The morning of the trial arrived cloaked in tension.
Stormrift was silent, unnaturally so. Even the wind that often carried the distant sounds of smithies and training grounds held its breath. Every soul within the city knew something monumental was coming. And at its heart stood Kaelen Stormborn, prepared to face a trial meant for gods.
High above Stormrift, the fracture in the sky that had marred the heavens for days began to spiral. It rotated slowly at first, then faster—until, with a burst of prismatic light, it tore open fully into a circular portal wreathed in obsidian chains.
System Notice: Sovereign Trial – Initiating Dimensional TransferParticipants: Kaelen Stormborn (Lord-Class)Conditions: Success will unlock Sovereign Lineage FragmentWarning: Death will result in permanent territory collapse and irreversible erasure of bloodline boon.
The chains unlatched, slamming outward with thunderous force. A singular beam of ethereal light speared through the clouds and enveloped Kaelen.
He vanished from sight.
Kaelen reappeared in a place devoid of direction. A floating arena made of shifting crystal panels hovered in the void. Below, there was no land. Above, no sky. Just flickers of stars, memories, and shapes that didn't belong to this world.
In the center of the platform, a throne sat — empty — but humming with power.
"Welcome, Sovereign Seed," said a voice that came from nowhere and everywhere.
A figure stepped forward — the Facet, same as the one that had arrived earlier, but this time draped in robes forged of memory itself.
"Your trial begins now."
Kaelen clenched his fists. "Let's get this over with."
Trial One: Proof of Dominion
Suddenly, ten monstrous entities materialized around the arena. Hulking beasts made of metal, crystal, and soulfire. They radiated Tier 5 pressure — monstrous strength that would shatter cities.
Trial Objective: Eliminate all adversaries using only summoned forces.Limitations: No direct combat. No outside aid. Time limit: 20 minutes.
Kaelen gritted his teeth. "Alright… let's show them what Stormrift can do."
He thrust his hand forward.
Summon Activated – Soulblade Legion: Tier 4.5 Evolved InfantrySummon Activated – Aetherfire Archers: Tier 4 EliteSummon Activated – Vanguard Wyrmlings: Tier 5 Proto-Drakes
From glyphs swirling around him, his evolved units appeared — larger, sharper, more coordinated than ever before. Their evolution trees had diverged over the past weeks, growing into war machines specialized for crowd control and burst retaliation.
The Soulblade Legion moved like liquid shadow. Their coordinated strikes carved through the enemies' armor. The Wyrmlings dove from above, cloaked in fire and void energy, obliterating aerial threats. The Aetherfire Archers, now equipped with homing spirit-arrows, provided cover from all angles.
The battle raged for fifteen relentless minutes.
Kaelen's heart pounded with every second, issuing mental commands faster than any normal summoner could comprehend. He shifted formations, leveraged elemental resistances, and used overlapping aura bursts to push his troops beyond their limits.
Trial One: ClearedRating: A+Bonus Reward: "Summoner's Gambit" Passive Unlocked – Grants all summoned units 5% increased evolution speed.
Kaelen exhaled, sweat pouring down his brow. "One down."
Trial Two: Vision of Temptation
The arena shifted. The battlefield melted into a sprawling green paradise — his homeland. Earth. His childhood village. And standing before him were his parents, alive and smiling.
And next to them — his sister.
But she was different.
Smiling, holding hands with him as a child. The version of her from before this cruel world had shaped them.
A voice whispered: "Give up the burden. Abandon your path. Live forever in this moment."
Kaelen stepped forward instinctively… then froze.
He clenched his eyes shut.
He remembered the suffering of other Lords. The cries of his troops. The looming threat that had nearly consumed Riven, Aria, and the others. His goals, his responsibility.
Kaelen turned around.
"No illusion is worth the price of the world."
The paradise shattered like glass.
Trial Two: ClearedRating: SBonus Reward: "Mental Fortress" – Immune to charm, illusion, and all first-rank soul manipulations.
While Kaelen endured his trial, Stormrift had not remained idle.
Aria stood at the center of the city's command nexus, directing drills and preparations. Her summons — the Moonlit Argent Beasts — had also evolved in the past days. Their glowing silver hides now pulsed with reactive mana, able to adapt to elemental assaults.
In the east, Riven had taken command of the border scouts. Reports of movement by the Oathless Legion were increasing.
"They're testing our defenses," he told Aria. "And I think they're preparing to make a move when Kaelen's vulnerable."
"Then we don't let them," she said, forming a layered enchantment seal in the air.
Behind her, the sky pulsed. The Sovereign Trial was approaching its end.
Trial Three: Confronting the Sovereign Shadow
The final trial was a duel.
Not against a monster or a memory — but against a version of Kaelen himself.
Clad in obsidian armor, wielding a sword of annihilation, the dark Kaelen stared at him with hollow eyes.
Trial Three: Overcome Your Future SelfWin Condition: Force the shadow to acknowledge your supremacy.Time Limit: None.
The two clashed immediately — not with blades, but with summons. The dark Kaelen mirrored his entire roster, but twisted.
Where Kaelen summoned the Soulblade Legion, the shadow summoned Bloodshard Revenants. Where he released Wyrmlings, the shadow countered with Void Serpents.
Kaelen fought for what felt like hours — evolving strategies mid-battle, changing formations, redirecting synergy between his units. Slowly, he gained ground. The shadow's forces cracked, and Kaelen's began shining brighter, pulsing with the light of resolve.
Finally, with one last command, Kaelen pushed all his forces forward — a massive formation of unity and defiance.
The shadow knelt.
"You are not who you were," it whispered. "You are who you must become."
Trial Three: ClearedRating: SBonus Reward: Sovereign Lineage Fragment (1/5) AcquiredUnique Title Gained: "One Who Defies Fate"
Kaelen reappeared in Stormrift, collapsing to one knee.
Aria rushed to him, her eyes glowing with emotion. "You did it," she whispered.
He nodded, breathless. "It's just the beginning."
System Broadcast to All LordsKaelen Stormborn has Cleared the First Sovereign Trial.Title Awarded: Sovereign InitiateNew Trial Zones Unlocked Across All Territories.World Event Triggered: Sovereign Ascent Begins
Far away, in shadowed strongholds and citadels, Lords began to react.
Some in awe. Others in fear.
And a few… with sharpened blades.