The halls of the Ashen Dominion were ominously still. The citadel, suspended far above the broken world, was a fortress of grim majesty, but few souls stirred in its halls. It was vast, but it lacked the bustle of a healthy empire. That would not last long.
Regis strode through the halls of obsidian, his heavy cloak flowing behind him as he headed toward the stronghold's center. The walls, carved from a stone darker than the void itself, pulsed with soft, dormant energy. The stronghold was not a base, but an extension of himself. A throne that would one day rule over all.
But for now, he needed to understand it in its entirety.
He had awakened in this world as a Sovereign, but his mastery of his own power was still to be completed. Dominion, intelligence, and power were irrelevant without a clear mind.
As Regis approached the inner sanctum, the great doors, engraved with intricate sigils of domination, parted before him with a whisper of power. Inside, Kaelen, his most faithful servant thus far, knelt in the center of the grand hall. The armored knight, his silver hair tied back, radiated an aura of unwavering devotion.
My lord, I have summoned you." Kaelen's voice was neutral, yet Regis could discern the unstated question beneath it.
Regis stepped forth, taking his place upon the Throne of Dominion—a throne of authority that glowed with magical force, crafted from the bones of a long-forgotten ancient wyrm. He leaned forward slightly, resting an arm on the throne's armrest.
"Tell me, Kaelen. What do you know of my powers?" Regis's voice was calm, but there was a sharpened edge to it.
Kaelen looked up, his expression considerate. "My lord, your power is absolute. The Dominion itself distorts to your will. I have seen but a small part of what you are capable of, but if I may be so bold. even you have yet to discern its full depth."
Regis's fingers drummed a rhythm against the frozen rock of his throne. That much was true.
When he had first arrived in this world, his body had been more than mortal—more than the limitations of mortality. His senses had widened, his mind had expanded, and he had wielded magic with the facility of second nature.
And yet even now, he could feel something lying in wait in him.
A power waiting to be unleashed.
"Then I will not tarry," Regis replied, his eyes narrowing. "I have to come to terms with what I have been handed—and what is still beyond my reach."
Kaelen nodded once. "Will I call the others, then, my lord? There are some who would assist you in reaching your entire potential."
Regis considered this for a moment, then nodded assent. "Summon them. I will see the strength of my reign with my own eyes."
The Sovereign's Council
It was not long before the room was filled with the presence of his most able servants.
At Kaelen's side stood Elyndra, the enigmatic sorceress who commanded the Dominion's hosts of magic. She was swathed in opulent violet robes, and her piercing golden eyes burned with strictly controlled power. While Kaelen emanated loyalty, Elyndra walked with a remote semblance of amusement, as if she saw the world as no more than an intricate game.
By her side stood Drenvar, commander of the Dominion's warriors. A towering figure in black obsidian armor, he was a being forged for combat. His strength was beyond dispute, as was his unwavering discipline.
Finally, there was Varian, the spymaster. He did not stand at attention like the others but lounged against a pillar, a keen smile playing on his lips. Wearing a flowing black coat, Varian was the Dominion's hidden hand, a weaver of whispers and deceptions.
Regis stopped to study each one of them. These were not the ordinary underlings—they were the pillars upon which his empire would rise.
"I have called all of you for one reason," Regis began, his voice resonating in the room. "I want to know the full extent of my powers. And I will require each one of you to assist me in discovering what lies dormant in me."
Elyndra was the first to speak, a small smile on her mouth. "A wise decision, Sovereign. Power without control is a tempest waiting to tear itself apart. But tell me, what would you have unlocked?"
Regis released a slow breath. The answer was simple and complex.
"Everything."
A glint of interest appeared on Elyndra's face. "Then we will begin at the start."
With a single motion, she raised her hand, and the chamber darkened.
Shadows stretched, the air hummed, and the fortress itself seemed to respond to her call. Elyndra's voice was low and commanding as she began to weave a spell.
The Sovereign is not bound by flesh, but by the will of the Dominion itself. Your power, my lord, is not simple magic—it is the very authority that governs this land. You are more than a king. You are the foundation of your empire's being."
As she spoke, her words ringing out, Regis felt it—the stirring within him.
Something ancient, old, and powerful shifted inside him, like a great beast rousing from slumber.
His vision blurred, then cleared.
The world itself seemed to change around him, no longer a fixed reality but something fluid, something that would yield to his own mind.
And then, the voice whispered within him.
"You are the Will of Dominion. You command, and the world obeys."
Regis's eyes burned with a new fire.
He could feel it now—his power was not magic. It was something far more primal.
Authority.
He did not simply exert power. He ordered reality itself.
For a moment, the air around him seemed to distort—the air became thick, space itself seemed to hold its breath waiting for him to command.
Then, just as suddenly, it was gone.
Regis took a sharp breath, his heart pounding in his chest. His servants were silent, looking at him with knowing eyes.
It was only the beginning.
Regis took a deep breath and rose from his throne, his posture imperial and unbending.
"This is only the start," he said, his voice filled with new determination. "But now I understand. My strength does not lie in spells or strength alone. It lies in control. It lies in dominion over all that exists."
Elyndra's face broke into a slow, satisfied smile. "Precisely, my lord. And with the right direction… that dominion will reach far beyond this fortress."
Regis nodded, his mind already racing with possibility.
The Ashen Dominion had been his fortress.
But soon…
It would be the throne from which he would conquer the world.