Time Remaining: 65:03:07
Phase One: Active
Players Remaining: 11
I didn't sleep again.
How could I?
After Trinity showed me her Mark… after she told me about the visions, the red eyes, the flame that lives inside her—
I realized something terrifying:
This game wasn't just targeting me.
It was spreading.
Trinity went to school the next day like nothing happened.
Me? I faked sick and stayed home. Couldn't shake the feeling in my gut—like something was about to drop out of the sky and rip me in half.
I thought hiding would help.
It didn't.
11:47 a.m.
I was alone in my room, sitting on my bed, when it hit me.
A sound.
No, not a sound.
A pulse.
Like someone struck the walls of reality with a hammer.
Then came the second one.
Then a third.
Each time, the Mark on my chest burned hotter.
I stood, backing away from the window.
And then—
The shadows in my room moved.
Shifted.
Gathered in the corner like black smoke forming a shape.
Tall. Gaunt. Hollow-eyed.
A Spectral Reaper.
It stepped forward, one long arm dragging a curved blade behind it like a butcher preparing for work.
I couldn't move.
Couldn't breathe.
Its mouth never opened.
But I heard it in my mind.
"Catalyst. Active. Testing sequence engaged."
Then it charged.
I barely dodged the first swipe—blade scraping the floor, sparks flying.
I dove behind my desk, heart racing, lungs barely working.
"Think, think, think—"
Another swing. The wood split in half beside me.
I ran.
Down the hallway, through the kitchen, toward the back door.
Too slow.
The Reaper phased through the wall in front of me, flickering like static between dimensions.
Of course. Spectral Class. They cheat.
They're built different.
I skidded to a stop.
Trapped.
I'm dead.
This is it.
This is where I fall—
Then something inside me snapped.
Not mentally. Physically.
I dropped to my knees, clutching my chest as the Mark pulsed brighter than ever.
The pain was like being torn open from the inside out.
But along with it—power.
[Catalyst Role Awakening…]
Unlocking Passive Ability: SOUL ECHO
Phase 1 Access Granted.
Reaper Resonance Confirmed.
"Let the Catalyst burn."
A shockwave erupted from my body—purple light crashing outward like a sonic boom.
The Reaper staggered back, screeching for the first time as my body ignited with energy.
Purple veins of light spread across my arms, my eyes glowing to match.
And then I saw it.
The threads in the air.
Dozens—no, hundreds—of faint, glowing lines connecting the Reaper to every shadow around it.
Soul cords. Its source. Its armor. Its leash.
I could see them all.
And more than that—
I could touch them.
I reached out with my hand.
Fingers closed around one of the soul threads.
And with one violent pull—
I severed it.
The Reaper howled, convulsed, and then—
Exploded into mist.
Gone.
I collapsed to the ground.
Chest heaving.
Vision blurry.
But I was alive.
Alive.
What the hell just happened?
What did I just do?
[Catalyst Power: Soul Echo]
You can see and sever soul threads. Used defensively, disrupts Reaper connections. Used offensively… evolves.
Level 1: Awakened.
A new notification popped up beneath it.
[You have survived your first direct encounter.]
+1 Skill Point Earned
Phase 1 continues…
I looked down at my hands—still glowing faintly.
Then at the Mark.
And for the first time…
I didn't feel like prey.
I felt like something was starting to fight back.