Kael crouched behind a twisted pillar near the academy's alchemy wing, shadows curling at his feet. The hooded figure ahead moved silently but with purpose, ducking through an old servant's archway that led beneath the academy's east tower.
His heartbeat was calm. Focused.
"Soul aura confirmed: Crimson Path Initiate. Power class: Intermediate. Potential host for Devourer Upgrade."
Kael's fingers curled into a fist. The Crimson Path cult had haunted his past life, manipulating souls, murdering innocents for power. Their presence here now meant this rebirth wasn't random.
It was war.
---
He followed the figure through the archway and down a narrow, dust-choked stairwell. The air grew colder, damper, until he reached a broken chamber filled with old sigils and shattered crates.
The cultist knelt before a low stone slab. A scroll glowed red in his hand etched with ancient blood seals.
Kael crept closer, then drew in a slow breath.
"Now," he whispered.
In one fluid motion, he launched forward.
The cultist spun with a hiss, a jagged dagger crackling with dark energy. "You shouldn't have come here, soul-touched!"
Kael activated *Soul Shield*, catching the first blow, then followed with *Soul Strike*—the punch landing squarely in the cultist's chest, sending him flying into the wall.
The man rose, coughing blood—but his eyes gleamed with fanatic fire.
"You… he wants your soul," the cultist growled. "The Hollow King has seen you in his visions. You can't run from him."
Kael's blood ran cold. The Hollow King. That name hadn't been spoken in generations—not since before his death.
Before he could demand more, the cultist lunged with suicidal speed.
Kael reacted instinctively one hand grabbing the man's head, the other channeling Soul Drain.
A scream ripped through the underground as the cultist's soul tore from his body—violent, raw, and full of broken memories. Kael collapsed to one knee, gasping as images slammed into his mind.
—a blood altar. A black crown. A throne made of bones.
—an emaciated figure in a void, whispering across realms.
—a scroll labeled: Soul Forge Blueprint.
---
System Alert:
—Host has absorbed Crimson Path Soul Initiate
—New Skill Gained: Soul Veil (conceal soul signature)
—Memory Fragment Acquired: "Soul Forge - Lost Relic of the First Devourer"
—Warning: Mental stability fluctuating. Initiating balance sequence…
---
Kael staggered back to the wall, gripping his head as the system surged to contain the wild information.
The Soul Forge.
He didn't know how… but the cultist had carried a fragment of its design. A myth. A relic from before the Empire. And now… Kael had it.
The whispers faded. Silence returned.
---
Back in his room, Elira waited.
She stood near his window, arms crossed, eyes stormy. "You were out again," she said quietly.
"I followed a Crimson Path spy," Kael answered. "They're here. Inside the academy."
Elira's eyes widened. "You're sure?"
"I saw his soul. I took it."
She stepped forward, placing a hand gently on his. "This power… it's growing too fast, Kael. And you're already being hunted."
"I don't have a choice," he said, eyes cold. "If they're after me, I need to be ready before they come in force."
Elira's voice dropped to a whisper. "Then you'll need help."
She reached into her cloak and unwrapped a velvet pouch inside lay a glowing stone, humming softly.
"This," she said, "was my mother's. It can stabilize chaotic soul flow. I've been waiting for the right moment to give it to you."
Kael hesitated, then took it.
The moment their fingers touched, his soul pulsed hers resonated in harmony. For a brief moment, their memories brushed.
A battlefield. A woman holding Kael's dying body. Elira older, weeping.
He gasped, stepping back.
"You"
"I remember pieces too," she whispered. "Of before. Of you."
---
Kael sat that night in silence, the stone beside him glowing softly. The system had quieted, and the night was calm—but only for now.
For the Hollow King stirred beyond the veil.
The Soul Forge had returned.
And Kael Ardyn was no longer just a survivor.
He was a threat.
---