Darkness clung to Leo like a second skin, cold and suffocating. He drifted in the void, shadows whispering secrets in voices that sounded like his own. The System pulsed inside him—a heartbeat that wasn't his.
You are stronger now, it hissed. Closer to what you were meant to be.
He tried to answer, but his voice was gone, devoured by the darkness.
A sharp pain lanced through his chest, dragging him back to the world. He gasped, eyes snapping open to a flickering light overhead. Aïcha's staff glowed faintly, its runes casting trembling shadows on the walls.
"Leo!" Her voice was sharp, urgent. "Stay with me!"
He sucked in a ragged breath, every muscle screaming. His limbs felt heavy, like they belonged to someone else. The darkness still pulsed at the edges of his vision, an echo of something vast and cold.
He forced his eyes to focus. Aïcha knelt over him, sweat beading on her brow, her face pale. Her staff trembled in her grip.
"Where—?" His voice cracked, dry as old parchment.
"You blacked out," she said, her voice tight. "The hunter—he's gone, at least for now. But you—" She hesitated, eyes flicking to his arms.
Leo followed her gaze. Shadows still clung to his skin like living things, tendrils that pulsed with every heartbeat. He shuddered. "I—"
A low moan interrupted him. Camille lay a few feet away, his skin ashen, the black scar on his cheek now spreading down his neck like ink in water. Every breath was a struggle, each one weaker than the last.
Leo's chest clenched. "Camille—"
Aïcha's expression hardened. "He's getting worse. The System's corruption is feeding on him. If we don't do something—"
"Then do something!" Leo's voice broke, raw with desperation.
She glared at him. "I can't fix what's inside him, Leo. I can slow it. That's all."
Leo's hands trembled. The darkness inside him surged, eager. I can save him, the System whispered. All you have to do is let go.
He clenched his fists. "No," he growled, his voice low. "Not like this."
Aïcha's staff flickered. "You're losing control. Every time you use the System's power, it takes a piece of you. You think you can fight it, but—"
"Enough," he snapped. He forced himself to stand, legs shaking. "We need to find help. Someone who can—"
A sound—like metal scraping stone—echoed down the tunnel. A chill swept through him.
Aïcha stiffened. "We're not alone."
Leo's fingers wrapped around the machete's worn hilt. The shadows pulsed at the edge of his vision, eager.
"Then let them come," he growled, his voice a low promise.
The darkness inside him shifted, hungry for the fight to come.
The scrape of boots on stone grew louder, a steady rhythm that echoed through the tunnel like a death knell. Leo's heart hammered in his chest, the System's cold presence humming beneath his skin. Shadows twisted at the edge of his vision, each one a silent promise of power.
Aïcha's staff glowed brighter, the runes etched along its length sparking like dying embers. "Leo," she whispered, her voice tight, "this is bad."
Leo's grip on his machete tightened. "Let them come."
A figure emerged from the darkness—a tall man clad in black armor that glistened like oil in the flickering light. His cloak draped over his shoulders, tattered at the edges, each step deliberate. His mask, a burnished iron visage sculpted into a perpetual sneer, caught the staff's glow and reflected it back like a predator's eyes.
"Leo Dormien," the hunter said, his voice a cold rasp that made Leo's skin crawl. "I warned you."
Leo raised his machete. "And I'm still here."
The hunter's laugh was low, almost human. "Impressive. Most candidates don't last this long."
Leo's eyes narrowed. "Candidates?"
The hunter's head tilted, the metal mask catching the light. "The System selects the strongest. It tests you. And then it chooses."
A chill ran down Leo's spine. "I'm no one's puppet," he growled.
The hunter's cloak shifted as he drew a long, slender blade from a sheath at his hip. The weapon shimmered with an otherworldly glow, runes dancing along its length. "You are mine to judge."
Aïcha's staff sparked, her voice trembling with fury. "Who are you?"
The hunter's head turned, just enough for his gaze to meet hers. "Maltheus," he said simply. "The Régime's appointed Inquisitor. My duty is to cull the weak and forge the strong."
Leo's blood burned. "And what if I refuse?"
Maltheus's blade rose, its tip gleaming. "Then you die."
Leo felt the System stir inside him, shadows coiling around his thoughts. Use me, it whispered. Strike first. End this.
He grit his teeth, muscles coiled. "I'll take my chances."
Maltheus moved—fast, impossibly fast. Leo barely brought the machete up in time to parry the strike, sparks leaping into the darkness. The force of the blow sent him staggering.
Aïcha shouted, but Maltheus's attention was on Leo, eyes glowing behind his mask. "Show me your strength, candidate."
Leo's breath came in ragged bursts. The darkness inside him surged, eager to be unleashed.
Embrace it, the System urged. This is your test.
Leo's jaw clenched. "Then let's finish this," he growled.
The shadows roared, and the fight began.
The darkness ignited like a living thing, shadows boiling out from Leo's skin as he lunged forward, machete swinging. Maltheus's blade met his in a spray of sparks, the clash ringing like a funeral bell through the tunnel.
Maltheus twisted, moving with impossible grace, his blade a blur of silver and blood-red runes. Leo's breath came in ragged gasps, the System's cold laughter coiling in his head.
You're strong, it purred. But not strong enough. Let me show you.
"Shut up!" Leo roared, driving his machete toward Maltheus's chest.
Maltheus parried, his eyes glowing behind the iron mask. "Good," he rasped. "Anger makes you strong."
Leo's teeth ground together. The darkness in him surged, tendrils of shadow lashing out like whips. Maltheus ducked under one, slicing it apart with a single, precise stroke. The severed shadow hissed, vanishing like smoke.
"You think you can master it," Maltheus taunted, his blade darting for Leo's side. Leo twisted, but the blade bit deep, a cold fire spreading through his ribs.
A scream ripped from his throat. Pain blurred his vision, but the System roared back, stronger. Shadows exploded from his skin, black and seething, wrapping around Maltheus's arm.
Maltheus grunted, but his movements remained fluid. He shifted his stance, the shadows slipping through his fingers like water. "You're just a child," he sneered. "The System will consume you. You're nothing but its vessel."
Leo's eyes blazed with darkness. "Better a vessel than your slave!"
With a roar, he swung the machete, shadows spiraling from the blade in a jagged arc. The darkness struck Maltheus's chest, sending him stumbling. Sparks flew, the runes on his armor flaring with eerie light.
Aïcha's voice cracked through the chaos. "Leo—don't lose yourself!"
Leo's vision blurred. The System's voice wrapped around his mind, hungry. Kill him. Let me devour him.
Maltheus steadied, his blade crackling with energy. "I can end this," he hissed. "Surrender, and I'll make it quick."
Leo's breath came in ragged gasps. Shadows coiled tighter, promising victory—at the cost of everything he was.
Choose.
Leo's hands trembled, the darkness pressing in. Camille's broken breaths echoed in his ears. Aïcha's fierce eyes—full of hope and terror—met his.
Leo screamed, the sound raw and defiant, and lunged.
The darkness met the hunter's blade in a clash that shook the world.
Sparks screamed in the darkness as Leo's machete met Maltheus's blade in a shower of shadow and light. The impact rattled Leo's bones, but he pressed forward, the darkness surging from his veins like a flood.
Maltheus staggered, the runes on his armor crackling with power. "You're stronger than I thought," he growled, voice distorted by his mask.
Leo's breath came in ragged bursts. His arms felt like lead, every muscle trembling with the effort to keep the System's power in check. Shadows danced at the edge of his vision, whispering promises he couldn't ignore.
Let me in, the System hissed. End him. Embrace your destiny.
Leo's teeth ground together. "No!"
Maltheus lunged, his blade slicing the air. Leo barely twisted aside, the blade grazing his shoulder. Pain flared, but he refused to yield.
"Leo!" Aïcha's voice cut through the chaos. Her staff glowed, runes flaring with desperate light. "You're losing yourself!"
Leo's vision blurred. The darkness pressed in, wrapping around his arms, his chest, his mind. Camille's labored breathing sounded so far away now, like a memory.
Maltheus laughed—a sound of metal on bone. "She's right, you know," he mocked. "The System's already inside you. It's eating you alive."
Leo's knees buckled. He screamed, shadows tearing from his skin like living chains. The System's voice roared in his head: Submit!
Aïcha's staff slammed into the ground. A shockwave of light burst outward, slamming into Leo like a hammer. The shadows recoiled, the System's voice shrieking in rage.
Leo collapsed, the darkness receding. His chest heaved, sweat dripping from his chin. He looked up at Aïcha, eyes wide and pained. "What—"
She stood over him, staff trembling. "I had to," she said, voice shaking. "You were gone, Leo. The System was taking you."
Leo's vision cleared enough to see the fear in her eyes. "You—you used magic on me."
Her lips trembled. "I saved you."
Maltheus staggered, his blade raised, blood trailing down his side. "Pathetic," he spat. "You fight among yourselves while the System feasts."
Leo's rage flared. "I'm not your meal!" he roared, surging to his feet. The darkness coiled, but weaker now, fractured by Aïcha's spell.
She met his gaze, tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Leo. But I won't let it take you."
Leo's chest ached. Trust frayed between them like an old rope.
Maltheus's blade glowed, ready to strike. "Then let's end this," he snarled.
The System inside Leo whispered: Choose.
The tunnel trembled with every heartbeat, dust falling from the cracked ceiling like dying stars. Leo's breath came in ragged gasps, every muscle quivering as he faced Maltheus, the hunter's blade poised to end everything.
Aïcha's staff glowed behind him, its runes flickering, but Leo felt the distance between them—an invisible wall built by fear and doubt. Camille's labored breaths echoed in the darkness, a fragile reminder of what they were fighting for.
Maltheus's blade crackled with dark energy, the runes along its length pulsing like a dying heart. "You can't stop it," he sneered. "The System has claimed you."
Leo's hands trembled. The shadows inside him writhed, but something—someone—held them back. A promise. A memory. A voice that wasn't the System's.
"I am not your puppet," Leo growled. His voice cracked with exhaustion and defiance.
Maltheus lunged. Leo met him head-on, the machete a blur in the darkness. Sparks flew as steel met steel. The System's voice screamed in his head, but Leo forced it down.
"Leo!" Aïcha's voice broke through the chaos, steady and unwavering. "Don't let it win!"
Leo's blade struck true. Maltheus's mask shattered with a crack like thunder. Beneath, his face was twisted with rage and something like relief.
"You… passed," Maltheus whispered. Blood stained his lips as he crumpled to the ground, the darkness in his eyes fading.
Leo stood over him, breath ragged, shadows retreating to the corners of the room. The System pulsed—angry but silent for now.
Aïcha rushed to Leo's side, her staff dim but steady. "Leo," she said, her voice soft. "You did it."
He met her gaze, pain and exhaustion carved into every line of his face. "For now," he muttered.
Camille's labored breathing caught his attention. Leo knelt, his hands trembling as he checked the boy's pulse. Weak, but steady. Relief flooded him.
"He's alive," Leo said, his voice hoarse.
Aïcha let out a breath she'd been holding. "Then we keep going," she said. "Together."
Leo looked at her, shadows flickering in his eyes. "Can you trust me after what happened?"
She met his gaze without hesitation. "I don't have to trust the System. I trust you."
A silence fell, thick with unspoken fears and fragile hope. Leo's chest tightened.
"Then we fight," he said. "For Camille. For us. For whatever's left of this world."
Aïcha nodded. "For whatever's left."
The darkness inside Leo pulsed, but it no longer felt like a cage. It felt like a chain he could wield.
"Let's finish this," he whispered, his voice a promise the System itself couldn't break.