The Box: Fate
Chapter 24 — Vows of the Ascendant
The dust of the collapsed mill settled as the parents were reunited with their daughter weeping and clutching each other But away from the warmth of the family the seventeen players stood in the shadows of the ruins a heavy silence hanging over them
Axel Hatanaki looked at his bruised knuckles then at the spot where the demon Malphas had nearly crushed his ribs with a single blow We barely made it he muttered his voice unusually quiet If Kataki hadn't used that forbidden power we'd be nothing but meat for the crows right now
Akira slammed his fist into a wooden beam his eyes burning with frustration He right We walked into this world thinking we were heroes in a game But that demon... he was real His strength was absolute We are too weak Axel All of us
Sharky Bee leaned against a charred wall adjusting his jacket My Silent Tracker didn't even pick him up until he was on top of us. In a world where death is permanent being fast enough isn't enough anymore
Kyoshiki stepped into the center of the group his expression as calm as a still lake but his eyes held a new fierce determination Then let this be the moment we stop playing If this world is real then our growth must be real From this moment on we don't just level up We evolve
Zanaki who had been uncharacteristically silent stepped forward and held out his hand his Thread of Fate glowing faintly around his palm I'm in No more joking around when lives are on the line I'm going to become a wall that no demon can pass I vow to be the strongest shield this group has ever seen
One by one Akira Axel Sharky Bee Kyoshiki and all placed their hands over Zanaki It wasn't a sad moment it was a pact of fire They weren't mourning their weakness they were fueling their future strength
We will surpass the Architect Akira vowed We will become the legends this world actually needs
As the pact was sealed the group turned back toward the inn where Kataki was resting his Void Sight blindfold shimmering in the moonlight Zanaki walked up to him his curiosity finally bubbling over
Kataki Zanaki asked his voice serious That skill... The Angel of Death We've seen you use it but you never explained it How did a player like us end up with the ultimate law of the end? It doesn't feel like something a Game Master just hands out
Kataki leaned back against a stone pillar his head tilting toward the night sky It wasn't a reward for a quest Zanaki When we first opened the Box I didn't just touch the screen I tried to analyze the source code I reached into the void between the worlds and something reached back It gave me a choice Die in the transition or carry the weight of the Grave I chose to carry it It's not a gift it's a burden that eats my life force every time I summon it
The group stared at him realizing the risk Kataki took every time he protected them
Zanaki then turned to Kyoshiki And you Kyoshiki How did you know about the curse on Kataki eyes before anyone else? You called it a curse of the abyss like you'd seen it a thousand times
Kyoshiki closed his eyes for a moment centering his Spirit Balance My skill allows me to see the equilibrium of the soul When the Master marked Kataki I didn't see a wound I saw an imbalance I've spent my life studying the philosophy of energy back in our world Here that knowledge manifested as a skill that lets me read the intent of magic I knew it was a curse because it tasted like malice—it was energy designed to punish not just to hurt
Axel Hatanaki cracked his knuckles a confident grin returning to his face So we've got a conceptual reaper a soul-reader and a bunch of us hungry for power The Demon Lord has no idea what's coming
Everyone Kataki said standing up, his blindfold glowing with silver runes The Hunter Guild in the city has records If we are to become powerful enough to survive we need to find the legendary Class Advancement shrines hidden in this land Our current skills are just the beginning
The seventeen players stood together under the moon no longer just a confused group of strangers but a unified force The path was clear and the fire of their ambition was just starting to burn