Where the soul's fire rises for the first time against the shadows of Chaos.
The fourth lunar cycle since his arrival in Zharr-Kael coincided with the Festival of the Inner Flame—an ancestral tradition of the clan said by the elders to ward off "corrupted spirits" that fed on human emotion. Sacred bonfires were lit with ignition crystals harvested from the caverns of Obal-Maar, and children sang songs in a language only the oldest still fully understood.
Ethan watched attentively from an elevated wooden platform, invited as a guest but not yet a full member of the clan. Beside him, Indra wore a ceremonial cloak with tribal symbols painted over her light armor. She noticed his silence.
"You've never been to a purification festival?" she asked, without taking her eyes off the fire.
"No. Not like this," Ethan replied. "Where I'm from, festivals were for more… worldly reasons."
Indra smiled. But something in the air began to shift.
A dissonant pressure fell over the valley like a heavy breeze. Ethan felt a chill crawl down the back of his neck, and the system—usually silent—flashed a red warning at once:
Warp anomaly detected.Minor psychic corruption manifesting.Origin: nearby child.
Ethan rose immediately. His spiritual senses sharpened, and amid the ritual circle—among dances and chants—a child no older than eight began to convulse, his eyes turning pitch black, his voice distorting.
"The boy!" a woman cried. "He's possessed!"
The circle broke into chaos. Some elders began chanting prayers, others backed away in fear. The clan shaman, Nahr-Kar, approached with a silver staff, but the child—or whatever now inhabited him—threw him back with a blast of putrid energy.
Ethan didn't hesitate. He pushed through the crowd and, standing before the child, his system fully activated.
Warp threat: Class 3Mental shield usage: recommendedRisk of severe exhaustion: highExecute?
"Yes," he whispered, raising both hands.
An amber energy bubble surrounded the child. The murmurs of the entity within turned into distorted shrieks. Ethan's mental shield closed like a prison, isolating the child's mind from the thing controlling it. The unseen creature fought back, clawing psychically at the child's memories and emotions. Ethan felt every second like a burning needle stabbing into his brain.
"Let… this child… go!" he shouted, teeth clenched.The shield vibrated. It cracked. And finally—it burst in a flash of warm light, sweeping away the dark energy like a solar flare.
The child collapsed unconscious—but breathing. The warp shadow screamed without a mouth or body before evaporating into black mist, vanishing like a stain under sunlight. Ethan dropped to his knees, blood dripping from his nose. His vision trembled.
Warp entity expelled.Ethan Solhart status: moderate psychic exhaustion.Tribal respect level: elevated.New relationship unlocked: "Protector of the Spiritual Bond."
The villagers stood in stunned silence.
Then someone dropped to their knees.
Then another.
And another.
Soon, all began to bow before him.
Shaman Nahr-Kar, recovered but still shaken, limped forward. His eyes were filled with awe—and reverent fear.
"You're no guest," he said in a raspy voice. "You're a messenger of the Ancients. A living shield. A protector… who cannot be allowed to leave."
The village erupted into chanting. Not of celebration—but of acceptance. Of devotion. Of need.
Indra did not kneel. She walked to him, dropped to one knee, and helped him rise. Her eyes held no reverence… only resolve.
"You're bound to us now. You know that, right?"
Ethan, panting, nodded.
"I know. And I won't leave."
Not yet.
Later, in the dimness of his hut, as he lay on a bed of dry leaves and coarse fabric, the system calmly unfolded before him:
New objective: territorial consolidationCurrent phase: Foundation of the BloodlinePriority: understand warp threats, strengthen bonds, prepare the first heir.
Ethan closed his eyes. Outside, the village sang his name.But within him, a deeper seed had been planted.
He had chosen to stay.He had faced the Chaos.And now, the bloodline would begin to grow.
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