DBLACKTHORN

In a world where monsters pour through dimensional rifts and hunters are humanity’s last hope, Kael was just another weak scavenger—until the dungeon that should’ve killed him... gave him power.

Left for dead. Betrayed by his own guild. Revived by a System born from the shadows.

Now, Kael doesn’t hunt monsters. He controls them.

With undead guardians at his command and a growing army of souls, Kael will climb through the ranks, infiltrate the corrupt guilds, and face the secret overlords ruling the portals—those known only as the System Lords.

They thought he was dead.
They were right… but something else came back.

The Last Hunter's Rise

"A name can become a symbol. But a symbol… becomes a weight."

📍 Shadow Flame Stronghold – Inner Chambers

Kael stood alone before the great shadow mirror.

Three silhouettes reflected behind him—his current servants. Once enemies. Now bound souls under his command.

[Status: Stable – Agility Enhanced / Guardian Protocol Active / Crimson Fang Awakened]

But it wasn't the numbers that haunted him.

It was their eyes—flickering echoes of the people they used to be.

"You chose this path," he reminded himself aloud.

But the silence that followed spoke louder than any words.

📍 Myrla's Quarters – Archives Room

Myrla flipped through aged scrolls and recent reports.

One document stood out: a list of names—civilians, rebels, merchants—who had gone missing.

The pattern was too deliberate. Too surgical.

And at the top of the list, marked in red:

> "Subjects possibly tied to Project Virek / Shadow Catalysts"

She knew this wasn't a coincidence.

Whoever was orchestrating these disappearances wasn't just targeting Kael…

📍 Refugee District – Public Square

Children huddled near makeshift fires. Volunteers distributed food and cloth. Yet a cloud of unease hovered over everyone.

A man stood preaching atop a barrel:

> "Kael is not a savior! He is a shadow-demon!

He absorbs the souls of the fallen!

A woman, her face partially burned by mana exposure, raised her hand.

"Then who else will fight for us?" she asked. "You?"

The woman stepped forward, her voice shaking.

"He may be darkness… but in a world like this, maybe that's exactly what we need."

📍 Guild Dragoon – Eastern Wing – Command Room

Ezrien studied the city map projected by her enchanted artifact. Several zones pulsed red—strongholds, hidden caches, recruitment camps.

But one zone, in the center, glowed black.

"Kael is building something," she said.

"We don't need to know. We just need to break it."

She pulled a blade from beneath her cloak.

"Begin Operation Ember Chain. Send the infiltrator."

📍 Kael – With Nara and Syl – Rooftop Garden

The rooftop was one of the few places untouched by war.

Green moss had started to grow again. Broken statues now had vines curling around them. Nature tried to heal what magic had scarred.

Kael stood near the edge, watching the night sky. Nara and Syl stood behind him.

"People talk. They fear you. Some even want to worship you."

Syl added, "You're becoming more than a man to them. That's dangerous."

"Then what should I do?" he asked. "Fade away?"

"No. But don't forget what you were fighting for when you first started."

"But remembering isn't enough anymore."

📍 Unknown Location – Interception Room

A cloaked figure handed a scroll to a pale, gaunt man with glass-like eyes.

"It's done. The infiltrator has been placed. He walks among Kael's allies."

A whisper passed between them—old language, unrecorded.

📍 Final Scene – Whispering Vaults

In the deepest part of the ruined temple beneath Juren, old symbols glowed faintly.

A single voice, layered over itself hundreds of times, echoed in the dark:

> "Let him climb. Let him build. Let him dream of rebellion…"

> "…so that when the chain breaks, the fall will be absolute."

📌 *Next Chapter: Chapter 20 – Shadows Within

Echoes and Promises