Elias woke to the sound of dripping water and a full-body ache that made him wonder if he'd been thrown down a flight of stairs… and then hit by a truck for good measure.
He was lying on cold, wet stone at the edge of what looked like a shallow underground pool. His cloak clung to him like damp paper— freezing.
The cave was dim, lit by patches of glowing algae smeared across the walls.
His head throbbed. He remembered falling—slamming into something hard on the way down.
But that wasn't all.
He pushed himself upright, hands slipping on the slick stone. Every nerve screamed. His breath came short. Everything felt… off. Heightened. Like his body was a radio tuned just a little too loud. He could feel every wet seam of his clothes, every grain of grit under his nails.
He stared at his hands, expecting the familiar—dry skin, bitten nails, callused fingertips.
Instead, he saw pale, smooth fingers.
And then he saw the lines.
Fine threads of gold ran beneath his skin, tracing up his wrists like veins spun from light. They pulsed—once, twice—before fading into a faint, electric tingle.
His heart skipped.
He sat there, drenched and gasping, the silence of the cave pressing in around him.
"What... was that?" he whispered.
Then the pieces slid into place—the fall, the pool, the way the stone gave out beneath him.
And that presence. That hum.
He swallowed hard.
"Did it... actually work?"
His voice was barely a breath.
"The Entity... bonded?"
He staggered to his feet, wobbling. The cave tilted for a moment, then steadied. Water dripped somewhere behind him. He turned toward the stone wall, toward the narrow shaft of light high above.
"I need to get out," he muttered.
His clothes dragged at him like weights with every step. The climb looked worse from here—twenty feet, maybe more. The walls were slick, but there were handholds. Rough ones. Just enough.
He flexed his fingers. They didn't shake.
He reached out. The first grip held. The second almost slipped, but he adjusted. Legs braced wide, he began to climb.
One foot. One hand. The ache deepened, muscles burning. Water slid down the stone, cold against his back.
But he didn't fall.
Higher. Almost there.
A final push—and then he was over the edge, sprawling onto the stone floor, gasping for air.
He lay still, staring up at the roof of the cave. Then, slowly, he rolled onto his side.
Light spilled through the mouth of the cave ahead.
He rose and walked toward it, step by step, each one easier than the last.
And then he stepped into sunlight.
Elias squinted as the brightness hit his face—warm and sharp after the damp chill of the cave. The forest outside was alive. Birds chirped. Leaves rustled in the wind. The waterfall roared steadily behind him, its mist catching the sunlight in faint rainbows.
His butler was still by the cart, perched on a stump, polishing a dagger with a cloth. The old man looked up as Elias approached, eyebrows lifting slightly.
"My lord? You're… soaked."
"Yeah," Elias said, dragging himself forward. "Fell in a hole. Long story."
The butler's gaze lingered. "You look… different, my lord. Are you injured?"
Elias blinked. Different?
He caught his reflection in the polished wheel hub of the cart—Veyron's face, sharp and noble, unchanged… but the eyes. The gray looked brighter. Almost silver.
He stood straighter, too. Taller, somehow.
He shrugged it off. "I'm fine. Let's go."
The butler hesitated, then nodded and climbed onto the driver's seat. Elias hauled himself up beside him. The cart jolted forward, wheels creaking along the dirt path.
He leaned back against the bench, mind racing.
The Entity had bonded.
It was meant to be a power-up for Lin.
But now it was inside him.
Back at Maelor Manor, Elias dismissed the butler with a wave and headed straight for Veyron's chambers. The oak door creaked open, revealing the same cluttered desk, the same narrow bed.
It felt smaller now. Like the world had shifted and the room hadn't caught up.
He shut the door and locked it, then sat at the desk and summoned the [Creator Tools] with a thought.
The yellow interface blinked to life.
Save 1: Maelor Manor, Lord's Room, Morning.
He tapped View Stats.
Name: Veyron Maelor (Elias)Age: 19Title: Lord of House Maelor, AuthorRank: 2nd Grade - Low - Mage (Shadow Affinity)Status: Bonded (Entity – Symbiotic Integration, Stage 1)