He was inside the Bridge.

The place that allowed Rifts to appear across the world.

When the system had sounded so excited while introducing this new feature, Kyle had never imagined it would casually throw him into a location like this.

This was beyond surprising.

It was downright flabbergasting.

For a moment, Kyle simply stood there, staring at the man as his mind struggled to process the situation.

Myuri: [Kyle... you can go back if you aren’t ready.]

Tharos: [Kyle... please be safe.]

[God of Mischief looks at you with mild disappointment.]

Kyle let out a long sigh.

Sure, this place sounded dangerous.

Extremely dangerous, even.

But it wasn’t as though he was trapped here.

The system had already confirmed that he could leave whenever he wanted during this introductory visit. As long as that remained true, there was no immediate danger to his life.

At least, that’s what he hoped.

"You look pale, boy."

The man’s voice pulled Kyle from his thoughts.

The giant warrior had shifted slightly, resting an elbow on his knee while his body leaned to the side. Despite his relaxed posture, he still radiated an intimidating presence.

"What are you?" he asked. "A memory? A ghost?"

The man’s grin widened.

"You adapted fairly well."

His gaze drifted somewhere into the distance.

"And yes, you are correct. I am merely a fragment of myself. A remnant of what I once was."

Kyle nodded slowly.

That made sense.

"What happened to you?" Kyle asked. "Did you die trying to enter the Temple?"

The question wasn’t entirely baseless.

From everything he had heard, the Sentinels guarding these places were unimaginably powerful.

Veronica herself had admitted as much.

And Veronica was one of the strongest Nightwalkers in the world.

If even she spoke of the Sentinels with caution, that alone was enough to tell Kyle what kind of monsters guarded these Bridges.

Then there was the World Government.

Despite possessing immense military power and countless awakened individuals, they had never managed to completely eliminate the locations responsible for Rift appearances.

That fact alone spoke volumes.

Whatever lurked within these Temples, they were not enemies humanity could casually overcome.

Which meant the Sentinels protecting them were likely among the most terrifying beings currently in existence.

At least, that was the conclusion Kyle had reached.

So if this man truly belonged here, and if he had attempted to conquer the Temple in the distant past...

Then his death wouldn’t be surprising at all.

But then...

"Trying to enter the Temple?" The man scoffed, a hint of amusement creeping into his voice. "Boy... I reached this place. That is precisely why you can see me here and not outside the Temple."

Kyle’s eyes widened.

"You... there’s no way you defeated the Sentinels."

The man’s grin immediately widened, as if Kyle had unknowingly asked the one question he had been waiting centuries to answer.

Slowly, he rose to his feet.

The movement alone made Kyle tense.

Almost instinctively, Aquilla materialized in his hand.

Because standing before him now was less a man and more a beast wearing human skin.

The warrior had to be at least seven feet tall.

At that height, carrying so much muscle was nothing short of monstrous.

His shoulders were impossibly broad, his frame rugged and battle-worn. The ancient armor hanging from his body only added to the intimidating image, making him resemble a predator that had wandered onto a battlefield rather than a human soldier.

Even standing still, he radiated a pressure that made Kyle’s instincts scream at him to stay alert.

The man noticed the appearance of Aquilla but didn’t react.

Instead, he chuckled.

"You see this, boy?"

Without warning, he grabbed the damaged chest plate protecting his torso and lifted it.

Kyle’s eyes immediately dropped to the exposed flesh.

Then he froze.

A massive chunk was missing from the center of the warrior’s chest.

The wound was horrifying.

It looked as though something had torn straight through him, ripping away flesh, muscle, and perhaps even part of his organs.

Any normal person would have died instantly from such an injury.

Yet the man seemed completely unfazed and his words suggested he continued his journey back then despite the injury.

The only thing preventing the sight from becoming truly grotesque was the absence of blood.

Just a hollow, ruined cavity that served as silent proof of a battle Kyle couldn’t even begin to imagine.

"They were quite the bunch. However, nothing survived the Blade of the North," the man said with a hint of pride. "We conquered the first challenge and landed here."

As he spoke, he slowly moved to the side. His attention wasn’t even on Kyle anymore, yet Kyle remained tense.

There was something unsettling about this man.

His instincts kept warning him that the moment he showed any hostility, he would die.

"Tell me, boy. Why don’t you feel it?" The man turned to look at Kyle, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

"Feel what?"

"The pull of the heart."

"The heart?"

The man raised a hand and gestured toward the golden flames.

"That."

His gaze lingered on the fire.

"I couldn’t resist the temptation, and my greed became the cause of my downfall."

A deep chuckle escaped him.

"Imagine that. A man who crossed countless obstacles only to fall because of his own greed." He shook his head lightly. "So human of me."

Kyle swallowed hard as the atmosphere around the man subtly shifted.

The warrior’s gaze returned to him.

"Tell me, boy. What is it that you seek most? Power, authority, or both?"

Kyle tightened his grip around Aquilla before answering honestly.

"I seek peace."

The man snickered.

"Say that when you aren’t radiating such naked lust for battle."

Kyle frowned.

Was he really?

Before he could think further, the man suddenly stomped on the ground.

A fallen wooden sword shot into the air.

The warrior struck it with his palm, sending it hurtling toward Kyle like a spear.

"Guh!"

Kyle managed to catch it thanks to God’s Eye, but the force behind the throw nearly tore it from his grasp, scraping painfully against his palm.

The man lifted his chin and said, "Let’s see if you truly has what it takes to stand here...a place which swallowed my battalion and took away my pride from me."

Kyle tensed. Not only because of those words. But also because,

[Temple of Tsushimin: Act 1]

[The Forgotten Warrior]

[Task: Land one hit]

[Reward: A fragment of the warrior’s soul.]

°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading.