Chapter 2
The wind cut sharper here.
Draziel stepped onto the cracked stone platform at the base of the cliff, boots scraping against ancient runes half-buried in moss. The woman who had guided him so far — still nameless, still unreadable — stood a few feet away, her arms folded.
"This is where your trial begins," she said without turning.
He scanned the surroundings. The area was circular, enclosed by towering obsidian pillars — old, worn by time, yet humming faintly with energy. Beyond them, the forest loomed, watching in silence. The air buzzed. Not with magic — with expectation.
"What kind of trial?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.
She finally looked at him. "The kind that decides whether you walk free in this world… or return to the grave you crawled out of."
Before he could reply, the ground shuddered.
A stone slab in the center of the arena cracked open. From it rose something grotesque — a hulking beast of twisted earth and bone, nearly twice his size. Its face was a hollow skull, molten red light burning in its sockets. Chains dragged behind it, clinking like echoes of war.
"An *Infernal Warden*," she said. "Born from rage. It guards the gate to the living."
The Warden let out a deep, guttural snarl. Then it charged.
Draziel moved — fast. Instinct, not thought, guided him. He sidestepped the first blow, stone shattering where he had stood. Dust exploded upward. He rolled, came up, and reached for a weapon — nothing.
Only then did he hear her voice again.
"Use what's inside you."
That warmth. The Essence.
It surged from within his chest, pulsing outward, wrapping around his arms like smoke. Energy — raw and primal — laced his limbs, coiling with fury. He didn't need a blade. He *was* the blade.
The Warden turned again.
Draziel's eyes narrowed.
And he ran straight into the storm.
---
The Infernal Warden thundered forward, dragging its chains like echoes of a thousand screams. Its skull-face split into a jagged, toothless maw that breathed heat and hatred. The ground trembled with each step.
Draziel's heartbeat slowed. Not from fear.
From something else.
He could feel it again—that *pull*, like a forgotten memory scratching at the edge of his mind. A cold fire simmering in his veins, demanding release.
He clenched his fists.
The Warden struck. A sweeping arm of jagged stone tore toward him. He ducked—barely. The air ripped beside his ear as rubble exploded nearby. Pain flared in his side. A grazing hit. Not deep—but enough.
His blood hit the stones.
Something shifted.
The scent of his blood in the air triggered something primal. The world slowed. Sound muffled. Every breath grew louder. The light changed—shadows thickened unnaturally around him, pooling beneath his feet like ink spilled from a torn sky.
His fingers twitched. The pain in his ribs... it wasn't fading.
It was feeding him.
*What... is this?* he thought, staggering back. His vision shimmered, laced with crimson. The Warden turned again, preparing to charge.
That's when he heard it.
A whisper—inside his skull.
Not words. A sensation.
Like... *welcome back*.
His limbs moved on instinct. One hand reached forward, open-palmed. The shadows on the ground twitched—then slithered, rising into a vague shape. Not solid yet. But alive. Listening.
He stepped back, breathing heavily. His heart pounded faster now, not in panic, but rhythmically... like a war drum.
The Warden roared.
And the *Sigil* on Draziel's chest, dormant since his awakening, flickered to life—just a thin, blood-red outline glowing beneath his torn shirt. A *Dominion Mark*.
But nothing like the standard ones.
This mark wasn't etched by Essence tutors or carved in peace.
It was *branded* into him by betrayal and death itself.
The Warden lunged once more.
Draziel didn't flinch.
As the beast descended upon him, the shadows around him *rose*—not fully formed, but wrapping his body like smoke preparing to solidify.
He didn't know what he was doing.
But whatever it was…
It wasn't something taught.
It was something *remembered*.
---
Draziel's eyes narrowed, heart pounding, every nerve alight with newfound strength and potential. This was only the beginning. Control was the key — if he lost it, the fury inside him would consume everything and everyone.
He exhaled slowly, a quiet determination settling over him. The path to revenge, to reclaiming what was stolen, was still long. But now, with his power awakened, the scales had finally tipped.
---
Draziel's heart pounded in his chest as the monstrous roar grew deafening. Before him, the grotesque creature lunged—its claws tearing through the air with deadly intent. Pain from his new body's wounds burned sharp, but something deeper stirred within him.
The power coursing through his veins flared, bright and wild, as if demanding release. His vision blurred, colors intensifying, sounds sharpening. The creature's shadow loomed closer, but Draziel's hands crackled with raw energy—his first true weapon in this unfamiliar form.
With a sudden burst, he unleashed a surge of power, sending the monster staggering back. The air hummed with electricity, crackling like a storm about to break.
But the fight was far from over. The beast growled, eyes glowing with malice, ready to strike again. Draziel clenched his fists, feeling the hunger for vengeance fuse with the raw energy inside him.
He wasn't just fighting for survival anymore—he was awakening.
---
Draziel's breath came in ragged gasps as he steadied himself, muscles trembling under the strain. The dim forest around him seemed to hold its breath, shadows flickering with every flash of his awakening power. His mind raced—memories of betrayal, the cold hand of death, and now this strange second chance pulsing in his veins.
The monster snarled, stalking forward with predatory precision. It was bigger and stronger than anything he'd faced before, but he sensed a weakness beneath its ferocity. The energy thrumming through him sharpened his instincts, granting clarity amid the chaos.
A surge of adrenaline pushed him forward, each step resonating with newfound strength. As the beast lunged again, Draziel dodged with a fluid grace that surprised even himself. His hands glowed faintly, tendrils of power weaving through the air.
"I'm not the same as before," he muttered, voice low but fierce.
With a concentrated burst, he unleashed a controlled blast of energy, striking the monster squarely in the chest. It staggered, howling in pain, but refused to fall. Draziel's eyes burned with resolve—this was only the beginning.
The forest around them grew silent again, save for the heavy breathing and the distant echo of a world that seemed to watch his rise.
---
Draziel's heart pounded as the grotesque shape lunged toward him — its twisted limbs scraping against the rocky ground. The air around him crackled with energy, his veins burning with a strange warmth that pulsed in rhythm with his rising adrenaline. He barely had time to dodge the creature's claw, feeling the rush of wind scrape past his cheek.
Instinctively, Draziel stretched out his hand, feeling the familiar surge of the Essence within him. The dark power flared, coiling around his fingers like living shadows. He hesitated, unsure if he could fully control this force, but the beast gave him no choice.
With a swift motion, he unleashed a shadowy slash, the blade of pure Essence cutting through the monster's arm, making it howl in pain. Yet, the creature was relentless. It recoiled, then charged again, its red eyes glowing with fury.
Draziel's mind raced — every second felt like an eternity. He realized that this fight was more than just survival. It was a test. His new body, his new power, and the bitter memories of betrayal all converged in this moment. Would he master this force? Or be consumed by it?
The ground shook beneath them as the beast slammed into him. Pain exploded across his side, but Draziel grit his teeth. He pushed the burning Essence deeper, feeling it flow faster, stronger — fueling his next move. With a roar that surprised even himself, he summoned a tendril of dark energy that wrapped around the creature's neck, squeezing with relentless pressure.
As the monster's struggles weakened, Draziel felt a flicker of something new — clarity. This power was his weapon and his curse, but also his salvation.
---
As Draziel's Essence surged through his veins, a sharp pain stabbed at the edges of his mind. Images flashed unbidden—his former life unraveling in a brutal betrayal. The closest comrade, the one he once called brother, twisting a dagger into his back as darkness swallowed him whole. The sting of abandonment, the coldness of deceit—they fueled the fire burning inside him now. *Never again,* he vowed silently, gripping his weapon tighter, eyes burning with the promise of vengeance.
---
As the creature reared back for its final strike, Draziel's breath hitched. Time seemed to slow — every heartbeat loud in the charged silence. His muscles screamed to move, but his mind was a storm of memories, pain, and a flicker of hope he couldn't explain.
The monster's eyes glowed crimson, its jagged claws slicing through the air mere inches from him. Yet in that frozen moment, something deep inside Draziel stirred — a power, raw and unyielding, waiting to break free.
But would it be enough? Or was this the end?
The answer hung in the air, heavy and unanswered, as the world held its breath.