— The Price of Power

The throne under Kaelen surged like a beating heart.

Dark energy buzzed through the Vel'darun stones, coursing like veins beneath his feet. The Shadow Throne responded to his presence, not as a ruler, but as its chosen sovereign. The city bowed to him. Something stirred in the shadows, though.

[System Warning: Sovereign-level synchronization has achieved 78%.]

[Note: Core Mutation Detected.]

→ A previously hidden path is now accessible. Do you want to glimpse your True Evolution?

Kaelen paused, staring at the luminous glyph hovering in the air in front of him.

"Yes," he whispered. "Show me."

A Glimpse of the Overlord

The vision flashed like lightning.

He was no longer inside the throne room. He stood on a scorched battlefield under a crimson moon. Armies knelt all about him—shadows with minds, cities bent like swords, and heavenly planets hanging immobile above him like prisoners in orbit.

He saw himself.

But not exactly as he was.

His head is crowned with broken starlight.

Twilight wings consist of both feathers and vacuum.

His hands glowed with shadow fire, capable of unwinding time.

[Title: Eclipse Overlord].

To unlock evolution, you must have at least 90% soul synchronization and a System Core Seed. Warning: This road will sever your humanity.

Kaelen gasped and went to one knee as his vision dimmed.

"That… wasn't a future," he said through clenched teeth."It was a warning."

[System Response: It was both.]

The Shadow Council Gathers

Later that night, Kaelen addressed his trusted inner circle in Vel'darun's cathedral's newly built battle chamber.

A map hovered over the table, with its projected borders flickering. Eira stood by him, her armor damaged from the Seraph struggle. Lyra leaned over arcane texts, her eyes slightly blazing with enchantment residue. New additions to the room include:

Ravyn, a former necromancer from Western Wastes, is now a faithful tactician.

Juno, a mute ex-templer, had burned off her own sacred sigils and deserted.

"Cinder guard Bastion must fall," Kaelen declared coldly. "Before the Holy Kingdom reunites. "We strike first."

Ravyn nodded.

"I've uncovered weaknesses in their barrier formation. "Give me three shadow mages and I'll crack it from the inside."

Lyra lifted her hand.

"Before that… I intercepted something troubling."

She snapped her fingers and a scroll appeared, engulfed in flames.

"Encrypted communication, smuggled from within Vel'darun. Someone has been leaking our military positions to the Church.

The room became still.

Kaelen's gaze was as piercing as a sword.

"We have a traitor."

The Divine Warning

As the council withdrew, Kaelen remained alone at the top of the Shadow Spire. He peered into the void, where stars once shone.

Then, light.

Blinding, pure, and unwanted.

A ray of holy radiance broke through the heavens above him, enveloping him in golden fire.

A voice thundered, not from a mouth, but from the sky themselves.

"Zayn Kaelen, bearer of the False System."

"You have trespassed upon forbidden paths."

"You received a second chance. Yet you defy the Balance."

Kaelen did not flinch.

"Then balance must not be enough."

As the council withdrew, Kaelen remained alone at the top of the Shadow Spire. He peered into the void, where stars once shone.

Then, light.

Blinding, pure, and unwanted.

A ray of holy radiance broke through the heavens above him, enveloping him in golden fire.

A voice thundered, not from a mouth, but from the sky themselves.

"Zayn Kaelen, bearer of the False System."

"You have trespassed upon forbidden paths."

"You received a second chance. Yet you defy the Balance."

Kaelen did not flinch.

"Then balance must not be enough."

Arrival of the Girl from the System

As he plummeted back into the city, alarms rang from the Shadow Gate near the eastern quarter.

Eira dashed towards him, eyes wild.

"Something has emerged from the Void Gate. "It's not ours."

Kaelen arrived at the spot just as the black archway had stabilized. A figure stepped through, barefoot and wearing a half-torn cloak of silver thread. She couldn't have been more than sixteen, with midnight-blue hair and eyes like whirling galaxies.

When her feet hit Vel'darun's dirt, the Shadow System shouted.

[System Recognition Detected.] Core Code Signature Matched.

"Origin Access Key... authenticated."

Kaelen looked at her, astonished.

"Who are you?"

She tilted her head and smiled—sad and knowing.