The capital slept under a blood-red moon.
Far below its gilded rooftops, Kael dreamt.
Not of memories—he had none.
Not of futures—those felt like lies.
He dreamt of chains.
Heavy ones, black as pitch, wrapping around his limbs, pulling him into the earth. Deeper. Deeper. Until he stood in front of a mirror of obsidian.
His reflection didn't match.
Golden eyes. Horns. A wicked smile.
> You took my fate, the reflection whispered.
Now you'll carry my curse.
Then the mirror shattered.
And Kael woke, gasping.
Selene was already up, brushing ash from her cloak. Seraphine leaned against the far wall, silently watching him.
Lira handed him water. "You're burning up again."
Kael wiped the sweat from his brow.
His System pinged:
> [Status Abnormality]: Corruption Dreams — Soul instability growing. Seek stabilization soon.
Hidden Trait Progress: "Devourer of Echoes" 42%
Warning: Personality bleed possible.
Personality bleed? He filed that away. Whatever was inside him… it was waking up.
And it wasn't him.
---
They left the tower at dawn.
Selene cloaked them in illusions. Seraphine scattered their magical traces. Lira guided them through secret tunnels beneath the slums.
Kael followed silently.
But his thoughts spun.
The fifth Wraith. The rebellion sigil. The corruption.
And that voice in the dream.
The city above was tense. Guards doubled. Church bells echoing. The Inquisition had mobilized—white-robed figures with masks shaped like bone wolves were searching house to house.
And they weren't asking questions.
"We can't let them find the tomb," Lira said. "They'll destroy the sigils before we learn anything."
Kael stopped walking.
"No," he said.
"We lead them there."
Everyone turned.
"You've lost your mind," Seraphine said flatly.
Kael shook his head. "We can't let the Empire hide what's coming. If we expose the sigil to the public, they won't be able to cover it up."
Selene raised a brow. "And what happens when they blame you for it?"
Kael looked her dead in the eye.
"They already do."
---
By noon, the plan was in motion.
Lira returned to her Thieves' Guild contacts and planted rumors—of a secret room beneath the capital tombs, filled with forbidden knowledge.
Selene used illusion glyphs to etch the rebellion sigil across key noble towers. Subtle. Haunting. Enough to provoke panic.
And Seraphine?
She walked straight into the Inquisition's temporary command post.
Dagger on her hip.
Eyes gleaming.
"I have information," she told the High Inquisitor. "But I'll only give it to him."
She dropped a token on the table. A black coin marked with Kael's seal.
It worked.
That night, the trap was set.
---
The Inquisition arrived at the tombs in force—forty men, five robed clerics, and one masked High Inquisitor.
Kael watched from the shadows as they breached the crypt.
He felt the glyphs react instantly. The lingering soul energy from the slain Wraith surged again—like baited blood in water.
Selene whispered, "They'll trigger the sigil."
"They already have," Kael said.
One of the clerics stepped onto the platform.
The shadow beneath him shifted.
Then snapped.
A wave of darkness exploded outward, slamming into the chamber like a tidal wave.
Screams. Chaos.
The sigil burned with cold light—and the fifth Wraith was born.
Except…
It wasn't like the others.
It had a face.
Kael's face.
But twisted. Crowned. Fanged.
And laughing.
> You opened the seal, brother, it hissed. Now come take your throne.
The Inquisitors attacked. Light magic. Holy spears.
The Wraith devoured them.
Kael leapt into the fray, sword in hand.
Selene followed—casting soulfire in elegant arcs.
Seraphine moved like a storm, carving down possessed husks with deadly grace.
Lira shot black arrows tipped with poisoned dusksteel, each one humming with anti-magic.
Kael reached the center platform.
The Wraith lunged.
He blocked—barely—and struck back.
System Update:
> Boss Battle Initiated: [The Mirror Wraith — Fragment of the Crowned Curse]
Difficulty: Nightmare
Rewards: Unknown
Warning: Defeat will result in permanent loss of Self.
Kael gritted his teeth.
"Come on, then," he growled. "Let's see which of us deserves this power."
They clashed.
The Mirror Wraith moved like Kael—faster, sharper, crueler.
Every swing forced Kael back.
Selene screamed a warning.
He turned too late.
The Wraith pierced his shoulder—then whispered:
> I was the real prince. You're just the replacement.
Kael's eyes blazed gold.
"No."
He struck.
A brutal, unscripted move—slamming his blade through the Wraith's chest.
"I'm the villain," he hissed, "and villains don't play fair."
The Wraith laughed one last time—then exploded into ash.
Silence fell.
System Update:
> Boss Defeated.
Trait Acquired: "Crown of Echoes" — You may now command fragments of slain soul-spirits.
New Title Unlocked: "Usurper of the Forgotten Throne."
Hidden Counter: [Throne Awakening — 1/5]
Kael dropped to his knees, exhausted.
Selene ran to his side. "Are you—?"
He nodded. Barely.
Then saw Seraphine standing over the Inquisitor's broken body.
Her blade was red.
"I gave him his answer," she said coldly. "Your name is carved in the bones of fate now, Kael."
She stepped closer.
Eyes shining.
"You're not just the villain anymore."
"You're the center of the storm."