The moment Kael stepped into the Mirror Hall—a hidden chamber beneath the academy library—the air changed.
Crystals floated midair, reflecting infinite versions of himself. Each version twisted slightly, showing what could've been. A Kael who ran away. A Kael who begged. A Kael already dead.
And in the center… she waited.
Veyra Astelle.
"Curious place for a meeting," Kael said, his footsteps echoing across the marble. "Most people text."
Veyra tilted her head, studying him like one might examine a dangerous animal behind glass.
"Do you believe in fate, Kael Virell?"
"I used to believe I'd die unknown. Fate didn't help."
She approached—close enough that he could see her violet pupils shimmer with layered glyphs.
"Then perhaps you'll believe in this."
She raised a black crystal, and the air crackled.
Kael's system screamed:
[WARNING: Null Zone Approaching – System Lock Imminent!]
A black barrier slammed down around them. Silence. His powers went cold.
He was completely vulnerable.
"You disabled my system?" he asked quietly.
"No," she said. "I silenced the world. Nullborn don't control powers. We erase them."
Kael stared.
This was the girl they feared. Not because she wielded power—because she erased it.
Veyra stepped closer.
"And yet I didn't kill you. Do you know why?"
Kael shook his head.
"Because you and I share a problem… and a future."
---
The Pact
Over the next hour, Veyra told him everything.
The war between hidden families was escalating.
Other heirs were awakening too quickly. Some were unnatural—modified by forgotten science, corrupted by ancient magic, even fused with beasts from beyond.
"They want the seat," she whispered. "The true Throne of the Shadowborne."
Kael's heart stopped.
He had thought the Shadowborne title was symbolic.
It wasn't.
> It was literal.
A throne of pure shadow, locked beyond time, said to grant dominion over fate, time, and creation to its ruler. A myth even to those born of power.
"Why me?" Kael asked.
"You're the only one who hasn't been claimed," she said. "You're untainted. Unallied. You're still… free."
Her eyes softened.
"And I need you alive, Kael."
Then she reached into her coat and pulled a ring.
Black stone. Marked with runes of time.
"Wear it, and we're bound. I'll aid you in secret. But betray me, and the Null eats your system permanently."
He hesitated. Then, slowly, took the ring.
"Deal."
---
Shadows Stir in the West
Meanwhile, deep within an underground citadel beyond the Western Wastes, another figure awoke.
Skin of glass. Wings of obsidian. Eyes of molten red.
Heir #6.
"Kael Virell..." he hissed, crushing a crystal with Kael's face engraved on it.
"Let the hunt begin."
---
Academy Intrigue & The Golden-Eyed Girl
Back in the academy, things took a strange turn.
Students began whispering about Kael.
He had fought off assassins, humiliated arrogant nobles, and now… was seen with not one, but three breathtaking women in the last two days.
Rin, Velveta, and now—mysteriously—Veyra.
But it was the new girl who stirred real chaos.
Arienne Vale.
Transferring into the top class without records. She walked like royalty, and her mere presence bent reality.
Kael met her during sparring practice.
"Kael Virell," she said, voice like thunder wrapped in silk. "I want to fight you."
He frowned. "Why?"
"Because the last person who beat me died. I want to know if you're stronger than death."
---
The Duel
The arena was cleared.
Arienne and Kael stood face to face.
"Begin!"
Kael dodged her first strike—a lance of sunlight magic that shattered five stone pillars. Her aura was Divine-tier. Noble blood, clearly.
But he had Power Drain now.
He let her strike his arm once. His system activated.
[Sunflare Style absorbed – 32% integrity.]
And then he used it against her.
A perfect mirrored beam of her own power sliced the air. She staggered.
"Insolent—" she gasped.
Kael surged forward with Phasefire punches, Sovereign Echo activating to double his pressure. The audience gasped as two Kaels danced around Arienne's golden blade.
In the end, Kael stood over her, exhausted but victorious.
She looked up and... smiled.
"Interesting," she whispered. "You'll do."
---
Secret Rewards
After the match, his system pulsed:
[Level Up: 20 → 24]
[Sunflare Style (Partial) learned – can combine with Phasefire]
[New Feature Unlocked: Skill Fusion]
Kael sat under the moonlight, bruised and bloodied.
He felt power growing. Fame rising. Enemies stirring.
And worst of all—a cold voice whispering in his dreams.
> "He has the throne-mark. Kill him before he reaches 30."
---
End-of-Chapter Updates
Kael Level: 24
New System Feature: Skill Fusion (Combine compatible powers to form higher-tier techniques)
Bond Formed: Veyra Astelle – Pact of Nullborn
New Rival: Arienne Vale – Divine Combatant, Possible Ally
New Threat: Western Heir Awakened
Kael's Status: Rising Star, Marked for Death.