The silence after the execution was suffocating.
The masked figure's armored boot crunched against the lifeless skull of the prisoner he had just killed, his red eyes sweeping over the rest of them. No one moved. No one even breathed too loudly.
The message was clear. Obey or die.
Raine clenched his fists, forcing his breathing to slow. The mark on his chest throbbed, burning under his skin. He still didn't understand its purpose, but it reacted. To his fear? To his rage?
Or maybe... to his will to survive.
The masked figure took another step forward, the dark chains slithering around him like living serpents.
"From this moment on, you belong to the Abyss."
His voice was cold, emotionless, and final.
"You will fight. You will kill. You will entertain. If you refuse…"
A flick of his wrist, and another prisoner was yanked forward by the chains. The man barely had time to scream before his throat was crushed in an instant.
The body dropped.
The masked man didn't even glance down.
"Then you will die."
Raine's heartbeat thundered in his ears.
Fight or die.
It wasn't a choice. It was a fact.
He had barely come to terms with his reincarnation, and already, he was thrown into something far worse than death itself.
The Abyss wasn't just a prison. It was a slaughterhouse.
A deep, guttural sound rumbled from beyond the prison walls. It was not human.
The masked figure turned to leave.
"Survive the first trial, and you will earn the right to live."
The doors slammed shut behind him.
And then—
The chains unshackled all at once.
Thrown Into the Pit
Raine barely had time to react before the iron gates at the far end of the prison groaned open. The dim light outside revealed a massive, circular arena—a coliseum of sand and blood.
From the other side of the arena, a gate lifted.
A deep, unnatural growl sent a chill through his spine.
Then, it stepped out.
A hulking, grotesque creature, nearly three meters tall, its skin stitched together from different bodies, its arms unnaturally long, ending in curved, rusted claws. The air filled with the stench of rot.
Someone in the group screamed. Others stumbled back, terror breaking their will before the battle even began.
Raine's fingers tightened into fists.
No. No hesitation. No fear.
If he froze now, he'd be dead.
The beast's hollow eyes scanned the prisoners. Its jaw split open in a horrifying snarl, revealing rows of jagged, uneven teeth.
Then, it charged.
BOOM.
The force of its movement shook the ground.
A prisoner near Raine tried to run—a fatal mistake.
In a blur, the beast ripped through him like paper, blood spraying across the sand. The crowd in the stands roared in excitement.
Raine ducked low, rolling to the side just as the monster's claws slammed into the ground where he had stood. Sand exploded in every direction.
He needed a weapon. Now.
His eyes darted across the battlefield. Scattered bones, rusted swords, broken spears.
He sprinted towards the nearest corpse, grabbing a half-shattered dagger from its skeletal grip. Not ideal. But better than nothing.
The beast turned its gaze toward him.
A low, guttural sound rumbled from its throat.
It lunged.
Raine moved purely on instinct. His feet twisted, his body ducking under the swipe. The moment the claw passed over his head, he plunged the dagger into its exposed wrist.
The blade barely sank in before snapping.
Shit.
The beast howled in rage and swung its other arm. Raine barely managed to dodge, but the wind pressure alone sent him staggering back.
He was too slow. Too weak.
And then—
The mark on his chest burned.
Pain shot through his veins like molten fire. His breath caught in his throat.
For a moment, everything slowed.
His senses sharpened. He could see the way the monster's muscles tensed before attacking. He could hear the shift of sand beneath its feet. He could predict its next move.
This mark… what the hell is it?
No time to think. The beast lunged again.
This time, Raine reacted before it attacked. He ducked low, pivoting behind it in one swift motion. His hand darted forward, grabbing something from the sand—a jagged bone.
Without hesitation, he jammed it into the monster's exposed eye.
A shriek of pain tore through the coliseum.
The creature thrashed, but Raine held on, pressing deeper.
And then—
A pulse. A rush of something dark, hungry, powerful.
His mark devoured.
The pain in his body vanished. His muscles tightened, strengthened. He felt faster. Sharper. More alive.
The beast's movements slowed.
And then, with one final shuddering breath, it collapsed.
Silence.
Then, the crowd erupted.
The masked figure stood at the edge of the arena, watching.
He didn't speak. He didn't react.
Then, he turned and left.
The doors at the far end of the arena opened.
A handful of prisoners remained standing. Bloodied, trembling, but alive.
Raine exhaled, his heart still pounding. His gaze flickered down to his hands, still slick with the beast's blackened blood.
The mark… devours.
He clenched his fingers.
This wasn't just a second chance.
This was power.
And he intended to use it.