After nearly dying (again), mentally syncing with a cursed crown, and unlocking a piece of my father's horrifying legacy… I thought I deserved a break.
Apparently, the System disagreed.
> [System Alert – Urgent Summons]
The Demon King's Court has issued a summons for Heir #10.
• Location: Obsidian Hall
• Delay Penalty: -50 Authority
• Suggestion: Don't be stupid. Go now.
"Subtle," I muttered, rubbing my temple. "Thanks for the friendly reminder."
Nyx snorted beside me, tail flicking with irritation.
We barely made it out of the Vault before two things happened:
1. A pair of demon knights with glowing obsidian armor intercepted us with zero emotion and no patience.
2. I nearly tripped over my cloak like a fool while trying to act important.
Nyx tried to suppress his laughter. He failed.
> [Soul Beast Mood: Amused. Your pride takes -3 damage.]
I was starting to suspect the System enjoyed humiliating me.
The Obsidian Hall loomed in the distance—a jagged tower like a broken fang stabbing into a stormy sky. Lightning coiled around its spires like living serpents.
Inside, the atmosphere was... stifling.
And waiting for me?
A familiar smirk.
"Oh no," I groaned. "Him."
Leaning against one of the black crystal columns, arms crossed, was my Fourth Brother—the master of illusions, manipulations, and smug superiority:
Zevien, the Illusory Blade.
"Sylvia," he purred, pushing off the wall. "Still alive. How unfortunate."
"You must be devastated."
His grin widened. "I'll recover. Eventually."
The knights bowed, stepping away.
And then, it was just us. Sibling to sibling. Shadow to shadow.
> [Danger Sense: Active]
• Warning: Opponent is Ranked Higher.
• Psychological Pressure Detected.
"You're early," I said, shifting my weight.
"You're late," he replied, tapping his temple. "Typical of a runt."
"I'm the 10th heir," I smiled. "Not the 10th mistake."
> [Charisma Check: Passed. Opponent mildly annoyed.]
Progress.
Zevien chuckled, then in a flash, flicked his fingers.
Reality shattered.
The entire hall dissolved into smoke and mirrors. The walls bent. My reflection twisted. Even Nyx vanished.
"Let's play a little game before Father arrives," Zevien whispered from nowhere. "If you survive, maybe you're worth his time."
> [Mini Trial Activated: Illusion Maze – Survive Zevien's Playground]
• Objective: Find the Heartmirror
• Bonus Objective: Destroy a Fragment of Zevien's Ego
"Oh, I'm gonna enjoy this," I muttered.
If there was one thing worse than being summoned by the Demon King's court, it was walking face-first into one of my brother's illusions.
The world around me twisted like a bad dream.
Colors inverted. The floor shifted beneath my feet. I was suddenly standing in a mirror hall that seemed to stretch forever, each reflection slightly wrong. In one, my eyes were glowing red. In another, my horns were cracked. In the third… I wasn't even me.
> [Trial Zone Initiated – Zevien's Illusion Maze]
Objective: Reach the Heartmirror.
Timer: 30:00
Bonus: Humiliate Zevien. (Highly encouraged)
"Nyx?" I called out, spinning. My soul beast was nowhere.
"I've muted your emotional support animal," Zevien's voice echoed through the maze. "Let's see how long you last on your own."
"Oh no," I deadpanned. "My sarcastic wolf is gone. However will I cope."
The reflections around me started moving—not mirroring me, but acting on their own. One laughed. Another screamed. One mouthed words I couldn't hear.
> [Mental Fortitude Check: Passed]
You resist the illusions. Barely.
"Nice try, Zevien," I muttered, stepping forward. "But you'll need more than haunted house tricks to break me."
That's when the walls bled.
The crystal mirrors cracked open, leaking black liquid that hissed like acid. From it, shadowy creatures emerged—faceless figures with twisted limbs and glowing red symbols carved into their chests.
> [New Threat: Zevien's Echo Fiends]
• HP: ???
• Weakness: Light-based Magic
• Resist: Illusions, Mind Tricks
And of course, I didn't have any light magic.
But I did have something new.
> [Skill: Sovereign's Glare – Rank D+]
Description: Stun or suppress lesser enemies with the weight of inherited dominance.
Cooldown: 20 seconds.
"Alright, let's test this crown's bite."
I focused. A golden pulse surged behind my eyes. When I looked up—my eyes glowing like molten gold—the Echo Fiends staggered.
> [Sovereign's Glare – Activated]
• 3 Echo Fiends Stunned
• 2 Resist
• Zevien's Maze reacts…
The floor rippled. A trapdoor opened under me—and I fell.
Through three floors of glass.
I landed in a chamber filled with floating puzzle pieces, mirrors spinning in the air, and a huge beating heart made of crystal at the center.
> [You've found: The Heartmirror]
Warning: Defended by a Mirror Wraith.
A shriek pierced the air.
The wraith emerged, its body made of fractured glass and smoke. It looked… like me.
My twisted reflection. My insecurities. My doubts.
Perfect.
"I've had worse mornings," I said, cracking my knuckles. "Bring it."
The Mirror Wraith hovered above the crystal floor, its fragmented body pulsing with my heartbeat.
It was me—but wrong.
Hair tangled in shadow, eyes flickering with despair. It wore my face, my armor, even my smirk… only twisted.
> [Boss Encounter: Mirror Wraith – Sylvia's Dark Echo]
HP: 3,000
Traits: Adaptive Illusion, Emotional Drain, Mirror Mimicry
Weakness: Self-Acceptance. (No, really.)
"Fantastic," I muttered. "My inner trauma has a health bar."
The Wraith lunged, glass claws screeching through the air. I ducked, countered with a sweep of my obsidian blade—only for the blow to pass through it like mist.
Then pain.
It struck my shoulder, and I stumbled back.
> -178 HP
Bleed: Minor
> [Status: Shaken] – Mental interference detected. Stability dropping.
The room laughed in my voice.
"Oh come on," I growled, clenching my fists. "You're not me. You're just a glitchy emo puppet."
> [Mirror Wraith uses: Doubt Spiral]
Suddenly, images flooded my mind.
Me… failing the Vault trial.
Me… kneeling before Lilith.
Me… alone, unworthy, forgotten.
> [Mental Fortitude Check: Failing...]
Until—
Snap.
A howl tore through the illusion. Shadow erupted beside me.
Nyx.
"Sorry I'm late," he growled. "That illusion was... aggravating."
"You broke the maze?"
"No," he said, baring his fangs. "I bit it."
The Wraith screeched, unraveling slightly. Cracks spread through its mirrored body.
> [Soul Beast Connection: Restored]
[Passive Buff: Shadow Bond – Fear resistance +25%]
I grinned, darkness flaring around me.
Let's end this.
> [Skill Combo Activated – Sovereign's Glare + Shadow Slash]
I locked eyes with my reflection. "I don't need to destroy you…"
I leapt.
"...because I've already outgrown you."
The strike landed—clean, brutal, final.
The Wraith shattered into a thousand pieces, dissolving into light.
> [Boss Defeated – +2 Authority | +1 Skill Point | +Rare Drop: Shard of Self]
The Heartmirror pulsed once… then faded into my chest.
And I stood alone—taller somehow. Stronger.
Zevien's voice echoed once more.
"Well done, little sister. You might just survive after all."
> [Trial Complete – Exit Unlocked]
The illusion unraveled with a soft hum.
One moment, I was standing in the shattered remains of a mirrored battlefield. The next, I was back in the Obsidian Hall, kneeling on cold obsidian tile beneath a ceiling of eternal darkness.
Zevien was seated on one of the throne-like steps above me, smirking with a goblet of some questionable crimson liquid in hand.
"Well then," he drawled, "You didn't die. I'm actually impressed. Disappointed, but impressed."
I stood, brushing glass dust from my shoulders.
> [Quest Complete – Zevien's Illusion Maze]
Reward: +3 Authority | +Minor System Sync Progress
> [Hidden Stat Unlocked: Willpower +1]
"So what now?" I asked. "Another test? Or do I get a cookie?"
Zevien chuckled. "You get something better."
The chamber darkened.
From above, shadows twisted—pulling into the shape of a massive, throned figure cloaked in fire and shadow. Horns like mountain peaks. Eyes like collapsing stars.
Even Zevien straightened.
> [Demon King: Presence Detected]
• Authority Pressure: Crushing
• Instincts: Flee / Submit / Die
My knees buckled. Every cell in my body screamed to kneel… but I didn't.
Barely.
The pressure lifted for just a breath—and a cold voice echoed through the hall like ancient thunder.
"You have inherited the Fragment. You have survived the Trial."
I swallowed. "Yes… Father."
Silence.
Then…
"Do not waste it."
And the shadow was gone.
> [System Alert – Main Quest Updated]
Quest: Survive the Demon King's Heirs
Objective: Reach Tier 2 Authority
New Threats Incoming…
"Cute," Zevien said, rising from his throne. "You've got Father's eye now."
"Yeah," I muttered. "I can feel the heat of it drilling into my skull."
He stepped closer, lowering his voice. "You're not the only one who's changing. The others have started moving."
"The others?"
He didn't answer.
But then I felt it.
A chill, deep and low, like the bottom of a forgotten dungeon.
Far across the Abyssal Realm… another presence stirred.
The Seventh Heir.
And they were watching.
The moment I left the Obsidian Hall, a sharp chill prickled down my spine.
> [Warning: Danger Imminent]
New Objective: Survive.
"Of course," I muttered. "Wouldn't be a day in the demon realm without someone trying to kill me."
Nyx's ears twitched, and he growled, fur flaring with shadow. "We're being watched."
I didn't need the System to confirm it, but it did anyway.
> [Enemy Presence Detected – 3 Unknown Assailants]
• Threat Level: Moderate-High
• Identity: Masked Blades – Agents of the Seventh Heir
I hadn't even taken ten steps from the trial—and now I was a target.
"Wow," I said. "The family love is just overwhelming."
They struck without a word.
The first assassin lunged from above, dual daggers glinting with cursed venom. I rolled, barely avoiding a slash meant for my throat.
The second emerged from a shadow rift behind me, throwing knives with blinding speed.
Nyx intercepted mid-air, tail slapping them aside. "I got left. You handle right!"
The third was faster.
They blurred—appearing in front of me with a jagged sword aimed for my heart.
I raised my blade just in time.
CLANG!
Sparks flew as we clashed, and I slid backward, boots skidding against black stone.
> [Passive Skill: Combat Instincts – Activated]
Bonus: Reaction speed +10% for 15 seconds.
"You're not bad," I said, panting. "But I've sparred with worse… and survived worse baths."
The assassin didn't speak. Just came at me harder.
It was a blur of steel, movement, instinct. No rules. No mercy.
I ducked. I slashed. I bled. And then—I found it.
An opening.
I shifted my weight and struck upward, cutting across their mask.
> [Critical Hit – Mask Cracked]
The assassin hissed and vanished in black smoke.
The other two, seeing their leader retreat, followed suit.
But before they disappeared completely, a message formed in burning letters across the ground.
> "You're not ready, little sister."
– Heir of Wrath, Seventh Bloodline
I stared at it.
A declaration of war. From one sibling to another.
> [Main Quest Updated – Survive the Heirs Begins]
• Objective: Reach Tier 2 Authority
• Sub-objective: Discover the identity of the Seventh Heir
Reward: System Upgrade + Legacy Fragment
Nyx padded up beside me. "So... no cookie, huh?"
I exhaled, letting my blade dissolve into shadow.
"No cookie."