Kael Virell awoke not to an alarm, but to the sound of his system whispering like a god's breath in his mind.
[System Alert: New Branch Quest Available] Title: The Vault of Forgotten Flame Type: Hidden/Legendary Objective: Locate and awaken the ancient relic buried beneath Elmridge's old quarter.]
His breath caught. A hidden quest? Legendary tier? The words pulsed in gold.
He had spent the last week expanding Dominion Core Technologies, and now had seed funding worth over $12 million. His level stood at 11, his skills honed, but a deeper hunger gnawed at him—origin. Power. Truth.
This quest promised all three.
---
The Secret Beneath
Kael slipped into the historical quarter beneath a false identity. He wore shadow-dyed leathers bought from the system's [Store: Infiltration Suite] and activated a new passive:
[Skill: Umbraview – See through illusions and magical concealment in a 15-meter radius]
The old quarter was a crumbling maze of brick and rusted steel. Ancient wards flickered on alley walls—forgotten protection spells long sealed by City Guilds. With Umbraview, Kael saw through them like looking past smoke.
At the end of an alley, hidden behind a collapsed fountain, he found it: a door carved with shifting glyphs. They rearranged as he approached, aligning with his aura.
[Shadowborne Signature Detected. Vault Access Permitted.]
The door hissed open.
Below lay a crypt glowing with unnatural gold. Floating motes of flame orbited a massive stone structure—an obelisk bearing the sigil of House Virell and something far older: a god-mark he had seen only once, during a system vision.
The Crest of the Void Sovereign.
He touched it.
The world ruptured.
---
Visions of Origin
Kael collapsed in a void of memory.
A man who looked like him—taller, older—stood atop a battlefield where stars wept blood. Beside him, celestial beings knelt. Systems hummed in their cores.
"You are the Last Root of the Sovereign Line," the man said. "And the world will fear your return."
Kael screamed as power poured into him. When he awoke, he was alone—but not unchanged.
[System Evolution Triggered] New Trait: Voidheart – Reduces system cooldowns by 50%, enhances all Shadowborne skills.] New Skill: Sovereign Sight – Temporarily view weaknesses and intentions of any individual.]
His body ached. But his power surged like an untamed river.
---
Dangerous Alliances
Later that evening, back in his suite, Kael received an encrypted message. The sender's ID flashed:
Rin Yurei.
"Meet me. Rooftop. Midnight. Bring no one."
She was waiting when he arrived—long silver hair, eyes like a dying star. Rumors swirled around her: that her system allowed her to rewrite reality in dreamstates.
"You're changing," she said simply. "I saw your flare from the vault. The old gods saw it too."
Kael nodded. "So what are you? Enemy or ally?"
She smiled darkly. "That depends. Do you want to live through what comes next?"
Suddenly, the air cracked.
Assassins.
Ten of them. Shadow-blades, eyes red with suppression runes. Sent by an unknown House.
Kael reacted instantly.
[Skill: Echo Theft – Activated]
He copied Rin's blink-step and dodged the first strike. Flames exploded from his palm, borrowed from an elemental system user he had watched earlier.
Rin whispered to the shadows. Reality bent.
Together, they moved like chaos incarnate.
Bodies fell. Blood hissed against rooftop tiles.
In two minutes, it was done.
Kael turned to Rin. "I don't know what's coming. But I know I need allies."
She smirked. "And you've got me. For now."
---
A Harem of Flames and Secrets
In the days that followed, his life blurred into calculated chaos.
Lyra returned—angry, intrigued. She had felt his power shift and demanded answers.
Selene Arkwright sent an encrypted flirtation and an investment of $2 million to his private vault.
A new girl, Mirielle Dax, appeared in his class. She wore glasses, spoke little, but her system—Kael noticed—was time-based. When he caught her watching him, she smiled like she already knew how their story ended.
His harem grew not by charm, but gravity. They were drawn to power. Mystery. Destiny.
And Kael Virell had become a storm.