The ground still steamed with heat and ritual residue.
Lira stood at the edge of the ruined shrine, eyes fixed on the jagged spiral carved into the floor. The light pulsing from it wasn't flame—it was something older. Hungrier.
"This is the way down," she said.
I stared into the spiral crack. It pulsed faintly like a breathing wound.
"Sure it's not a pit into hell?" I asked.
She didn't smile. Just stepped closer. "Would that stop you?"
"No," I admitted.
Then the world shifted.
Not physically. Spiritually.
The spiral widened—not as a hole, but as a tunnel through memory. The stone underfoot flickered. Gravity failed.
And we fell.
The descent was a blur of images—rituals, spirals, screams. A sea of faceless cultists chanting in a language that made my bones itch. And one voice louder than the rest: a masked figure, seated high above them all, speaking through me.
I didn't understand the words.
But I felt the intent.
Ownership. Binding. Eternity.
We landed—hard—on cracked obsidian stone.
[System Notice: Host has entered Memory Stratum – Depth One: "Hollowing Ground"]Warning: Reality distortion present. Skill effects may behave unpredictably.
The air here was thick. Dreamlike. The sky was nothing—just endless grey above jagged stone cliffs and broken ritual altars. It smelled like burnt bone and frozen ash.
Lira winced and touched her arm. "They used to bring us here… in visions. Before the rites."
Her voice cracked, and I saw the fear behind her eyes. But also the fire.
I helped her up.
"We're ending this," I said.
A sound echoed from deeper within.
Metal dragging.
But not just any metal.
It was heavy. Purposeful.
A figure emerged—twice my height, plated in cracked black armor. Spirals carved along its breastplate glowed red.
A sword, long as a man, dragged behind it. Its helm had no eyes—only a spiral carved deep into its faceplate.
[System Alert: Elite Entity Detected – Spiralbound Knight]Threat Level: Very High – Reinforced Soulbound HostAbilities: UnknownWarning: This entity has consumed multiple rituals. Proceed with caution.
It lifted its blade.
Then it charged.
"Clawing Swipe!"
I blurred to the side. My claw met metal—but it barely scratched. The knight spun and slammed its sword into the floor. The shockwave hurled me against the stone wall.
[HP: 42 / 120]
'Damn. That thing is built like a fortress.'
"Lira—"
"I'm fine!" she shouted. "Cover me!"
Glyphs glowed on her palm—hastily drawn but potent.
"Ashbrand Glyph!"
Flames wrapped around the knight's legs. It stumbled. For one second—just one—it was vulnerable.
"Sigil Brand!"
I slammed my palm into its chest. The brand flared like lightning—disrupting the spirals for a heartbeat.
Then—
"Spiral Rend!"
My new skill surged through my limbs. I twisted my arm into a perfect arc, rending the knight's chest open in a crescent-shaped spiral. Sparks and red mist exploded from the wound.
The knight faltered.
Then fell—crashing like a crumbling tower.
Silence returned.
But not for long.
[Enemy Defeated – Spiralbound Knight (Elite)]+135 EXP earnedSoul Echo Triggered:+2 Strength+2 Endurance+1 AgilitySkill Fragment Absorbed: Spiral Rend (Rank B)Soul Echo Bonus: Host may learn future Spiralbound abilities at reduced mastery cost.
I gasped as the surge hit me. My limbs felt denser. My footing more stable. Every movement flowed sharper.
'This… this is what Soul Echo was made for.'
[STATUS SCREEN – Soulbound Host: Isaac]Level: 5Race: Unknown (Undead-Linked)Title: [Revenant]HP: 42 / 120MP: 70 / 70
Strength: 11Agility: 6Endurance: 8Intelligence: 8Willpower: 6Charisma: 1Luck: ???
Recent Gains (Level 5):+1 STR, +1 AGI, +1 INT, +1 END, +1 MP (Architect's Insight)+2 STR, +2 END, +1 AGI (Soul Echo – Spiralbound Knight absorbed)Skill Gained:Spiral Rend (Rank B)Spiral Rend – Rank B
Type: Active
Description: Unleash a powerful slashing attack imbued with spiral-encoded energy, designed to rupture internal energy flows and disrupt magical constructs. When used, the user carves a spiral-shaped arc through the air that tears through armor and weakens magical protections.
Effects:
Deals high physical damage scaling with Strength and Agility
Inflicts bonus damage to shielded, armored, or ritual-marked enemies
Has a 15% chance to cause Energy Disruption on magical foes (temporarily reducing their spell effectiveness or nullifying their next cast)
Has a cooldown of 12 seconds
Special Trait:
Spiralbound Affinity: When used against enemies with spiral-based abilities or ritual marks, Spiral Rend bypasses 30% of their physical and magical defenses.
The knight's armor crumbled into black dust. A single bone fragment remained—marked with a spiral… and Lira's name.
She picked it up. Her hands trembled.
"They were going to brand me with this," she whispered.
"Not anymore."
She nodded. And for the first time, she smiled without fear.
The spiral beneath us pulsed again.
Another trial awaited.
But this time—we would face it together.