The Goblin Who Devoured Fate

My heart pounded as I hovered over the system prompt.

[Accept the Catalyst?][Y/N]

Rhia's gaze burned into me, her silver eyes full of warning. "Leon… don't do this."

But I had already made up my mind.

I pressed [Yes].

[System Notification!]

[Catalyst Accepted!][Entity Awakening…][Warning: Unknown Consequences!]

The shrine shook violently. The cracks widened, spilling more dark mist into the chamber. The whispering voice turned into a low, echoing laughter.

"At last… the chains weaken."

Pain stabbed through my skull. My vision blurred, the world around me distorting as the system flooded my mind with data.

[New Ability Unlocked!]

[??? – Incomplete Form][Effect: ???]

I barely registered the message before the ground split open.

A black, clawed hand shot out from the shrine.

Rhia gasped, leaping back. "Leon! What the hell did you do?!"

I staggered, my body burning as the new power flooded my veins. My vision flickered between reality and something… darker.

The entity was not fully free—but it was awake.

And now, it knew my name.

The Price of Power

The clawed hand slowly retreated back into the shrine, the cracks beginning to seal again. The mist swirled around me before sinking into my skin.

A final whisper echoed in my mind.

"We are bound now, little goblin. We will meet again."

And then—silence.

The shrine was still. The air was heavy, charged with something unnatural.

Rhia was still staring at me, her expression unreadable. "Leon…"

I clenched my fists. My body still felt different. Stronger. Changed.

But at what cost?

I wouldn't know until it was too late.