The battlefield pulsed with a suffocating aura.
Six skeletal beasts circled Ethan, their bone masks gnashing with hollow hunger. Their bodies were twisted parodies of wolves, stitched together with strands of shadow. Their claws scraped the ground, producing sparks as if metal met stone.
Ethan's chest heaved. His hands trembled around the golden blade of light still humming in his grip. His mind screamed to run, but his heart roared louder—Claire's face burned into his vision.
He had already cut one thread. He could do it again.
[Authority Override Expired.][Warning: God-Level Authority Locked. Await next trigger condition.]
The glow around him vanished instantly. The world snapped back to merciless reality. His golden perception of threads flickered out, leaving only monsters.
"Damn it…" Ethan staggered back as one beast lunged. Its claws ripped across his side—pain exploded, white-hot and tearing. He cried out, rolling to the ground. Blood oozed, staining the dirt.
The system's cold voice whispered.
[HP: 92% → 74%][Critical Bleeding Condition: Applied.]
He pressed his hand against the wound, gritting his teeth. "This system better be more than fancy words…"
The beasts howled in unison. Their chorus shook the broken skies.
Then, the system shifted.
[New Function Unlocked: Thread Perception (Passive).][Description: You may now faintly glimpse the threads of fate without God-Level Override. Accuracy: 10%.]
The world wavered. Thin silver lines shimmered faintly in the air—fragile, like cracks on glass. Ethan's eyes widened. The threads were there, but faint, incomplete. Only a fraction of what he'd seen before.
One beast leapt. Ethan ducked instinctively, and in that moment, his hand brushed against one glowing thread attached to the creature.
The thread vibrated under his touch.
[System Prompt: Do you wish to Break Thread? Warning—Unstable Break may trigger unintended consequences.]
He didn't hesitate. Yes.
The blade of light manifested again, smaller this time. He slashed the thread.
The beast shrieked mid-air. Its body twisted unnaturally, folding in on itself. For a brief moment, Ethan thought he'd won. But instead of disintegrating like the first beast, this one mutated—its shadow-stitches writhed, forming two heads, its claws extending grotesquely.
"Shit!"
[Unstable Break Triggered: Mutation.]
The creature lunged with doubled ferocity. Ethan barely rolled aside, its claws missing his neck by inches.
His heart thundered. "So breaking threads isn't always the solution…"
The goddess's laughter echoed faintly, cold and amused. "Every thread cut alters the weave. Consequences, mortal. Remember that."
Sweat drenched Ethan's forehead. He gritted his teeth, rising slowly, forcing his mind to calm. "Fine. If threads are dangerous… then I'll choose carefully."
The beasts closed in again.
This time, Ethan slowed his breath. He studied the silver lines more carefully. Most threads pulsed erratically, unstable, volatile. But one… glowed faintly, steady. Different.
He lunged forward, surprising the beast. His blade of light slashed that steady thread cleanly.
The beast froze. Its body cracked like porcelain before shattering into dust.
[Beast Eliminated.][System Integration Progress: 7%.]
Ethan gasped, a wild grin tugging at his lips. "That's it… not every thread is meant to be broken. Only the right one."
The remaining beasts roared and attacked together.
The next few minutes were a blur of pain, instinct, and sharp choices. Ethan ducked, slashed, and endured, sometimes breaking a thread, sometimes letting one go. Twice he was wrong—once he triggered a beast's regeneration, another time its speed doubled. Each mistake cost him blood and breath.
But each success… each carefully chosen strike… thinned their numbers.
Finally, only one remained—the mutated two-headed beast. Its aura oozed with raw hatred.
Ethan stood, barely on his feet. His shirt was torn, his body slashed and bleeding. His blade flickered weakly.
The beast charged.
Ethan's eyes locked onto the threads. There were three—two chaotic, one glowing faint and steady.
His hand shook. His body screamed in exhaustion. But his heart… remembered Claire's smile.
He roared, lifting the blade. "This is for her!"
The blade cleaved through the steady thread.
The beast shattered with a sound like glass breaking. Silence followed.
[Trial Completed.][Reward: System Stabilization – Integration 10%.][New Ability Unlocked: Fate-Breaker Slash.][Description: Condense fate energy into your weapon. Each slash has a 30% chance of severing minor fate threads.]
Ethan dropped to his knees, gasping, drenched in sweat and blood. His vision blurred. But the system's voice was like ice water on his burning skin.
For the first time… he wasn't just surviving. He was adapting.
A slow clap echoed across the battlefield.
The goddess stepped forward, her violet eyes gleaming. "You survived. Barely. Perhaps you are not as pathetic as I thought."
Ethan raised his head, bloodied but defiant. "This is just the beginning. I'll break whatever fate stands in my way… until I bring her back."
The goddess's smile was sharp and dangerous. "Very well, Fate-Breaker. Let us see how long you can resist the gods."
And with that, the Trial of Broken Threads ended.