Rise of the Broken Warrior

Chapter 2

The freezing water of the Corpse Torrent dragged Lucas down like heavy iron chains. Thick black mud and river rot poured into his torn flesh, stinging the three spear wounds in his chest like boiling oil. He tried to kick his legs, but his body felt heavy and numb, sinking deeper into the sunless deep.

Yet the tearing pain in his chest was nothing compared to the agony in his heart. Every time his eyes closed, he saw Morana standing beside Valen on that grand balcony, laughing while his blood pooled on the stone. He had loved her with every piece of his soul, cutting out his own cultivation just to keep her family safe.

"Brother Lucas, help me!" Clara’s small, terrified cry echoed in his ears like a ghost. He could still see her pure blue eyes turning completely blank after Morana forced that black poison down her throat. They were going to drain her blood like an animal, and he was dying here in the dark, unable to save her.

Tears of blood leaked from Lucas’s eyes, mixing with the foul river water. He clawed at his chest with broken fingernails, wishing he could tear out his own heart just to stop the pain. As his lungs filled with dirty water, his trembling fingers bumped against the simple black ring on his right hand.

It was the only keepsake Master Vane had given him before dying of that wicked poison. As Lucas's heart slowed to its final beat, a loud crack echoed through the riverbed. The obsidian stone split in half, releasing a brilliant light that pushed back the freezing current in a wide golden circle.

The raging water froze solid around him, carving out a dry pocket of warm air. From the shattered pieces of the ring, a glowing figure slowly took form. It was an old man dressed in loose white robes, his long silver beard swaying as tears of bright light rolled down his wrinkled cheeks.

"Master..." Lucas choked out, coughing up thick black water onto the dry mud. "Master, is that you? Am I in the underworld?"

"My poor boy," Master Vane whispered, his voice trembling with sorrow. He knelt down on the river stones and gently cupped Lucas’s bloody cheek. "Look at what they have done to you. Look at how they broke my finest boy."

"I failed you, Master," Lucas cried, his voice breaking into raw, ugly sobs. "I gave my core away. Morana lied to me the entire time, and they were the ones who put poison in your tea. Now they have Clara locked in the dark, and I am too weak to protect her!"

"Do not blame yourself, Lucas," Master Vane said, pulling the weeping youth into a tight embrace. "If anyone failed, it was me. I spent your whole youth telling you to be kind, to show mercy, and to walk with honor. I thought a pure heart would keep you safe in this cruel world."

The old master shook his head, his gentle eyes suddenly flaring with cold fury. "I was wrong. This world does not care about honor, Lucas. The gentle are only eaten by wolves, and the kind are only used as stepping stones. I made you soft, and my foolish lessons almost cost you your life."

Lucas gritted his teeth, his knuckles turning white as he pushed himself up from the ground. "Then let me go back right now! Give me the strength to crawl out of this river! I will rip Valen's chest open, take back my core, and slaughter every single person with the name Morana!"

"Calm down, Lucas!" Master Vane shouted, pressing his hands firmly against Lucas's shoulders. "Do you think screaming like a madman will win this battle? Valen has already fused with your golden dragon core, and the entire High Sky Guild stands behind him. With your current strength, you cannot defeat him!"

"I do not care if I die a thousand times!" Lucas roared, tears and blood streaming down his face. "Every single second I sit here, they are cutting Clara’s skin! They are taking her blood into a bowl, Master! How can you tell me to be patient?!"

"Because if you charge in right now, Clara will die first!" Master Vane yelled back, his voice echoing like thunder across the dry air. "The moment Morana sees you alive, she will not fight you fairly. She will put a sharp blade to Clara’s neck and slit her throat right in front of your eyes just to break your spirit!"

The words hit Lucas like a bucket of freezing water. His breath hitched in his throat, and the wild fury in his eyes turned into absolute horror. He fell back onto the stones, his hands shaking so violently he could barely hold them still.

"I cannot lose her, Master," Lucas whispered, his voice dropping into a broken rasp. "She is the only family I have left. If she dies because of my anger, I have no reason to live. Tell me what to do. Please, teach me how to save her."

"You must play their game until the trap is set," Master Vane said softly, a dark smile touching his lips. "You must bury your soft heart and become their secret calamity. Let them believe you are a ruined beggar. Let them laugh at your broken body while you tear down their kingdom brick by brick."

"Look at me, Master," Lucas said, gesturing to the hollow, sunken wound in his chest. "My core is gone, and my veins are shattered like glass. What power do I have to tear anything down?"

"The dragon core was only an outer shell, Lucas," Master Vane replied, his eyes shining with ancient mystery. "I guarded the greatest secret of the ancient gods for sixty years, hiding it inside that ring. I was waiting for the day you were ready to cast off the saint and pick up the butcher's blade."

Master Vane raised two glowing fingers, pressing them directly against the center of Lucas’s forehead. His white robes began to turn into pure golden mist, swirling like a storm around Lucas’s head.

"Remember this, my boy," Master Vane whispered as his spirit dissolved. "Do not show your fangs until the blade is at their throats. Save my Clara, and make them pay for every single tear."

The golden mist surged into Lucas’s mind with the sound of a ringing crystal bell. A simple, pale blue window flashed right in front of his eyes.

[Absolute Injustice Detected. Blood Oath Violated.]

[The Heavenly Karma System has Awakened.]

[Commencing Reconstruction with the Stygian Karma Core.]

A burst of pitch-black fire exploded inside Lucas’s empty chest. The dark flames did not burn him; they devoured the river poison and stitched his shattered veins with cold, black steel. In the center of his chest, a dark crystal began to spin, radiating an icy, terrifying chill.

[Host has broken through to the Spirit Realm.]

[Karma Points: 0. Punish the wicked to earn points. Reach 100 Points to draw divine heavenly treasures.]

Lucas stood up, his eyes widening as an ocean of terrifying power rushed through his arms. The black flames felt ten times denser than his old dragon core, buzzing with raw, untamed destruction. He could easily shatter a carriage with a single punch right now.

"I have the strength," Lucas muttered, watching black sparks dance across his skin.

Before he could take another step, two simple notices flashed before his eyes.

[Trait Unlocked: 'Phantom Concealment'. Your divine aura is hidden as mortal decay. Outsiders will only see a crippled beggar.]

[Trait Unlocked: 'Karmic Backlash'. Anyone who attacks you with lethal intent will suffer a fatal, invisible rebound to their heart.]

Lucas willed the first trait to activate. Instantly, the dark power pulled back into the depths of his soul. His straight back bent forward, his skin turned sickly grey, and his pulse slowed down to a faint, broken crawl. Outwardly, he looked just like a dying vagrant who had barely survived a fatal fall.

"A broken dog," Lucas whispered, a cold, ruthless smile spreading across his face. "If playing a dog keeps Clara safe, I will crawl all the way to their front door."

The golden bubble burst, and Lucas kicked off the riverbed. He shot upward like a black dart, bursting through the toxic water and dragging his dripping body onto the muddy shore. He coughed up river mud, leaning heavily against a broken wooden branch to complete his disguise.

High above the rocky canyon, the red lanterns of the Morana manor shone like drops of fresh blood in the dark night. Drunken laughter and sweet music echoed faintly down the cliffs, celebrating the glory they had stolen from his flesh.

Lucas gripped his wooden branch tightly, his eyes blazing with crimson frost beneath his messy hair. He took his first limping step toward the winding mountain path, dragging his feet through the dirt.

"Drink your sweet wine, Morana," Lucas muttered into the cold wind. "Your dead husband is coming back to collect the debt."