Chapter 6: The Bell Tolls Four
The toll came like a scream smothered in velvet.
A deep, echoing chime rolled across Nightreach, vibrating through stone and soul alike. It wasn't just heard—it was felt, like nails being dragged across memory. The fog froze mid-motion, suspended like breath caught in a lie.
[System Alert: Reality Distortion Detected]
[Bell Toll Count: IV]
[WARNING: Narrative Thread Breach Detected]
The civilians who had begun to stir dropped to their knees or collapsed outright. Windows shattered from vibrations that had no physical source. Statues cracked. Lamplight dimmed.
And Shen stood in the middle of it all, breath shallow.
His fingers twitched toward his blade—but this wasn't something he could cut.
[Error: Reality Sync Failed – User: Shen (Voidmarked)]
The sigil on his chest pulsed. Wild. Uncontrolled. Hungry.
The world tilted.
He staggered through the city, guided by instinct—or maybe something older. Down alleys that shouldn't have been there. Past murals that shifted when unobserved.
Then he saw them.
A gathering beneath a cracked bell-tower. Robes black as void, trimmed with shimmering silver thread. Faces hidden behind masks carved like crescent moons. The air around them hissed, wrong with intent.
"The Fifth Toll nears."
"The anomaly draws breath where none should remain."
"The Void-Touched vessel interferes again."
One turned slightly, as if sensing him. But before their eyes could meet—
the world shunted.
Shen gasped, doubled over. He was somewhere else. A courtyard, untouched by rot. Quiet again.
A shadow flickered—then took shape.
She stood amid broken cobblestones, cradling a satchel of herbs that glowed like starlight. Pale hair. Stranger's eyes. Familiar, though they'd never met.
"You shouldn't be conscious during the Fourth Toll," she said quietly. "They'll notice."
He stared.
"…Who are you?"
She tilted her head. "A mistake. Like you."
Her staff tapped the ground. The shadows recoiled from her.
[Passive Trait Unlocked: Void Immunity Fragment – 1/3 Acquired]
[System Message: Questline Unlocked – 'The Hollow Moon Tolls']
Progression Tier: Unique (Locked)
She turned to go.
"Wait," Shen said. "What do they want?"
She paused, without looking back.
"To finish the story before you change the ending."
Nightreach trembled in the distance. The bell tower loomed, silent once more.
Shen closed his eyes—and something answered.
A vision.
He was kneeling. Bound in celestial chains. Bleeding shadows. Blades pierced his back—familiar ones.
A voice, his own but colder, echoed through his mind:
"You should've let me die back there."
Shen's eyes snapped open.
"…So this is just the beginning."