The night over the slums was thick with mist and smoke. The firelight from burning hovels painted the broken streets with a dim red hue, like veins pulsing beneath dead skin.
Cael knelt over the third fragment of the map, now nearly complete. The lines etched in ancient ink curled across the hide like veins of power. All three pieces converged on one destination—beneath the ruined temple of the old Flame Court.
"The Throne Crypt," Mira whispered, peering over his shoulder. "Whatever's under there must be worth more than just another dead king."
Cael's eyes narrowed. "It's not a tomb."
"It says 'crypt.'"
"I know. But I've seen too much to believe that's all it is."
Mira stood. Her blades were half-sharpened, her fingers twitching with restless energy. "So we're going now?"
"No," Cael said, standing slowly. "We're preparing. Whatever's in there... it's locked for a reason."
[==== SYSTEM NOTICE: BEGIN ====]
Quest Update: "Map of Dominion – Final Convergence"
Destination: Throne Crypt – Flame Court Ruins
Danger Level: High
Objective: Unlock and survive the Trial of Dominion
Warning: This area contains System-Originated Defenses
[==== SYSTEM NOTICE: END ====]
The words burned into his mind. System-Originated. That meant it was built by the same ancient force that governed his interface—a trial designed not by men, but by the long-forgotten gods of war.
---
The journey to the Flame Court Ruins took them across the devastated eastern district. Buildings leaned like drunks on the edge of collapse. Graffiti scrawled in old languages warned of curses, watchers, and waking blood.
They passed corpses that weren't just dead—they were burned from the inside out. Mira didn't comment. Neither did Cael.
A ritual had taken place here once, and whatever power had been summoned still stirred beneath the rubble.
By dusk, they stood before the remains of the Flame Court—a cathedral-sized temple of blackened stone, pillars like fossilized giants arching into a sky pregnant with lightning. The grand doors were broken, but the darkness inside pulsed with weight. It felt alive.
"This place hates us," Mira muttered.
Cael stepped forward. "Then it's just like everything else."
---
Inside, silence ruled.
Statues of forgotten deities stared down at them with hollow eyes. Some were half-shattered, others melted by ancient fire. At the far end of the hall, a spiral stairway descended into the earth—its steps untouched by dust.
As Cael's boot hit the third step down, the temperature dropped sharply.
Then the air clicked.
[==== SYSTEM NOTICE: BEGIN ====]
System Interface Engaged – Trial of Dominion
Trial Name: Heir of Ash and Iron
Objective: Prove strategic superiority through combat and command
Sub-Objectives:
– Survive Phase One: The Forsworn
– Capture the Central Seal
Reward: Skill Unlock – "Battle Instincts (Tier I)"
Penalty: Permanent Attribute Lock
[==== SYSTEM NOTICE: END ====]
Cael stopped. "This isn't just a dungeon. This is a war simulation."
Mira groaned. "What does that mean for us?"
"It means we're not just fighting... we're commanding."
---
They descended into the trial.
The crypt opened into a vast underground arena—stone platforms rising from a chasm filled with swirling ash. Statues of old generals lined the walls. On the far side stood a throne of broken steel, and beneath it, a sealed door with six glowing sigils.
A gong echoed. The arena shimmered—and from the ash emerged them.
Ghosts in armor, with blank faces and broken weapons—men and women who had failed the trial before them. The Forsworn.
They moved like puppets of memory.
[==== SYSTEM NOTICE: BEGIN ====]
Phase One: The Forsworn
Foes Deployed: 12
Tactic Mode Enabled – Command Interface Available
Current Units: 2 (Cael, Mira)
Environment: Narrow Platforms, Fire Hazards
Suggested Strategy: Divide and Bait – Flank Sweep
[==== SYSTEM NOTICE: END ====]
The information poured into Cael's mind like instinct. He saw the battlefield—paths, angles, weak points, bottlenecks—like lines on a chessboard.
"Mira, left flank. Bait them into that choke by the pillar."
"You're starting to sound like someone born for this," she muttered, already moving.
Cael dashed forward. The first Forsworn came swinging with a jagged spear—Cael ducked under, slammed his elbow into the figure's gut, and swept its leg. It dissolved into smoke on impact.
Two more rushed him.
He knew where they'd go before they moved. The System didn't just teach strategy—it had begun to write it into his bones.
Mira's bombs lit the side platform, forcing the Forsworn to funnel into a narrow path. Cael took them down one by one—exploiting every feint, every breath, every pause.
And then... silence.
[==== SYSTEM NOTICE: BEGIN ====]
Phase One Complete
Combat Analysis: Efficient
Strategy Rating: B+
Skill Unlocked: Battle Instincts (Tier I)
Effect: Grants real-time tactical insights during combat
[==== SYSTEM NOTICE: END ====]
Cael leaned against the wall, panting. His mind buzzed—not just from exhaustion, but from clarity. He could feel the instincts now—guiding his movements like strings in a symphony of war.
He turned toward the central seal. One of the six sigils had faded.
"Five more," he said.
"Five more trials," Mira echoed. "Gods help us."
"No," Cael whispered, eyes sharp. "We help ourselves now."
---
As they left the chamber, the walls seemed to watch. Statues leaned just a bit more forward. Whispers curled through the shadows like smoke. The Trial of Dominion had begun.
And Cael, reborn god or not, would earn every ounce of the throne.