A slight twitch went through the ground. Then, another one. Soon after, a body slick with blood moved. Perytos groaned loudly, his whole body felt sore, full of aches and pains. His thoughts were muddled and blurry, as if he were standing, under the surface of water.

  He was sprawled on hard ground; wooden debris and ashen remains surrounded him from all sides, burying him under its weight. He slowly and carefully crawled out of his supposed burial site. He was standing, alone in what seemed like a sea of ash and rubble. On all sides he was surrounded by the remains of other people. People that could have lived a happy life, instead they were now all scattered and destined to remain here forever. No good ending, no living happily ever after in a safe zone. Just Gone

  It hit him: everyone he knew was dead, burned to ash. A wave of sorrow and vertigo stifled any other thoughts and emotions; Perytos collapsed like a puppet that had its strings cut. Like a child with its parents gone, he was alone, purposeless. He was ???????????????? in his sorrow, unable to gasp for breath, unable to deal with the loss. He sobbed and shook uncontrollably for a long while- knowing, yet ignoring, that he should move. It was the last thing on his mind now- concerns regarding whether he lived or not.

  He had no delusions about what happened. The scenes of slaughter were as vivid and crystal clear as they had been then. The fire left no one alive. Burning people screamed in agony, half burned wood fell and added to the mountain of corpses; now in his mind instead of around him.

  Over and over again he was forced to bear the brunt of the memories. His fragile mind was on the verge of breaking. Insanity seeped through the cracks; it offered a sweet release from the pain of existence. Words that had no real meaning brushed upon him-He understood them anyway.

  " ? ??? ??? ? ???? ?? ??? ????, ??? ???? ???? ?? ??? ?? ??. ??? ???? ??????? ???? ?? ?????????." It slithered and whispered on the verge of his consciousness, caressing his mind, it showed him what the release felt like.

  He wanted it to take him. Even God himself couldn't stop him. No one else but himself had the choice; it was his. After being stripped of everything dear, what value had his only remaining belonging?- His life?

  A slight flicker, broken and forgotten in the face of the ocean of sorrow, ignited. The primal part of him responsible for staying alive, the part that would keep him alive even after he had nothing else left to give.

  Perytos denied the being "NO." He didn't allow it to take root in his mind. "GET OUT" he screamed, and with that the thing knew it overstayed it's welcome. The insidious tendrils of darkness were pushed out, vanishing as quickly as they appeared. No evidence of them ever existing remained.

  Perytos was rattled from the encounter- His back was cold with sweat and his fists were clenched in primal rage. The thing tried to possess him when he was at his lowest. His vision turned red, then flickered out. He slumped and any gathered strength or fury left him.

  After what felt like hours, Perytos opened his eyes and took in the unfurling sight before him; tall thick boughs topped off with yellow leaves stood over him, as if they were trying to intimidate him. He didn't care. Small bugs, worms and other forestry critters scuttered near the scene of carnage unperturbed. The natural aroma of the forest lingered in the air, mixed in with the distinct fragrance of ash and the metallic twinge of dried blood.

  The same inner fire that coerced him earlier to choose living spoke again, forcing him to act less he gave in to despair once more. No matter what this journey had already cost him, he was forced to endure. Despite the wall of indifference and sorrow, the boy knew he wasn't ready for the end of his story. Not today, maybe not ever.

  After everything he had been through, that last thought- Pushed him over the edge.

  From the depths of his soul located roughly where his heart was, where his emotions were packed tightly together, a will manifested. It felt like the feeling of never giving up, of pure determination, of the ???????? to see the next day come forth. It broke through the facade of indiffrence for just a fraction of a second, but it was enough. His suppressed emotions flashed in declaration, the Universe listened.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  You have done a worthy deed (acquiring an oath) for your age (15). The System deems you worthy of access and has activated your nascent connection, unlocking skills, distinctions and many more.

  You have acquired an oath: "Oath of endless struggle" (click to view description)

  Due to your actions your oath's caveat has been activated, this warning will not appear again. ???????????? ?????????????????? ????????????????

  You have earned a Distinction: "Sole survivor" (click to view rewards)

  Perytos laughed bitterly. Now it chooses to deem him worthy. After everything he had lost. It was ironic, the thing he had been looking for all his life, and now it was here. He should have been overjoyed but bitterness and apathy were his only emotions. After all, what was success with no one to share it with? Not even the system's warning fazed him. The feeling of judgment when reading it easily shook off, all he could think was: judge all you want i've got nothing left.

  He viewed the oath first.

  “Oath of endless struggle”: The System has seen your struggles and deemed you worthy of an oath; binding you to the energy of the Universe. Uphold your duty to the Universe fledgling survivor. Struggle, bleed, and fight until you claw your way to the top, until the end of the universe commences or your spark is extinguished.

  Effects: Your body is given substantial healing capabilities shaving off weeks of recovery, furthermore any shallow wounds like cuts and light stabs will seal almost instantly to preserve The One Meant To Struggle. You will be able to recover from any physical crippling given enough time. With the improvements to your regeneration abilities, your body has been empowered with instincts of a natural predator.

  In the name of struggle as old as cognition itself all will be forsaken, willingly or not. The biggest enemy of struggle is submission and destruction of will. When your wounds are severe and your spark wanes, this oath will activate its caveat. Applying increased sensitivity to pain and a reduction to mental function. If you have doubts about giving up on your struggle, the oath will also activate the caveat. Make sure to uphold your duty.

  oath's caveat activated: 1

  With frantic energy he looked at the other description:

  Sole survivor:

  You are the only one that remains. Where dozens died you managed to prevail, but at a cost. No one is left to care about you.

  As a reparation and commiseration, you have been gifted with this Distinction and the stats it entails. Your loss is not left unnoticed; the universe joins in together with your grief.

  Your experience has reforged you and now you have become stronger in body, mind, and soul. +1 to body(guided[energy expenditure]), +1 to mind(guided[strength of will]), +1 to soul(unguided)

  Body(Energy expenditure):

  Your body can last 100% longer without food and water with no downsides at base, and 300% longer than your new base for when you are dormant. Dormancy means you are slower, weaker, and have an increased need for sleep.

  Mind(Strength of will):

  Your will is firmer, you are more determined.

  Soul(unguided):

  Your soul is more resistant to damage, it will grow infinitesimally more quicker; all your guided soul stats will be empowered.

  The abilities were already at work. His many scrapes and burned flesh begun knitting together. It's not sealing in real time, but after a few hours I should be fine, my hunger is also mostly gone. He analyzed his new powers, no resemblance of emotion was visible.

  Why was he so apathetic considering everything had happened? Maybe it was because he had no emotions left to give, maybe just living took enough effort and he was too weak to feel, and maybe it was the effect of his enforced will. In hindsight, it was a combination of all three. He was forced to overcome his despair earlier, but that didn’t mean he didn’t suffer- Just that he was too tired to pay it any mind.

  With no purpose, he had some things to consider, he didn’t know what he would do but his options were vast- Mainly because of his new impartments. The quickened regeneration and reduced need for food made him an asset to any combat-focused group and organization. Runners venturing into Lost Grounds mainly died due to Severe wounds or Hunger, his oath and stats prevented that. He still had to get to civilization to make use of those merits, only the way forward remained.

  Too weak to embrace life, but not capable of letting go of, the boy continued his journey. Step after step he walked towards the capital, passing the ashen remnants and leaving his old life forever behind. He walked off to the horizon. The capital was waiting, he would do it for his parents, for his dream. Let’s see if the rumors are true