The battlefield reeked of blood. Screams echoed through the ruined courtyard as shadow-beasts clawed their way out of the cracks in the earth.
Michael swung his battered sword, sparks flying as it scraped against a monster's hide. His arm trembled, lungs burning. "Captain! Cover my left!"
No answer.
Instead, laughter rang out from behind him.
Michael spun, eyes wide. Captain Darion stood in gleaming crimson armor, not a speck of blood staining him. His golden blade rested casually on his shoulder, untouched by the carnage.
"Cover you?" Darion smirked. "Listen to him beg like a dog."
Michael blinked, stunned. "What are you—? This isn't the time for jokes!"
Another hero, Alric, kicked a corpse aside and barked a laugh. "He really thinks he belongs here."
Michael's chest tightened. The others were circling closer—his own teammates, eyes cold, faces twisted with disdain.
"Why aren't you fighting?" Michael demanded. "If we don't hold the line, the city—"
Darion's gaze cut sharp as a blade. "The city doesn't matter. And neither do you."
Before Michael could move, steel punched into his shoulder.
His scream tore through the chaos, raw and ragged. Blood splattered across the cobblestones as Darion pulled his sword free, smiling as though he had done something merciful.
Michael staggered, clutching the wound. "You—Captain… why?"
"Why?" Darion leaned down, voice dripping venom. "Because you were never one of us. Just a useless stray we dragged along. Tonight, we fix that mistake."
The others closed ranks.
"You're leaving me here?" Michael gasped, disbelief burning in his chest.
Alric sneered. "Leaving? We're offering you to the beasts. Be grateful. At least this way, you'll finally be useful."
A monster lunged. Michael barely raised his sword in time, its claws raking across the blade. His arms buckled, strength fading fast.
"Fight!" he roared, desperation cracking his voice. "Stand with me! We swore an oath—!"
Darion chuckled darkly. "An oath? To trash like you? Don't delude yourself. You were nothing but a shield to break before ours did."
Michael's sword slipped from his bloody grip. He fell to his knees, vision swimming, the circle of beasts tightening.
"You… cowards," he spat, blood bubbling in his throat.
The heroes turned their backs on him, marching forward into the fray, leaving him surrounded. Forgotten.
Michael's breaths came shallow. His body screamed to collapse. Darkness pressed at the edges of his vision.
And then—
[ Ding! ]
A voice echoed inside his skull. Cold. Mechanical.
"Forsaken System initializing…"
Michael's head snapped up, dazed. "What…?"
Glowing text burned before his eyes:
(Eligibility confirmed: Betrayed by allies. Abandoned to die.)
(Candidate recognized.)
"Candidate?" Michael whispered.
(You have been chosen as bearer of the Forsaken System.)
The words shifted. Two choices appeared, blazing like fire in the void:
[ First Task: Choose ]
Sacrifice your last strength to protect those who betrayed you.
Abandon them. Embrace the title of Forsaken. Live.
Michael's pulse thundered in his ears.
His so-called comrades' voices echoed in his memory.
"You were never one of us."
"Be grateful—you'll finally be useful."
A monster's snarl snapped him back. It lunged, fangs dripping.
Michael clenched his bloody fists, eyes blazing. "Sacrifice… for them?"
He laughed—harsh, broken, bitter.
"No," he whispered. "Let them see what a forsaken dog can do."
[ Ding! ]
(Choice confirmed.)
(Forsaken Path unlocked.)
The air around him trembled. A surge of power coiled in his veins, dark and electric.
Michael raised his head, a cold smile breaking across his bloodied face.
"Now," he growled, "let's see who gets discarded."