Ouch!
it gives so much pain!
My chest is tearing from inside !
The words slipped out before I could stop them. Pain clawed through my chest, twisting my limbs and piercing my head like knives. My body felt wrong, as if it belonged to someone else. My breath came in short, painful gasps.
I opened my eyes.
Cold stone pressed against my cheek. Lanterns flickered dimly on the walls. The hall stretched endlessly, lined with shelves filled with ancient, locked books. Dust floated in the air, smelling faintly metallic, like blood mixed with decay. The ceiling loomed above, carved with strange shapes that twisted subtly when I stared. Shadows seemed to move with a life of their own.
Then I noticed my chest. Lines glowed faintly beneath my skin—scarlet veins tracing across my torso. And another heartbeat pulsed beneath mine. Slower. Older. Not mine.
Two heartbeats. One body.
I froze. My fingers shook as I pressed against the glowing scar.
"Awakening detected."
The voice was soft, intimate, almost cruel. I looked around. The hall was empty. Only shadows stretched across the walls, twisting unnaturally. Silence pressed down like a heavy blanket.
"Initializing… The Inner Eye."
A piercing pain split my skull. I collapsed to my knees, clutching my head. My chest burned hotter than anything I had ever felt. My vision blurred. I screamed, but no sound came.
Then—silence.
A translucent screen hovered before me:
[MERGE COMPLETE]
[NEW ABILITY ACQUIRED: THE INNER EYE]
My hands shook. My chest still ached, but my mind had never felt clearer.
[WARNING]
Hostile presence detected. Location: Silent Hall.
Silent Hall. The words sent chills down my spine. I had no memory of this place, yet instinct screamed: every step, every breath, every heartbeat mattered.
I forced myself to stand. Stone under my feet was cold and unforgiving. Each step echoed, bouncing off the walls like a warning. Dust stirred. Frost crept along the floor, curling toward me like pale fingers.
Then I saw it.
A creature emerged from the shadows. Its body was long and thin, limbs bending at impossible angles. Eyes—too many of them—blinked out of rhythm across its head and torso. It slid forward silently, liquid-like, and my stomach twisted.
The Inner Eye whispered in my mind:
"Name: Shadow Entity. State: Hungry. Weakness: Sound."
Sound.
I looked around for anything to use. My hands closed around a broken metal lantern stand. Instinct screamed: strike. I slammed it on the floor. The echo exploded through the hall.
The creature shrieked. The sound was unbearable, like glass shattering inside my chest. I clenched my teeth, trying not to scream. It recoiled.
I slammed again. And again.
[EXP GAINED: 120]
[LEVEL 1 → LEVEL 2]
A strange tingling surged through me. Reflexes sharpened. Senses heightened. I could sense the creature's movement, anticipate it, even without seeing it. The Shadow Entity froze, retreating into shadows, but its gaze followed me.
I pressed my hand against the scarlet lines. The pain I had felt upon waking was not punishment—it was preparation. The Inner Eye had marked me. Chosen me. Trained me.
The hall itself seemed alive. Carvings on the ceiling twisted into eyes, hands, and faces that pressed toward me. The Silent Hall was watching. Testing me.
I moved cautiously. Each step, each breath, measured. I knew the Shadow Entity could strike at any moment. Doors appeared where none should exist, leading into darkness I could not understand. The books whispered, murmuring words I could not comprehend, but the tone carried menace.
A bookcase shivered slightly to my left. Something hid behind it.
The Inner Eye whispered:
"Knowledge is power. Observation is survival. Fear is a tool."
I froze. Fear. Observation. Knowledge. Each word pressed into my mind. The lesson was clear: survive, watch, learn, use fear.
I gripped the lantern stand tightly. The hall stretched endlessly, shelves whispering secrets I could not understand.
I swallowed hard. My chest ached. My head throbbed. But beneath it, a spark of determination flickered. I was alive. The Inner Eye pulsed faintly, connecting me to something ancient, dangerous, and powerful.
Somewhere in the shadows, eyes watched me. I was no longer just a boy waking in pain. I was a survivor.
[Objective Unlocked: Explore the Silent Hall. Learn. Survive.]
The Shadow Entity's shriek echoed from the darkness. My pulse raced.
Power had awakened in me. But the hall demanded more. Every shadow hid a lesson. Every whisper threatened to drive me mad.
I took a cautious step forward, my fingers still wrapped tightly around the broken lantern stand. Every shadow seemed to twitch, every whisper made my hair stand on end. The Silent Hall was alive—of that I was certain now. It watched, measured, and judged every movement I made.
The bookcase that had shivered earlier moved again, slowly sliding to reveal a narrow passage. I hesitated, my instincts screaming to stay back, but curiosity and survival pushed me forward. The Inner Eye pulsed faintly, guiding me, whispering the unspoken rules of this strange system.
[New Objective: Investigate the Hidden Passage]
The walls of the passage were lined with carvings, symbols I could not comprehend. They shifted slightly whenever I stared too long, almost like they were alive. My chest tightened. The Shadow Entity had vanished—but I knew it had not left. Not truly.
A low, metallic sound echoed from deeper in the passage. My stomach churned. Step by step, I moved forward, each footfall echoing ominously. Then I felt it—presence. Something cold, watching, patient.
Suddenly, the Inner Eye pulsed violently:
[Level-Up Opportunity Detected: Reflexive Instinct]
Effect: Heightened reaction to immediate threats. Duration: Active during danger spikes.]
I barely had time to process before a hand—or what looked like a hand—shot out from the shadows. Reflexes I didn't know I had guided my movement, and I sidestepped just in time. The metallic stand swung around instinctively, striking the dark form. A screech tore through the hall, echoing against the stone walls.
[EXP GAINED: 90]
[LEVEL 2 → LEVEL 3]
My heart pounded, adrenaline flooding through me. The Shadow Entity—or perhaps one of its spawn—retreated into the darkness. My muscles felt sharper, my senses clearer. The Inner Eye hummed softly in my mind, marking the path ahead, guiding me toward survival.
The passage widened into a small chamber. Shelves lined the walls, but here the books seemed older, more delicate. Dust swirled lazily in the faint light, and an odd smell lingered—a mixture of ink, decay, and something faintly sweet. My eyes caught something on the floor: a small, leather-bound book with a strange symbol etched on its cover.
Instinct told me to pick it up. As my fingers brushed it, the Inner Eye flared. Lines of light traced up my arms and across my chest, warm and electric. A voice whispered inside my mind—not human, not entirely system either:
"Knowledge is yours… but at a cost."
I opened the book carefully. Inside were pages filled with diagrams, symbols, and text that I somehow understood despite never having seen the language before. It detailed techniques, rituals, and observations—abilities I could harness if I learned them.
[New Ability Unlocked: Shadow Observation]
Effect: Detect subtle presences and hidden threats. Passive ability. Duration: Always Active]
I felt a strange mixture of fear and exhilaration. The system was teaching me—rewarding me—but in its own way. Every power, every level gained, was a step deeper into the Silent Hall's mysteries, and also a step deeper into danger.
Suddenly, the chamber trembled. A low, bone-chilling growl reverberated from the shadows. The Shadow Entity had returned. Its eyes—too many, blinking asynchronously—locked on me. My mind screamed to flee, but the Inner Eye pulsed, guiding my reflexes.
I dodged another lunge, striking again with the metallic stand. My movements were faster now, more precise. Each strike, each dodge, was measured. I could feel my muscles responding before I even thought.
[EXP GAINED: 150]
[LEVEL 3 → LEVEL 4]
A cold realization hit me. Survival alone would not be enough. Every level, every ability, was necessary—not just to escape—but to understand this hall, this system, and the shadows that haunted it.
The Shadow Entity screeched one final time before retreating into a corner of the chamber. I collapsed against the wall, breathing heavily. My chest burned, my arms ached, but beneath it all, a sense of clarity had settled. I had survived. I had learned. I had leveled up.
The Inner Eye pulsed faintly, almost like it approved. A soft whisper filled my mind:
"Lesson one complete. Observation mastered. Survival ensured. The next trial awaits."
I looked around the chamber. More passages stretched into darkness, and the shelves seemed to hold secrets I could only imagine. Somewhere deep within the Silent Hall, eyes continued to watch. I could feel them, patient, waiting.
I pressed my hand to the glowing scar on my chest. The Inner Eye had chosen me for a reason. Perhaps I was meant to uncover the hall's secrets. Perhaps I was meant to survive its horrors. Or perhaps… I was simply bait.
Either way, I could not stop now.
I took a deep breath. Step by step, I moved toward the next passage, every nerve on high alert. Every shadow could conceal death. Every whisper could twist my mind.
But I had power now. I had the Inner Eye. I had abilities I had yet to fully understand. And I had the drive to survive.
Somewhere in the darkness, the Shadow Entity watched. I could feel its gaze. Patient. Hungry. Intelligent.
And I knew one thing with certainty:
Survival was only the beginning.