The Forbidden System: Rise of the Last Martial God

The Hunter in the Valley

Kael did not sleep again that night.

He sat near the broken doorway of the abandoned shelter, the strip of black cloth clenched between his fingers.

Seven uneven lines surrounding an empty circle.

He had seen the symbol twice before: first on the Awakening Stone at Iron Peak Sect, and then in the system’s warnings.

Now it had appeared outside their shelter.

Someone was watching him.

The question was whether that person wanted him dead or wanted something worse.

“You’re going to wear a hole in that cloth if you keep staring at it.”

Kael turned.

Lyra was awake, sitting against the opposite wall with her arms folded.

“You should be sleeping,” he told her.

“So should you.”

“I heard something.”

“You saw something,” she corrected. “Your breathing changed before you reached the doorway.”

Kael looked at her suspiciously.

“Do you notice everything?”

“Only things that might get me killed.”

He held out the cloth.

Lyra took it, and the moment she saw the silver symbol, the amusement vanished from her face.

“Where did you find this?”

“Outside.”

She rubbed her thumb across the stitching.

“This isn’t ordinary thread. Look closely.”

Kael leaned nearer.

Fine silver strands had been woven through the black fabric. They were almost invisible until the moonlight touched them.

“It’s a tracking marker,” Lyra whispered. “Or something designed to identify a particular person.”

“Can it track me?”

“I don’t know.”

“That’s comforting.”

She ignored him and examined the symbol again.

“My instructor once showed me a drawing that looked similar to this. He said it belonged to an organization that existed before the Seven Sects were founded.”

Kael’s attention sharpened.

“What organization?”

“He never told me its name. He said even mentioning it could attract unwanted attention.”

“And now someone has left its symbol outside our door.”

“Yes.”

They exchanged a grim look.

Kael turned toward the darkness.

“Then we leave before sunrise.”

Lyra nodded. “Agreed.”

They extinguished the fire, packed their supplies, and waited until the sky began to lighten.

Kael had barely stepped beyond the shelter when a notification appeared.

[Hidden objective updated.]

[Objective: Protect the Bloodline.]

[New clue detected: Seven-Line Mark.]

[Analysis incomplete.]

[Warning: Hostile presence detected within 300 meters.]

Kael stopped.

“Lyra.”

She immediately drew the short blade at her waist.

“What is it?”

“Someone is nearby.”

“How many?”

The system responded before he could answer.

[Combat Insight activated.]

[Hostile targets detected: 3.]

[Estimated threat: Moderate to High.]

[Recommended action: Retreat.]

Kael’s stomach tightened.

Three enemies.

He had only just learned how to circulate energy without injuring himself. Even with Combat Insight, he was nowhere near strong enough to fight three experienced warriors.

“There’s a narrow path to the east,” Lyra whispered. “We can reach the rocky ridge before they close in.”

They moved quickly.

They had almost reached the ridge when a voice rang out behind them.

“Kael Veyron!”

He froze.

Only someone from Iron Peak Sect would call his full name like that.

Three figures emerged from the trees.

All wore dark travel robes. The tallest carried a curved sword, while the other two held short spears.

A silver badge was pinned to the tallest man’s chest.

Iron Peak Sect.

Kael turned slowly.

“Who sent you?”

The man smiled without warmth.

“Elder Garrick wants you returned to the sect.”

Kael’s eyes narrowed.

“Returned? He exiled me.”

“Circumstances have changed.”

“What circumstances?”

The man’s gaze dropped to Kael’s right hand.

For a fraction of a second, his expression shifted.

Recognition.

Then greed.

“You’ve awakened it,” he murmured.

Kael felt a chill travel down his spine.

“Awakened what?”

The man raised his sword.

“Enough questions. Come quietly, and you may live long enough to learn the answers.”

Lyra stepped forward.

“He isn’t going anywhere with you.”

The man looked at her as though he had only just noticed her.

“And who are you?”

“Someone who dislikes men who threaten injured travelers.”

“Then you should have chosen a different road.”

He lifted two fingers.

The spear-wielding men separated, one moving toward Kael and the other toward Lyra.

Kael’s system flashed.

[Combat Insight: Available.]

[Target 1: Iron Peak Pursuer.]

[Weakness: Right shoulder injury.]

[Target 2: Iron Peak Pursuer.]

[Weakness: Poor balance during forward thrust.]

[Target 3: Unknown leader.]

[Warning: Target’s cultivation exceeds host’s current capacity.]

Kael’s pulse quickened.

The system could identify weaknesses, but it could not guarantee victory.

He glanced at the rocky ridge.

If they could reach the narrow passage beyond it, the pursuers would not be able to surround them.

“Lyra,” he whispered. “On my signal, run toward the ridge.”

She gave a slight nod.

The first spear came at him.

Kael stepped sideways, letting the weapon pass close to his ribs. He struck the attacker’s injured shoulder with his palm.

The man grunted and stumbled.

Kael followed with a low kick to the knee.

The pursuer fell hard against the rocks.

[Combat Insight applied successfully.]

[Minor combat experience gained.]

Kael had no time to celebrate.

The second attacker lunged at Lyra.

She parried the spear, turned her body, and drove her elbow into his chest. When he staggered, she swept his legs from beneath him.

“Now!” she shouted.

They sprinted toward the ridge.

The leader moved faster than Kael expected.

One moment he stood beside the fallen men; the next, he was directly in Kael’s path.

His sword flashed.

Kael barely twisted aside.

The blade cut through his sleeve and opened a shallow wound along his upper arm.

Pain exploded through him.

[Warning: Host has sustained an injury.]

The pursuer struck again.

Kael raised his forearm instinctively, but the force threw him backward into a boulder.

His breath vanished.

The man approached with his sword held low.

“You’re still weak,” he said. “Whatever you’ve awakened, it hasn’t made you strong enough.”

Kael struggled to stand.

The man was right.

His system could reveal weaknesses, but his body could not yet exploit every opening.

The leader aimed his sword at Kael’s chest.

“Tell me where the archive is.”

Kael stared at him.

“What archive?”

“The one beneath the ravine.”

The First Archive.

The pursuer knew about it.

Kael forced himself to remain calm.

“I found a cave. Nothing else.”

The man’s expression hardened.

“Liar.”

He thrust forward.

Kael saw the movement through Combat Insight. A narrow opening appeared beneath the man’s sword arm, but Kael’s injured body could barely react.

He moved anyway.

The blade grazed his side.

Kael slammed his shoulder into the pursuer’s chest, driving both of them against the boulder.

For one brief moment, the man’s balance faltered.

Kael struck the same spot twice.

The leader staggered backward, more surprised than injured.

“Impossible,” he whispered.

Kael seized the opportunity and ran.

Lyra had already reached the narrow passage. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him through just as the pursuer recovered.

The passage twisted between two walls of stone.

Behind them, the leader’s voice thundered.

“You cannot hide from the Architect!”

Kael stopped so abruptly that Lyra nearly collided with him.

The Architect.

The name from the system’s warnings.

The pursuer laughed from the other side of the rocks.

“Bring us the sealed heir, and your sister may be spared!”

Kael’s blood turned cold.

Mira.

They knew about Mira.

He took a step back toward the passage entrance.

Lyra seized his arm.

“Don’t.”

“They mentioned my sister.”

“I heard them.”

“If they go after her—”

“Then we make sure we survive long enough to stop them.”

Kael’s jaw tightened.

He wanted to charge back and force the answers out of the man.

But he knew what would happen.

He would die before reaching him.

And Mira would still be in danger.

Kael closed his eyes briefly, forcing his anger down.

Then he followed Lyra deeper into the passage.

They did not stop until they reached a small opening on the opposite side of the ridge.

Below them stretched a broad valley dotted with farms, trading posts, and distant buildings.

Far beyond the fields, a walled city rose against the horizon.

Ashenfall City.

Kael looked toward it, his breathing still uneven.

“We need to reach that city,” he said.

Lyra nodded. “And we need to find out who told them about your sister.”

Kael looked down at his injured arm.

The system chimed.

[Emergency mission generated.]

[Mission: Protect the Sealed Heir.]

[Objective 1: Reach Ashenfall City alive.]

[Objective 2: Discover how hostile forces learned of Mira Veyron.]

[Objective 3: Obtain evidence linking the pursuers to the Seven-Line Mark.]

[Reward: System Exchange unlock progress.]

[Failure penalty: Potential loss of a protected bloodline member.]

Kael’s hands trembled.

For the first time, the system had mentioned Mira directly.

He could not tell whether it was warning him or using her to control him.

Either way, he could not ignore the mission.

He turned toward Ashenfall City.

“I won’t let them touch her.”

Lyra studied him.

“Then we need to get stronger. Both of us.”

Kael nodded.

But as they began descending toward the valley, a final notification appeared.

[Confidential system message detected.]

[The current mission contains incomplete information.]

Kael stopped walking.

“What does that mean?”

[Some mission details are being withheld.]

“By whom?”

The system remained silent.

He looked toward the distant city, where thousands of people went about their lives unaware of the forces moving around them.

Someone had framed him.

Someone had sealed his core.

Someone had threatened his sister.

And now the system guiding him toward power was refusing to tell him the whole truth.

Kael tightened the straps of his bag and continued down the mountain.

He would reach Ashenfall City.

He would find medicine for Mira.

And when he discovered who had turned his family into a target, he would make certain they regretted it.

But first, he had to survive the road ahead.