PROLOGUE


The woods were eerily silent, save for the faint rustling of leaves that seemed to shiver under an unseen force. I found myself on the outskirts of a small town, the sky caught in a state of penumbra, neither day nor night—a liminal space that mirrored the darkness brewing within me. The atmosphere was heavy, almost suffocating, as if the air itself was resisting my presence.

That's when I heard it.

A low, resonant chanting, the words twisting through the air like a serpent. The voice was consistent, and filled with an unsettling power that sent a chill down my spine. Each word was foreign to me, yet I could feel something changing deep down in my soul.

"Nulli… Oblivio… Excidere…"

"Nulli… Oblivio… Excidere…"

"Nulli… Oblivio… Excidere…"

The chant seemed to warp the space around me, as if reality itself was being unraveled, thread by thread. My breath caught in my throat as I tried to push forward, but the very air seemed to push back, heavy with the weight of the spell. At that moment I knew this was no ordinary magic. The wizard I was facing—he wasn't just trying to defeat me; it felt like he was trying to unmake something that was essential for a mage.

As the words echoed through the silent forest, I could feel my magic struggling to hold on, like a flickering flame in the midst of a storm. This was a battle unlike any I'd fought before, and I couldn't shake the feeling that this encounter would change things entirely.

But I couldn't back down. However now knowing what came after, I wouldn't even be there to begin with.

The chanting reached its crescendo, and as the final syllable left the wizard's lips, a strange, bone-chilling sensation crept up inside me. It wasn't just cold—it was like something vile, something unnatural, was seeping into me. My breath hitched as the chill spread, curling around my heart and sinking into my bones.

Before I could make sense of it, the chill turned into searing pain.

"Aagh—!"

The scream tore from my throat before I could stop it. The pain wasn't just physical—it was something deeper, something that gnawed at the very core of my being. My muscles seized up, and I fell to my knees, my hands clawing at the ground as if trying to anchor myself to something, anything.

"Aaaaaaaaagh—! Make it stop!"

But the pain didn't stop. It intensified, burning through every nerve, setting my veins on fire. My vision blurred, spots of darkness clouding my sight as I doubled over, clutching my sides. My body convulsed, uncontrollable shudders wracking my frame as if my very essence was being ripped apart.

"Aagh—! Uurrraaagh—! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaargh—! Why… Why won't it stop?!"

I could feel my mind fraying at the edges, the pain so overwhelming that I couldn't think, couldn't focus. All I could do was scream, the sound raw and broken, filled with desperation. My teeth ground together, and I bit down on my lip so hard I tasted blood, but even that did nothing to dull the agony.

My vision dimmed, my surroundings a blur as I writhed on the forest floor. My body felt like it was being torn apart from the inside out, every cell screaming in torment. Drool pooled at the corners of my mouth, dripping down my chin as I gasped for air, my chest heaving with the effort.

"I can't… I can't take this—!"

It was too much. The pain was driving me to the brink of madness, a relentless, all-consuming force that was pushing me closer and closer to the edge. I could feel myself slipping, my mind teetering on the brink of collapse.

In that moment, all I wanted was for it to end, for the pain to stop—no matter the cost.

The wizard's laughter echoed through the air aimlessly, sharp and grating, cutting through the haze of pain like a serrated blade.

"Xi Xi Xi Xi… How does it feel, you fool?" His voice was laced with cruel amusement, dripping with mockery. "Does it hurt? Is it unbearable?"

I could barely register his words through the agony, every nerve in my body screaming in protest. I was on my hands and knees, my body trembling uncontrollably, my breath coming in ragged gasps. The pain was all-consuming, drowning out everything else. I couldn't even muster the strength to glare at him, let alone respond.

The wizard's laughter grew louder, more grating. "Xi Xi Xi Xi… You look pathetic, fairy boy. I expected more from one of the so-called 'strongest guild.'"

I could feel him approaching, his footsteps slow and deliberate as he circled me like a predator toying with its prey. His presence was suffocating, a dark cloud of malevolence that hung over me, pressing down with an unbearable weight.

"You can't even respond, can you?" he sneered, leaning in closer as I struggled to keep my head up. "Pitiful. I suppose there's no point in dragging this out any longer."

I heard the soft rasp of metal as he pulled a small pocket knife from his robe, the blade gleaming wickedly in the dim light. His expression twisted into a grotesque grin as he raised the knife, the motion slow and deliberate, savoring the moment.

"Xi Xi Xi Xi… Time to put you out of your misery."

The blade descended, cutting through the air as it aimed for my back. My mind was still swimming in pain, barely able to process what was happening, but then, something deep within me stirred. A flicker of magic—my magic—fought its way through the agony, growing stronger with each passing second.

Just as the blade was about to connect, a sudden surge of power erupted from within me. The force of it was like a tidal wave, crashing through the pain and sending a shockwave outward. The ground beneath me trembled, and the air crackled with energy.

"Wha—?!" The wizard stumbled back, his eyes wide with surprise, his irritating laugh cut off as he tried to comprehend what was happening. "What is this?!"

The power surged, raw and uncontrollable, like a dam that had burst, flooding everything in its path. I could feel it coursing through me, wild and unbridled, as if my very being had been ignited. The pain that had threatened to tear me apart moments ago was now fuel for this inferno of magic, and I could sense the wizard's growing fear as he scrambled to retreat further and further away from me, his mocking arrogance replaced with panic.

"No! This isn't possible!"

But I could feel it—the terror in his voice, the way his hand shook as he tried to steady the knife. The tables had begun to turn.

The air around me thickened, the raw power surging from within turning the atmosphere sickeningly heavy. The once-confident wizard feel on the ground, his eyes wide with terror, his mocking grin replaced with a look of pure dread. The aura emanating from me was no longer just my magic—it was something darker, more sinister. Even I could feel it, twisting inside me, warping the very essence of my power.

The wizard's bravado crumbled as he crawled backward, his voice trembling. "W-What in the world are you…? You… you can't be human…"

I didn't respond. The words felt distant, meaningless, as I slowly pushed myself to my feet. Every movement felt different, like I was moving through a thick, murky fog, but the pain that had once paralyzed me was now a dull echo, overshadowed by this overwhelming force. The aura around me pulsed, dark and suffocating, and the wizard's fear was growing with every second.

His laugh, once a symbol of his confidence, now twisted into a shriek of fear. "Xiiiii—! No, stay back!"

His hand trembled as he reached for his knife, desperation taking hold of him. With a shaky breath, he flung the blade at me, the weapon piercing through the air before burying itself in my shoulder.

But I didn't flinch.

The blade pierced my flesh, but it was as if I didn't even feel it. I didn't acknowledge the pain, didn't react to the knife sticking out of my shoulder. The look in the wizard's eyes—the sheer, unadulterated terror as he realized that nothing he did could stop what was coming.

"Xiiii—! What… what are you?!"

His voice was high-pitched, frantic, the sound of a man who had lost control, who had no idea how to fight what stood before him. His arrogance, his cruel laughter—all of it had vanished, replaced with a desperate, panicked plea for survival.

But there was no saving him. He knew it, and so did I. The only thing left between us was the inevitable, and the realization of it made him crumble.

Without a word, I reached up and pulled the knife from my shoulder, the sound of metal scraping against bone. Blood dripped from the blade, dark and viscous. Slowly, I brought the knife to my lips, licking my own blood from the steel with a sickening delight, it felt almost divine.

My hair hung over my eyes, obscuring my expression, but I could feel the wizard's gaze on me, his fear thick in the air. The aura around me pulsed with a dark energy, and I could sense his growing dread as he took in the sight before him.

When I finally looked up, locking eyes with him, the man froze in place. His breath caught in his throat, his body trembling like a leaf in a storm. He was paralyzed, unable to tear his gaze away from mine. The sheer terror in his eyes was unmistakable.

"M-Monster… G-G-Get away from me!" He whispered, the word barely audible, his voice shaking with fear.

The realization that he was utterly outmatched, that nothing he could do would save him, broke whatever was left of his resolve. Panic overtook him, clumsily geting up and turning on his heel, desperate to escape. His feet stumbling all over on the uneven ground as he tried to run, his breath coming in short, frantic gasps.

"Xi… Xi Xiiiii—! Stay away from me!" he screamed, his voice shrill and desperate. "Stop! Please, stop!"

His screams echoed through the dark forest, growing more frantic with every passing second. He didn't dare look back, but it didn't matter—he knew I was still there, still coming. The fear in his voice rose to a fever pitch as he pleaded, the sound carrying up through the trees and up to the sky, the tops of the forest swaying gently in the wind betraying what was happening underneath it.

"Stop! Uuuaaaarrrgh! I said stop! Please! No, no, no, no, no, no, nooooooooo—!"

Then, suddenly, his screams reached a harsh, abrupt stop. The sound cut off as if someone had slammed a door, leaving nothing but the silence of the dark forest. The wind whispered through the leaves, the only sound in the ominous stillness, as if the trees themselves had absorbed the final, terrified echo of his voice.


The morning light filtered through the thin curtains of the inn's small room, casting a soft, golden hue over the wooden walls. I jolted awake, gasping for air, my chest heaving as if I had just surfaced from drowning. My heart pounded in my ears, as if there was remnants of a terrible dream clinging to the edges of my mind.

"W-What…?" I mumbled, my voice hoarse and shaky. I looked around, disoriented, the familiar surroundings of the inn slowly coming into focus. The simple bed beneath me, the worn dresser in the corner, the faint scent of wood smoke lingering in the air—it was all as it should be, yet something felt wrong, out of place.

I ran a hand through my hair, then pressed it against my forehead, trying to remember. How did I get here? My thoughts were a jumbled mess, fragments of the night before slipping through my fingers like sand. I had been on a mission, facing that wizard in the forest... but what happened after?

"Think, man, think… What happened last night?"

I tried to piece it together, but it was like staring into a fog, everything blurred and distant. The last thing I could clearly recall was the chanting, the searing pain—then nothing. My head throbbed with the effort, and I gritted my teeth, willing myself to remember.

Then, out of nowhere, a flash of memory struck me, a brief, vivid image that sent a shock through my entire body. My breath caught in my throat as I saw it—a vision of my hands, but they couldn't be my hands I thought. They had to be someone else, twisted, evil, dripping red, it felt wrong, unnatural.

"No… That can't be right…" I whispered, my voice trembling.

I stared down at my hands, turning them over, searching for any sign of what I had just seen. They were normal—calloused, scarred, and clean. My fingers flexed, moving as they always had, but the memory of that vision lingered, haunting me. My hands couldn't look like this. Not after what I saw, what I did.

"What the hell…?" The disbelief clawed at the edges of my mind, making my stomach churn. I clenched my fists, trying to push the image away, but it wouldn't leave. It was burned into my memory, a dark stain that I couldn't scrub clean.

I glanced around the room again, half-expecting something to start creeping in, for something to reveal itself. But there was nothing—just the quiet, the soft morning light, and the sound of my own ragged breathing.

"Was it a dream…? Or…"

I didn't know. I couldn't know. All I knew was that something had happened last night—something that I couldn't remember, and that terrified me more than anything else.

As I stared at my hands, trying to shake off the lingering unease, another flash of memory crashed over me like a wave. This time, it was clearer, more vivid—and far more horrifying.

My hands… they were inside the wizard's body, warm and wet, feeling something slick and unyielding beneath my fingers. I could feel him from inside, the resistance as I gripped a part of him, something vital, something that is not normaly touched by any hand.

The memory hit me like a punch to the gut, and I staggered, my stomach churning violently. I fought the rising bile, clenching my teeth as a wave of nausea washed over me. I could feel like if there was something heavy inside of me, something that wasn't right, something that made my blood run cold.

"No. No, no, no…" Was the only thing that repeated non stop in my mind.

I squeezed my eyes shut, willing the image to disappear, to go back to whatever dark corner of my mind it had come from. But it was too late—the memory had already taken root, and I knew, deep down, what it meant. The texture, the feeling of fresh blood, tissue, muscle and fat, we had become one, he was, a part of me now… It all came together in a sickening realization that made my skin crawl.

I had done something unspeakable, something that I wish to never have done.

The room spun around me as I stumbled to my feet, desperate to escape the suffocating horror that was closing in on me. I rushed to the restroom, barely making it before I collapsed in front of the sink. My hands gripped the cold porcelain edge as I forced myself to look up, to face the truth reflected in the mirror.

What I saw made my breath hitch in my throat.

My face was pale, almost ghostly, the color drained from my skin. Sweat beaded on my forehead, trickling down my temples as my heart pounded in my chest. I could only look my lips not believing in it, I stayed like that for some time, when I finally moved my vision up the reflection stared back at me. My eyes, wide and filled with a terror I had never felt before, as if they belonged to someone else. Someone broken, someone who had seen something that could never be unseen.

I couldn't believe it—I didn't want to believe it. But the memory of that clung to my mind, and no amount of scrubbing could ever wash it away.

"What… What have I done…?" The words slipped from my lips, barely a whisper, as the truth settled into the pit of my stomach like a lead weight.

The shock slowly began to drain from my face, replaced by something else, something simmering just beneath the surface. My breath grew heavier, my chest rising and falling with an anger that I could barely contain. The disbelief, the horror—they twisted inside me, feeding a rage that I could no longer control.

I stared at my reflection, at the haunted eyes staring back at me, and I felt a surge of fury welling up from deep within. It built and built, like a storm ready to break, until I couldn't hold it back any longer.

"Dam it!" I screamed, my voice raw with anger and pain.

Without thinking, I swung my fist at the mirror. The glass shattered with a sharp, piercing crack, fragments exploding outward as the mirror splintered into several pieces. Pain shot through my hand, a sharp sting as the glass ripped into my skin, but it only fueled the fire burning inside me.

Blood dripped from my knuckles, smearing across the fractured remains of the mirror as I pulled my hand back. I could feel the pain, the warmth of the blood running down my fingers, but it was nothing compared to the storm raging inside me.

"What's happening to me?!" I demanded, my voice trembling with a mix of rage and desperation. My fist throbbed, but the pain did little to ground me, to pull me back from the edge.

"Shit!" I looked down at the broken shards scattered across the sink, at the blood mingling with the fractured reflections, and I felt the weight of it all pressing down on me. The reality of what I had done, of what I had become—it was too much. The memories, the feel of that wizard's body—it all clawed at my sanity, driving me further into the abyss.

As I stood there, surrounded by the shattered remnants of the mirror, a bitter realization settled over me, heavy and suffocating. This was all—because of that one decision to take it on, to face that wizard. If I had known what was waiting for me in those woods, I would have turned back, walked away, anything to avoid what I had become.

"I never should have accepted this mission…" I muttered, my voice hollow. "I should have never met him…"

The regret twisted in my chest, sharp and unyielding. My life had changed forever that night, and there was no turning back. The path I was on now—dark, twisted, and uncertain—was one I could never escape from.

And it all started with that one, cursed mission.