Chapter 36: The Forbidden Market
The flames of the Herald's destruction still lingered in the air when Kael and his companions stepped back from the bloody circle. Ash drifted lazily across the breeze, catching the morning light in flecks of red and gold. The stench of cursed blood still clung to the trees.
Kael's grip on the cursed memory shard tightened as his mind raced.
"Whoever leaked our information," he muttered, "knew too much. This wasn't just scouting. This was an execution."
Valeria placed a calm hand on his arm. "And a message. We've shaken the world. Now it's waking up to crush us."
Thalaria, her eyes electric, spat on the ground. "Let it try."
Selene stepped forward. "We need to interrogate this shard. The answers might be deeper than we expect."
Nysera, crouched beside the Herald's remains, plucked a dark coin from the corpse's chest cavity. It pulsed with violet light, cold and humming.
Kael turned. "What's that?"
She smirked. "A token to the Forbidden Market. Only Sin-bearers can activate it."
[Quest Updated: Forbidden Market Access]
Objective: Use the Sin Coin to locate and access the Hidden Market
Bonus Objective: Avoid alerting the Crimson Tongue Elders
Reward: Rare System Item (???), Shop Tier Upgrade
Kael felt the coin burn against his hand as he took it. At once, a shadowed map etched into the back of his mind.
That night, under Nysera's guidance, the group followed the markings deep into a ravine hidden beneath layers of illusion spells and soul wards. At the basin's center stood an obsidian gate, blank and smooth as oil.
As Kael stepped forward, the gate pulsed.
[Sin Signature Confirmed. Crown of Sin Bearer Identified. Access Granted.]
With a hiss of ancient seals breaking, the gate slid open, revealing a staircase descending into nothing but shadow.
Each step felt heavier. The air thickened. And then—
They arrived in a cavern vast enough to rival the capital cities. A bazaar of madness stretched before them. Merchants cloaked in darkness peddled cursed relics, bottled souls, forbidden spells. Sin-stained mercenaries bartered with monsters. Overhead, chandeliers of bone and flame swung gently.
Kael turned slowly. "Welcome to the Forbidden Market."
[System Alert: Forbidden Market Entered]
New Menu Unlocked: Sin Market Tier 1
Available Categories: Bloodline Seeds, Physique Upgrades, Sin Techniques, Cultivation Aids, Mystery Boxes
The group moved cautiously through the stalls. Some merchants whispered as they passed. Others bowed in eerie reverence.
One figure—hooded and headless, floating behind a table of pulsing heart-shaped crystals—whispered without a mouth: "Sin-Bearer… the flesh remembers. Would you like to taste memory?"
Kael grimaced. "Maybe later."
Thalaria was already poking at a glaive forged from writhing shadows. "This place is insane."
Selene shuddered beside a rack of robes stitched from banshee silk. "We shouldn't stay long. The walls feel like they're breathing."
Nysera, unfazed, moved with practiced ease. "Find the Archivist. He'll know which artifacts we need and what price they'll cost."
As they approached a towering structure built from black glass bones, a hunched old man emerged. His eyes were sewn shut, yet he saw everything.
"You carry the Crown," he rasped. "You seek power, yes? Bloodline. Physique. Perhaps even… transformation?"
Kael nodded. "And information. The cult knew too much about me and my partners."
The Archivist extended a palm. "Then pay with memory."
Kael winced as the shard in his pocket cracked.
[Exchange Complete: Memory Shard Converted — Information Unlocked]
"The Crimson Tongue is no longer a fringe cult," the Archivist intoned. "They serve the Rooted One. The old god of buried sins. And they know your harem is your strength… and your weakness."
Kael's heart pounded.
"They've dispatched elite harvesters. Not to kill. To corrupt. They seek to bend your wives to their will. One of them already walks among their shadows."
The team tensed.
Selene whispered, "One of us…?"
"No," Valeria snapped. "We're bound. We'd know."
The Archivist nodded slowly. "Not yet. But soon. You'll be tested."
Nysera turned to Kael, serious for once. "We need to strengthen our bond, Kael. Physically, emotionally… spiritually. Or they will exploit it."
Kael nodded. "Then let's prepare. Whatever it takes."
[New Sub-Quest: Tempering the Flame of Sin]
Objective: Unlock Sin Market Tier 2
Strengthen emotional resonance with bonded partners through sacred rites
Reward: Unique Sin Technique — Eternal Flame Link
As Kael turned to leave the Market, a pair of glowing eyes opened in the shadows above.
Unseen. Unheard. Watching.
The game had only just begun.
End of Chapter 36