Darkness.
That was all Draven Kael knew as his last breath rattled in his lungs. The battlefield, the betrayal, the spear in his chest—it all dissolved into nothing.
But it wasn't silence.
Whispers crawled along the edges of the void. Some mocked, some jeered, and some… laughed. The same laughter that had cursed his dying ears.
[ The God of Mischief chuckles. ][ The Goddess of Fate sighs in amusement. ]
Their voices weren't heard with ears—they were etched directly into his soul.
"Damn you…" Draven rasped, though he had no mouth, no body. His very soul bled fury.
The void trembled.
[ Your hatred has been recognized. ][ SSS-RANKED SYSTEM: Eternal Nemesis… Online. ]
A sudden light ripped through the abyss. It wasn't warm. It wasn't comforting. It was jagged, crimson, pulsing like the heartbeat of a dying star. Symbols and runes spiraled around him, weaving into chains that latched onto his soul.
[ Welcome, User: Draven Kael. ][ Initialization Complete. ][ Authority Unlocked: Hatred = Power. ]
"What… what are you?" he growled, straining against the pull.
[ I am the Eternal Nemesis System. ][ Directive: To weaponize your hatred against fate and the gods who mock you. ]
Hatred. Rage. Betrayal. Every wound carved into his soul burned anew.
Draven clenched his spectral fists. "Then give me power. Let me kill them all!"
The crimson glyphs pulsed.
[ Tutorial Initiating. ][ Generating Fate Trajectories… ]
Dozens of visions erupted around him like shards of glass. Each one showed a version of himself—different choices, different paths. Yet every vision ended the same way.
His death.
Sometimes by Alaric's hand. Sometimes by Lyra's dagger. Sometimes by nameless gods striking him down like an insect.
Every timeline. Every possibility. Death. Betrayal. Loss.
Draven's teeth ground together. "So this is my fate? No matter what I do… I lose?"
The system responded, cold and merciless.
[ Correct. Fate is immutable. ][ Unless… it is broken. ]
The void quaked. Chains of light coiled tighter, and a prompt burned before his eyes.
[ Fate Break Protocol Available. ][ Requirement: Hatred Points. ]
[ Current Hatred Points: 1,000 ]
His rage, his betrayal, his agony—it had crystallized into currency.
"What happens if I break it?" Draven demanded.
[ Breaking Fate allows you to reject a predicted outcome. ][ It will cost Hatred Points. The greater the rejection, the greater the cost. ]
Draven's soul burned hotter, red light coursing through every crack of his essence.
"Then I'll reject all of it."
The system pulsed in warning.
[ Impossible. Full rejection exceeds your current authority. ][ Suggestion: Begin with a single point of defiance. ]
Draven growled. Even here, in the void, he was caged. Even power came with chains.
But then… a shift. The void tore apart. The battlefield returned—not the same, not whole, but different. A shattered realm, a battlefield of bones and ash, under a sky of crimson storms.
Draven gasped, body restored but heavy with scars that hadn't been there before. His black armor reformed, cracked but intact. His greatsword lay at his feet, glowing faintly red.
He wasn't in Kaelthorn anymore. This was another world.
"Where…" he muttered, gripping his blade.
[ Location: Fragmented Realm of Aethyros. ][ This is not your world. You have been displaced. ][ Fate Trajectory Active: You will die in 10 seconds. ]
"What—"
A roar split the air. From the shadows of shattered pillars, a monstrous beast lurched forward. Its body was a grotesque mass of sinew and armor-like bone, eyes glowing like molten fire.
A system prompt burned across his vision.
[ Beast Identified: Voidspawn Predator. ][ Threat Level: S-Rank. ][ Predicted Outcome: You die in 10 seconds. ]
Draven's body screamed in protest, wounds not yet healed. His sword felt like lead in his hand. The beast charged, the ground quaking beneath it.
[ You cannot win. Accept your fate. ]
"Fate…?" Draven snarled, his crimson eyes flaring. "No. Not again."
He raised his sword, planting his feet.
"Fate says I die in 10 seconds?" His voice shook with fury. "Then I'll break fate itself!"
[ Fate Break Protocol Activated. ][ Cost: 200 Hatred Points. ][ Recalculating Trajectory… ]
A crimson aura erupted around Draven. The beast's claws descended, but his body surged with unnatural strength. His greatsword rose, shattering the trajectory, cleaving into the monster's arm.
The Voidspawn roared in shock as blood and ichor sprayed across the broken battlefield.
Draven's chest heaved. His body was still weak, his vision swimming, but the impossible had happened. He was alive.
The system chimed again.
[ Trajectory Rewritten. ][ Outcome: You survive. ][ Reward: Skill Unlocked – Nemesis Authority: Theft. ][ Ability: Steal one ability from any defeated enemy. ]
Draven grinned through the blood. "Good. That's more like it."
But the beast wasn't dead. It lunged again, jaws wide.
The system pulsed.
[ Fate Trajectory: You will die in 15 seconds. ]
Draven spat on the ground, raising his blade once more. His voice roared into the storm:
"Then I'll just keep breaking fate… until fate breaks me!"
Cliffhanger: He charges the beast again, crimson aura blazing as the system prepares to rewrite destiny once more.