Morning on the Ravine's edge was grey and breathless. No birds, no breeze. Just the low hum of dread as SeTa and Kael approached the new ritual site.
> [Quest Update:
Cult Ceremony Relocated — Site: Forgotten Hollow
Time Remaining: 4 Hours]
They'd leaked false information through backchannel networks in Solport—let slip that the cult's altar had shifted to an open clearing near the Hollow. Ishara's Talon took the bait.
SeTa could feel them before he saw them. Aura distortions in the air, movement that didn't belong to wind or wildlife. Shadows watching shadows.
Kael's crimson blade vibrated against its sheath. "They're in position."
SeTa nodded, pulling a smooth obsidian chip from his pocket. It glowed faintly.
> [Item Active: Voidpulse Seed — Delayed Dimensional Collapse]
Countdown: 00:04:59
They crept toward the Hollow's basin. It was a bowl of earth surrounded by pillars—half ruins, half twisted trees—and at its center, a faux ritual circle carefully seeded with power. Just enough to bait both cultists and the assassins.
Then the system chimed.
> [Trial Commencement]
Cult Leader Arrival Detected
Player Intrusion Triggered — Ishara's Talon Squad Present
The enemy fell into the trap perfectly. Six Talon members appeared in a ripple of black light, blades drawn, confident they had the upper hand again.
Only this time, the ritual circle responded.
Kael whispered, "Now."
> [Voidpulse Activated]
The ground erupted with layered magic: suppression fields reversed polarity, flipping the Talon's buffs into debuffs. Their coordination faltered instantly.
SeTa moved.
With his Nullborn Arbiter skills, he blinked forward mid-strike, slipping into a parallel motion line. One Talon archer fell before he could even nock his arrow. Another screamed as time compressed around his limbs, rendering him paralyzed.
Kael's Hellbound aura burst outward like a flare in the dark.
He wasn't graceful—he was relentless. Fire shadowed his steps, wrapping his blade in cursed flame. He charged the squad leader, trading blows that cracked the air like thunder. SeTa supported from behind, weaving illusions and distortion fields that fractured their enemies' reality.
> [Boss Phase Initiated: Cult Leader — High Inquisitor Draleth]
The cult's final player entered the field from beneath the earth, rising in chains of fire and bone.
Kael turned to SeTa, eyes burning. "He's mine."
SeTa didn't argue.
The battle was ugly—longer than expected. Draleth wielded cursed divinity, corrupting Kael's own abilities mid-duel. But Kael's Hellbound class thrived on pain, on contradiction. He turned every blow into a counter-curse, every burn into a chain of retribution.
And when he drove his blade through Draleth's chest, the world shimmered with judgment.
> [Quest Complete: Trial of the Bound Flame]
Reward Granted: Title Evolved — Hellborne Judicator
New Skill Acquired: Infernal Verdict
Bonus Cleared: Ritual Prevented — Cult Leader Eliminated Pre-Ceremony
The last of Ishara's Talon fell trying to flee. SeTa didn't give them the chance. No speeches. No mercy.
Afterward, as smoke curled from the battlefield, Kael fell to one knee—not from injury, but release.
"It's done," he said, quietly.
SeTa walked over, silent, and helped him up.
"Good kill," he said.
Kael gave a tired smirk. "Thanks, Judge."
They made their way back to Solport in silence. The guards at the checkpoint stared as they passed—charred cloaks, blood-spattered gear, eyes that had seen too much.
Back at their room, SeTa finally checked the blinking system alert that had been waiting.
> [Earth Reconnection: 6 Hours Remaining]
He looked to Kael.
"Go," Kael said. "We've earned it."
SeTa hesitated. "You coming?"
Kael nodded slowly. "Yeah. Just for a bit."
And just like that, they triggered the return.
> [Activating Earth Sync: 24 Hours Real Time]
Syncing Vital Status — Temporary Lock on Combat Progression
Emotional State: Stabilized
Return Point Set: Private Locations
A gentle wind stirred.
Then light consumed them both.
And for the first time in what felt like years, SeTa opened his eyes… to silence.
To Earth.