"Name?" said the man behind the desk. His skin was sickly yellow. His fingers too long.
"Kael."
He touched a glowing orb embedded in the floor. It pulsed once. I felt something crawl under my skin.
🟨 Registered: Kael of Emberwatch
CLASS: Infernal Warden
LEVEL: 2
STATS: Strength 10, Vitality 12, Intellect 6, Willpower 8
SKILLS: Firebrand, Burning Resilience, Smoldering Veins
ALIGNMENT: Unknown
TITLE: Survivor of Ash
"Survivor," he chuckled. "Funny how the System turns trauma into achievements."
I said nothing.
"You'll want to check the job board. Don't bother asking what's safe. Nothing is. This isn't the kind of world where people live long enough to retire."
I stared at my stats, hovering in the air like a branding iron.
A survivor? Maybe.
But I didn't feel like one.
I felt like a spark waiting to explode.
Nightfall at Dregwatch
The bunks were crude. The air stale. Across the room, a boy no older than fifteen clutched his knees, rocking. His blanket was soaked in blood.
"First crawl?" I asked, sitting beside him.
He flinched. Didn't speak at first.
Then: "I… I stabbed her. My party's healer. The mimic… it wore her face. Smiled at me. And I—"
His voice cracked.
"And the System… it gave me a level for it."
He looked up at me, tears in his eyes.
"Why did it reward me for that?"
I didn't have an answer.
But I looked into his eyes and saw a question I'd already buried.
Is this what becoming strong means?