The Price Of A Sacrifice

Adrian swears

"They've already thrown me away," Adrian whispered. "They took my kidney as if it were their right. They left me to die alone while they went on vacation. Why should I hold onto any love for people who don't even consider me alive?"

"So, you accept?"

"Why only filial love?" Adrian asked defiantly. "Why not just take all my emotions?"

"Patience, Adrian. This Altar is thirsty, but it does not swallow everything at once. Great power requires continuous sacrifice. Today, it is your affection. Tomorrow, perhaps your senses. The day after, maybe your most precious memories. Can you afford to pay a price that will only keep growing?"

"As long as I can see them crawling at my feet... I'll pay anything," Adrian answered firmly. "Do it. Take the love. I don't want it anymore."

The blue screen in front of him glowed blindingly bright. A virtual needle made of light pierced directly toward Adrian's chest. He felt no physical pain, but he felt a powerful yank, as if roots were being forcibly ripped from deep within his soul.

No, Adrian thought as he watched fragments of his childhood memories fly away. Don't go...

One small part of him still wanted to hold onto the memory of when he first learned to ride a bike and Dimitri stood behind him. But that memory quickly blackened and crumbled. The warmth that usually rose whenever he thought of his mother suddenly cooled, froze, and shattered into tasteless shards of ice.

"The process of severing spiritual bonds has begun," the system's voice echoed with a hint of satisfaction.

Adrian gasped for air. He felt an immense void inside his chest. It was no longer the emptiness of sadness, but a mechanical hollow. Like a room that had just been cleared of all its furniture. He remembered Elena's face, but that face was now nothing more than visual data. No more heart palpitations, no more tightness in his chest, no more desire to be held.

"How do you feel, Architect?"

Adrian looked up. His eyes, once wet with tears, were now dry and sharp. His gaze was as deep as a bottomless old well. "I feel... light. As if a ten-ton weight has just been lifted off my back."

"Good. Initialization of the rebirth status begins now. Your body will be rebuilt using the Altar's energy. Your surgical wound will be the first sign of your new power."

"What should I do first?" Adrian asked. His voice was flat now, every syllable measured with terrifying precision.

"Return to the real world. Nurse Mia is trying to revive you, but she doesn't know that the one who wakes up will no longer be the Adrian she knew."

"Of course," Adrian stood tall. Around him, the void began to crack. "Poor Adrian Durnevra died on that operating table. Tell me, what is the full name of this system?"

"Altar of Loss: Architect Protocol. Welcome to your second life, Mr. Durnevra."

Instantly, blue light swallowed everything. Adrian felt his body jerk violently, as if he were being hurled from a height of thousands of meters back into his shattered physical form.

Adrian opened his eyes in the dark hospital ward. He could feel Mia performing chest compressions on him, sobbing as she screamed his name.

"One... two... come on, Adrian! Don't die!" Mia cried.

Adrian grabbed Mia's wrist in one swift motion. His grip was so strong that Mia jolted and stopped moving.

"Nurse," Adrian's voice sounded in the darkness, cold and commanding. "Stop crying. You're breaking my concentration."

Mia's eyes widened. She stared at Adrian, who was now sitting upright on the bed. Under the moonlight streaming through the gap in the window, Mia saw an impossible sight. The surgical wound on the side of Adrian's abdomen, which had been gaping and bleeding, began to close on its own. The stitches came loose one by one, falling to the floor, as the young man's skin fused back together without leaving a single scar.

"A-Adrian?" Mia backed away until she hit the medicine cabinet. "What's happening? Your heart monitor... it was just a flat line!"

Adrian didn't answer. He stared at his own hands, feeling a cold flow of energy coursing through his veins. He looked toward the ward door that had been thrown open. Two of Dimitri's guards stood there with confused expressions, holding stun guns.

"Mr. Dimitri told us to make sure the body was ready for cremation," one of the guards said in a gruff voice. "What's going on here? Why is he sitting up?"

Adrian turned toward the two men. In Adrian's eyes, a transparent interface appeared, showing the vital statistics of the two guards, their weak points, and even their bank balances.

Target detected, Adrian thought. A system prompt appeared in his peripheral vision.

[ ACTIVATE ABILITY: GRAVITATIONAL PRESSURE LEVEL 1? ]

Adrian gave a thin smile. A smile that made Mia's blood run cold. "Cremation? That's a good idea. But it's not me who will be ashes today."

"What did you say, kid?" the guard stepped forward, raising his weapon.

Adrian simply flicked his fingers.

The two guards were suddenly slammed onto the marble floor with incredible force, as if a giant hand were pressing down on their shoulders from above. The floor beneath them cracked. They couldn't even scream; their lungs were crushed by air pressure that had suddenly become agonizingly heavy.

"What... what are you doing?" Mia whispered in a trembling voice, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

Adrian climbed out of bed. He stood tall, his once thin and weak body now possessing an undeniable authority. He walked past the two guards writhing on the floor, not giving them a single glance of pity.

"I'm just redesigning this room, Mia," Adrian said without looking back. "And this is only the first foundation."

In the distance, the sirens of ambulances and police cars grew closer. However, Adrian knew they wouldn't be able to catch something that no longer possessed a human soul. He looked toward the night sky, thinking of Dimitri's private jet currently crossing the clouds.

Enjoy your champagne, Father, Adrian thought with absolute coldness. Because for every sip you take today, you will pay with a liter of blood in the future.