Eliara collapsed among the ancient roots of the trees. The only sound filling the place was her ragged breathing—a death rattle in a merciless forest. The ground beneath her was cold, slimy, and heavy with the stench of decay and old blood—but her mind was too weak to register the filth around her.
Every inhale was a losing battle against lungs refusing to fill; every exhale was the sole proof she still clung to life—barely.
Her shoulders jerked violently several times; her body reacted instinctively, as if her cells remembered the details of fear more vividly than her young mind ever could. Then—slowly—she opened her eyes, expecting to see the cursed cave's claws wrapped around her throat.
But the first thing she felt wasn't pain.
It was warmth.
Strong hands were supporting her—steady, unwavering, certain. Not the hands of a beast, nor those of the humans she'd learned to fear more than monsters.
She lifted her head with difficulty, finding a boy before her.
He didn't look older than thirteen, but his features were unnaturally sharp and calm, as if the world had lost its power to surprise him centuries ago. His eyes were cold, sharp as blades of ice, distant—yet behind that stillness lay something she'd never seen before: silent protection.
He spoke in a low, steady voice:
"Nothing will harm you now."
Not heroic fanfare, nor dramatic vows. Yet those words settled deeper into her soul than anything she'd heard during months of wandering. She drew a deep breath, as if her chest had been waiting precisely for this sentence to function again—as if the voice itself were an antidote, not mere vibrations in the air.
Inside the boy's mind, a familiar voice chimed in, cheerfully out of place amid the solemnity:
[Come on, come on… didn't I tell you? Heroes from beyond the story always work miracles! Look at her—she's staring at you like you're her new god!]
Arthur exhaled slowly, accustomed to ignoring the System's childish chatter. Tears gathered in Eliara's eyes, but she swallowed them; she didn't want to seem weak in front of this stranger who'd pulled her from the abyss. She looked at him and asked in a trembling voice, mixed with curiosity and confusion:
"Who… who are you? And why did you help me?"
He answered without hesitation, helping her stand:
"I'm Arthur. And remember this well—the era of your fall is over. I won't let you return to that darkness again."
Eliara didn't grasp the full weight of his words, but her *heart* believed him. She nodded faintly, struggling to regain control over her trembling body.
The System returned, this time with graver tone:
[Alright! Enough emotional moments. First lesson in this world: every step here is the thin thread between life and oblivion. Are you two ready to dance with death?]*
Arthur replied inwardly, his eyes tracking the shadows behind the trees: "I'm ready… and I'll make her ready too, whether this world wills it or not."
They moved together, distancing themselves from the cursed cave's maw. Even as they walked away, the corruption of the place clung to the air like a curse refusing to fade; the stench of death trailed them like a third shadow. The forest stretched endlessly, its trees like silent witnesses—wooden giants observing an event that was never meant to occur.
Suddenly, the sky shifted.
Heavy gray clouds crept in, swallowing the pale light, pressing down on the world with their gloomy weight. An abrupt silence fell—the silence that precedes catastrophe.
Then—the ground trembled.
A violent quake, sudden and devastating, as if something colossal had awakened from a thousand-year slumber beneath their feet.
Eliara froze, her heart nearly leaping from her chest. From the thick mist emerged a colossal shadow. This wasn't an ordinary monster; it was a mass of warped flesh and fused black shadows, as if darkness itself had taken tangible form. Its eyes were two slits of violet fire burning with rage, demanding the return of the "vessel" to its mistress.
The System spoke this time with cautious tone, stripped of humor:
[This isn't just a stray beast. It's "One of the Followers of the Lord of the Abyss." And now it's one of your enemies—it's tracking you for daring to break the original script and rescue the "Lady of Ashes."]
Arthur lifted his gaze to the giant entity, then turned to Eliara, who nearly collapsed from terror:
"Stay behind me. Don't take your eyes off me. If I tell you to run, run without looking back."
But the System, despite the danger, regained its rhythm:
[Woooh! Now the real fun begins! Get ready, Eliara… you're about to witness how history is rewritten in blood!]
----
{Author: She didn't hear what the regime said, but she reacted as if someone had spoken about her without her knowledge.}
----
Eliara trembled, but didn't break. For the first time, she felt something strange growing in her chest: safety. The certainty that the boy standing before her—with his slender back and iron will—would never abandon her, no matter the cost.
Arthur left nothing to chance. Aware of his current body's weakness, he would wield the only weapon where he outmatched this world. He raised his hand slowly, his eyes glowing faintly with cold focus and a dim blue radiance:
"Activate Unique Skill… Eye of Insight."
[Ding]
[Unique Skill: Eye of Insight — Level 1]
Description: Analyzes abilities, weaknesses, and future pathways.
Current Traits: Enhances allies and provides adaptive support based on their physical and psychological needs.
Translucent threads of light formed around Eliara's body, tracing the contours of her energy with astonishing precision—her energy balance, her weaknesses, the unstable state of her suppressed mana. This wasn't mere cold analysis; it was surgical intervention in her soul.
Arthur directed delicate flows of his own mana into her; not an assault of power, but quiet pulses working to calm her spirit. Her fear began to melt, her tensed muscles relaxed, and her breaths miraculously steadied.
He told her in a resonant voice, carrying unchallengeable authority: "Trust me. Forget everything that corruption in the cave told you.
The strength you feel now… is yours."
Eliara felt a strange power surge through her limbs—not just physical strength, but mental clarity that made the monster's movements appear strangely slow.
Inside Arthur's mind, the System shouted in astonishment:
[Incredible! You inverted the skill's function! Instead of analyzing the enemy, you synchronized her soul with your insight! Who said fate can't be tamed, Arthur?!]
Arthur stepped forward, his eyes fixed on the "Crawling Shadow":
"Let's go. We won't let this world reclaim what we've freed."
The massive shadow advanced, the earth groaning under its blackened feet. Arthur allowed himself a small, cold smile—sharp as a guillotine—and whispered:
"I really hate this situation you've put me in… Now how do we escape without destroying this charisma?"
And in Eliara's heart, a new, sacred certainty was born: she was no longer a lost victim in the forest. No matter how dark this world was, she would never have to face it alone again.
She didn't even know the curses swirling in Arthur's mind about his rotten luck.