The catacombs trembled.
Kai stood with his hand outstretched, the Silent Stalker—no, Selis—now unmasked, trembling as if the very world around her rejected her freedom.
"You interfered," she whispered again, her voice shaky and small. "Do you even know what you've done…?"
"I do," Kai replied, his tone unwavering. "And I'll do it again if I have to."
> [New Title Acquired: "Breaker of Anchors"]
[Effect: Your very existence disrupts bindings that do not belong to this world.]
A quiet pulse echoed in his mind—like a chain snapping from some invisible coil.
Suddenly, a cold gust swept through the chamber. The sigil behind them twisted into a spiral of light and void—like the eye of something watching from a realm beyond comprehension.
Then… a voice.
"You've done well, Kai."
It wasn't spoken aloud—it was felt. Ancient. Cold. Heavy. As if time bent around its tone.
Selis gasped, clutching her head. "No. He found us—he's here—the Architect is watching!"
> [External Entity Interference Detected: ARCHITECT CLASS - Worldbinder Variant]
[Warning: Interference not permitted under current realm laws.]
Kai's sword pulsed again, shielding them in a dome of radiant energy.
"Why are you hiding behind chains and whispers?" Kai shouted into the darkness. "Show yourself!"
The voice did not answer with words—but with pressure. The weight of something greater than a god pressing down on the world.
Selis screamed—her mark glowing bright red on her collarbone. It wasn't just symbolic. It was a seal.
"I… I can't resist it again…" she cried.
Kai rushed to her, gripping her shoulder.
"You're not alone anymore."
> [New Skill Unlocked: Temporal Chain Severance (Lv. 1)]
[Effect: Sever one external control or curse every 72 hours.]
[Warning: Using this will forcefully draw attention from the entity linked to the chain.]
He hesitated only for a breath.
And used it.
A blinding flash erupted from his hand, slicing through the air like a rift. The mark on Selis shattered like glass, and for the first time, she let out a breath that was hers.
Silence followed.
No more whispers.
No more chains.
"…You really did it," she whispered. "You broke it."
Kai's hand trembled. "And now he knows my name."
Suddenly, the system pinged.
> [Unknown Weapon Reacts to Willpower Surge]
[The Sealed Sword — "Eidolon's Fang" — trembles.]
Kai's vision blurred. For a split second, he saw the future again:
A battlefield drowning in ash.
He stood alone.
Countless corpses.
Selis lying still.
Aria screaming.
The Architect descending.
His sword—the unstable one—glowed in his hands.
"…Not yet," he whispered. "I'm not ready."
The vision faded.
Selis looked at him. "I owe you everything."
He shook his head. "We're not done. We're just getting started."
---
The First Arc "Fractured System" Finished The First Arc has concluded that the Next chapter Where the "Specter's arena — Rise of the Forgotten" will be added next Week I'm still racking up some ideas for the second arc but it will not disappoint you stay Tuned.
See you Next week
Next: Chapter 21 - "Specter's Arena — Rise of the Forgotten"