---
The dawn bled sluggishly over Birthmere, casting an ashen light across the wreckage.
Laraine stood amid soot and silence, the air thick with smoke and something older—older than rot, older than bones.
She looked down.
Nestled among the remains of the Spiritbound Husk, half-buried beneath scorched stone, was a relic.
It pulsed.
Not with light.
With intent.
A jagged bracelet, blackened silver rimmed in crimson script. It looked like it had been dredged from a battlefield—and cursed for good measure. The moment her fingers brushed it, Laraine's blood surged.
{Ooooh.} Vi practically squealed. {Legendary-grade. Definitely cursed. Also, absolutely fabulous.}
"That thing tried to kill me."
{And now it wants to accessorize you. The best relationships start that way.}
A prompt blinked into her vision:
---
[ITEM ACQUIRED: Relic of the Forsaken Flame]
Grade: Legendary
Type: Artifact (Wrist-bound)
Status: Dormant (Requires Resonance)
Warning: Attunes to bloodlines only
---
[New Trait Unlocked: Cursed Heirloom Resonance (Passive)]
Effect: Unknown
---
'Vi… what does that mean?'
{It means you probably had some fancy ancestor who liked fire, death, and dramatic jewelry.} A beat. {I'm so proud.}
Behind her, Elise stirred.
Laraine turned sharply, slipping the bracelet into her cloak just as the merchant groaned and sat up, brushing ash off her coat.
"What happened? Did we win?"
"You're alive," Laraine said. "That counts."
Elise narrowed her eyes. "And the monster?"
"Crisp."
"…And the woman in black?"
A flicker of heat twisted in Laraine's chest.
"Gone."
Before Elise could dig deeper, Vi interrupted, positively beaming:
{Oh! Almost forgot. We unlocked some fun stuff~ Check your stats, User. You've been promoted from dirt to dirt with potential.}
---
[USER STATUS — UPDATED]
Level: 2
EXP: 200/500
STR: 5
AGI: 5
END: 3
MANA: 5
INT: 7
LUCK: 0 (The universe still despises you~)
Bloodline: ??? (Resonance detected — unlocking in progress)
[NEW TRAITS]
• Bloodflame Core — Active
• Fear Resistance (Basic) — Passive
• Cursed Heirloom Resonance — Passive
[SYSTEM FEATURES UNLOCKED]
• Inventory System
• Map: Region — South Luthain Forest / Village of Birthmere
---
Elise had gone quiet, eyes trained on Laraine.
"You're different," she said suddenly.
Laraine froze.
"You're hiding something."
'Let's see… a dead identity, a royal betrayal, and a goddess's voice living rent-free in my skull. Take your pick.'
Out loud: "Aren't we all?"
Elise snorted but let it go. For now.
As they made their way back to the inn, a new message flared:
---
[WORLD EVENT: Court Unrest in Luxria]
• Noble Houses have begun probing the throne's stability
• Reward: Political Chaos
• Status: Escalating
{Vi's Commentary: Guess who's trending on the underworld grapevine again? You are~}
---
Laraine narrowed her eyes.
So the court was stirring.
The vulture lords would smell weakness.
She tugged her hood tighter.
Let them come.
Let them sift through ashes and find what they left behind.
She had burned once.
Now it was their turn.
---
The inn was too quiet.
Even the rats had taken the day off.
Laraine sat by the window, soot drifting like black snow outside. The hearth crackled behind her, but the warmth didn't touch the chill crawling down her spine.
{User, I have good news, bad news, and completely deranged news. Which would you like first?} Vi chirped.
"None. It's barely dawn."
{Perfect! Starting with the deranged: your bloodline is officially not total garbage! Resonance has reached 24%. You're now 0.0009% closer to being terrifying.}
"Terrifying?"
{Yes, darling. Like a cursed princess covered in blood and bad decisions. Oh wait. That's already you.}
Before Laraine could respond with something impolite and possibly violent, the system shimmered again.
---
[BLOODLINE UPDATE]
• Resonance Level: 24%
• Current Effect: Enhanced fire manipulation in combat
• Status: Incomplete
• Locked Ability: ??? (Unseal @ 50% Resonance)
Warning: Instability increases during emotional overload
---
"Fantastic," she muttered.
Elise slid into the seat across from her, setting down a bowl of... something. Possibly porridge. Possibly regret in edible form.
"Still not gonna tell me where you're from?"
"I'm a wandering mercenary with good taste in cloaks and bad luck," Laraine deadpanned.
Elise raised a brow. "And I'm secretly a princess who moonlights as a wine smuggler."
"Good to know," Laraine replied. "Your Majesty."
{I like her. Keep her. Or betray her later for dramatic tension.}
'Vi.'
{What? It's either that or a slow-burn friends-to-enemies-to-lovers-to-enemies-again arc. I don't make the tropes, I just weaponize them.}
[DING!]
---
[QUEST RECEIVED: THE WHISPERS IN THE ROOTS]
A local boy has vanished near the collapsed chapel. Villagers blame "the Mourning Tree."
• Investigate the strange growth near the ruins
• Optional: Speak to herbalist Old Ma Kerva
• Reward: 250 EXP + "Rootcut" Dagger (Rare)
• Failure Penalty: Missing persons + mild haunting
---
Elise frowned. "That sound again. Do you always flinch when nothing happens?"
"I don't flinch," Laraine said, standing. "I calculate risk."
"Where are you going?"
"To talk to an old woman about trees. Apparently, I'm the village's unofficial exorcist now."
Elise blinked. "Want company?"
Laraine paused.
No.
Yes.
She didn't know.
But Elise hadn't run. That had to count for something.
"Sure," she said. "Just don't touch anything that glows."
"Noted."
---
The ruins of Birthmere's chapel stood like broken teeth beneath a grey sky, ivy trailing down its sunken stones. Crows circled overhead.
And beneath the shattered altar, the ground… pulsed. Slow and rhythmic—like breath.
Vi's voice dropped an octave.
{User… that's not just rot. There's something beneath this place. Something… old. Older than you. Older than me.}
'Older than a goddess's system shard?'
{I'm getting a signal I shouldn't even be able to hear. Which is usually a very bad sign.}
Elise's hand hovered near her blade. "Do you feel that?"
Laraine nodded. "Yeah. Something's watching."
A whisper curled from the trees.
Then another.
Elise drew her weapon. "We're not alone."
No.
They weren't.
And somewhere beneath the chapel's crumbling stones…
Something began to stir.
---