One piece: Without a system, I have to survive!

Pain exploded through my body.

Like fire.

Like ice.

Like something alien was burrowing into my soul.

I screamed, clutching my chest as my mark burned hotter than ever.

The memories—not mine—rushed through my mind like a storm.

Visions of the past.

Visions of the future.

And at the center of it all—

I saw myself.

But it wasn't me.

It was something… twisted.

Something no longer human.

A Glimpse of the Future

I stood on an endless battlefield.

Beneath a blood-red sky.

Mountains of bodies surrounded me—some human, some not.

In my hand, a weapon pulsed with dark energy.

And behind me…

They stood.

The Watchers.

Their eyes glowing like stars in the void.

Waiting.

Watching.

I turned—no, he turned.

The version of me in this vision.

And he smiled.

Cold.

Empty.

A puppet of something greater.

Something I couldn't see.

Something I didn't want to understand.

"Accept your fate."

A voice whispered in my ear.

Not the Watchers'.

Not the Elder's.

Not my own.

Something else.

And then—

The vision shattered.

Back to Reality

I gasped as I fell to my knees.

The cold stone of the tomb pressed against my palms.

Sweat dripped down my face.

The pain was gone—but the fear remained.

Shira was at my side instantly.

"Ardan! What happened?"

I looked up at her, my breathing ragged.

"I saw…" My voice shook.

I couldn't even explain it.

The figure in the robe remained silent.

Watching.

Then, it spoke.

"Now you understand."

I gritted my teeth.

"No," I growled. "I don't. And I won't accept it."

The figure tilted its head.

"Then you will fight fate?"

I forced myself to stand, fists clenched.

"I will."

Even if it killed me.

Even if it destroyed everything.

I would not become a Watcher.

The Keeper's Final Warning

The figure let out a low, hollow chuckle.

Then, it raised a hand—and the blue flames flickered wildly.

The tomb began to shake.

Stone cracked.

Dust rained from the ceiling.

"The path you walk is one of suffering," it said.

"But perhaps… that is the only way to survive."

The room collapsed around us.

And in that final moment—

Before everything turned to darkness—

I heard it whisper.

"Prove me wrong."