The void cracked like glass.
The storm above shattered into fragments of ink, each syllable falling like rain. The red eyes in the sky blinked once… and vanished.
Aiden lay there, chest rising and falling, sparks still leaping along his skin. His fingers twitched. Every breath tasted of ozone.
"…Chain… Lightning," he whispered. Just saying it made his veins pulse with raw energy, though his body screamed at him for more.
Then the ground beneath him shuddered.
Stone splintered. Shadows spilled upward, writhing like serpents. They twisted, coiling together until they formed a massive figure — a beast made of ink and words, its body a storm of broken sentences, its claws dripping with black liquid.
It had no face, only a gaping maw that yawned wide, filled with screaming syllables.
Aiden's blood froze. "You've got to be kidding me."
The whisper in his head chuckled.
"Read, and conquer. Or be erased."
The monster lunged.
Aiden barely rolled aside as a claw crashed where he'd stood, shattering the stone platform. Fragments tumbled into the endless abyss. He scrambled to his feet, sparks flickering at his fingertips.
The curse pulsed inside him, urging. The runes on his chest flared. He raised his hand on instinct, fingers curled like claws.
"Chain… Lightning!"
Violet light erupted.
A spear of lightning burst from his palm, searing through the monster's torso. The beast howled as the arc split, leaping to its limbs, snapping across its shadow-flesh like burning chains.
Aiden's breath caught — the power was real.
The monster staggered, shrieking, smoke rising from the cracks in its body. But it didn't fall. It surged forward again, swinging claws that tore through the platform like paper.
Aiden ducked, rolled, his lungs burning. He was too slow. Too weak. The curse gave him power, but his body couldn't keep up.
The beast struck again. He barely blocked with an arm — and pain exploded. The blow hurled him across the platform, ribs shattering. He skidded, coughing blood.
The whisper snarled.
"Pathetic. Draw deeper."
"I'll die if I do!" Aiden screamed.
"Then die."
The monster roared, charging.
Aiden clenched his fists. His body begged him to stop, but survival was louder. He slammed his hand against the stone, forcing the curse to ignite.
The runes blazed. His veins became conduits once more. Sparks burst across his skin.
"CHAIN LIGHTNING!"
This time, the bolt wasn't a single strike. It forked, split, multiplied — lightning arcs chained from claw to arm to chest, wrapping the beast in a prison of violet.
The monster convulsed, its shadow-flesh burning away, words unraveling into nothing. It screeched one last time before bursting apart into a cloud of shredded text, dissipating into the void.
Silence.
Aiden fell to one knee, gasping. His body trembled violently, skin scorched, blood dripping from his nose. The arcs still flickered between his fingertips, wild, unstable.
"…I… I actually…" He coughed. "…won."
But the whisper did not sound pleased.
"One page. One skill. You are nothing but a child with a stolen tongue."
The void trembled again. New platforms drifted into view, connecting into a bridge that stretched endlessly forward. The path deepened. The trials weren't done.
Aiden staggered to his feet, forcing his legs to move. Every step echoed in the silence. He didn't know how long he walked, only that the bridge led him deeper into the abyss.
Then—
Clap. Clap. Clap.
The sound echoed, slow and deliberate.
Aiden froze.
From the mist ahead, a figure emerged. Tall, sharp, wrapped in a cloak of black and red. His eyes gleamed with fire, literal flames flickering in his irises.
Unlike Aiden, he didn't look broken. He looked… in control. Power radiated from him like heat from a furnace.
The man smiled thinly. "Another Reader. I thought I was alone here."
Aiden's chest tightened. The runes on his skin pulsed in recognition, as if the curse itself knew him.
"…Who… are you?"
The figure stepped closer, smirk widening. "Names don't matter here. All that matters…" His hands ignited, flames curling between his fingers, "…is who survives the Archive."
The bridge beneath them cracked, flames licking at the edges.
Aiden's eyes widened as the man raised his hand, fire swirling into a sphere.
The rival's smile sharpened.
"…Consider this your third trial."
The fireball erupted toward him—
And the chapter ended.
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Author's Note:
⚡ BOOM! First real fight done — but now Aiden isn't alone. Another cursed Reader has appeared… and he's way stronger. Who is he? Friend? Enemy? Or something far worse? 👀 Drop your thoughts, power stones, and collections if you're hyped for their clash! 🔥
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