Keghan woke up choking.
Air burned his lungs like he had been underwater for too long. He gasped for breath, coughing hard, and his chest ached with every movement.
The first thing he noticed was the cold.
The ground beneath him was rough, cracked stone, digging into his skin through his clothes. A sharp smell filled the air. Old blood, dust, and something rotten.
"Jeyan-!"
He sat up too quickly.
Pain shot through his body, but it felt different. It was not the broken, useless pain from the road. This pain meant he was alive.
He looked down at himself.
No hospital bed.
No bandages.
No ceiling.
He lay inside a huge, round symbol carved into the stone floor. Lines and shapes twisted in patterns he did not recognize. They glowed faintly, like dying embers.
The symbol felt ancient.
Older than the world he knew.
Keghan's heart raced.
"What... is this place?" he whispered.
He pushed himself to his feet, swaying. His legs held him up.
That alone felt wrong.
He remembered the accident. The hospital. The system.
Contract sealed.
His breath hitched.
"Jeyan..." he said softly.
Before fear could overwhelm him, a small sound reached his ears.
A weak, shaking breath.
Keghan froze.
He turned slowly.
A few steps away, lying on the cold stone floor, was a child.
The child was small. Too small. Their body were thin, almost fragile, as if life itself had been slowly drained away. Their clothes were torn and soaked dark with blood.
Around them,
Bodies.
So many bodies.
Men, women, old, young. They lay scattered across the ground like fallen leaves, their faces frozen in fear and pain. Some were burned. Some were cut. Some looked as if they had simply stopped breathing where they stood.
Keghan's stomach twisted violently.
"What... happened here...?" he whispered.
The child moved.
Just barely.
Their fingers trembled as they lifted one shaking hand.
Their large, dull, filled with suffering eyes locked onto Keghan.
Their lips parted.
"Help..." the child breathed.
Keghan felt rooted to the ground.
This was the vision the system had shown him.
This was the call.
"I-" His voice cracked. "I'm here."
He took a step forward.
The symbol beneath his feet flared with light.
Pain slammed into his chest, forcing him to gasp and stumble back.
"What? Why-?"
Blue light appeared before his eyes.
__________________
WARNING
ATONEMENT HAS NOT BEGUN
DIRECT INTERFERENCE RESTRICTED
__________________
Keghan stared at the words.
"You said I had to accept the call!" he shouted. "I did!"
The system responded calmly.
__________________
ACCEPTANCE CONFIRMED
TRIAL NOT YET INITIATED
__________________
The child coughed.
Blood spilled from their mouth.
Keghan's heart broke.
"Please," he begged, his voice shaking. "The child is dying."
The child's eyes never left him.
They dragged their body forward inch by inch, nails scraping against stone. Each movement left a dark smear behind.
Their hand reached out again.
"Don't... leave me..."the child whispered.
The words pierced Keghan deeper than any blade.
"I won't," he cried. "I swear I won't."
He tried to step forward again.
The symbol burned brighter.
Agony tore through his veins, dropping him to his knees.
"Stop!" he screamed. "I'll do whatever you want!"
Silence followed.
Then new words appeared.
__________________
ATONEMENT REQUIRES WITNESS
THE CHILD'S REQUEST MUST BE HEARD
__________________
Keghan crawled closer, staying within the symbol. He dragged himself across the stone until he was as close as he could get without triggering the pain again.
"I'm listening," he said desperately. "Please. Tell me what you want."
The child smiled.
It was a small, broken smile.
"I don't... want to die alone," they whispered.
Keghan's chest felt like it was tearing apart.
"I'll stay," he said immediately. "I promise."
The child's breathing became shallow.
"There are... seven lands," they said slowly, each word costing them strength. "Seven sins... eating the world."
Keghan listened, memorizing every word.
"They all... refused us," the child continued. "They fed on us... used us... forgot us."
Their hand shook violently.
"Please," they begged. "End it."
"What do you want me to do?" Keghan asked, tears streaming down his face.
The child looked at him with eyes too old for their small body.
"Walk... where we could not," they whispered.
"Carry... what we could not carry."
Their head fell back.
A sharp, broken sound escaped their chest.
The child's hand went limp.
"No!" Keghan shouted. "Stay with me!"
The blue light flared violently.
__________________
ATONEMENT TRIAL COMMENCING
__________________
The symbol beneath Keghan shattered into blinding light.
As the world collapsed around him, one final message burned into his mind.
__________________
REDEEM THE SEVEN NATIONS
OR
LOSE A CHANCE TO REVERSE THE DEATH OF YOUR LOVER
__________________
And far away, beyond worlds and sins.
A single heartbeat echoed.
Jeyan's.