The city burned that night.
Not with fire, but with fear.
Whispers of the battle in the crypts spread like wildfire: shadowy monsters, church inquisitors vanishing, arcane sigils no one could read. Some claimed the dead rose from the tombs. Others whispered a name—Kael Virelsen.
The villain prince.
The cursed heir.
The Usurper of the Forgotten Throne.
---
Kael stood atop the city walls at dawn, looking out over the capital. The air tasted of rain and ruin. Below, nobles barked orders. Inquisitors regrouped. Commoners locked their doors.
And a strange silence blanketed the morning.
Selene stood beside him, her silver hair tucked beneath her hood. "You've stirred a wasp nest."
"I didn't come back to be safe," Kael murmured.
"No. You came back to make them remember."
Kael didn't answer.
His shoulder throbbed—where the Mirror Wraith had struck him.
> [Corruption Level: 17%]
Side Effect Detected: Soul Imprint Instability
Warning: Personality fluctuations may occur.
He closed the window. Ignoring it wouldn't fix it—but he needed to think.
Last night, he killed something that wore his face. Gained a throne he didn't remember wanting. And felt power—not from the System—but from something older.
Something buried deep in his soul.
Selene reached into her satchel and handed him a crumpled letter. "From one of Lira's spies. You'll want to read it."
Kael opened it.
And froze.
The letter wasn't from a spy.
It was from his mother.
"Kael, if you're reading this… then my plan worked. You died, and you came back. But you were never truly mine to begin with. You carry the blood of the lost king. The one they erased. The true heir to the Death Throne. And now, they'll come for you."
Locked within the palace's oldest vault is your real inheritance. But beware—opening it will awaken the final Seal. And the one who sits on the throne now will do everything to stop you.
Trust no one but the girl with nightfire eyes. She is your anchor.
Mother.
Kael's hands trembled.
He hadn't remembered her voice until now. Not really. But reading that letter, a strange warmth flickered in his chest.
Then cold.
"The final Seal…" he muttered.
Selene's brow furrowed. "Another Wraith?"
"Maybe," Kael said. "Or maybe something worse."
---
They returned to their hideout in the old tower near the western ridge.
Seraphine was waiting, polishing her blade. Lira dozed in the corner, boots still on.
Kael placed the letter on the table. "We go to the palace vaults next."
Seraphine raised an eyebrow. "Just like that?"
"The seals are connected," he explained. "Each one we break… feeds something. The throne, the system, maybe me. If we don't find the truth fast, we'll lose control of this game."
Selene crossed her arms. "You're assuming we ever had control."
Kael grinned faintly. "Fake it 'til we break it."
Lira yawned from the couch. "We'll need disguises to get into the vaults. And a distraction."
Seraphine leaned forward. "Leave that to me. I've been waiting to settle things with the Grand Magister."
Selene's eyes sparkled. "And I have a few masks left."
Kael felt the plan forming in his head. Like gears falling into place.
But in the background, the System chimed again:
> Quest Update: Throne Reclamation
Objective: Reach the Vault of Kings.
Condition: Avoid detection by the Crown's Guard.
Optional Objective: Unlock the Sixth Seal.
Reward: ???
Failure: Identity Reveal. Political Death.
Time Limit: 72 hours.
Three days.
That's all he had.
---
That night, Kael couldn't sleep.
He stood alone by the shattered mirror in the tower's study.
His reflection shimmered again.
But this time, no monster. No Wraith.
Just himself.
Tired. Hollow. But… awake.
"I'm not your puppet," he whispered to the image.
"You're mine."
The mirror didn't answer.
But his eyes—those golden eyes—seemed to glow a little brighter.
From behind, a voice said softly, "You looked like him just now."
Kael turned. Seraphine stood in the doorway, arms crossed.
"Who?"
"The last king. The one who wore the Shadow Crown."
Kael said nothing.
She walked to his side, close enough for their shoulders to touch. "I should hate you, you know."
"You still might."
"But I don't," she said. "That's the scary part."
Kael met her gaze. "You saw what I did in that tomb. What I almost became."
"I saw a monster trying not to be one," she said quietly. "That counts for something."
Their eyes lingered.
Then Seraphine turned and left.
Kael stared into the mirror again.
> [Affection Increased: Seraphine +3]
[New Trait Awakened: "Touched by the Void Crown"]
Passive Effect: Soul Manipulation resistance +20%
Side Effect: Dream contamination increasing.
---
The next day:
The plan was in motion.
Seraphine challenged the Grand Magister to a formal duel, drawing out the royal mages.
Selene released false reports of a foreign assassin targeting the emperor.
Lira bribed the vault's guards with cursed coins—coins Kael had pulled from the tomb of the third Wraith.
And Kael?
He walked into the palace like he belonged.
Illusion cloaks. Forged sigils. A stolen name.
He passed nobles he didn't remember, guards who flinched at the sight of him. As if somewhere deep down… they still knew who he really was.
He reached the vault.
Plated in obsidian. Locked by four runes.
His System lit up:
> Accessing Royal Vault...
Biometrics Recognized: Shadowblood Lineage
Confirm Identity: Kael Virelsen — Echo of the Death Throne
Vault Opening...
The runes shimmered.
The doors opened.
Inside lay a single object.
A crown of black bone and flame.
Hovering above an altar of stone.
Kael stepped forward.
And the final Seal shattered.
> SEAL 6 UNLOCKED.
Soul Limit Lifted.
Skill Awakened: "Command the Forgotten"
Title Upgraded: "Heir of Nothing" → "Crownless King"
Warning: The seventh Wraith has sensed your ascension.
Kael reached out.
Fingers brushing the crown.
And the world screamed.