The Hollowspawn had been born screaming.
Twisted limbs, iron-hard skin, no eyes—only sockets that pulsed with black light. Reed had fed it the blood of the five goblins sacrificed for its birth. It fed hungrily, but obeyed.
For now.
But the Hollowspawn wasn't enough.
The war with Hadren was days away, and Reed knew one truth above all: you don't win by numbers. You win by monsters.
And he already had one.He just hadn't fully unleashed her yet.
"Strip," Reed ordered.
Shia blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Your gear. Off. We're rebuilding you."
She shrugged off her cloak, weapons, armor scraps, until only tattoos and scars remained—each a story of pain.
Reed opened the System Interface and accessed the Hero tab.
[HERO: SHIA]Rank: FLoyalty: 100%Class: Goblin BladePotential: UnknownStats:– Agility: B– Strength: C– Intelligence: C– Resilience: D
New Options Available:
Invest EXP to Awaken Hidden Skill
Reinforce Hero Bond
Enhance with Bloodcode Fragment (High Risk)
He selected Invest EXP.
Cost: 200 EXPConfirm?
He slammed YES.
Shia doubled over. Her skin rippled. Green light burned from her chest.
She screamed—not in pain, but release.
[Skill Awakened: WRAITHSTEP]For 6 seconds, move outside linear time. Immune to physical attacks. Cannot be seen unless the target has true sight or is touched directly.
She collapsed to one knee, panting.
Reed knelt beside her, grinning.
"You've always moved like a killer. Now you move like death."
Shia laughed through bloodied lips.
"You're starting to sound like a lord."
Over the next two nights, Reed pushed her harder.
They sparred under moonlight. Goblins watched from the cliffs, silent.
Shia's daggers moved like whispers—vanishing, reappearing, cutting.
Reed didn't hold back. He fought her with Bonecraft, with Thornblade, with the gauntlet fused to his hand.
He bled. She broke. Then she healed. And killed again.
By the end of it, her breathing was slower. Controlled. Her killing rhythm… beautiful.
"You're evolving," he said.
She smiled, teeth red.
"So are you."
On the final night before battle, they sat by the ritual pit, fire reflecting in their eyes.
Shia held her blade across her knees.
"You ever wonder what we are now?" she asked.
"No," Reed said. "I stopped wondering. I started building."
"Do you trust me?"
He didn't answer right away.
Then: "I don't trust people."
"I'm not people."
He looked at her.
She leaned in.
"Say it. Just once."
Reed stared into the fire.
"…I trust you."
The System chimed.
[Bond Strengthened: HERO - SHIA]Loyalty: MAXHidden Trait Unlocked: "Soul Anchor"— If Reed falls in battle, Shia can delay death by 30 seconds and strike once with double power.
The moment was shattered by screams.
A goblin scout dragged himself into the camp—arms torn, ribs broken.
"They… they came… from the trees…"
Behind him, a headless goblin corpse flopped into the mud.
Then the attackers stepped into the torchlight:
Wolves. Shadowborn. Blacksteel armor. No banners.
Assassins.
Reed drew Thornblade. "Halspire's work."
Shia didn't speak.
She vanished.
Wraithstep.
One heartbeat.
Two.
Three.
Then blood rained.
The first assassin collapsed with his throat bitten out. The second twitched as his heart was skewered from behind. The third screamed before his head was twisted off cleanly.
Reed killed the fourth.
By the time it ended, five bodies twitched in the firelight.
Reed turned. Shia stood over them, blades dripping.
"Still trust me?"
The System screamed.
[Domain Clash Countdown: 24 HOURS]
Lord Hadren's forces spotted on the outer ridge.Magical storm front approaching.Enemy Hero: Active.
Warning: "Sylvan Knight" has engaged in 3 prior Lord kills.
Shia wiped her blades on her arm.
"Tomorrow?"
Reed stared into the storm cloud rising over the treetops.
"No," he said. "Tonight."