Revenge System: Voice in the Abyss

The rain hammered the prison window like it wanted in. Kael Blackwood sat against the cold wall, staring at the iron bars. Three days. Three days since they called him "murderer." Three days since the world decided he was guilty. He wasn't afraid anymore. His fingers tightened on the bars until the metal bit into his skin. A cold smile tugged at his lips. "If I ever find who framed me… they won't walk away." Lightning flashed. Thunder roared. Then the lights died. Not flickered—erased. Darkness swallowed the cell. From the corridor came panicked shouts. "Blackout?! Guard!" Click… click… click… The walls groaned. Cracked concrete peeled away like dead skin. Underneath: black steel. Smooth. Cold. Wrong. The bars thickened. Locked. Reinforced. A deep mechanical growl vibrated through the floor. Grrrrrrrr… The old prison cell was gone. Now it was a cage. Siren exploded—deafening. "Attention all prisoners." The voice came from everywhere. Flat. Inhuman. "The first classification trial begins now." Silence crashed down. "Each prisoner will face an opponent. Death row inmates." Murmurs turned to screams. "If they win… sentence reduced. If they lose… execution." "To live… you must kill." Kael's cell door slid open with a hiss. Heavy footsteps. A scarred giant stepped in. Old knife wounds crisscrossed his arms. Eyes empty of mercy. "Heard about you, Blackwood." The man grinned. "Ten years off if I end you." Kael said nothing. His pulse hammered. The door slammed shut. The man charged. Kael dodged the first wild swing—air hissed past his ear. Second punch connected. Ribs screamed. He staggered but didn't fall. The giant laughed. "Too slow." Another rush. All power. No finesse. Kael watched. Waited. Saw the pattern: right hook always followed by overhand. Next right came— Kael slipped inside. Grabbed the arm. Twisted just enough. The man stumbled forward. Kael shoved—hard. Skull met steel wall. Crack. The body dropped. Still. Blood pooled. Kael stared at the open eyes. Still watching. He turned away. Vomited against the wall. "I killed him…" The siren blared again. "Prepare for transfer." Black-uniformed guards appeared. Faces hidden. Movements mechanical. They dragged him out. The corridor wasn't concrete anymore. Black metal. Reflective. Wrong. Outside—rain lashed his face. Then he saw it. A massive black ship. No lights. No engines. Just… presence. Absorbing the storm around it. They were forced aboard. The game had already started. [Whisper in his mind—barely audible: Now… or never.]