Beneath the golden skies of New Elaron, Kael Virell's reputation began to outpace even his hidden lineage. Whispers chased him through corridors, markets, and message threads—some calling him a tech prodigy, others naming him something darker.
Shadowborne. Sovereign. Systembreaker.
He stood on the precipice of notoriety and apocalypse, and tonight, he would fall—or rise.
---
The Red Envelope
Kael's system chimed with eerie softness.
[Notification: Special Invitation - Crimson Guild Banquet] [Source: Unknown House - Encryption Level Omega]
The digital envelope bled across his vision, its seal shaped like a dying phoenix. A rare power signature pulsed within—the kind only old Houses and god-tier families could imprint.
"They're watching."
Rin Yurei stood beside him in his penthouse, sipping tea as if reality hadn't shifted two nights ago.
"Crimson Guild?" Kael asked.
"They're kingmakers. Puppetmasters of the university elite. If you attend, you're either a fool or a future emperor."
Kael grinned. "I've been both."
---
The Banquet of Chains
The banquet hall was built inside a holographic dome that replicated a shifting aurora sky. Gold and silver-cloaked nobles mingled, their systems humming beneath their flesh like symbiotic serpents.
Kael arrived alone—but not unseen.
Gasps followed his entrance. Some recognized him from recent tech summits; others from that rooftop battle—its echoes had already gone viral in underground forums.
Then, a voice. Sweet. Poisonous.
"Kael Virell. We meet at last."
Aristea Noir, heiress of House Noir—masters of dream manipulation. Her gown shimmered like liquid shadow, and her smile could melt logic.
They danced, not out of attraction, but tension. As they circled, she whispered, "Your system is older than any I've seen. You're not one of us. You're something... beyond."
Kael didn't deny it. Instead, he triggered Sovereign Sight for a second—just long enough to glimpse her truth.
[Hidden Trait: Oracle of the Forgotten Path] [Secret Intent: Seduce or eliminate Kael before the Moonfall Alignment]
His blood chilled.
"You're planning something," Kael said.
"And so are you, Sovereign. We all are. The throne is trembling."
---
Mission: Flames of the Eastern Vault
The banquet was cut short.
An explosion tore through the western corridor.
Kael rushed toward the chaos, Rin at his flank, only to be intercepted by a floating sigil—a hologram from the mysterious man who had once called him Master.
"Your next task is urgent. A forgotten relic of your family lies in the Eastern Vault. If it falls into enemy hands, the Shadowborne will be severed forever."
Quest activated:
[Main Quest: Reclaim the Sovereign's Ember] Location: Vault beneath Arclight Spire]
They teleported using Rin's dreamstep. Arriving amid ruins, the vault was under siege. Golems roared. Fire danced.
But Kael was no longer just a student. He was a system-wielder, a sovereign descendant, and a man with borrowed powers.
[Skill: Power Assimilation - Activated] [Target: Fireborn Champion - Status: Unconscious]
Flames burst from Kael's veins as he stole mastery of pyromancy. Rin created illusions so real they drew fire.
Kael strode through war.
At the core, the relic pulsed.
A glowing ember, sealed in obsidian chains.
He reached for it.
---
A New Fire
[System Core Absorption: Sovereign Ember] [New Skill Unlocked: Ember Dominus – Grants control over divine fire and resistance to system corruption]
His eyes blazed. The vault shook. Shadows screamed as light burst through ancient glyphs.
Kael turned, embers hovering around his fists.
"They'll come for us now," Rin whispered.
"They already have," Kael replied.
In the distance, a dozen cloaked figures watched.
House Sable. House Noir. Guild assassins. Secret orders.
They wanted the Sovereign dead.
But Kael had just begun to burn .