The pendant Clara had given Kaelen throbbed with an unnatural rhythm against his chest. It gave off a feeling that was not quite warmth, nor quite painful, more like a presence, a silent breath, a heartbeat that wasn't his own but trying to mimick his.
It wasn't just some enchanted token, It was watching him, Listening.
He stood in the center of the necromancer's chamber, bathed in the wavering glow of half-melted candles. The shadows on the walls bent subtly toward him, like trees leaning into a wind that didn't exist. Behind him, Clara adjusted the folds of her robe and regarded him silently. Her arms were crossed beneath her chest, her expression unreadable, but her amethyst eyes shimmered faintly, never blinking, never breaking focus.
"You didn't tell me it was… alive," Kaelen said, finally brushing his fingers against the twisted pendant of obsidian.
She stepped closer, the silver chains at her waist jingling softly with each movement. "Would you have worn it if I had?"
He opened his mouth. Then closed it. Fair point.
"It marks you," Clara said, brushing past him to inspect the parchment they'd uncovered. "It links us, in a way. The Giovanni don't use sigils without reason. It will recognize your soulprint. Which is useful."
"For what? Navigation? Rescue?" he asked, hopeful.
Her lips curved. "For collecting debts."
Kaelen let out a hollow laugh. "You really know how to make a guy feel reassured.
"But like i said earlier, to help me locate you when you get lost and to let others know you are affiliated with the Giovanni's " she reminded him.
"Now I feel like I'm signing off my freedom" he replied while trying to make the remark feel as light as possible.
Clara didn't reply. Her gaze had dropped back to the parchment, the ancient diagrams flaring slightly in the dim light.
That's when the air shifted.
At first, it was only a stillness, a sudden hush, like the breath of the world being held. The flames of the candles leaned in unison, bending toward the hallway Kaelen had entered through as the shadows retreated, shrinking into corners and crevices they hadn't occupied a moment before.
Kaelen's skin prickled and his tattoos pulsed alerting him to the presence of what was approaching.
"You feel that?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
Clara's entire posture had changed. The playful veneer evaporated. She was suddenly predator-silent, her hand drifting to the ritual dagger she'd left beside the ancient lectern. Her other hand hovered near her hip pouch, where bone-dust and runes shimmered faintly.
Kaelen saw it in her face instantly. All the wit, the charm, the casual arrogance melted away in a blink.
And then the candlelight twisted.
Kaelen turned to the archway, and every muscle in his body froze.
It didn't crawl neither did it slither. It walked in, tall, thin and drenched in an oily black that drank the light around it. Its face was a mask, smooth, featureless, the feature seemed almost porcelain, except it shimmered faintly with colorless energy. Two red eyes glowed faintly beneath the blank surface, not bright, but eternal. Every step it took was silent.
Clara hissed, low and terrified. "No… Not here. Not now."
Kaelen backed away instinctively. "What is that?"
Clara's voice cracked. "A bug in the system. A ghost in the code, it's an urban myth among elite players."
She didn't take her eyes off the figure
"That's the Light Killer," she whispered. "Some call it the Player's Doom. An NPC with only one purpose and that's to hunt and erase those and disrupt the story."
Kaelen's heart punched against his ribs. The name alone felt… wrong. Like something a child whispered under their blanket, hoping not to be heard.
Kaelen stepped back, heart pounding. "What do you mean by disrupt the story? What the hell is happening?, why is there such a monster here?"
"It's not a monster," Clara said. "It's an executioner. Clara's hand tightened around her blade. Her voice was barely audible, but Kaelen heard it clearly. "Just don't let it touch you."
Kaelen shook his head. "But it...how does it even...."
"Run!" Clara shouted.
But it was already too late.
The Light Killer moved. In the blink of an eye, it was in front of Clara, its arm shooting forward, it's fingers tipped with razor sharp long claws that gleamed with unnatural power. Clara twisted to the side to avoid the incoming claws, but it was faster than she anticipated. Its claws scraped along her side, catching her robes, the impact sending her crashing into a stack of books.
She rolled to her feet with a speed that took Kaelen's breath away, her dagger flashing with violet light as she lunged toward the creature. She struck at its shoulder, aiming for a weak point she had no idea existed. But to her dismay the blade didn't make it.
The creature's body shimmered. The attack passed through its form like it was made of smoke, re-forming immediately. Its red eyes flared, and it tilted its head.
"You are a player. A transient. A glitch." It's voice hoarse, guttural and otherworldly.
Clara narrowed her eyes. She stepped back, eyes locked on the Light Killer. "I won't let you have this victory, you bastard," she spat.
In a blur, she launched herself at it again, this time raising a hand toward the air. A pulse of raw, violet magic exploded outward from her, radiating from her tattoos in a wave. The force slammed into the Light Killer with the power of a storm. The creature staggered back, its form flickering for a brief moment, but then it recovered.
It didn't scream. It didn't roar, it smiled. It knew she couldn't kill it. That was the problem.
With a low, terrifying hiss, the Light Killer raised its hand, palm open, and a massive force surged forward. Kaelen couldn't see it at first, but the ground beneath his feet trembled as though the creature's very presence was distorting the air. He was thrown backward, crashing into a wall. The breath was knocked from him.
Clara, too, was lifted off her feet, thrown across the room with sickening force. Her body slammed into the stone, her head striking the ground. Blood trickled from her temple as she groaned in pain.
Kaelen struggled to move, panic rising in his chest. "Clara!" He pushed himself up, running toward her, but before he could reach her, the creature was already there.
"Clara!" Kaelen yelled, his voice cracking with fear, but she was already pushing herself up.
She was bleeding. A thin line of crimson trailed down her side where the creature's claws had struck. But Clara's eyes were sharp, focused. Pain wasn't enough to stop her.
The Light Killer stood over her, looming like a predator about to finish its prey. The glow in its eyes intensified, its head tilting slightly to one side. It was enjoying this. It was the hunter and Clara despite her power, despite her skill which was nothing more than a fleeting distraction in it's presence.
It reached down with a skeletal hand, and in an instant, Clara was yanked up by the neck, its grip like iron. She gasped for air, her dagger dangling uselessly in her hand. The Light Killer's face remained blank, emotionless.
Kaelen couldn't just stand there. He didn't know what to do. His legs moved before his mind could process it, and before he could think, he was rushing toward them.
But Clara wasn't done.
With a scream of defiance, Clara's free hand shot out, slamming against the floor as her body twisted. The tattoos along her arms flared, bright violet power surging from her skin, coiling around her like tendrils of energy. She pushed off the ground with every ounce of her strength and broke free from the creature's grip, her body launching forward with terrifying precision.
The Light Killer recoiled just as Clara drove the dagger into its side. This time, it didn't phase through her weapon. She felt the blade sink deep, the cold steel meeting something solid inside the creature's form.
For the briefest moment, Clara thought she might have won. But the creature didn't scream. It didn't recoil in pain. It simply twisted its body, its limbs unfurling in unnatural angles. It shifted and reformed, its body becoming a swirling mass of dark energy.
Clara stumbled back, eyes wide as the creature's form reconstituted itself. Its mask was still intact, its eyes still gleaming, but now, the energy around it crackled with raw power. The wound she had inflicted sealed itself as though it had never happened.
The creature's head tilted, and in a voice that wasn't its own, it spoke:
"You cannot break what was never meant to be broken."
Clara's eyes narrowed. She stepped back, breathing heavily. "You think you're invincible, don't you?" she growled, her voice full of venom.
The Light Killer's form rippled, and in a heartbeat, it lunged again. But this time, Clara was ready.
She moved faster than Kaelen thought possible, ducking under its arm and spinning around it with fluid grace. Her dagger flashed once more, aiming for the base of its skull, where the red eyes pulsed. She drove it in, twisting with every ounce of magic she could muster.
The Light Killer faltered but just for a moment, but Clara's strike didn't have the intended effect. The blade sank deep, but the creature's form merely rearranged itself around the weapon. It was like fighting smoke no matter how many times she struck, the Light Killer reformed instantly.
Kaelen watched, his heart racing, and then, before he could even move, the Light Killer turned toward him. Its hand shot out, fingers elongated into claws, moving so fast they were a blur.
Kaelen barely dodged, but the force of the creature's swipe grazed his arm, sending him crashing into a nearby column. Pain exploded in his chest, but he barely had time to react before Clara's voice cut through the chaos.
"Kaelen, get out of the way!"
Clara was at the Light Killer again, her magic flaring as she tried to push it back with another wave of force. The room was alive with raw energy as she chanted an incantation Kaelen could barely hear over the booming rush of power.
The creature recoiled, but only for a moment. It was unstoppable.
The Light Killer lunged once more, its speed unnerving. Its claws sliced through the air with deadly intent, and Clara barely managed to dodge one slash, but another caught her across the chest. The blow sent her skidding across the stone floor, her dagger falling from her hand as she gasped, unable to rise.
Kaelen's heart clenched in his chest. "No…"
Before he could move, the Light Killer was already standing over her, raising its arm to deliver the final blow. Kaelen's mind was racing. His body moved without thought. The pendant on his neck pulsed again harder, faster. The tattoos on his arms burned, the black marks taking a golden hue, the symbols flaring brighter than before.
Clara didn't have time to react. The creature raised its claws high, preparing to strike.
But then…Something inside Kaelen snapped. A surge of raw energy exploded from his chest. The floor beneath him cracked as a wave of power shot outward, propelled by the strength of his tattoos. The energy collided with the Light Killer like a tidal wave, sending it flying back, its body flung against the far wall.
The room went silent.
Clara was still on the ground, struggling to get up, but Kaelen barely noticed. The Light Killer had crashed into the wall with bone-shattering force, but it wasn't dead. It wasn't even injured. It simply reformed itself, standing once more, unharmed.