Path of Death: Awakening
Chapter 28: Dybbuk

Chapter 28: Dybbuk

The gray sands whispered under a wind that brought neither direction nor relief. The sky remained black—starless, silent as the void.

Fade was on his knees. His left hand still trembled slightly—the zippo was gone. But its warmth... lingered. As if it had passed into his skin, into his blood.

The figure before him wore his father’s face, but not a human stance. Its form shifted—sometimes fragmented, sometimes whole. Its eyes gave off no light, yet when it looked at Fade, something deep within him responded.

"I searched for you..." Fade said, his throat dry. "All my life."

"And I searched for you," the figure replied. "But we were not the only ones searching."

It raised its hand. A glowing pattern flared in the dark—a web, complex and familiar. It mirrored the marks pulsing across Fade’s body.

"These... why did they awaken with me?"

"Because you’re no longer alone," the voice said. "Inside you—deep in your blood—a legacy stirs. Lineage isn’t just a name, Fade. Sometimes... it’s the only thing that survives."

Fade stood. The sands no longer resisted his weight. "Dybbuk... is that the thing inside me?"

"Yes. And no."

The figure stepped closer, its shadow falling across him.

"Dybbuk is not a species. Not a corruption. It’s a defiant origin. Your grandfather—your ancestor—etched this into your blood. He left behind an echo that speaks against death. You lived with his voice for years... but never recognized it."

Fade’s eyes widened. "The voice... the guide... it kept pushing me. That was you—no... it was him?"

"It was his. I am just the echo. My true body was buried long ago. But through him, I was linked to you. I watched you. I didn’t protect you—but I guided you."

The sky cracked. Symbols fell like rain—data breaking apart. The markings on Fade’s arms flared. His pupils turned pitch-black for a heartbeat.

[Legacy Protocol Stabilized]

[Internal Integration Initiated]

[Bloodline Trait Identified: Dybbuk]

[Class Trait Unlocked – "Devour: Adaptive Absorption"]

Before he could read the system window, it shattered. But the message echoed inside his mind—in his own language.

Devour: Adaptive Absorption.

Kill.Take a piece.Let the system convert it into power.

But this was not a gift. It was a deal.

"With every absorption, a part of you gones.Every power brings a new voice.In each battle, it becomes harder to remember who you are."

Fade dropped to his knees again. His throat burned. Something pushed from within—like an unswallowed thought gnawing at his bones.

"With this... can I absorb anything?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"No," the figure replied. "You can’t choose what you gain. Only whether you accept it. Some will change you—your eyes, your muscles, your organs. Others will push you—refine your instincts, enhance your swordplay."

"And if they don’t match?"

"Then a war begins—inside you."

Fade lifted his head. For the first time, his eyes didn’t show fear—but focus.

"Then... how do I balance this power?"

"There is no balance," said the figure. "Only adaptation. You’ll find another piece that fits. Or suppress the others with your will. But every solution... comes with a price."

The system screen flickered again:

[Warning: Personality Fragmentation Risk Detected]

[Side Effect Possibility: Instinct Overlap, Emotional Drift, Behavioral Mutation]

[Classification: Unstable Variant – "Devourer"]

Fade stood up.

"Devourer... is that my new name?"

"No," said the figure. "It’s just what they’ll call you. Those who don’t understand your power will curse you. Even your allies... will fear you. They won’t want to walk beside you. And they’ll be right."

Fade drew a breath.

"Loneliness? I grew up with it."

The figure smiled faintly. "Then you’ve inherited the right legacy."

The ground trembled. Waves of sand began to rise. Something was pulling away from Fade’s body—as if his skin was being peeled from the earth.

"It’s time," the figure said. "But remember—I’m leaving you now. Yet, he... is still watching."

"Who is he?" Fade asked.

The sky split open.

The figure gave no answer. Only a whisper:

"The Angel of Death - Azrael has already chosen you."

Light burst.

When Fade opened his eyes, he was still surrounded by the gray void.

But something was different.

It felt as if the world had restarted—but hadn’t yet taken shape. The emptiness was stable, but his mind... was not. Not in the same way.

He heard his own voice:

"Stat window."

And the system responded.

[STATUS WINDOW – ACCESSED]

[Pending Quest: Death’s Trial – The Choice of Death – COMPLETE]

You have chosen to accept the inheritance of Death.

+2000 EXP gained+3 Levels Gained+15 Stat Points / +6 Skill Points AwardedLineage Traits Unlocked

[New Title Acquired: Devourer]

[Unique Trait Gained: Devour – Adaptive Absorption]

[Unique Trait Gained: Synthesis – Blood Echo Binding]

Fade’s body felt like it was being reshaped—slowly, subtly. A vibration rose from inside his bones. Not a sound, but a memory. Every ability he had ever gained echoed in his mind, like reminders aligning into place.

And then new lines lit up across the system’s interface:

[SYNTHESIS AVAILABLE]

Compatible Trait Clusters Detected:

– [Adaptive Reflex + Speed Boost + Warrior’s Instinct]

– [Inner Balance + Emotion Filter + Inner Resistance]

– [Quick Strike II + Wraithstep + Shadow Harmony]

Fade closed his eyes.

"Begin."

Adaptive Reflex + Speed Boost + Warrior’s Instinct

→ Neuromotive Override(Passive)

Neural transmission pathways are optimized. Reaction time to attacks improves by 10%. › Adaptation to unexpected movements increases significantly.

Inner Balance + Emotion Filter + Inner Resistance

→ Iron Nerve Discipline(Passive)

Increased mental resistance. Immunity to panic and fear states. › 30% reduction in cognitive disruption during stress.

Quick Strike II + Wraithstep + Shadow Harmony

→ Phantom Rend(Active)

Fade disappears into shadow and delivers a dual-direction strike with critical hit potential. › Activating this triggers a chain-link effect for sudden assault maneuvers.

Once the synthesis process was complete, the system updated again.

And the final window opened before him:

[STAT WINDOW – UPDATED]

Name: Fade

Type: Dybbuk / Vantablade

Level: 10

Experience: 0 / 3500

Health: 150

Power: 25

Agility: 30

Intelligence: 13

Endurance: 10

Defense: 8

Mental Resilience: 7

Spirit Power: 10

Stat Points: 20

Skill Points: 10

[PASSIVE ABILITIES]

– Sword Mastery II

– Unreflectable Move II

– Echo of the Soul

– Silent Zone

– Shadowheart Pulse

– Shadow Reflection

– Neuromotive Override (Synthesis)

– Iron Nerve Discipline (Synthesis)

[ACTIVE SKILLS]

– Shadow Contract

– Soulfall

– Shadow Chain

– Dark Form (Locked – One-use)

– Phantom Rend (Synthesis)

[UNIQUE TRAITS]

– Devour – Adaptive Absorption (Dybbuk Lineage)

Absorb compatible traits from defeated enemies. May result in skill gain or mutation.

Conflicting traits may cause inner instability.

– Synthesis – Blood Echo Binding (Dybbuk Exclusive)

Combine compatible skills or traits into evolved abilities.

[TITLES]

– Shadow Slayer

– Chosen of the Path of Death

– Devourer (Infamous – feared and shunned)

[QUESTS]– [Completed] Death’s Trial – The Choice of Death

You chose the inheritance of Death. You cannot go back.

Fade’s eyes remained locked on the stat window.

The new powers were settling into place within his mind, like pieces of a puzzle finally snapping into position. Yet at the bottom of the interface, a small line continued blinking:

[Stat Points: 20 Available]

He took a breath.

Speed alone wouldn’t be enough anymore. Every part of him—every nerve, every thought—could become a weapon or a weakness. This power needed control. Inside and out.

His fingers hovered over the system.

+5 Power + 5 Agility+ 5 Mental Resilience + 5 Spirit Power

Light shimmered.

His muscles tensed... then the tension rippled through his entire body. At first, it felt like a burden—weight pulling at his shoulders. But then the weight lifted, and in its place came a clarity of force.

When he raised his left arm, he felt it—something flowing unnaturally smooth along his joints. It wasn’t just strength anymore... it was precision.

What coursed through his veins wasn’t just blood. It was as if a second system had awakened between his muscle fibers—faster, more attuned, more reactive.

Silence descended in his mind—not emptiness, but focus.

All external noise, all mental clutter, even the echoing voices within him... they aligned. They quieted. His inner voice remained.

And for the first time,

İt wasn’t something unknown—it was part of him.

Then, he felt something else.

Deep in his chest.

Like another layer of his soul unlocking.

He murmured to himself:

"Spirit... it’s not just inside me anymore. It walks with me."

The Dybbuk echo stirred.

But it did not resist.

Fade’s eyes returned to the stat window.

He was no longer alone.

But at the center—he remained.

And this time...He wasn’t coming undone.

The fabric of the void cracked.

Then came the echo.Sharp. Familiar. Real.

"FADE! Please, answer me!"

It was Zeyna.And the voice wasn’t just calling to him.It was pulling him back.