In the void between worlds, where data flowed like rivers and stars hummed with system code, a great bell tolled.
Its sound never reached mortal ears.
But to the System's deepest nodes, it was a call to war.
> [ALERT: ORIGIN-BURNER PROTOCOL BROKEN.]
[High-Order Directive: Deploy Architect's Shadow.]
[Target: Kael Arin – Former Designation: Kaelum Ardentis.]
— Somewhere within the Exiled Sector —
A pale figure stood on a cliff made of shattered blueprints.
He wore a mask sculpted from broken directive plates. Around his neck, a single golden thread looped endlessly—threaded through his own skin.
His name had long been purged.
But the System still whispered of him.
> [Codename: Architect's Shadow]
[Status: Nullbound]
[Former Rank: Prototype Echo of Kaelum]
He was a creation.
Not born—but replicated.
And when Kaelum erased himself from history, the System had preserved his "shadow." A backup of his power. Of his instincts.
But stripped of his soul.
"Kaelum has returned," the Shadow said aloud, eyes like cracked glass.
The wind answered with silence.
He turned.
"Then I must complete the loop."
— Meanwhile, back in the Catacrypt Ruins —
Kael sat with Silica by a flickering campfire.
His wound was still raw, but the engraving lines on his skin had dimmed.
The silence between them was heavy.
"You lied," Silica said at last.
"I did," Kael replied.
"You said you were just a Talent Engraver."
He didn't answer.
Because it was no longer true.
> [Class Evolution In Progress… Paused.]
[Multiple Class Paths Detected.]
— Origin Caster
— System Heretic
— Architect Reclaimer
[Choose One.]
Kael hovered his finger over the options.
But a fourth option appeared—glitching.
> — Echo Rewriter (LOCKED – Requires Core Memory: SHADOW)
He frowned.
"Something's coming," he muttered.
Silica blinked. "What?"
Kael stood, eyes turning white with code-glow. "Something made in my image."
Far above, a streak of light split the sky.
The Architect's Shadow descended.
And with him came the memory of Kael's darkest creation.
> [New System Threat: Architect's Shadow – Reforged Echo of the Original Engraver.]
[He remembers only the failure. And he will not let it repeat.]
💬 Author's Note from Talent Engraver:
This was a huge lore drop chapter, and things are only going to intensify! Who is the Architect's Shadow, really? What will Kael choose—redemption, rebellion, or reclamation?
📝 Please drop your reviews, like the chapter, and comment below with your theories! Your engagement keeps this story alive and strong 💪
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➡️ https://discord.gg/37x52Y8d
Next up: Chapter 33 – "The Class Kael Refused"