Chapter 1: Betrayal
The clang of steel echoed across the battlefield, a symphony of blood and fury. Bodies littered the ground, and the once-proud banners of the kingdom burned under a crimson sky. Jeather stood among the chaos, his armor drenched in blood, not all of it his enemies'. His sword trembled in his grip, not from fear, but exhaustion. Yet he refused to fall. He couldn't. Not yet.
Behind him, the soldiers of his unit, his brothers, still fought with desperate courage. They looked to him for strength, as they always had. He had carried them through countless battles, a shield for the weak, a blade for the kingdom.
But tonight was different. Tonight, the battlefield itself reeked of treachery.
A voice broke through the clash of swords.
"Jeather!"
He turned, his heart lifting for a brief moment. It was Jeff, his sworn brother, his most trusted companion. The man who had stood beside him since childhood, who had shared blood, bread, and victories. If there was anyone Jeather believed would never betray him, it was Jeff.
Relief filled Jeather's chest. "You're alive," he muttered, half-smiling despite the carnage.
Jeff's expression, however, was unreadable. His blade dripped with fresh blood, but there was no pride in his stance, only a calm, unsettling coldness.
"Of course I'm alive," Jeff said slowly, his voice steady. "How could I die… before finishing what I started?"
Jeather's smile froze. Something in Jeff's tone made the battlefield noise around him fade, leaving only the two of them suspended in that dreadful silence.
"What are you saying?" Jeather asked.
Jeff's lips curled, though it wasn't a smile. "All this time, you stood above me. The 'hero,' the 'warrior,' the one everyone praised. But me? I was always your shadow. Your dog. Do you know how it feels, Jeather? To always be second?"
Jeather's grip tightened on his sword. "This isn't the time for nonsense. Our men are dying—we need to—"
The words caught in his throat as he noticed the bodies behind Jeff. Not enemies. His own men. Loyal soldiers who had trusted Jeff… now dead at his feet.
A sickening realization dawned. "You…"
"Yes," Jeff interrupted, stepping closer, blade gleaming under the blood-red sky. "I killed them. Every last one. Do you know why? Because this kingdom is already doomed. And you, Jeather… you were my last obstacle."
Jeather's heart hammered. Betrayal. The word cut deeper than any blade could. This was the man he had trusted more than his own blood.
"Why, Jeff?" His voice cracked, a rare moment of weakness for the warrior.
Jeff's eyes narrowed. "Because power is meant for those who dare to take it. And you… you were too blind to see. Everything I have done, I've done to climb higher. Even if it meant stepping on your corpse."
The sound of steel pierced the night. Jeather staggered back, clutching his side where Jeff's sword had already found its mark. He hadn't even seen him move. Blood poured between his fingers, hot and unforgiving.
His legs faltered. His vision blurred. Around him, the battlefield faded into a haze of crimson and smoke.
Jeff stepped closer, his voice venomous. "Die knowing the truth, Jeather. You were never my brother. You were only my stepping stone."
With a savage strike, Jeff's blade cut across Jeather's chest. Pain seared through him as his knees hit the ground. He coughed blood, every breath burning his lungs.
As the darkness of death crept in, Jeather's mind screamed, not from fear, but rage. Rage at betrayal. Rage at weakness. Rage at Jeff.
"No…" His bloodied lips curled into a snarl. "I… won't die… like this."
The world shattered.
When Jeather opened his eyes again, the battlefield was gone. The blood, the smoke, the corpses, it had all dissolved into an endless void of darkness. His body no longer ached, though he could still feel the phantom sting of Jeff's blade.
A voice echoed through the void. Cold. Mechanical.
> [System initializing…]
[Welcome, Jeather. You have been chosen.]
[Do you seek revenge?]
Jeather's fists clenched. Revenge? The word burned in his soul, hotter than fire, sharper than steel.
"Yes," he whispered hoarsely. "I will have my revenge. I will slaughter him. I will tear down everything Jeff has built, piece by piece. I swear it."
The void trembled. The voice spoke again.
> [Acknowledged.]
[Binding System to host…]
[Quest Generated: Slay the Betrayer.]
[Reward: Rebirth and Power beyond mortality.]
A blinding light swallowed Jeather whole. When it faded, he gasped for air. His lungs filled with oxygen, his heart pounded, and warmth coursed through his veins.
But this was not the battlefield.
He staggered to his feet, his eyes darting around. The place was foreign, an unfamiliar world, its skies glowing with strange colors, its land filled with towering forests and distant mountains. It was a world both alien and vibrant, teeming with power.
Jeather looked down at his hands. They were young again, unscarred, pulsing with newfound strength. The ache of betrayal burned within him still, but now it was matched with something else. Hope. And power.
The System's voice whispered once more.
> [Begin your journey, Jeather. Rise from the ashes. Hunt your betrayer. And claim your vengeance.]
Jeather's lips curved into a grim smile.
"Jeff… enjoy your throne while it lasts. Because I'm coming for you. And when I do, not even the gods will save you."