Night crashed over Valenport like a dark wave, swallowing every sound beneath a suffocating silence. The damp cobblestones gleamed under a thin sheen of rain, slick and treacherous. The sharp scent of wet earth and wood smoke filled the narrow alleys, mixing with the fading echoes of the day's bustle.
I moved with the quiet precision of a predator, boots barely brushing the stone as I slipped through twisting streets. Every shadow thickened into a threat; every distant murmur sharpened into a warning. Valenport had become a battlefield, and I was marked prey.
A faint glow hovered at the edge of my vision—the system interface.
Rank Update: E+
Progress to next rank: 12%
A small gain from rock bottom, but a step forward nonetheless. My fingers brushed the hilt of my sword, feeling the hum of the Soul Resonance energy crackling beneath my skin—raw, untamed power barely restrained.
The memory of betrayal clawed at me—the backstabbing friends, the blood spilled in silent darkness, the cold grip of death itself. Revenge was no longer a distant dream; it was a slow-burning fire that fed my every step.
Ahead, the city's boundary loomed—the tangled border where Valenport's fragile order gave way to untamed wilds. Bandits lurked here like wolves circling a carcass, careless but dangerous. They were the perfect targets to remind the city that Kael Draven was alive.
The moon hung low, a pale guardian casting a silver glow on twisted branches and fallen leaves. I slowed, senses alert to the slightest movement.
A sudden snap from the shadows to my left.
I spun, sword already in hand, breath tight.
Two figures stepped forward—thin men with desperate eyes, blades crude but deadly.
"Your coin—or your life!" one hissed, stepping close with a twisted grin.
I said nothing. Instead, I let the energy simmer beneath my skin, calling forth the Soul Resonance. My blade ignited, glowing like molten lightning, humming with deadly promise.
The first man lunged, wild and reckless.
Steel screamed as blades collided—sparks flying, energy bursting in fierce waves.
I sidestepped, parried, and struck—a searing slash across his shoulder that sent him staggering back, blood blooming like dark fire.
His companion hesitated, then charged with a desperate cry.
I moved faster, releasing a crackling blast that hurled him into a nearby tree with a sickening thud.
Both men groaned, wounded but alive—for now.
Before I could recover, a voice whispered at my ear—cold, deliberate, familiar.
"Kael Draven."
I whipped around.
From the darkness stepped a figure cloaked in black, hood drawn low to hide her face. But those eyes—sharp, calculating, dangerous—locked on mine with chilling intensity.
"You carry the mark of the Soul Resonance," she said softly. "Power like that is a beacon. A target."
I narrowed my eyes. "Who are you?"
A sly smile flickered across her lips. "A friend… or a warning."
Before I could ask more, she vanished—melting into the shadows like smoke, leaving only a cold trace behind.
Heart pounding, I scanned the silent streets.
Valenport was closing in. The hunt had just begun.
But so had I.
The fire of revenge flared inside me, hotter than ever. I wasn't just back—I was coming for them all.
When I struck, the world would shake.
Kael Draven was no longer a forgotten shadow.
He was a storm waiting to break.