Three Weeks After the Abyss.
Kael walked through the gates of the Hollowshade Syndicate like a ghost returning to claim his bones.
No one greeted him.
No one stopped him.
They watched.
Eyes from behind rusted masks, blades half-drawn, voices buried behind stone archways and broken towers. The Hollowshade was a city buried beneath the capital, carved into the underbelly of Solmere like a wound. It wasn't on any map. It wasn't whispered in any tavern.
It was where the forgotten went to survive or die trying.
Selis walked beside him in silence, her hood drawn, her blade at her hip. She didn't need to speak. Her presence was enough.
Here, her name was legend.
But Kael, Kael was something else entirely now.
The sigil burned faint on his shoulder beneath his cloak. His eyes still bled a faint glow when his temper rose. And the system… was no longer quiet.
[New Environment Detected: Sanctuary-Class]
[Shadow Density: Moderate]
[Emotion Network: Live]
[Objectives Unlocked:]
Gain Entry to the Hollow Court
Establish Power Base
Test First Soul Thread Connection
He was already calculating. Planning. Watching.
This wasn't about hiding anymore.
It was about positioning.
Inside the Hollowshade
They passed through a gate shaped like a ribcage of stone, manned by children with knives and warlocks missing fingers.
Kael didn't flinch.
They reached the court hall a twisted cathedral built from scavenged bones and forgotten magic. At its center sat five figures cloaked in shadows, masks of iron covering their faces.
The Hollow Court.
"Who seeks audience?" one of them asked.
Kael stepped forward.
"Kael Virelan."
The room hushed.
A few startled murmurs.
Then silence.
"You're dead," one of them said. A woman, old. Her voice cracked like ice.
"I was," Kael replied. "But death had poor aim."
Another man leaned forward. "What do you want?"
Kael pulled the hood back from his face. His eyes gleamed with black fire.
"I want the throne above," he said. "And I want to start here."
Selis shifted beside him. The court remained still.
Then laughter low, grim, hollow.
"You think we'll bow to a shadow branded exile?" the masked warlord on the left sneered.
"I think you'll bow to power."
Kael raised his hand.
[System Command: Initiate Shadow Merge]
The shadows bent. Twisted. Moved.
Kael vanished reappeared behind the warlord in a blink of black smoke. His blade hovered at the man's throat before anyone even moved.
Selis hadn't even blinked.
The system chimed quietly in his mind:
[Soul Thread Instability Detected: Emotion Sync Spike - Fear]
Kael leaned close. "Still think I'm just an exile?"
The man said nothing.
Kael returned to his place.
"The crown above betrayed me. They fear what I'm becoming. You should too. Or you can help me burn them."
The court was silent.
Then the oldest among them the Crone, they called her nodded once.
"We'll listen."
That Night — Inside the Shadows.
Selis sat sharpening her blade on a balcony overlooking the lower markets. Fires crackled below. Screams echoed like a lullaby in this place.
Kael stood behind her, silent.
"You moved like something else today," she said without turning. "Not a man. Not anymore."
Kael's voice was quiet. "They won't follow a man. They'll follow a monster."
Selis paused. "And are you one?"
He didn't answer.
The system whispered in his mind.
[System Update Available: Soul Threads Expansion Detected]
[New Skill Tree: Emotion Synergy | Category: Loyalty, Rage, Despair]
Kael stepped closer.
"You said something in the Abyss. About the Shadow King."
"I said you might become one."
"And if I do?"
Selis finally turned. "Then I'll follow you. Until I have to kill you."
Their eyes locked.
The moment hung.
Then passed.
Kael nodded once. "Fair enough."
Elsewhere — Solmere
Princess Arin sat in her chambers, fingers trembling around an open scroll.
A report.
A merchant's whisper.
A rumor.
Shadowfire seen in the ruins below.
Her heart clenched.
He was alive.
And worse
He was changing.
Back in Hollowshade — Hours Later
Kael stood before a mirror of obsidian. The Crone's final words still echoed:
"You want the throne? You'll need more than tricks. You'll need symbols. Blood. Fire. Something they can fear."
Kael studied his reflection.
Not a boy anymore.
Not even the knight he once was.
The system pulsed.
[New Directive Available:]
"To Rule the Shadows, First Spill Light."
Target: Lord Enric Marlowe – Noble, Loyalist, Traitor's Hand.]
Kael smiled, slow and cold.
"Time for my first offering."
Final Scene: A Noble Estate Outside Solmere
Lord Enric Marlowe sat in his private gallery, sipping wine, gazing upon stolen relics.
The candle flickered.
The shadows moved.
And Kael stepped from the darkness like vengeance made flesh.
"You don't remember me," Kael said quietly.
Marlowe turned, blinking. "Guards!"
Kael raised his hand.
Shadows wrapped around the noble's limbs, dragging him to his knees.
"I'm not here for mercy. I'm here for memory."
Kael touched his brow.
[Shadow Echo Activated.]
Marlowe screamed as Kael ripped the truth from his mind his part in the betrayal, the coins taken, the names signed.
Kael saw everything.
Then made him feel it.
As the noble's body writhed in pain and memory, Kael whispered:
"One by one. Every name. Every blade."
He left the estate burning behind him.
The first offering.
The first mark on the world.
Noble Estate Ruins — Outskirts of Solmere
Moments after Lord Enric Marlowe's execution.
The fire devoured everything. Walls. Portraits. History. Kael stood in the courtyard of the burning estate, cloak whipping behind him in the wind as smoke bled into the night sky. Somewhere in the distance, Solmere's bell towers rang the hour but none of them were ringing for Marlowe.
[Target Eliminated.]
[Memory Thread Extracted.]
[Emotion Sync Update: Rage 93% | Justice 31%]
[Skill Gained: Shadowbrand Flame – Tier I]
Your vengeance leaves a mark. Enemies slain with intent feed the system's core.
Kael turned from the flames, eyes cold. He didn't savor the kill.
But it had meaning.
Marlowe's final thoughts had revealed two names. Both noble. Both present during Kael's sentencing. One signed the execution order. The other
"Prince Ralor," Kael whispered. "The golden son."
The system pulsed in approval.
[New Objective: The Golden Circle]
Eliminate the inner loyalist circle. Harvest memory. Burn legacy.
Hours Later — Return to Hollowshade
The scent of blood and fire still clung to Kael's cloak as he descended through the hidden tunnels into Hollowshade.
Selis waited near the gate, seated atop a twisted gargoyle, blade resting across her lap.
"You smell like victory," she said without looking up.
"I want names," Kael replied. "I want records. Ledgers. Letters. Anything the Hollowshade spies have from the court. I'll sort it."
Selis raised an eyebrow. "And what's the cost?"
Kael's eyes glinted. "Only the liars pay."
They moved through the shadows in silence, entering the inner chambers of the Hollow Court.
Tonight, it was not Kael seeking an audience.
The Court was waiting for him.
Hollow Court Chambers — Inner Sanctum
The Crone sat tallest among the masked. Her voice, old as ash, was steady. "One of our spies was inside Marlowe's house. Said it burned. That he screamed like a choir."
Kael said nothing.
Another figure leaned forward. "You make waves, boy. Waves are good. But waves attract sharks."
Kael stepped forward, dropping a scorched signet ring on the stone table.
"Marlowe's death is the first warning," he said. "The next ones won't be quiet."
"Who?" the Crone asked.
"Prince Ralor," Kael replied. "The viper in the garden. The golden one they all protected."
The Court stirred.
"That's suicide," another judge muttered. "He's the king's blood. Surrounded by Radiant Guard."
"Then I'll burn the guards, too."
A long pause.
Then the Crone laughed.
"Let it be so," she said. "You're not one of us. But you've made yourself useful."
Kael didn't flinch.
He didn't need their loyalty. Only their resources.
And soon, not even that.
Elsewhere — Solmere's Inner Palace
Princess Arin moved like a ghost through marble halls. Her steps silent. Her heart loud.
She reached her mother's old chambers long sealed by decree.
But the guards were gone. Moved for "restructuring," the steward had said.
She picked the lock with a pin.
Stepped inside.
Dust clung to every surface. Moonlight filtered through cracked glass. But the books were untouched.
She searched the shelves, her breath shallow, until her fingers found a leather tome.
"The Pact of Shadows — Forbidden Histories."
She opened it.
Inside: a sigil. Faded. Familiar.
The same one burned into Kael's skin.
She touched the page and it shuddered. Magic rippled beneath her palm. The script reformed. And the voice echoed in her head:
"The one you love carries the curse your blood once forged."
Arin staggered back.
"What are you, Kael…?"
Back in Hollowshade — Underground Armory
Kael stood before a rack of black-forged weapons, none of which called to him.
He didn't need steel.
He needed something real.
The system whispered.
[Crafting Option Available: Shadowblade Evolution]
[Source Required: Soulbound Memory]
Kael closed his eyes.
Focused.
Let the memory of Marlowe flood him again. The betrayal. The glee. The names he dropped in panic.
Kael opened his palm.
The shadow flowed from his fingers like smoke sharp, jagged, and full of wrath.
The blade formed itself.
Thin. Hooked. Darker than the void.
[Shadowblade "Judgment" Created.]
Trait: Devours memory on death. Echoes pain back into the target. Can only be wielded by the cursed.
Selis stepped behind him. "That's not a weapon," she whispered. "It's a sentence."
"Exactly," Kael said.
Midnight — Roof of the Hollowshade Tower
Kael stood on the edge, cloak flaring in the wind, eyes fixed upward.
He could feel the city above. Feel it breathe.
Every light. Every lie.
Every traitor who called him dead.
Selis stepped beside him. Not too close.
"The Hollow Court's spies say Arin's been sneaking into forbidden wings," she said. "Your name's not spoken but she's chasing shadows."
Kael's throat tightened.
He said nothing.
Selis hesitated. "Do you still love her?"
He turned slowly, eyes cold.
"I don't have the luxury of love."
She didn't press.
They stood in silence.
Until Kael whispered:
"I want Ralor's execution public. Loud. I want the king to hear him die."
Selis smirked. "I'll start drawing the map."
Royal Inner Sanctum
King Eldryn stood before the statue of the Radiant Flame, fists clenched.
Behind him, a priest of light trembled.
"He burned Marlowe alive," the priest whispered. "We didn't even feel the magic surge."
"Then it wasn't light."
The king turned.
"It was a shadow."
He stepped to a table, unfurling a map.
"Bring me the Ember Order," he growled. "If the Shadowheart walks again, then we purge everything beneath us."