Shadow Ascendance

The months following Kriel's failed Awakening turned the village into his prison. Mothers warned their children to stay away from the "cursed boy." Merchants refused to sell him food. The blessed children, drunk on their new powers, made him their favorite target.

[Status Update - 6 Months After Awakening]

[Physical Condition: Deteriorating]

[Mental Fortitude: Increasing]

[Void Resonance: 2.3%]

Winter turned particularly brutal that year. Kriel found shelter in an abandoned storage cellar, surviving on scraps and rats. But while his body weakened, something else grew stronger.

Each night, he practiced with his invisible mark. While others slept, he would sit in total darkness, feeling the void pulse beneath his skin. Sometimes, shadows would move strangely around him, though he couldn't control them yet.

[Hidden Skill Forming: Shadow Affinity]

[Requirements:

- Survive absolute darkness

- Embrace isolation

- Progress: 13%]

One particularly cold night, three older boys found his shelter. Their Astral Marks glowed as they dragged him into the snow, laughing as they took turns practicing their newfound powers on him.

"Watch this," the leader grinned, summoning a ball of fire. "Let's see how the Markless likes some warmth."

The pain was excruciating. But something strange happened – as Kriel screamed, his system notifications flashed:

[Pain Absorption Active]

[Converting Suffering to Power]

[Void Resonance: 5.7%]

[New Ability Forming...]

The boys eventually left him for dead in the snow. But Kriel didn't die. Instead, he lay there watching his blood stain the white ground black, and made a discovery that would change everything.

[Special Condition Discovered: Void Blood]

[Your blood carries traces of void energy]

[Effect: Enhanced recovery from fatal wounds]

[Note: Further evolution possible]

By age seven, Kriel had developed a routine. During the day, he would observe the Veilborn children training, studying their movements and patterns. At night, he would practice in his cellar, trying to replicate their techniques with his strange, dark power.

[Skills in Development:

- Shadow Movement (17%)

- Pain Mastery (31%)

- Void Essence (8%)]

The village thought they were breaking him. Instead, they were forging something unprecedented. Each beating made him stronger. Each humiliation fed the void. Each moment of isolation deepened his connection to the darkness.

One year after his failed Awakening, Kriel made his first kill – not out of malice or revenge, but necessity. A large rat had been competing for his food. As he grabbed it, his hand instinctively channeled void energy.

[First Kill Registered]

[Life Force Absorption: Successful]

[New Ability Unlocked: Essence Drain]

The rat didn't just die; it seemed to wither, its life force flowing into Kriel. For the first time, he felt truly full.

[System Notice: Evolution Path Progressing]

[Current Stage: Void Initiate]

[Requirements for Next Stage:

- Absorb stronger essence

- Master current abilities

- Survive the coming darkness]

That night, looking at his reflection in a broken piece of glass, Kriel noticed his eyes had changed. Tiny flecks of violet now swirled in their depths – the first visible sign of his transformation.

The village continued its cruel routine, unaware that their actions were cultivating something ancient and terrible. By day, Kriel remained the weak, cursed child they loved to torment. But in the darkness of his cellar, practicing with his growing powers, he smiled.

[Status Update - 1 Year After Awakening]

[Void Resonance: 12.4%]

[Hidden Abilities: 3]

[Threat Assessment: E-Rank (Suppressed)]

[Note: Subject exhibiting unprecedented growth rate]

The true hunt would begin soon. But first, he needed to grow stronger. The void whispered promises of power, and Kriel listened, patient and calculating.

After all, revenge was a dish best served in absolute darkness.

[Chapter Progress: Foundation Established]

[Next Stage: The Price of Power]

[Warning: Reality distortions increasing...]