DOMINION OF THE HOLLOW KING
Chapter 1: A Poisonous Awakening
Death was not an end.
It was a pause—a breath held too long in the lungs of the universe.
And then, like a candle flickering back to life, Kael woke.
His first sensation was cold. Not the sharp bite of winter, but the deep, marrow-numbing chill of a place forgotten by sunlight. His fingers twitched against rough linen. His lungs dragged in air thick with the scent of mildew and old blood.
This is not my body.
The realization came without panic. Without fear. Only assessment.
He was small. Young. Twelve, perhaps. His limbs were thin, his muscles underdeveloped. Malnourished. But alive.
Alive again.
A cracked mirror hung crookedly on the far wall. In its warped reflection, a boy stared back—pale as a corpse, eyes like chips of frosted glass.
Kael Virell.
The name settled into his bones. A bastard son. A ghost in his own house.
Good.
Ghosts were never suspected.
THE HOUSE OF WHISPERED SECRETS
The Virell estate was a carcass draped in noble silks.
Its halls were too wide for the few servants who shuffled through them. Its vaulted ceilings swallowed sound, turning even shouts into muffled echoes. The family portraits lining the walls had eyes that seemed to follow him.
Kael learned quickly:
• Lord Darius Virell, his "father," was a man who measured his worth in land and wine. He drank more than he spoke.
• Lucien, his half-brother and heir, was a blunt weapon—all force, no finesse.
• The steward smiled too often. The maids flinched at sudden movements.
No one looked at Kael for too long.
Perfect.
THE FIRST SKILL
On the third night, the System whispered to him.
[Soul Integration Complete.]
[Retained Abilities:]
• Unlimited Mana
• Skill Analyzation
• Martial Arts Master
[Warning: World Corruption Detected.]
[Progression Anomalies Likely.]
Kael's lips curled.
Anomalies.
He didn't need their rules. He never had.
THE ART OF WATCHING
Kael did not rush.
He sat by the window each dawn, tracing the slow creep of sunlight across the floor. He noted:
• The way the steward's fingers tapped when lying.
• The stiffness in the knight-captain's left knee when rain threatened.
• The missing servants. The whispers of "the Church's justice."
Information was a knife. And Kael was sharpening his.
THE FIRST CRACK
The letter arrived at dusk.
House Daincrest's seal—a serpent coiled around a sword—glinted in the candlelight. The demand was simple:
Swear fealty. Or burn.
Lord Virell's hands shook. Lucien roared for war. The steward murmured of "negotiation."
Kael watched.
And smiled.
Fear makes men stupid.
Stupid men make mistakes.
He would wait.
For now.
FINAL LINE:
The world did not yet know it had been infected.
But poison works best when unnoticed.