2025-03-24 17:20:55The warehouse loomed ahead, dark and quiet beneath the thin glow of the moon.
It stood at the edge of the western district — a long, narrow building of dark stone and iron, surrounded by a crumbling perimeter wall. Thick chains hung across the entrance, and the faint sound of voices filtered through the cracks in the heavy wooden doors.
Ethan crouched behind a pile of broken crates, his gaze sharp beneath the hood of his cloak. His breath curled faintly in the cold night air.
Kael crouched beside him, his dark eyes fixed on the warehouse. He adjusted the grip on his curved daggers, the twin blades gleaming beneath the thin moonlight.
Lyra perched on a low rooftop across the street, one leg hanging lazily over the edge. Her dagger rested against her thigh as her crimson hair drifted in the cold breeze. Her eyes were half-lidded, but focused.
Ethan’s gaze sharpened.
"Six guards at the entrance."
Two armed with broadswords. Two with crossbows. Two standing back with halberds — heavier armor. Not ideal.
Kael’s voice was low. "The guards on the left are weaker. Speed over strength."
Lyra’s eyes gleamed. "Or we could take them all at once."
"Too loud," Kael said.
Lyra smiled faintly. "You say that like it’s a bad thing."
Ethan’s gaze remained fixed on the warehouse. The System pulsed faintly beneath his skin, sharpening his vision. He could feel the guards' strength — the faint tension in their stance — the small, unconscious shifts in weight that revealed their weaker side.
[System Alert: Enemy Identified – Level 4]
Strength: 6 | Speed: 4 | Weapon: CrossbowWeakness: Left side, delayed recovery time between shots.Ethan’s smile sharpened. Perfect.
"How long until the next patrol?" Ethan asked.
Kael’s gaze flicked toward the street beyond. "Six minutes."
"Then we hit fast."
Kael’s brow lifted. "You have a plan?"
Ethan’s eyes gleamed beneath the hood. "Yeah."
Kael’s mouth curled faintly. "Of course you do."
Ethan’s hand brushed the hilt of his dagger. "We flank. Lyra hits the left side. Kael takes the right. I’ll clear the center."
"And the archers?" Kael’s eyes sharpened.
Ethan’s smile turned dangerous. "I’ll handle it."
Kael’s gaze darkened. "If it goes wrong—"
"It won’t."
Lyra’s mouth curled faintly. "You’re awfully confident."
Ethan’s gaze sharpened. "Let’s find out if it’s justified."
Ethan moved.
His cloak billowed behind him as he darted across the street, boots barely touching the stones. Kael and Lyra flanked him, their movements fast and precise.
The guards at the entrance barely had time to register the movement before Ethan was on them.
The first guard’s eyes widened as Ethan’s dagger flashed beneath his chin. Blood sprayed across the ground as the man’s body crumpled.
The second guard shouted and drew his sword. Ethan moved faster.
[Skill Activated: Blade Strike Lvl 3]
“Speed and precision. Strike to kill.”Ethan’s dagger cut across the guard’s wrist, severing tendons. The man screamed as his sword fell from his hand. Ethan’s blade struck upward — fast — cutting across the guard’s throat.
Blood splattered the stones.
[EXP Gained: +30]
An archer raised his crossbow.
Ethan’s gaze sharpened.
[Combat Analysis: Weakness — Reload Time: 1.3 Seconds]
Ethan blurred forward. His foot slammed into the guard’s knee, twisting him to the ground. The crossbow clattered against the stones. Ethan’s dagger plunged into the man’s throat.
The archer’s body stilled.
Ethan stood over the corpse, breath steady. His gaze flicked toward Kael and Lyra.
Kael’s daggers flashed. A guard stumbled back, clutching his ribs. Kael’s next strike cut deep into the man’s throat. The guard collapsed, choking on his own blood.
Lyra moved like a shadow. Her dagger cut beneath the last guard’s arm, twisting between the plates of his armor. The guard sagged against her as she leaned close, whispering something against his ear.
The guard’s body slid to the ground.
Lyra’s eyes glittered faintly as she straightened, her lips curving.
Kael’s gaze sharpened. "That’s all of them."
Ethan’s gaze flicked toward the warehouse door. "Not yet."
Kael frowned. "What do you mean?"
Ethan stepped toward the heavy wooden doors and pressed his hand against the rough wood.
The System pulsed.
[System Alert: Hidden Signature Detected]
"Unknown magic source. Class: Noble bloodline.""Shit," Ethan muttered.
The doors rattled beneath his palm. The faint pulse of magic flickered through the wood. A thin shimmer of silver light traced the edge of the doorway — almost invisible beneath the dark grain of the wood.
Bloodline magic.
Ethan’s jaw tightened.
"Problem?" Lyra asked.
Ethan’s hand tightened. "It’s sealed."
"Can you open it?" Kael’s gaze sharpened.
Ethan’s eyes narrowed. The System’s pulse quickened beneath his skin — a thin, burning heat curling through his chest.
Bloodline magic.
The nobles ruled through bloodline magic — passed from generation to generation. But Ethan wasn’t noble. He shouldn’t have been able to activate the System at all.
And yet…
His hand slid across the door.
The silver shimmer brightened. His breath quickened.
What are you trying to show me?
The System’s pulse sharpened.
A cold pressure spread beneath Ethan’s palm. His hand burned — heat curling through his veins like wildfire.
[System Override: User Detected – Incompatible Bloodline]
"Access Denied."[Override Command: Attempting Synchronization.]"Insufficient bloodline compatibility."
[Unlock Attempt: 72%... 84%... 92%...]
The silver shimmer trembled. The door groaned.
Ethan’s jaw clenched as his arm trembled beneath the pressure. A sharp burst of heat curled beneath his skin. His heart hammered.
Come on…
The shimmer broke.
The doors unlocked with a low click.
[Bloodline Override Complete]
"Noble Seal Broken."Ethan’s eyes darkened. His breath steadied as the last pulse of heat faded from his veins. His hand lingered against the door.
Kael’s gaze sharpened. "How did you—"
"Don’t ask."
Ethan pushed the doors open.
The warehouse beyond was dark. Stacks of crates lined the walls. The faint glint of steel and silver flickered beneath the low torchlight. Weapons. Supplies.
A figure stood at the far end of the warehouse. Tall. Cloaked. Pale silver hair.
Selene Valtorin’s cold blue gaze lifted toward him.
Her mouth curled faintly.
"I was wondering when you’d show up."
Ethan’s gaze darkened. His hand tightened on his dagger.
"Selene."
Selene’s eyes glittered faintly beneath the low torchlight. "Impressive. Overriding a noble seal? That shouldn’t have been possible."
Ethan’s breath sharpened. "And yet here we are."
Selene’s smile deepened. "Indeed."
Kael’s gaze sharpened. Lyra’s hand drifted toward her dagger.
Selene’s pale eyes gleamed.
"Shall we see how far this goes?"
Ethan’s gaze darkened.
"Bring it."
[Quest Updated: Strike First]
Confront Selene Valtorin.Reward: Unlock Bloodline Skill Tree.
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Lyra’s Poisoned Gift
The upper quarter of Black Hollow had once belonged to merchants, bankers, and minor nobles. Now it belonged to fear.Lyra walked through it dressed like a message.Tight crimson leathers, one dagger visible, five not. Her cloak was black silk that shimmered when it caught the torchlight — spun from noble funeral robes. She’d stolen it off a Valtorin corpse weeks ago.The guards saw her. And looked away.No one stopped her anymore.She didn’t walk fast. She strolled, because speed would’ve admitted risk. And Lyra never let herself admit fear — not out loud, and never to herself.The House Valtorin estate towered ahead — not the Spire where Selene ruled, but a city manor used for "outreach" and political intimidation.Tonight, it would bleed.[Side Quest Active: Provocation – Embarrass Selene Before Her Arrival]Target: House Valtorin's City SeatObjective: Plant a forged relic, steal back a true one, and leave a mark.Risk: ExtremeReward: +10 Infamy | Selene’s rage escalates encounte
The Box That Whispers
They didn’t return to the Guildhall. Too exposed. Too obvious.Instead, Ethan led the crew into the catacombs beneath the burned-out husk of the old cathedral — the one Black Hollow’s priests abandoned after the God of Silence stopped answering.Only the brave or the cursed came here now. Ethan was probably both.The air was thick with old ash and mold. Dead candles littered the floors. Bones, too.Kael set a perimeter. Lyra lit three torches and wedged them into the crumbling stone. Nara laid down an inkline ward circle — fast, practiced, whispering in that inhuman tongue she used when working.Ethan sat at the center of it all, the black box resting on his lap.[Item: Sealed Black Box]Status: Locked – Requires Forbidden Lineage AccessWarning: Unknown consequences on open“You’re sure about this?” Kael asked, crouched nearby, blood still drying on his temple.“No,” Ethan replied.Lyra sat cross-legged behind him, blade out, expression unreadable. “Good. We’re already cursed. Might
Whisper-Path
Beneath Black Hollow, past the abandoned waterway and through the cracked aqueduct wall, the whisper-path opened like a throat cut into the earth.It was silent. Too silent. Not the kind where you can hear your own breath — the kind where you start to forget what breath sounds like.Ethan moved first.His dagger was drawn, but it wasn’t the blade he trusted — it was the System, humming just beneath the skin, highlighting every motion, every sound, every stone out of place.Behind him, Nara walked barefoot. Her steps didn’t echo. The sigils inked into her skin pulsed like faint, slow heartbeats — one red, one black, one pulsing to a rhythm no one else heard.Kael moved third. His breathing was calm. Focused. Calculated. Every step had purpose. Every glance had a weight.Lyra brought up the rear, flipping a silver coin between her fingers like they were walking into a tavern, not a noble vault heist.[System Alert: Whisper-Path Detected – Forbidden Construct]Type: Residual Thought Echo
The Gathering Storm
The rain fell hard on Black Hollow.It poured down the slate roofs of the slums and sluiced through the cracked alleys like veins bleeding water. Thunder rumbled across the sky in long, low groans — not angry, just tired.The city listened. It always listened. Especially when things changed.Tonight, they had.The Guild was his now.Ethan stood beneath the great skylight of the Guildmaster’s sanctum, high in the center of the old blackstone tower. The rain tapped steadily against the stained glass above, casting distorted ripples of color across the chamber walls.Kael stood to his left, silent, arms crossed. The shadows beneath his eyes were darker than usual.Lyra lounged across a half-collapsed velvet settee to Ethan’s right, boots kicked up, blade twirling idly between her fingers. She was dressed in black tonight. No red. No smiles.They had all killed this week.Ethan’s fingers traced the edge of the map spread across the stone table in front of him. The city was etched into it
Lyra’s Game
The Eastwatch brothels glittered like dying stars.Red lanterns hung low over narrow alleys, casting flickering shadows across sweat-stained walls. Perfume, wine, and blood all clung to the same sticky air. Music drifted faintly — hollow flutes and off-key strings — masking the whispers and screams in the rooms behind closed curtains.Lyra moved like smoke through the crowd.She was dressed in silk now, all deep red and gold, a slit riding high up one leg, a dagger sheathed against her bare thigh. Her face bore a velvet mask, but her smile was all teeth.[System Interface: Linked – Guild Captain Elimination in Progress]Target: Sarn VoxLocation: The Crimson Lantern, EastwatchStatus: Paranoid | Drunk | Surrounded by escorts and mercsShe slipped past a heavy-set guard at the door with nothing more than a wink and a whisper. He didn’t even look back.Inside, the Crimson Lantern was less a brothel and more a palace for the wicked. Every corner overflowed with noise — laughter, moans, m
A Throne of Knives
The throne room smelled of blood and smoke.Ethan stood beneath the carved silver insignia of the Guild — a blade beneath a crown. The corpse of Varric Kaen, the Guildmaster, lay slumped at the foot of the throne, blood pooling beneath his body in slow, widening rings.Kael cleaned his daggers with calm, clinical precision, but his eyes were on Ethan.Lyra was already climbing the steps to the black stone throne. She dropped into the seat with a sigh, crossing one leg over the other.“Well,” she said brightly, twirling her dagger, “that was dramatic.”Ethan didn’t move. His breathing had slowed, but the System still pulsed in the back of his skull — cold, alive, watching.[System Update: Title Opportunity Available]"Position of Power Vacant: Guildmaster."Would you like to claim this title?[Y/N]Ethan’s eyes narrowed on the interface.“Do it,” Kael said. “No hesitation.”“Obvious trap,” Lyra muttered. “Still… power’s power.”Ethan stared at the floating text for a moment longer. The
You may also like
The Invincible Arthur Gardner
Herolich97.6K viewsThe Ultimate Talent Adam Spencer
ShadowKatake33.2K viewsMyriad Returning System
Rex Magnus40.8K viewsMastering the fates with Role-play system
De_law1717.9K viewsSupernatural Hunter in the Modern Era
lynerparel3.6K viewsThe Clan Head System.
Great48.6K viewsAscension of the Lost Soul
Ramutshatsha Arikonisaho195 viewsMy Rich Medical System
NOVEMBRE463 views