted at through flavor text. But the implications were clear.
Oathbreaker would mean walking the same path as the man who betrayed him, twisting loyalty into power.
Vowkeeper seemed safer, nobler but it would mean being bound by the very things that had destroyed him once already.
Forsworn... that path offered freedom. But the system's warning echoed.
Impact on soul integrity irreversible.
Another voice sounded from outside.
"I found something. Blood trail. Recent."
Kaelen exhaled through clenched teeth. No more time.
His hand lifted slowly toward the option that pulsed in rhythm with something inside him rage, maybe, or memory.
[ Selected: The Vowkeeper ]
[ Confirmation Registered. Path Locked. ]
[ Perk Gained: Bound Authority I ]
[You may impose a binding oath upon one willing subject per day. Breaking this oath will result in systemic backlash]
[ Perk Gained: Veilbrand Mark ]
[Your word may be invoked as contract. Limited to non-hostile pacts until further synchronization]
[ Warning: All oaths made will be monitored and enforced by system clause ]
The air shifted.
The symbol on Kaelen's palm, the spiraling sigil from before flared brighter, embedding deeper into his skin. It no longer looked like a temporary light. It looked permanent.
"Spread out! Caves up ahead!"
Kaelen turned to the mouth of the cavern. His time was up.
He glanced at the paralyzed Hunter. Still inert, leaking black ichor. No help there.
He gathered what was left of his strength, tucked the bone spear under his arm, and moved toward the shadows near the cave wall. He pressed his back into the rock, just beyond the first bend, where he'd have line of sight on the entrance but not be seen directly.
Moments later, the first Enforcer entered.
He was tall, cloaked in red-and-silver armor, with a visor shaped like a bird of prey. The insignia on his chest, a three-pronged spiral confirmed what Kaelen already feared.
Triune Enforcer. Knight-class.
Behind him came two others, lighter-armored but fast. One held a scanning orb that pulsed red with proximity signals. The orb wavered toward the inner cave, then blinked hard.
"Reading something. Residual Vow energy. Could be him."
The lead Enforcer nodded. "Go in slowly. He's Oathbound now. Probably unstable."
Kaelen waited. His fingers slid over the edge of the spear. A part of him screamed to run. Another whispered to strike.
Then, without warning, the system shifted again.
[ Combat Opportunity: System Adjudicated Duel Available ]
[ Vowkeeper Perk Activated Bind Optional Oath of Duel ]
[ Effect: If opponent accepts, outcome of fight will be enforced by system parameters. No outside interference. ]
Kaelen stared at the option. A formal duel. It could isolate one of them. Give him a chance. But he had to convince them to accept.
He stepped into the open.
"Looking for me?"
The Enforcers spun. Weapons raised. The scanning orb blinked violently now.
"Hostile confirmed!" one shouted.
The lead Enforcer stepped forward. "Kaelen Vire. You are declared Forsaken under the Triune Accord. You are to be returned dead or broken."
Kaelen raised his hand slowly.
"I propose an Oathbound duel. One-on-one. System-locked. No interference."
The air tightened. System threads spiraled around them. One of the younger Enforcers hesitated.
"That's real. He invoked clause seventeen. Duel law."
The leader narrowed his eyes behind the visor. "You want to die with pride, then?"
Kaelen didn't answer. He just stared.
After a long silence, the lead Enforcer nodded.
"So be it."
The system pulsed.
[ Duel Accepted – Terms Locked ]
[ Combatants: Kaelen Vire (Vowkeeper) vs. Sir Darran Vos (Knight-Class) ]
[ Duration: Until incapacitation or surrender ]
[ Interference from third parties will result in system backlash ]
[ Begin ]
Time snapped.
Kaelen moved first.
He lunged, spear arcing low. Vos parried with a single backhand, slamming Kaelen's weapon aside. The force nearly dislocated Kaelen's wrist.
"You're slower than I expected," Vos growled, stepping in.
Kaelen twisted, used the momentum to drive a knee toward the knight's ribs. It connected but the armor took the hit. Vos grabbed his arm, swung him overhead, and slammed him into the cave floor.
Stars exploded across Kaelen's vision. The system flared.
[ Health Critical: 23% ]
[ Activating Passive – Vowkeeper's Resolve ]
[ You cannot fall unconscious while oath is active ]
Kaelen's mind cleared. Pain dulled. His body surged forward again, adrenaline pumping with system-born precision. He ducked low, grabbed a shard of the Hunter's broken carapace, and hurled it like a dagger.
Vos deflected it easily but Kaelen wasn't aiming to hit.
The impact triggered a resonance in the spear still lodged in the Hunter's body.
It flared.
And the creature twitched.
A pulse rippled through the cave.
Vos stepped back, confused. "What did you..."
Kaelen didn't wait. He activated another skill the system had made available moments earlier.
[ Veilbrand Mark – Invoke Oath of Delay ]
[ Target: Sir Darran Vos ]
[ Effect: If target breaks imposed delay, backlash will trigger ]
Kaelen's voice rang out. Calm. Sharp.
"I bind you, by the Mark, to pause all movement for ten breaths. Break it, and your system sync will fracture."
Vos froze.
Kaelen saw the system threads coil around him. Magic locked his limbs. The knight tried to fight it but the clause was already sealed.
Kaelen stumbled forward, spear raised again.
But he wasn't going to finish Vos.
He walked to the Hunter.
And whispered an oath of his own.
"I bind you to rise and serve for ten minutes in defense of my life. Break this, and may the void claim you again."
The system hesitated. The Hunter was not fully sentient. Not truly alive. But it had survived.
[ Oath Registered – Bound Creature: Void-Hunter Fragment ]
[ Control Duration: 600 seconds ]
[ Partial compliance enforced ]
The Hunter stood.
Slow. Jerky. Half-conscious.
But alive.
Vos swore behind his visor.
"You're tampering with forces beyond you."
Kaelen turned toward him, breathing ragged.
"So was Darian, when he threw me to the void."
Vos's eyes narrowed.
"You don't understand. Darian didn't kill you."
Kaelen froze.
"What?"
Vos shook his head slowly. "He saved you. From the real betrayer. The one who bound your fate to the system."
Kaelen stared.
And behind him, the controlled Hunter began to tremble.
Its body twitched unnaturally.
The system flickered.
[ Warning: Oath strain detected. Entity resisting terms ]
[ Control degrading... 42% integrity ]
[ Collapse imminent in 10 seconds ]
Kaelen turned.
The Hunter's body split open, light pouring from its core.
Not just a monster.
A seed of something else.
Something alive.
And something waking.