Ascension Online: Forsken Path

Cold.

It hit Reed like a hammer to the chest. Icy water filled his lungs, crushing his body as he sank deeper into the abyss. His limbs flailed, but the current twisted around him like unseen hands, dragging him downward.

The world above blurred into shifting shadows, distant and unreachable. His lungs burned, panic clawing at his throat. This wasn't like any game he had ever played. There was no "oxygen bar," no helpful UI popping up to warn him of suffocation.

He was drowning.

And the system didn't seem to care.

System Alert: Hidden Event Triggered.

"Path of the Forsaken" Activated.

What the hell did that mean?

Reed twisted, forcing himself to think instead of panic. He had seconds—maybe less. The water wasn't just cold; it was unnaturally dense, like liquid shadow pressing against his skin. Something moved in the depths below, a vast presence lurking just beyond his vision.

His pulse pounded. He had to move.

Fighting against the current, he kicked upward. His arms burned as he clawed through the water, lungs on the verge of collapse. He could see the surface now, a fractured sliver of light far above.

Almost there.

Then—something grabbed his ankle.

A vice-like grip, cold and unyielding.

His body jerked downward as an unseen force yanked him deeper into the abyss. A shape materialized below, a colossal figure wrapped in darkness, its glowing violet eyes peering through the void. Not a monster. Something worse.

A being that wasn't meant to be seen.

System Warning: Contact with [???] detected. Data corruption imminent.

The pressure around his leg tightened, and suddenly, the world shattered.

He gasped—air flooding into his lungs like fire.

The cold was gone. The water, the abyss, the thing in the darkness—all of it had vanished.

Reed lay sprawled on the damp ground, coughing violently. His entire body ached, his clothes still dripping wet.

He rolled onto his back, his vision spinning. Overhead, twisted trees loomed against a gray sky, their branches stretching like skeletal fingers. The mist had thickened, turning the forest into a shadowy maze.

System Update: Event Completed.

You have entered: The Forsaken Ruins.

The Forsaken Ruins?

Reed pushed himself upright, blinking through the haze. This wasn't the same place he had fallen into the river. The terrain had changed—darker, colder, emptier.

He was somewhere else.

And he had no idea where.

His first instinct was to check his status. But when he willed the UI to appear, nothing happened. No menu, no inventory screen—just dead silence.

His jaw clenched. No UI?

That wasn't normal. Every MMORPG had a user interface. Even hardcore survival games at least gave you a health bar. But here? Nothing.

And then there was the bigger problem—the thing that had grabbed him.

Reed exhaled sharply. Whatever that creature was, it wasn't part of the usual monster lineup. It wasn't even supposed to exist, according to the system.

So why did he see it?

His thoughts were interrupted by the distant echo of footsteps.

Instantly, his muscles tensed. Not an animal. The movement was too controlled, too deliberate. Someone—or something—was approaching.

His fingers curled around the hilt of his dull iron dagger. It was barely better than a kitchen knife, but it was the only weapon he had.

The footsteps grew louder. Then—a voice.

"…Another one?"

Reed froze.

The figure emerged from the mist, clad in tattered black armor, a long-bladed spear resting against his shoulder. His face was obscured by a hood, but his eyes—pale and devoid of warmth—locked onto Reed like a predator sizing up prey.

"You don't belong here," the man said.

Reed's grip tightened. "Where is here?"

The armored figure tilted his head. "The place for those who were never meant to exist."

A cold chill ran down Reed's spine.

This wasn't a scripted NPC. The way he spoke, the way he moved—too natural, too human.

"Who are you?" Reed demanded.

The man exhaled, almost amused. "You wouldn't understand."

A system chime echoed through the air.

System Alert: First Contact with The Broken Ones.

New Path Unlocked.

Reed barely had time to register the message before the man's spear shot forward, stopping an inch from his throat.

"Listen closely, outsider," the armored man said. "You have two choices. One—die here and be forgotten. Two—earn your right to exist."

Reed forced himself to stay calm. "And how exactly do I do that?"

The man grinned. "You fight."

Before Reed could react, the spear lunged for his chest.

His body moved on instinct—ducking, rolling, barely avoiding the strike. Dirt kicked up around him as the spearhead slammed into the ground where he had stood a second ago.

This wasn't a cutscene.

This wasn't a tutorial.

This was real.

Reed ran.

The forest blurred around him as he sprinted through the mist, his heartbeat pounding in his ears. Behind him, the armored man didn't chase. He simply stood there, watching.

A test.

Reed wasn't just being hunted. He was being judged.

His lungs burned as he pushed forward. Survival was the only rule now.