Blood Flare: Journey Through The Twisted

The ride to the location of the relic was quiet, too quiet. My mind kept replaying fragments of memories about the relic I was after. I had a vague recollection of its location, but nothing concrete.

'Forest of Dread,' I reminded myself. 'A cursed land, once the site of a bloody war between the Empire and the High Elves. It was said that the forest itself still carried the spirits of those who fought and died here, trapped in a perpetual haunting.'

The Forest of Dread had been forever marked by the war, the magic from both sides twisting the land and the trees into something unholy. The whole place exuded a sense of death, like a place you shouldn't be.

Looking at it from the carriage, I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread building up. The forest appeared dark and ominous, its twisted branches looming like hands reaching out to grab anyone foolish enough to enter.

'This place reminds me too much of that damn game I played. Everything's just wrong here.'

The carriage came to an abrupt stop, pulling me from my thoughts.

"We're here," the driver said, his voice thin with fear. "But, seriously, I wouldn't stay here for too long. It's not safe."

He wasted no time in whipping the horses and galloping off, leaving me alone at the edge of the forest.

I watched the carriage disappear, and as it did, the shadows in the forest seemed to grow deeper.

"Yeah, no kidding," I muttered. "Forest of Dread, alright. Dark as hell."

I wasn't about to turn back now, though. This relic wasn't going to find itself. With a deep breath, I stepped into the forest, the eerie silence enveloping me as I moved deeper into the woods.

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I wandered deeper into the Forest of Dread, the haunting whispers of disembodied voices echoing around me. "Leave," they murmured. "Stay away." The words were indistinct, but the message was clear, and despite my bravado, my heart thudded with unease.

It was terrifying to be alone in such a cursed place. No wonder the locals had named it the Forest of Dread.

I pressed forward, guided by a vague recollection of the path that would lead me to the relic. Though, as expected, I soon found myself lost. I could've sworn I had been walking straight, but the landscape seemed to shift, the paths twisting into loops, leading me deeper into confusion.

"This is just nightmare fuel..."

I muttered to myself, sweat trickling down my forehead, but I pushed on.

After what felt like hours, I stumbled across a cave. Or at least, I thought it was a cave—on closer inspection, it turned out to be an ancient temple, abandoned and overrun by roots from the surrounding trees. This place reeked of age, and the crumbling stonework seemed to speak of forgotten times.

"... Now this could be some sort of entrance... It's way too obvious."

I spoke aloud, despite knowing better. Being in a creepy forest wasn't anything new, but my time as an Earth gamer had taught me one thing—this was a classic setup, way too familiar.

"Well... Who gives a damn if this place is deadly."

With a wry smirk, I stepped inside, bracing myself for whatever awaited me. Little did I know, I wasn't alone.

Hidden in the shadows, a group of figures lurked, watching my every move. They emanated a dark aura, their forms shadowy and indistinct, but their shapes resembled that of knights, tall and imposing.

"𐀀𐀖𐀋𐀚 𐀖𐀖𐀋𐀛𐀕𐀍𐀒 𐀀𐀓𐀖𐀚..."

One of them spoke in a language that was foreign to my ears, its tone almost reverential.

"𐀙𐀍𐀑𐀀𐀓, 𐀇𐀐𐀓𐀖𐀇𐀑 𐀐𐀖."

Another chimed in, its voice filled with quiet amusement, watching me as I walked heedlessly into the danger.

"𐀍𐀛𐀑𐀔𐀎, 𐀀𐀖 𐀏𐀇𐀖𐀑𐀋𐀑𐀋𐀕 𐀏𐀇𐀇 𐀕𐀑 𐀖𐀖𐀚𐀕𐀑."

The third muttered with a hint of cynicism as I continued deeper into the temple, completely unaware of the eyes that watched my every step.

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As I stepped into the temple, an overwhelming darkness engulfed me. It was complete and suffocating—no light, no sound, just the oppressive weight of the unknown. I could barely make out anything in front of me, but I noticed a faint glow in the distance. The relic—no doubt about it. But even with the light ahead, the surroundings remained a confusing blur.

I moved cautiously, every step deliberate, not wanting to trip into a trap or fall into some unseen pit. Every creak of the stone beneath me felt like a warning, every shift in the air a potential danger.

Somehow—whether from luck or my growing paranoia—I finally reached the source of the light. And there it was. The relic. Just as I remembered it from the game.

"Now that looks terrifying in real life."

I muttered under my breath, my eyes scanning the object with a mixture of awe and dread. The relic was unlike anything I'd ever seen. It resembled an ancient helmet, though it seemed almost alive, pulsating with some dark energy. Blood—dark, thick, and seemingly endless—oozed from the helmet's eye openings, dripping in steady streams to the stone floor. The two horns attached to it arched upwards like the jagged spires of some forgotten beast. The visor of the helmet was made of seven vertical slits, giving it a skull-like appearance, though its sides were armored, sharp edges that gave off an ominous gleam.

I stepped closer, my hand instinctively reaching out to touch it.

Suddenly, my vision blurred, and the screen of my system flickered into view.

[System]

The relic resonates with the Host's magic!

The Trial of Flare has begun!

Good luck, Host.

The message flashed before my eyes, but the moment I finished reading it, a dizzying wave of exhaustion swept over me. My consciousness began to fade, everything around me growing dimmer as I lost my grip on the world.

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Notice!

User 001 has entered the Trial of Flare!

Would you like to enable ?

[Y/N]

In a void of absolute nothingness, a single panel floated in the emptiness, the same system interface familiar to Arthas. Its presence was the only thing tangible in this realm—if this place could even be called a realm. There was no ground, no sky, no horizon. Just nothingness.

So, where was this?

The answer was simple: nowhere. A place that didn't exist, yet was visible. A paradox, incomprehensible and unsettling.

Amid the endless void, a flickering figure appeared. Its form shifted erratically, never settling on a single appearance—one moment humanoid, the next a towering beast, then a wisp of light. The figure approached the panel, its presence silent yet oppressive, as if it carried the weight of countless worlds.

Without hesitation, it reached out and pressed [Y].

Notice!

is active!

If User 001 dies, they will be revived until the Trial of Flare is completed.

The panel vanished into the void, its glow fading like a dying ember. The flickering figure lingered for a moment, its shifting form pulsating with an unknown energy. Then, without a sound, it disappeared, leaving the empty void as it was before—silent, timeless, and unchanging.