There was only one way to become a Keeper - to acquire the Codex. To do so, a Tainted had to head to the Astral Dimension and find the Ascension Rune.
Now, through the sacrifice of one Keeper, a one unlucky young man got his chance.
Before Kain knew it, shimmering symbols appeared before his eyes.
[Name: Kain
Codex: -
Mark: Forsaken Sacrifice
Rank: Tarnished
Core: Dreamer
Traits: [Cursed Blood] [???] [???]
Runes: [Tainted] [Rune Brand]
-Tainted: You touched the energy of the runes. The Astral Dimension awaits you.
-Rune Brand: A piece of the Arcane Scripture has awakened within you, but without rules, the energy will quickly become unstable.
-Cursed Blood (inborn): Your blood is cursed, no matter how much you try to influence your fate, you will always be haunted by misfortune. However... death will try to avoid you, as much as possible, so as not to bring down the wrath of the Blind Twin.]
Stunned, Kain stared at something unique available only to the Keepers or the Tainted like him.
"My blood is cursed...?" Kain stammered, his gaze lost.
It was an explanation for all his troubles, but far more important was the Mark. Kain gulped, with trembling eyes, going to look at it.
ROOOOOOOOAAAAAARRR!!!
The piercing roar of a wild beast reached his ears, causing him to turn around.
Kain's eyes went wide. "Vorg!"
Baring its fangs, the beast pressed at the iron rod - Vorg's only defense. An ordinary human didn't stand a chance against an Astral Creature.
Bam.
A stone flew into the monster's head, causing it to turn around.
"K-Kain...?" Vorg stammered, then horror covered his face. "Fuck! Run! You have to survive! I'll try to hold it off...!"
Before Vorg could do anything, the beast tore towards Kain's side at full speed.
A regular guy couldn't beat a monster, not without a weapon.
'No! I have to run!' Kain inwardly exclaimed.
The monster was too fast. Death was closing in.
At the same moment, the chain broke as dozens of steel beams crashed down, piercing the monster to the ground.
"What...?" Kain stammered, blood streaked across his face.
Death avoided him.
But, was it luck or a curse?
In a flash, thunderbolts cascaded over the village, turning the monsters into handfuls of ash.
Vorg, watching Kain pass out, smiled bitterly. "Hah... What a lucky boy."
At the same moment, men in blue uniforms ran into the village. Behind them walked two figures in white - the Keepers.
"Shit..." one of them hissed. "Had to waste such a good artifact."
"It's worth it, looks like we saved a Contender."
He stepped forward - a flow of runes ran down his right arm.
"Enough talking. Work first."
"Sure."
...
A bright flash fell on Kain's face with the sole purpose of waking him up.
In the dim light, at the table sat a muscular man with broad shoulders.
"Great. He's finally awake." Loir put away the flashlight, standing against the wall, blending in with the shadows.
Kain struggled to open his eyes, his head splitting with vivid pain.
"What the...? Who are you? Where am I?" he asked, too late to notice their white robes.
"That's easy to answer. You, young man, became a Contender. This means that you have a Rune Brand, but not an unusual one, but an active one. It's not uncommon in cases when a Rune Brand appeared during a rift explosion. It happened in your Glismor Village."
"An active Rune Brand?" Kain flinched.
Kserx pulled a massive cigar from his pocket. "Rune Brand has two stages: occurrence and unfolding. You know about the first stage, it means a person is diseased and will die on the third day. Such people are called Contenders. The second stage comes when the Contender finds the Ascension Rune, I'm sure you've heard about that too."
Click.
The steel lighter opened as green flames fell on Kain's tense face.
"But, you could say there's another, hidden stage - activation. You haven't entered the Astral Dimension yet, and your Rune Brand is already activated. That's not good."
Kserx shrugged. "You are dying, Kain. We brought you here, at the Orlion Tower as quickly as possible. Unfortunately for you, there is no time for sleep or to grieve for your dead friends. Every minute could be your last. Contenders with an active Rune Brand don't have more than 12 hours, and for you, it's been at least 3."
"Fuck..." Kain turned pale. "But, if you're telling me all this. There's a way to fix this, right?"
"Sure. You only have two options."
He exhaled a puff of smoke.
"The first is we kill you right here and now. We carry out a quick, painless execution, paperwork, and all that.
"Or... We'll quickly prepare everything to send you to the Astral Dimension.
"So..."
Kserx shook off the ashes.
"What will it be?"
A nervous smile spread across Kain's face.
"Hah..." Kain gulped. "You're suggesting I voluntarily die? Who would even agree to give up their life?!"
Loir frowned. "Kid, stop wasting our time. Do you think the Astral Dimension is a joke? Half, if not more, of the Contenders would wish to return home and get a quick death, but it's too late, a far worse fate awaited them. You can't get out of the Astral Dimension at will."
"Pretty harsh, but Loir is right." Kserx nodded.
Kain nodded deeply. He had a choice to make.
It was only thanks to Reina that he had the chance.
Max and Daniel. If he were a Keeper, they would be alive.
Then, he raised his head, staring at Kserx. "I will go to the Astral Dimension and I will find the Ascension Rune.
"I will become a Keeper."
"Good."
…
Time was short.
In the dark room, lit by torches rather than lamps, Kain sat across from the young man and the girl. They were Contenders like him.
"Look at him," Sylvia smirked. "Another poor guy who thinks he can become a Keeper!"
Neil didn't say a word.
"Tsk," Kain frowned. "What do you want from me? I don't even know you."
Sylvia bit down on her pinky finger with a mocking look. "I just hope you won't die at the first minute in the Astral Dimension."
"Silence."
A deep voice interrupted her. Kserx stepped out of the shadows, Loir followed behind.
Kserx placed a massive crate on the table.
Then he pulled the handle, and the crate opened, revealing a strange, shimmering crystal. The runes flickered in the white mist trapped inside.
"This is the Destabilized Crystal," Kserx declared. "Once you touch it, your Rune Brands will synchronize and you will enter the Astral Dimension."
"Wait!" Kain stood up abruptly. "We're going to go to another world, and you won't even give us weapons?"
Sylvia chuckled wryly, looking at him like he was an idiot. Neil awkwardly glanced away.
"It won't do you any good. It's only you and your training that makes any difference. Sylvia is acting so confident because she comes from a wealthy family and has been preparing for this moment since childhood. Neil had basic training. Unlike you, two whole days.
"But. There's another factor that will affect whether you die or become a Keeper.
"Luck."
Loir unfolded the map on the table, Kserx pointing at a diamond near the border.
"From this quadrant, you can only access three places in the Astral Dimension.
"The Rainbow Flower Field and Broken Peak Village are the best options. These are places of the First Threat Rank - Peaceful. If you end up in Shining Caverns, it's worse, it's an Unstable Rank. Some of you may end up in the same place together. Help each other out, that way you'll increase your chances of survival."
Kserx took a step back, pointing at the Destabilized Crystal.
"Go ahead. Touch it. The effect is comparable to an open Rift but much safer."
Everything was moving unusually fast. Kserx had to hurry because of Kain's active Rune Brand.
If a Rift opened right in the tower, it would be a disaster.
Sylvia, Neil, and Kain exchanged a glance. Runes shimmered, running down their bodies.
"Good luck to you. I hope at least one of you will become a Keeper."
That wasn't very optimistic.
A bright flash blinded them.
[Tainted... Welcome to the Astral Dimension. Your Rune Brand progression has been stopped. Find the Ascension Rune.]
Deep breath.
Trying to come to his senses, Kain breathed heavily, slowly raising his head.
No flowers, no village houses, much less the shining crystals of the caves could be seen around.
The crimson light of the blood moon illuminated the dark plateau, sharp stone peaks rising between countless swords thrust into the ground next to black-cloaked bodies.
Only a cruel wind blew along the cliff, cutting across Kain's stunned face.
Ahead, a mighty stone throne sat empty.