"I'll kill them all."
And for a heartbeat…
He didn't know if he meant the Aberrants —
—or everyone.
---
Smoke hadn't cleared, but the battlefield was silent.
Kairan stood. Or something inside him did.
He felt like his bones weren't his anymore — like someone had hollowed him out and poured molten wrath into the shape of a man.
[System Notice: Ability Acquired – Ash Pulse (Lv. 1)]
[Passive Effect Activated – Wrathbrand: Pain is Power]
Liora stared at him. Her blade trembled.
"...What the hell happened to you?"
He opened his mouth to answer, but only static came out.
The glyph in his eye flickered, and then the voice — the one from before — whispered again:
"They will fear you, vessel. As they feared me."
Memories slammed into him.
A throne made of spines.
The endless scream of a chained god.
A betrayal — ancient, divine, irreversible.
He gripped his head. The pain wasn't physical anymore. It was deeper — like his soul was cracking.
[Warning: Vessel Synchronization Exceeding Safe Threshold]
[System Suggestion: Kill something. Quickly.]
His vision shifted.
He turned — a twitch, a reflex — and saw it: a lurching Aberrant crawling from the rubble, half-burned, mouth of iron and teeth like drills.
His hand moved before thought.
A pulse — red and violent — exploded from his palm.
[Ability Used: Ash Pulse (Lv. 1)]
[Target Status: Incinerated]
[Emotional Feedback: +5 Wrath]
The Aberrant was gone.
So was the fear.
Only the heat remained. The burn of power in his blood.
The System hummed with approval.
[Objective Updated: Survive the Collapse Zone. Seek out a Hunter Outpost.]
Liora finally lowered her blade. "...You're not dying."
Kairan looked at her — one black eye glowing faintly.
"No," he said, voice sharp as a cracked blade.
"I'm just starting to live."
---
End of Chapter 2
— Vessel of Vekros
---
Author's Note:
Hey readers! Thanks for 1K+ views on Chapter 1 — you all are amazing. 🔥
Things are only getting darker from here. What do you think of Kairan's transformation?
Drop your thoughts and maybe a theory or two — Chapter 3 drops tomorrow.
Stay wrathful.
~ Sxhran