Kyren found his way back to the main hall, where he spotted Runa and Lydel talking in low voices. He kept his expression calm, though the folded letter in his pocket weighed heavy.
"Y'all want to find some bedrooms for the night?" Kyren called out casually.
"We already found some. Follow us," Runa replied, already heading down the right hallway.
The corridor opened into a line of massive rooms—each furnished with beautiful beds, heavy curtains, and furniture that still echoed royalty. Runa stopped in front of one with a carved wooden door.
"This is your room," she said.
Kyren stepped inside, half-stumbling from exhaustion. His limbs ached. Activating the automatons had drained more mana than expected. He collapsed onto the bed, not even bothering to pull the covers over himself.
Before sleep claimed him, Kyren opened his system menu.
His Cult Crusher rewards were still unclaimed.
He tapped Accept.
+500 Skill Points flashed in the corner of his vision. Then, a new message appeared:
Skill Fusion: Queen's Domain
Silence + Soundless Step → Legacy Fusion Complete
"The silence is your domain. It strengthens you."
(Passive)
Kyren moves as if the world itself dares not interrupt him. Each step, each motion, each strike—utterly silent, sharpened by the ancestral instinct of the Veilheart bloodline.
• Physical movement becomes soundless in battle.
• Reaction time increases.
• Speed-enhancing effects subtly improve.
Enemies struggle to track him. Allies feel an eerie calm. Only those attuned to mana can sense the unnatural stillness.
(Active) — Invoke: Queen's Domain
Kyren exhales. The world hushes.
A 30-foot radius field of oppressive silence blooms around him. Not the absence of noise, but a rejection of chaos itself.
While active:
• Kyren's speed and strength increase.
• His mind resists illusions, fear, and mental pressure.
• Enemies inside the domain suffer disorientation and delayed reactions.
• The longer Kyren holds control, the more dominant the silence becomes.
Duration: Until Kyren ends it or it's broken by equal force.
Cooldown: 1 use per battle (evolvable).
"When Queen Kyanna entered the field, the birds stopped singing. Not from fear—but obedience."
Then came the trait.
New Trait: Crownstate
"The crown was never forged of gold, nor worn upon the brow. It was the hush that followed her steps. The certainty in her silence. The weight of knowing the battle had already been won."
When Kyren invokes Queen's Domain or King's Barrier, he does not simply fight—he rules.
Crownstate is the mantle of sovereign will, drawn forth from memory older than language.
• Illusions, distractions, and fear cannot touch Kyren's mind.
• Both Domain and Barrier expand in reach.
• Allies move as if they've already won.
• Enemies feel time slip—their instincts come too late.
"This is not empowerment. This is enthronement."
Crownstate Synergy:
If both King's Barrier and Queen's Domain are active, a spectral sigil forms behind Kyren—shaped like a lion's head crowned in thorns.
• It draws hatred like a banner raised to war.
• It shields allies, allowing their strikes through while turning enemy blows aside.
"The battlefield remembers the name Veilheart. And the silence kneels."
Kyren's chest swelled. For the first time, he felt the blessing of both ancestors flowing through him. Vireon and Kyanna had once fought side by side—now, he could channel both legacies.
"This is gonna take so much mana," Kyren muttered, eyeing his pool. He didn't know if this was the right upgrade yet—but he would test it. All of it.
He scrolled down.
Mission Update: Cult Crusher – Part II
"Destroy the cult. Push them back into Inner Epsilon. Uncover their sanctuary."
Targets:
• Tanto Outpost
• Loranvale
• Hollowmare
• Atonal Shrine
Rewards:
• 700 Skill Points
• Skill: ???
• Item: ???
Not just the cult anymore. Now it was personal.
Kylian.
Kyren let the emotion pass. No room for it. He scrolled further and noticed Runa had leveled up—Level 7.
He accepted her rewards.
Runa Ironheart – Level 7 Rewards
• +2 Weapon Elements – She can now use metal and combine elements to forge hybrid weapons.
• New Skill: Arsenal Bloom – Unleashes a burst of stored weapons in a 15ft radius. (Cooldown: 2 uses per day)
• Trait: Ironheart's Insight – Passive awareness of weapon positions and movement in a 50ft radius.
Kyren exhaled. The stress of the last few days drained from his bones—but it didn't leave him empty. Just quiet.
Then, sleep.
But for once, his dreams weren't full of war.
It began sweetly—a memory. A marriage ceremony. Vireon and Kyanna beneath a moonlit tree. A soft smile. A lion curled beside them.
But the dream shifted.
The war was over. The battlefield still. Then, footsteps. The All-Father emerged from the ocean, walking calmly across the tide. He approached two fallen Starmakers and placed his hands on their chests.
Nature mana surged.
Their bodies healed. Their eyes opened.
"Spread my word. Build my army. Prepare for my return—my immortal sons." He turned and walked calmly back into the ocean.
The scene changed again.
An older Kyanna, still armored, stood with Arvalen at her side. Before her: something inhuman. A grotesque figure, malformed by nature mana.
She killed it with one blow.
Then she whispered: "If they keep drawing on nature mana… Father's ranting will come true."
Kyren noticed the land itself—massive trees, thick fog on the ground, beasts unlike anything he'd seen. The air shimmered with nature mana.
Then, a voice. Deep. Ancient."Yes, Kyanna. The world is changing back. Mana is returning. And you will be part of it."
Kyren felt it wasn't just speaking to her.It was speaking to him.
"Why must it be me?" Kyanna asked.
"Because the Veilhearts found us. And then they took too much. You're the only one worthy now."
Then, darkness.
The voice returned. Speaking to Kyren directly.
"The mana blooms not only in you—but in the world. Find what I left behind. Find my home."
Kyren jolted awake, clutching his chest. His mana felt… deeper. Wilder. As if the voice had carved something into his soul.
"Of course. Just find a disembodied voice's house. Easy," he muttered.
But deep down, he already knew.
The mission would lead him there.
And the world wouldn't be the same after.