[VotA] Chapter 1 - The Marked One (Patreon)

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A grotesque, semi-transparent mass of writhing darkness pulsed at the center of the chamber. Thick, black ichor churned within its form, streaked with veins of glowing purple.

Symbols carved in blood twisted and pulsed across the cold stone floor, their flickering glow barely keeping the suffocating darkness at bay.

There were no doors. No windows. No escape.

The room was pure black stone, illuminated only by the shifting colors of the arcane runes. Some gleamed crimson, others flickered between violet, green, and sickly yellow. The air was thick, as if pulsing with a kind of otherworldly pressure.

But today, that would change.

I’ve already altered the runes to conjure the Dragon’s Presence and Banshee’s Scream. When I use the Dimensional Gate, even if she comes, I will be able to freeze her!

For the longest time, the runes kept him shackled, unable to move beyond their borders. But today, something was different.

The markings flared, and within his pulsating body, visions manifested. They were shifting and colliding, without order or sense.

Sometimes, there was a grotesque mass of fused skulls, mouths locked in eternal wails, burned in emerald flames. Pale, decaying bodies clawed their way from the blackened earth, while others fled in desperation from a sickly yellow river. Specters, damned and writhing, clawed at one another in the churning currents, their forms dissolving upon contact.

Then, a legion of beings, sculpted from golden sand, liquid silver, and deep blue waters, merging into a colossal, ever-shifting mouth, appeared. A giant face was formed. Eyes like dying suns burned within its depths, volcanic fumes twisting into new heads, while tsunamis and maelstroms roared from its gaping throat. No sound could be heard, but one could imagine the thunderous noise.

While the chaotic vision was still unfinished, suddenly, winged lizards emerged, tearing into each other, their yellow and black eyes burning with both fear and pride. Their maws spewed multicolored fire as they devoured their own kin, scales bursting from torn leathered skin, wings flapping ceaselessly in a frenzied storm.

And finally, a crimson tide surged forth, devouring every other image. Horned figures writhed, their flesh molded into an endless wall of suffering. Bone-whips and flaming tridents lashed them forward, each creature both sinner and punisher, their bodies fused by searing purple and red flames.

And as if they never existed, the images dissipated, leaving behind only the writhing black mass.

Today, I will escape.

Suddenly, the runes flickered, struggling against an unknown force.

Then, the chamber trembled.

A pulse of violet light slashed through the darkness, warping the air like rippling water. A starry portal ignited into existence, its edges swirling with deep blue radiance.

She’s coming! But why?

After his thought, a click sound broke the silence.

A woman had stepped through the portal, bathed in violet light, her presence bending reality itself.

As the glow faded, she stood before him in full view.

Long, bare legs gleamed under the arcane glow, each step as if the very air submitted to her will. A thin black silk wrap barely concealed the curves of her ample chest, resting beneath a flowing black cape, still shimmering with residual magic.

A golden crown embedded with blood-red gemstones rested atop her head.

But none of that was as striking as two things.

First, there was her face, so perfect it was almost unreal. Violet eyes gleamed with satisfaction, lips curled into an amused smile, as if savoring the moment.

And then, her horns.

Four great obsidian horns curved upward, their tips gleaming with violet mana, resting atop waves of flowing purple hair.

After the first step, she didn’t walk anymore.

She floated.

Clapping her hands twice, she spoke.

"Marked One, how are you feeling today?"

Her voice was akin to a siren’s, every syllable vibrating through the chamber, purple waves rippling, brushing against the runes.

The writhing mass did not answer, only silently thinking.

The Demon Princess.

Even in his current state, he could hear her not with ears, but with his soul.

The runes beneath them shivered at her presence, but she barely acknowledged them. Instead, she twirled her fingers through the air, tracing unseen symbols with glowing purple nails.

"Can you feel it, Marked One?"

She smiled, raising both hands, eyes filled with delight.

"Today is our lucky day."

Her hands hovered inches above his writhing form.

Then, she whispered.

A language that should not be spoken. A sound that should not exist.

If any other mortal heard it, they would have bled from their ears, their minds unraveling into madness.

A golden orb flickered into existence in her palm.

It was neither solid nor liquid.

Neither energy nor matter.

Fluctuating between gas, light, fluid, and something beyond comprehension.

And the moment it appeared, he felt it.

The writhing mass froze.

Visions flashed uncontrollably. The screaming skulls, the wailing spirits, and the endless fire, all together.

SYSTEM! THE SYSTEM SHE RIPPED OUT OF ME!

A surge of pure, unfiltered rage.

The Demon Princess bit her lip as if savoring his reaction.

"You seem excited, Marked One."

Her smile widened, voice dripping with amusement.

"Yes, you must be! How delightful it will be, to be reunited with the System once more!"

He stilled.

What?

She said she would give back to him something she took long ago.

No, that didn’t make sense.

Raising her hand higher, the golden orb pulsed, its light merging with the runes beneath them.

"Your soul is ready to evolve," she whispered.

He shuddered inwardly at her tone.

"And serve as the True Vessel for my Lord’s resurrection."

If he had a mouth, he would have screamed.

If he had eyes, they would have widened in horror.

She wasn’t returning the System to him.

She had come to finish the job.

I NEED TO ESCAPE! NOW!

The Marked One gathered his fractured existence, forcing his writhing form to condense.

If he hesitated even a second, there would be no turning back.

The Demon Princess outstretched her left hand.

Chains of violet energy coiled through the air, spiraling toward him.

And then, with a pulse of mana from deep within his soul, he exploded.

"No!"

The Demon Princess’s voice echoed through the chamber as black, red, and purple ichor splattered across the runes, disrupting the formation.

The air cracked.

Smoke. Heat. The scent of something burning.

And at the center of the shattered summoning circle, there was nothing. For the first time in decades, the Marked One was gone.

Princess Xanya’s violet eyes flared, her horned crown flickering as she whipped her gaze across the chamber, scanning frantically.

Then, her eyes detected a pulse.

A faint multicolored shimmer flickered at the edge of her vision.

She turned sharply.

A small fragment of the dark mass, barely the size of a fist, twitched against the ruined stone.

Colors swirled inside, alternating between black, red, green, and purple.

A breathy whisper escaped her lips.

"You are alive."

Before Xanya's words had even fully left her lips, a roar split the air.

It was not just sound, but a maelstrom of wailing spirits and howling beasts, combining to form a chaotic cacophony.

Xanya’s fingers twitched, violet nails gleaming as she instinctively reached for a spell. The blood runes on the stone floor pulsed, twisting, merging into something new, and she could do nothing to stop, her mind blanking for a moment.

The Marked One, or what little remained of him, moved.

This is my chance.

His fragmented soul shifted, realigning its mana, preparing another spell.

The Dimensional Gate is almost ready!

But before he could finish, the world shook.

The Marked One felt it immediately.

Something reached inside his being, gripping him, his very soul, and locking him in place.

What?

And then, the ceiling vanished.

Not shattered. Not broken.

Just gone.

A flood of mana poured in, pressing against him like an unstoppable tidal wave.

Xanya staggered backward, freed from her previous state and struggling against the mana pressure, glowing eyes snapping upward, lips parting in shock.

She saw as they descended.

Three figures, framed against an endless black sky, silhouetted by the cosmic radiance of the place the prison was built in.

On the left, a bloodstained woman, pale skin glowing on its own, dressed in black and red. Her bat-like wings beat lazily, keeping her afloat. Two sharp fangs gleamed behind her lips, still wet with fresh blood.

To the right, a towering humanoid beast, his bull’s head massive, curved horns twisting back like a crown of death. His brown fur was lined with crimson tattoos, shifting and flickering with power. He stood atop a floating, colossal greatsword, his black eyes filled with glee.

"Found you."

And in the center, had just spoken, there was a human.

Draped in golden armor, a spear of crackling red lightning in his hand.

His short black hair fluttered in the mysterious wind surrounding him, but his eyes never left the Demon Princess.

A smirk played across his lips, as he turned toward the vampire woman and chuckled.

"See, Mina? Told you she wasn’t that bright."

Mina, the vampire, rolled her scarlet eyes but said nothing.

The bull-headed warrior let out a rumbling growl as a massive glowing red axe materialized at his right.

“Princess Xanypurtrix Von Bane,” he roared, shaking the remaining prison walls. “Do you remember me?”

The Demon Princess remained silent, her eyes cold.

Raion smirked. “Can’t we take her alive? For interrogation? The Truthseekers would pay well for her knowledge, no matter her physical state.”

Mina scowled. “What a misfortune, for you to be the hero of your race, Raion.”

Raion shrugged, grinning like a bastard. "I'll bed you both still. I have time."

Meanwhile, the Marked One could neither see what was happening nor hear them as they didn’t use any mana to communicate.

But in the silence, his mind raced.

I can’t use mana! If only I had the System! What if—

And then, a voice slipped into his mind, interrupting his light of thought.

“Don’t worry, Marked One.”

Xanya’s voice, talking to him through a spell.

“I will save you.”

His fragmented body twitched violently.

Crazy woman! She wants to sacrifice me, not save me!

Raion’s golden eyes flickered, locking onto him.

“What is that ugly thing?” he muttered. “Is that… a human soul?”

Then his gaze snapped toward the golden orb in Xanya’s palm.

And his expression twisted, but not in horror.

It was greed.

"No way… she really took the System out of someone!?"

His words were the trigger.

The air exploded into motion.

Raion turned into lightning, hurling himself toward Xanya.

The bull-headed warrior roared, his flaming axe cleaving through the air, bringing a flaming wave burning hotter than common fire in Xanya’s direction.

Mina dissolved into smoke, spreading out to block any escape.

The mana lock on the prison shattered, the three changing their focus, and not able to keep the previous pressure.

With this, power surged back into the Marked One.

And while he couldn’t understand what was happening, he felt the different mana waves rushing in his direction.

Without hesitation, he detonated his remaining fragments, preparing to conclude the conjuration of a Dimensional Gate, as more runes were altered.

I need to get out.

But Xanya was faster than he could predict.

She moved above him, her black cape fluttering, and hurled the golden orb in his direction.

Raion saw it.

Even mid-lightning strike, he twisted, changing trajectory, his control over his body higher than any other being inside this place.

The flaming energy attack slammed into the floor, erupting in a wave of destruction.

And with it, the prison collapsed.

But the golden orb still reached the Marked One.

Just when he had almost finished casting his skill.

It would take less than a second to complete it.

However, the golden light pierced into his soul nonetheless.

At the same time, Raion’s lightning spear struck, his fist-sized form being pierced without resistance.

And behind them, Xanya’s black chains erupted from the portals, shooting toward the Marked One.

I’ll die.

The world slowed to a crawl.

He felt it all, even without seeing.

The chains were meant to bind his soul, emitting enough mana to flood the collapsing walls.

The golden orb, that was merging with him, looking for something inside his core.

And finally, Raion’s spear delivering a strike meant to kill him.

He understood, in that final moment.

They are trying to decide my fate.

The Marked One’s soul flared.

I won’t let them do it.

Instead of Dimensional Gate, he changed the spell, knowing that the incoming chains would hit him and bound his soul, dragging him back from wherever he went.

So he conjured a slightly different magic through the runes.

The Soul Gate.

His body thinned, turned to black and purple vapor, as he lunged toward Raion.

The Hero’s eyes widened, flaring with mana. 

Raion was about to turn into lighting again, when he was locked.

The very chains meant for the Marked One had wrapped around Raion’s arms, neck, and legs instead, trapping him.

“No!” Raion roared, feeling a corrupting force inside his very soul.

The Marked One had collided with him.

Raion’s soul collapsed inward, the chains pulling taut, locking the flow of his mana, degrading his soul’s defense.

The corruption surged through him, images of flying lizards, undead legions, cosmic titans, and horned demons tearing through his very being. His own memories, from his name to his self-awareness, began to erode, devoured by the abyss that had crawled inside of him.

In that moment of ultimate despair, however, the golden orbs shone.

Raion’s fraying mind clung to the only truth and hope he had ever known. 

That the System would save him.

The thing that governed all reality, that made him a Hero, was already attempting to save him.

And the Marked One felt it.

He laughed.

Or rather, the fractured echoes of what remained of him did.

It was a soundless laugh, a feeling rather than a noise.

Do you want to escape? Leave me here to die alone?

His form trembled, flickering like a dying star. The black, red, green, and purple light expanded, twisting, while the golden orbs spun wildly, pulsing, breaking apart.

I won’t let you.

With a strong black pulse, a wave of mana exploded out of the Marked One, consuming the golden orbs, Raion’s soul, and everything in between.

As his soul was torn apart, the tortured being had one thought.

Is this freedom?

The Marked One’s thoughts faded.

Raion’s body convulsed, as his very soul was the main target of the explosion.

And then, the divine trait that made the Hero of Humanity eternal was triggered.

[Trait: Hero’s Life Activated] 

[Hero’s Life: No Hero can truly die. As long as your race exists, you will always have a second chance. Time is meaningless in the face of true power and endless destiny.]

[Error]

[Hero’s Soul Corrupted]

[Rewinding Time and Restoring Hero’s Soul]

[Error]

[Fragmented Soul found]

[Error]

[Two Souls… Three… Four…]

[Unable to find Hero’s Soul]

[Error]

[Duplicated System Detected]

[Error]

[Erasing Trait: Hero’s Life] 

[Error]

[Trait: Hero’s Life used]

[User: Marked One]

[Error]

[User: Raion Castle]

[Error]

[User: Mark Raion]

[Sending User back to 5 minutes before the 80th Realm Assimilation]

[System Resetting in 3… 2… 1…]

[REBOOTING…]

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