The night air of Oakhaven, once filled with the scent of pine and peace, was now thick with the metallic tang of blood and the sulfurous stench of the Abyss. Outside the infirmary windows, the sky had turned a bruised purple. Shadows didn't just fall anymore; they writhed.
The bells of the Sanctuary weren't ringing in rhythm anymore. They were clanging in a frantic, broken discordance that mirrored the heartbeat of every terrified soul in the village.
[System Notification: 'Abyssal Pheromones' Effectiveness: 100%.]
[Target Concentration: High. Total Monsters Attracted: 4,000+.]
[Despair Yield per casualty: x2.0 active.]
Kaelen stood by the door, watching the chaos unfold. He didn't need to see through the walls to know what was happening. The System provided a live feed of the village's collective terror. Every scream was a digit added to his balance.
"Leo," Kaelen said, his voice cutting through the sounds of the distant slaughter. "The guards are falling. Horgus is at the North Gate, and the barrier is flickering. They're calling for you. Their 'Star'."
Leo was shaking so hard the infirmary cot groaned. He looked at the silver medal on his chest. In the dim light, the holy runes on the Star were beginning to turn black—a side effect of the [Mirror of Truth] and the proximity of Kaelen's aura.
"I can't," Leo whimpered, his eyes wide and vacant. "I'll die. If I go out there, they'll see. They'll see I'm nothing."
"Then let them see," Kaelen whispered, leaning down. "Let them watch their hero fail. Imagine the look on Elara's face when she realizes her brother is the reason she's being torn apart."
That was the spark. Leo scrambled out of bed, driven not by courage, but by a desperate, panicked need to stop the image Kaelen had just planted in his mind. He grabbed his staff, his knuckles white.
"I'll... I'll go," Leo gasped.
"That's my hero," Kaelen smiled.
The North Gate was a slaughterhouse.
Shadow-Stalkers—beasts made of jagged obsidian and smoke—were pouring over the walls. Captain Horgus was at the center of the fray, his massive broadsword glowing with the last remnants of the Sanctuary's light. He was covered in black ichor and red blood, his breathing heavy.
"Hold the line!" Horgus roared, even as a Stalker's claw raked across his shoulder. "The Star is coming! Leo is coming!"
The soldiers cheered, a desperate, hollow sound. They were fighting on credit, betting their lives on a lie Kaelen had authored.
Then, Leo arrived. He stumbled into the plaza, Kaelen limping behind him with a look of "valiant struggle."
"Leo! Thank the Tree!" Horgus shouted, falling back toward them. He was staggering, his strength spent. "The main breach is at the secondary wall. If you can use your Holy Nova, we can push them back and reset the barrier!"
Leo looked at the breach. Hundreds of glowing red eyes stared back at him from the darkness. The air was thick with the shrieks of the dying.
[System Notification: Target 'Leo' is experiencing 'Total Sensory Overload'.]
[Aura Check: Heroic Resolve... 0%.]
"I... I..." Leo raised his staff. His hands were shaking so violently he nearly dropped it. He tried to channel mana, but his circuits were clogged with the 'Shadow Seed's' influence. Instead of white light, a sickly, grey smoke flickered at the tip of his staff.
"Leo? What are you doing?" Horgus asked, his brow furrowing. "Cast it! Now!"
Kaelen stepped forward, placing a hand on Horgus's arm. "He's exhausted, Captain. He gave everything to save me in the forest. Let me help him."
Kaelen reached out and grabbed Leo's hand, seemingly to steady it. In reality, he channeled a surge of raw, Abyssal energy directly into Leo's mana core.
"Now, Leo," Kaelen whispered. "Show them your 'light'."
Leo screamed as the energy tore through him. He didn't cast a Holy Nova. He cast a [Despair Pulse]—a twisted version of the spell that Kaelen had channeled through him.
Instead of a blinding light that killed monsters, a wave of cold, purple shadows erupted from Leo. It passed through the monsters harmlessly, but it hit the village guards like a physical blow to the soul.
Men who had been fighting bravely suddenly dropped their swords. They fell to their knees, weeping. They saw visions of their own deaths. They saw their families being eaten. The 'Despair Echo' skill Kaelen had unlocked was working perfectly, amplified by Leo's own terror.
"Leo... what... what have you done?" Horgus gasped, falling to one knee. His sword clattered to the stones. The light in his eyes was fading, replaced by a hollow, vacant stare.
The Shadow-Stalkers didn't hesitate. Seeing the defenders collapse, they surged forward.
"Captain! Look out!" Kaelen cried, his voice full of "horror."
He watched as a High-Rank Stalker lunged at Horgus. Leo stood right there. He could have swung his staff. He could have pushed Horgus out of the way. But he did nothing. He stood paralyzed, watching as the beast's claws tore through the Captain's chest.
"LEO!" Horgus coughed, blood spraying from his mouth, hitting the silver Star on Leo's chest. He looked up at the boy he had called a hero, his eyes full of a devastating, final realization. He didn't die with anger. He died with the ultimate despair: the knowledge that he had pinned the village's hopes on a coward.
[System Notification: CRITICAL HARVEST.]
[Target: Captain Horgus (Deceased).]
[Final Emotion: Total Betrayal of Hope.]
[Yield: 2,500 Points!]
[Level Up! Level 6 -> Level 8]
Leo let out a high-pitched, broken sound and fell to his knees next to Horgus's body. He began to scrub at the blood on his medal, his fingernails tearing at the silver. "I didn't... I didn't mean to... Kaelen, help me..."
Kaelen stood over him, the shadows of the monsters swirling around them but never touching him. To the few surviving soldiers watching from the distance, it looked like Kaelen was comforting the grieving hero.
"You did perfectly, Leo," Kaelen murmured, his voice a cold caress. "Horgus died because he believed in you. That blood? It's never coming off. It's part of the medal now."
[System Notification: Abyssal Shop - Level 2 UNLOCKED.]
[New Skill Available: 'Soul Eater's Feast' - Consuming the despair of a dying 'Hero' yields permanent Stat boosts.]
Kaelen looked toward the Sanctuary. Elara would be there, praying. She would have felt the Despair Pulse. She would know something was wrong.
"Leo, stand up," Kaelen commanded, his voice suddenly sharp. "The monsters are moving toward the Sanctuary. Elara is there. If you don't move now, she'll be next."
He didn't wait for a response. He turned and began to walk toward the Great Tree, his limp barely noticeable now. He didn't need the cane anymore, but he kept it. A hero's loyal, wounded shadow must always keep up appearances.
Behind him, Leo scrambled to his feet, sobbing, his mind completely fractured. He followed Kaelen like a whipped dog, clutching his blood-stained staff.
Two friends down, Kaelen thought, his eyes tracking the rapid increase of his mana pool. One sister to go. And then, Oakhaven will have its true King.
[Status Update]
Level: 8 (Exp: 50/3000)
Current Despair Points: 2,780
Unlocked: Abyssal Shop Tier 2.
Attributes: Intelligence: 42, Charisma: 38, Strength: 25.