Fallen Chaos

"Oh my goodness!"

Caelum took a step back as he watched the creature crawl closer. He instantly pushed his fear down and held out the wooden stick with its sharp point; the creature's red eyes revealed its position.

As it approached, he swiftly stabbed through the fog, just a few inches away from the eyes, where he presumed the core was located.

The red being instantly dispersed, but Caelum did not relax as he heard a rustling sound.

"I suppose it's time to hunt!"

He stood steadily in his exact spot, taking in every detail of his surroundings.

Suddenly, another red being leapt from a tree towards him.

Fortunately, he was quick enough to react; he swung the wood like a bat and sent the creature flying away from him with all his strength.

Pain shot through his arm afterwards; it seemed to have originated from the moment he had been slammed against the wall by the force exerted by that red being in the strange room.

Tearing the tattered cloth that covered his sleeve, he saw that his arm had reddened slightly, causing him more pain when exposed.

"Come on, you ugly things. Let's get this over with. That's three down; how many more to go?"

Caelum decided to use his left arm to support his right, so at least the pain wouldn't be as intense with some support.

He moved back slightly, as he was close to a tree. He preferred to be in the middle of the forest rather than lingering around corners where the creatures might emerge to attack him.

A wave of red eyes blinked into existence from the swirling fog—dozens or more—converging on Caelum.

Simultaneously, three more burst from behind a thick oak, their bodies were a blur of shadowy motion.

He lashed out with his makeshift spear, the wood cracked under the strain as he fended off a brutal onslaught.

From the shadowed corners of the forest, more emerged; their numbers seemed inexhaustible, a tide of black and red threatening to drown him.

He stumbled back, the wood falling from his numb hand as the searing pain in his arm intensified with each desperate parry. He barely had time to react to the constant assaults as the creatures swarmed, a living, writhing mass of black and red.

It was hard to believe that he had made so many mistakes.

'I can't have made this many mistakes... or is one of my mistakes causing multiple repercussions? Is this it?' he pondered as he fought harder.

His breaths grew ragged, and his movements became slower.

The wooden stick splintered once more as it struck another red being.

Caelum discarded the useless weapon, resorting to deflecting blows with his arms; his already injured right arm took the brunt of the impacts.

One of the creature's claws ripped across his chest, leaving a deep gash that stung.

Another connected with his leg, sending him sprawling to the ground.

He rolled, dodging a flurry of attacks; his body was now a canvas of cuts and bruises.

Caelum scrambled to his feet.

The red beings swarmed over him, a writhing mass of shadows.

He felt a sharp, searing pain as something pierced his side, a wave of nausea washing over him as his vision began to tunnel. He fought back with the ferocity of a cornered animal, using his fists, his teeth—anything he could to buy himself a moment's reprieve.

Caelum rushed one against a tree, eventually bruising his fists as he punched it, causing a slight cut in the tree.

Blood began to cover him; as he held another that came from behind, he kicked it and instantly fell to the ground as it was sent flying backwards.

"I can't die!"

"I really need to survive, but I don't know why."

Caelum wanted to live, but he found no reason to justify that urge. It felt as though he was fighting on and on, but for nothing!

He only wanted to survive, perhaps to see the sun rise in the west once more, or maybe to wake up and wonder how his life had plummeted so deeply.

Caelum stomped on one creature more than five times as it crawled through the fog, eventually falling to the ground again. His hands searched for anything in the fog that he could use as a weapon.

Eventually, he found a black stone and threw it at the creature that flew out of nowhere towards him.

The stone impacted with its eyes, and it dropped to the ground.

...

Moments later, the red beings ceased to come. The fog suddenly began to vanish, and the skies cleared; the darkness in the sky turned to light, although there was no sun in sight.

The forest became clearer, and Caelum noticed stains of his blood in various places on the ground and on some trees.

He heaved, bleeding profusely, and was slowly losing consciousness.

"I hope that's all for now..." Caelum muttered as his body thudded to the ground.

His eyes met the canopies of the trees, where little light escaped through, casting a golden glow onto his face and chest.

[Congratulations, Graceless.] You have slain thirty red beings!

[Graceless one] You have successfully unlocked your given Class!

[Cursed One] You have been recognised by the curse for your desperate will to survive. This class will effectively enhance your Essence—once you receive one—and your current body core - also called stats.

[As a Cursed One!] Writhed and crushed by your decisions, you have managed to survive through a meaningless will. Bartered and bloodied, you have managed to break free from falling into chaos.

[Rank: Fledgling] - You are undoubtedly weak in relation to any Essence you might receive. Currently, you will have to depend on your Thraxs after taming your first fate, and until you evolve.

...

There's five rankings for Graceless ones, which are:

Fledgling: Newly awakened Graceless Ones beginning to understand their Essence and the curse. They may have basic control over their powers and receive their Thraxs.

Wanderer: Graceless Ones who have explored their Essence and Threads, beginning to harness them in small ways.

Veiled: Graceless Ones who have embraced their curse and expanded their Threads. They can be more powerful when stationary in battle.

Nomad: The next level of Graceless Ones, who have completed their Threads and slain more than 120 enemies with a specific weak Essence. They may be capable of controlling their fates, though this is not certain.

Shroud: The strongest Graceless Ones, capable of taming their fate and tearing down fortresses. However, they are also the ones closest to madness. Any Graceless One who advances to this level risks going mad and potentially becoming an enemy.

Caelum was now ranked as a Fledgling - the beginning point of a Graceless.

...

Caelum sighed as he read the details written in the inferno. The last line of information seemed like a short summary of what had just happened to him; it also appeared to be the key that had finally unlocked his class.

[You have received a manual] - Short details on what you need to know as a Graceless will now be known to you.

Instantly, a blinding light enveloped Caelum, washing over him like a river. It stopped the bleeding but didn't close the cuts, clearing his body's urge to lose consciousness.

That same light brought with it some information into his memory.

Caelum now understood several key concepts related to his new reality:

These are given to Graceless based on their emotions, past, and current experiences; they are also known as "Titles."

Titles can provide a boost to one of their Essences or their stats.

Caelum had unlocked the "Cursed One" class, which has now enhanced his stats. This was achieved through the blinding white light.

It was based on his suffering in the past and present, as well as possibly future experiences—though the inferno didn't mention anything about future experiences, so that remains an assumption.

Essence refers to latent abilities akin to those of mages, but they are not spells. They are classified into various forms, including shadow aspects, blood aspects, wind aspects, water aspects, earth aspects, and many others.

Once an Essence is acquired, a Graceless can access a portion of that skill, though this is limited by a certain percentage.

As a Fledgling, a Graceless can only utilise 10% of their Essence, which makes it relatively weak. Their chances of survival at this rank are significantly enhanced by their Thraxs.

Thraxs are a special ability linked to a Graceless, and they can only use this unique divine ability after taming their first Fate.

If a Graceless fails to do so, they will die, and their bodies will turn to ashes, which can potentially harm any entity within a 10-metre radius.

If a Graceless dies during their first Fate, their body must be near humans or animals essential to humans to avoid catastrophic consequences.

Caelum's Thrax is an Undead, but the reasons behind this choice by the curse are uncertain. It is not likely because he was shot dead after the curse began to take effect, as many Graceless would have received similar Thraxs otherwise.

The inferno was a manifestation of knowledge and recognition that provided Caelum with insights into his current state and abilities. He was no longer a novice in this grim reality.

The inferno had vanished, leaving Caelum resting on the ground.

Although his pain had subsided and he had regained some energy, he chose to take a short rest rather than a nap.

He was wary of what might consume him before he could awaken, knowing he could open his eyes to the gates of heaven if he did.

Caelum was now a bit curious about other things, like the benefits of the curse.

"So, inferno. Reveal my existing full information!"