They crossed the border into a dead kingdom.
Not by law or flag, but by feeling.
The trees grew gnarled here, twisted by centuries of neglected leyline bleed. The soil was dark, the wind always from the east, and the stars overhead seemed slightly out of place—as if this land had once existed under a different sky.
Aiden didn't speak much.
He didn't have to.
The System was stirring.
---
> [Milestone Reached: 30% Legacy Sync]
Class Evolution Path Unlocked
Branching Threads Detected: 3 Viable Routes
> Decision Imminent
Class Branch Selection Available Soon
---
They made camp in a hollow formed by the collapsed spine of an ancient warbeast—its bones fossilized, massive ribs arching toward the sky like a cathedral half-swallowed by time.
Torran ran his hands across the stone vertebrae. "What happened here?"
"Something that shouldn't have existed," Aiden murmured. "But did anyway."
Like him.
---
Nightfall – When the Shard Speaks
Aiden woke in silence.
Not because of sound.
But because his System had opened itself.
He stood in a space outside the world—a temple of light and broken glass. Panels of memory floated in the air, flickering like they couldn't decide what was real.
Three doors formed.
Each marked not with a name—
—but a title.
---
> [CLASS BRANCH SELECTION – Shardbinder Evolution Initiated]
1. The Shardwrought Sovereign
> Weaponizes fractured timelines as active constructs. Can summon phantom allies of alternate selves.
Path of control, precision, and battlefield shaping.
Risks ego instability past 50% Sync.
2. The Riftborne Exile
> Gains immunity to fate-based effects and timeline anchors. Movement skills evolve into dimensional slips.
Path of freedom, speed, and timeline denial.
Risks total disconnection from prime thread at Sync 75%+.
3. The Hollow Unbroken
> Integrates failed timelines into a unified core. Skills adapt dynamically to threat context.
Path of resilience, evolution, and recursion.
No known ceiling. Risks permanent self-rewriting.
---
Aiden stepped forward.
And paused.
Because the System didn't ask him which he wanted.
It asked him which he deserved.