Crimson rebirth: rise of the cursed eye

Kael's POV

He wore my face. Moved like I did. Fought even better.

Lightning pulsed in his hand — unstable, jagged, wild. And yet… it felt familiar.

He stole it.

The Mirrorborn lunged, his arm cloaked in crackling light. The energy screamed as it tore across the space between us, and I barely dodged, the blast scorching a gash into the trees behind me.

> [System Alert: Trial Initiated — Mirrorborn Kael (Phantom Tier)]

[Classification: Shadowbound Echo]

I rolled to my feet, still gripping Elenore's dagger. It hummed — her last gift. But it felt… fragile.

The Mirrorborn grinned. A crooked, soulless thing.

He flashed forward again, feinting left, then twisting mid-air — his lightning-coated hand stabbing down like a spear.

A piercing strike.

Too fast.

I raised my arms in defense — slammed into the ground, my back arching in pain. My body flipped from the impact, but the system sparked as my balance recovered.

> [New Skill Unlocked: Bodyflip — Tier I]

[Description: Manipulates body momentum and evasion mid-air. Ideal for counterattacks and unnatural dodges. Evolves through high-speed combat use.]

I landed on my feet — barely.

The Mirrorborn smirked. His lightning danced wilder now — feeding on the Nexis in the air.

He was copying me.

But that lightning… it wasn't mine.

Not yet.

My sigil eyes flared — red ringed with black, burning like embers under the mask of calm.

I watched. Waited.

The Mirrorborn lunged one final time, arm extended. His lightning roared — twisted and cracked, coiling in spirals.

It struck — aiming for my heart.

I sidestepped, flipped behind him, and elbowed the back of his head. He stumbled, just enough for me to act.

His lightning was erratic.

But I could shape it.

> [Skill Acquisition: Adaptive Echo Detected. Processing...]

[Result: Lightning Manifestation — Corrupted Form]

I grabbed the arc still lingering from his attack — pulling the lightning from the air and forcing it into my hand.

It surged. Unstable. Painful.

But mine.

I raised my arm — and struck forward.

> [Skill Created: Voidrend Pulse — Tier II]

[Element: Nexis Lightning]

[Type: Offensive Piercing Skill]

[Effect: Generates compressed spiraling lightning. Pierces magic, stuns targets, and disrupts mana flow. Evolves via Soul Echo exposure.]

My palm crashed into his chest.

A spiral of compressed lightning erupted — the scream of raw energy lashing out as the Mirrorborn convulsed.

He didn't bleed. He didn't cry.

He simply fractured — like broken glass.

> [Trial Complete. Mirrorborn Defeated. Skill "Voidrend Pulse" Successfully Integrated.]

---

He vanished, scattered to the wind.

Only one thing remained.

A black mask.

It hovered before me, matte in color, faint crimson lines running across its surface like veins. A fracture along the left cheek. No eyes. No mouth. Just emptiness.

And yet I could feel it breathe.

> [Item Acquired: Wraithskin Mask — Tier ???]

[Type: Soulbound Artifact]

[Effect 1: Nexis Flow Stabilizer — Prevents internal collapse due to surge overloads.]

[Effect 2: Tracking Nullifier — Immune to magical scrying, tracking sigils, and mana traces.]

[Effect 3: Echo Adaptation (Dormant) — Evolves with Soul Echoes collected by Onyx Armor.]

I took it.

The moment I placed it on my face, the chaos in my core dulled — the Nexis storms inside my veins calmed. Not gone. But listening.

> [Nexis Stability: 38% — Partial Control Achieved]

---

That's when I felt it.

A sharp pulse.

Something tearing.

I looked down.

Elenore's dagger — the last piece of her — cracked.

"...No."

I reached to stop it, but it was already too late.

The dagger shattered in my hand — its blade falling into ash.

> [Item Lost: Elenore's Dagger]

[Soul Link Severed. Emotional Anchor Removed.]

[Final Memory Fragment Purged]

I stared, kneeling as the last remnants blew away in the wind.

She was gone.

Ashuru floated beside me — silent, for once.

"You saw that?" I asked.

"I felt it. And so did the forest."

"It was the last thing I had from her."

"That's not true."

"You carry the rest in you — if you survive long enough to remember."

---

I stood.

All around, the forest was dead silent. Not a single beast. No rustle. No breath.

"They've vanished," I whispered.

Ashuru nodded.

"Even monsters have instinct. And they know a predator when they feel one."

"Why didn't they come for me?"

"Because they weren't the test."

"You were."

---

I looked ahead — where the trees darkened, tangled, and unnatural.

The path was clear now.

I stepped forward.

Alone.

Unseen.

Unwelcome.

But the Nexis in my blood burned steady — finally, under control.

And for the first time since Elenore died, I didn't walk in fear.

The forest feared me.