The iron halberds held their position, their polished tips glittering coldly six inches from Kage’s chest. Around them, the chatter of the trade line died down completely. Merchants pulled their horses back, peasant travelers squeezed against the wooden fence, and a heavy, suffocating silence settled over the main gate. Kage felt the guard leader’s iron gauntlet crushing his shoulder. The metal was freezing through his thin, blood-stained shirt, biting directly into his collarbone.Deserters from the 4th Vanguard Regiment...? Enemy territory...? Kage’s heart slammed against his ribs like a sledgehammer hitting stone. His mind raced at breakneck speed, picking through the few shattered fragments of memory he had inherited from this body. He didn't know who the 4th Vanguard were. He didn't know what kingdom this city belonged to, or who had won the battle where Rowan had died. If he drew Rowan’s stolen dagger right now, he would be dead in three seconds. He was weak, exhausted, bleeding

The low, rhythmic splash of water echoing off the ancient basalt walls was the only warning they got.“Who’s there?!”The mercenary on the left flank snapped his head toward the shadowy pillars at the edge of the flooded chamber. He raised his torch, the orange flame sputtering against the damp air, casting long, frantic shadows over the crystal water.Before the light could fully illuminate the dark corridor, Kage moved.With his Agility, kages speed was no longer that of a battered, half-dead kid. It was sharp, fluid, and terrifyingly silent. The water beneath his boots barely had time to ripple before he crossed the ten-yard gap, closing the distance like a phantom.The mercenary’s eyes widened in sheer shock as Kage exploded out of the darkness.Clang!Kage slammed into the man’s chest, driving a short, wicked blade straight upward beneath the guard’s leather gorget. The steel bit deep into throat and bone with a sickening, wet crunch.The weapon wasn't Rowan’s old Vanguard sidearm

[PING!][TEMPORARY ANCHOR STATUS: 0 DAYS, 00 HOURS, 00 MINUTES, 50 SECONDS][49 SECONDS...][48 SECONDS...]The red world blurred around Kage. The crimson fog wrapping his body hissed against the damp cavern air, burning through his dark green cloak like visual acid. He wasn't thinking. He wasn't planning. The ancient, insane voice echoing in his skull drove his limbs with terrifying, violent speed.THOOOOOM!Kage slammed directly into the massive Stone Guardian, his red-glowing hands striking the basalt construct like a battering ram.The stone giant didn't break. Its ancient defensive magic flared violently across its hide, blue runes instantly countering the dark crimson strike. With terrifying efficiency, the construct swung its massive stone arm in a sweeping arc.BANG!Kage didn't dodge. The berserk state gave him raw speed, but zero self-preservation. The stone arm hit him squarely in the ribs, sending him crashing into the cavern wall.Stone splinters bit into his skin, his in

The cold sewage mist in the alleyway swallowed Kage whole, but back inside the Shattered Anvil, the quiet did not last a single minute.The front doors of the tavern didn't just open; they splinters and buckled inward off their heavy iron hinges with a deafening, metallic crash.The heavy oak timber slammed against the stone floor, sending dust, splinters, and old sawdust flying across the main drinking hall. A terrifying, oppressive weight washed over the room—a pressure so dense it felt as if the ceiling had suddenly dropped three feet.It was the Guard Commander.He didn't wear his full ceremonial plate armor today. His left shoulder was bound tightly in dark leather braces where the Stone Guardian’s strike had shattered his steel plate, and his grey hair was stained with dark, dried sweat. But his single working eye burned with a cold, apocalyptic fury that froze every patron, mercenary, and off-duty watchman solid in their seats.Flanking him were thirty elite city guards, their

The mountain air three miles east of Blackridge tasted like crushed pine needles and wet iron.Rain fell in thick, heavy sheets, washing dark mud down the steep slopes of the jagged ravine. Kage moved through the midnight woods like a ghost, his dark green cloak pinned close around his shoulders to prevent the wet wool from catching on the jagged mountain briars. His boots made almost no sound against the treacherous, slippery slate.[PING!][TEMPORARY ANCHOR STATUS][CURRENT TIME REMAINING: 8 DAYS, 11 HOURS, 05 MINUTES][CURRENT LEVEL: 1 (BLOOD-BOUND ANCHOR)]Kage glanced at the blue numbers flickering in the darkness before dismissing the interface with a thought. Eight days and eleven hours. Time was slipping away while he walked, but the cold focus in his mind didn't waiver. He needed blood, cores, and experience.Following Vane’s map, Kage descended into a deep, claustrophobic gorge where the mountain runoff collected into a rushing subterranean creek. Halfway down the cliff face