Chains of the Coward

POV: Kael DarkflameLocation: Reaper Graveyard, Soul Echo Arena

The chain clanked across the broken ground.

It dragged behind the shadowed figure — tall, wrapped in black wire, chest bare, symbols carved across its skin like prison runes.

Kael braced himself as the chain coiled again like a whip.

Varu of Chains.

System Note – Echo Scan

Soul Echo #2: Varu of ChainsFormer Reaper – Order of Thorns

Codename: The One Who YieldedRank Before Death: Ascendant-Class Reaper

Known Sin: Submission to Celestial Order

Objective: Cleanse the chain of surrender.Duration: Unknown

"Tell me," Kael called out, scythe raised. "Why did you kneel?"

Varu didn't speak.

But his chains did.

They hissed like serpents, dragged by a wind Kael couldn't feel.

Then one snapped forward, slicing through air with unnatural precision.

Kael ducked, rolled, and cut upward in one smooth strike.

The chain wrapped his wrist.

Too slow.

Agony surged up his arm as the chain seared into him—not with fire, but with binding will. His thoughts slowed, his limbs dulled.

A voice slithered into his ear.

"Submit, and the pain stops."

Kael's eyes flared red.

"Never."

_______________________________________________________

POV: Kael (Internal)

This fight was different.

Not raw force like Raiketh.

Varu was a trap.

Every chain was a question.

Will you survive if you let go of the blade?

Would it be easier to follow than to lead?

Would you trade vengeance… for peace?

Kael gritted his teeth as three more chains coiled from the earth, binding his legs, shoulder, and side.

Each one pulsed with memory.

Flashback Fragment (Soul Memory: Varu)

He knelt before a golden light.

"Spare me," Varu whispered. "I don't want to die."

The Celestial voice was like a choir.

"Then wear our chains."

And he had.

_____________________________________________________

POV: Kael

The memory threatened to break him.

He understood now.

The Graveyard isn't just about killing old Reapers.

It's about facing the choices you might one day make.

He looked down at his bleeding wrist — the chain digging deeper.

And smiled.

"I am not you."

He roared—and shadow erupted from his body.

Shadow Reaper Trait Activated: Eclipse Break

Allows purge of one binding or control effectCost: 10% Core IntegritySide Effect: Emotional instability for 60 seconds

The chains shattered.

Kael surged forward, Broodfang glowing black, and sliced through Varu's throat in a single spinning arc.

But Varu didn't fall.

He knelt.

And whispered:

"I hoped you'd be stronger."

Then his echo dissolved.

System Update – Echo Defeated

Varu of Chains Cleansed

Echo Absorbed: 4%Total Sync: 18%

Skill Fragment Acquired: ⛓ Chainbind – Soul Leash (Rank F)

Hidden Trait Gained: Resist Celestial Influence (Minor)

Next Echo: Thel Veyr – The One Who Chose Silence

Kael dropped to one knee.

His breathing was ragged.

He looked at the spot where Varu had vanished, eyes narrowed.

"I won't be the one who yields."

Not now.

Not ever.

Then the third figure rose.

____________________________________________________________

POV: Graveyard Arena – Outer Edge

Unlike Raiketh or Varu, the final figure didn't appear with sound.

It simply… was.

Kael didn't hear it. Didn't see it move.

But suddenly it was standing ten meters away, cloak billowing in a wind Kael couldn't feel.

Thel Veyr.

His name carved into the ground.

His presence heavy enough to make Kael's knees weaken.

System Alert

Echo Sync: Sibling Bloodline DetectedWarning: Thel Veyr shares core structure with Soren Veyr

Designation: He Who Waited in SilenceKnown Sin: Abandonment of the Scythe

Trial Condition: Listen.

Kael blinked.

No battle prompt.

No attack.

Just… one line.

"Listen."

_____________________________________________________

POV: Thel Veyr (Echo)

His voice was barely audible.

"We could not win."

"So I chose to sleep. In silence. To wait for someone… strong enough."

"My brother was the Reaper."

"But I was the Seed."

Then he raised one hand.

And shadow swirled.

A mark formed in the air — a glowing glyph that pulsed with ancestral resonance.

A Soulbrand.

System Shock – Reaper Soulbrand Fragment Detected

Would you like to receive the mark?Warning: Unlocking Soulbrand Phase will trigger permanent class evolution

Unlock: Yes / No

Kael stared at it.

His body shook.

His hand hovered near the glyph.

Then he whispered:

"I'm ready."

He touched it.

The glyph vanished into his chest.

The world exploded in black.

System Alert – Soulbrand Phase Activated

Class: Shadow Reaper → Shadow Reaper (Soulbound)Core Limit Broken: Max Output Increased by 200%

New Passive: Shadow Wellspring➤ Shadow-based techniques cost 50% less core energy➤ Can store shadow in the soul for later use

Trait: Reaper's Vow (Stage I)➤ You cannot kneel. You cannot yield. You cannot forget.

Kael collapsed to one knee.

But not in pain.

In awe.

The Graveyard faded.

The sky cracked.

And his system whispered:

"You are no longer walking among the living."

"You are walking among the remembered."

End of Chapter 25