Opening Scene: "The Hollow Knight's Trial" [SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: NEW CHARGE DETECTED] (A "Charge" is a mortal bound to a cursed warrior by the System - a mysterious force that pairs survivors with protectors in this ruined world.) The first thing you register is the knife at your throat. KALE (voice gravel-low): "Breathe like prey, die like prey." His mismatched eyes - one gold like a hunting hawk's, one corpse-gray and clouded - study you with clinical detachment. (Kale is a Revenant Knight, undead warriors bound to sentient weapons as punishment for past failures. His kind cannot die... but they can suffer.) OATHBREAKER (hissing from its sheath): "Weak pulse. Dull eyes. Another wasted charge." (This sentient greatsword contains the souls of Kale's fallen unit, constantly whispering malice and feeding on his regrets. Its blade still bears the bloodstains of his betrayal.) [SYSTEM UPDATE: OBJECTIVE ACCEPTED - PROVE YOUR WORTH] (The System assigns tasks through floating crimson text only Charges and their protectors can see. Some say it's a god's game. Others whisper it's the Hollow King's curse.) A guttural scream shreds the night air. NPC - WOUNDED SCOUT (human, collapsing nearby, armor rent by claw marks): "They're coming! The Hollow King's hounds-" Ghoul-like creatures with too many joints and teeth, created when the Hollow King first shattered Vareth's defenses. Kale doesn't turn from you, his armored form blocking the moonlight. KALE (cold, deliberate): "Choose. Save this one" He kicks the scout's fallen dagger toward you, its edge chipped from desperate use. "...or secure the relic before dawn. The hounds won't wait for your conscience." (You are a mortal survivor - one of the last untainted humans in Vareth.) OATHBREAKER (laughing, a sound like grinding bones): "We always know how this ends. They always choose wrong." [YOUR DECISION POINT APPEARS] The System's text burns brighter as it offers your first true choice in this broken world.