Heir to The Forgotten Throne-Chapter 16: Marked By Petals

"Of course! Why the hell wouldn't I accept this pact?" Ryu thought, knowing the voice could hear him.

The Rift Master gave a soft laugh as the endless void shifted—melting into the image of an unfamiliar ceiling.

The presence vanished. Ryu didn't feel the Rift Master anymore. He was alone again.

He tried to move, tried to speak. Nothing. Except for his eyes, everything else was still paralyzed.

"Shit," Ryu cursed internally. "I should've asked that bastard to remove the paralysis. I mean, come on—he dragged me back from death's door, and he couldn't toss in a cure while he was at it?"

He stared at the blank white ceiling, trying to deduce where he was. No clues. He didn't even know if he was still in his own world.

Time dragged on. Boredom sank in.

Then, finally—voices.

Unfamiliar.

One was older, masculine. "It seems the patient has full-body paralysis, yet we can't identify the cause."

Another voice, younger and feminine, responded. "Yes, it's strange. But the man who brought him in told the nurses he might've exited a Rift."

"So, I'm in a hospital? Pretty sure there weren't any near the church. And someone brought me here who knows about the Rift? It can't be the priest—he'd rather feed me to dogs than spend a dime on me. Then... who?"

His thoughts were interrupted by the male doctor's voice, laced with skepticism. "You think this scrawny kid completed a Rift?"

"This asshole." Ryu bristled. "You have no idea what I had to survive in that hellhole."

The female voice came closer. "I don't know. You should never judge a book by its cover. He even has the tattoo."

"Finally! Someone with a brain. And it's real, dumbass. So tell me already—what kind of tattoo is it?" Ryu's mind buzzed with excitement.

The male doctor scoffed. "Anyone can fake a mark these days. And a flower? Seriously? Even if he did complete a Rift, you'd expect something more intense."

"A flower? That's it?" Ryu's hope deflated. "I meet a god, nearly die, slay Kolasis, and all I get is a damn petal?!"

The female doctor leaned in, about to speak, but then froze. His eyes were open.

She stumbled back slightly. "His eyes... they're open."

The male doctor approached quickly. He was older, wrinkled, with an air of authority. He shined a flashlight into Ryu's eyes, making him wince.

But curiosity burned inside Ryu. He wanted to see the mark.

Focusing, he activated his skill.

> [Skill Activated: Avalin's Deception]

His view shifted—he now saw through the doctor's eyes.

It was still jarring, but he was getting better at it.

He scanned his own body. What he saw surprised him—there were no scars. Not even the small ones he had before entering the Rift. Some of them were trophies, others... painful memories. All gone.

Then he saw it—just above his palm. A flower, vibrant in shades of blue and pink. It looked almost identical to the ones from the Rift. Beautiful. Elegant.

But not the badass mark he'd imagined, he felt extremely disappointed.

Still using the doctor's view, Ryu decided to have a little fun. He visualized a spider crawling up the man's arm.

> [Skill Deactivated: Avalin's Deception]

Ryu returned to his body just in time to hear the man shriek and crash to the ground.

He would've burst out laughing—if he could.

The female doctor asked, concerned, "What happened?"

"There... there was a spider!" he stammered.

She blinked. "I'm pretty sure there was no spider."

The man frantically searched, moving objects, checking corners.

After a moment of awkward silence, he muttered, "I-I'll go to the bathroom..."

Ryu grinned inwardly. "That'll teach you to call me scrawny, dumbass."

The female doctor leaned in again, curiosity written across her face. "Can you hear me?"

Ryu blinked.

She stared at him for a moment, then her eyes widened slightly. "Oh, yeah—someone wanted to talk to you." She turned and left the room.

"Probably Sister Margaret," Ryu guessed. "This room looks too fancy for the church to pay for though. Who the hell brought me here?"

Almost on cue, the door creaked open.

A tall figure stepped in, standing beside him.

The man was lean but clearly muscular beneath a white shirt and black jacket. He had messy black hair that only added to his looks, a cigarette dangling from his lips, and striking light blue eyes that looked like they'd seen too much.

He looked like he walked out of an action movie.

He smirked. "Finally woke up, eh?"

Ryu thought, "Who the hell are you, and you can't smoke in a hospital!" Of course, he couldn't speak aloud.

The man tapped the side of his head. "Oh right, they told me you couldn't talk."

"No shit, Sherlock," Ryu muttered in his mind.

"You probably have a lot of questions, huh?" the man said casually.

"Okay, let's start. My name is Jin Kaelthor. My rank is Guardian, and I'm the one who brought you here."

Ryu's thoughts came to a screeching halt. "Guardian...? What the hell was a Guardian doing in Santaf?"

The system categorized the Marked from Ordinary to Fabled, but humans had created their own ranking structure, one that made more sense in practical terms:

Fledgelings – Those who had just passed their first trial and become Marked.

Scarred – Individuals who had grown accustomed to their skills and cleared a few dungeons.

Guardians – People who had passed two trials and had full mastery over their abilities.

Reapers – Those who had passed three trials and earned official recognition from the government.

Lords – Those who had passed four trials and had enough power to influence entire nations.

Immortals – Rare individuals who had passed six trials; their power bordered on mythical.

Nameless – A theoretical rank for those who had completed seven or more trials. No one had ever reached it—at least, not officially—but the fact that the title existed meant someone must have come close.

Currently, there were only eight known Lords in existence. No one had reached beyond that level—at least, not publicly.

This human-made system existed because the one provided by the Rift System was inconsistent. A Fabled Fledgeling still stood no chance against an Ordinary veteran unless they were an outright genius. Experience and mastery often outweighed raw potential.

Ryu stared at Jin, skeptical. "Guardian, huh? Then where are your damn marks?"