Chapter 21: Inheritance of Ash
(System: Hidden | Public: None Aware)
The falcon came at midnight.
Its black-feathered wings shimmered in the moonlight — a rare royal breed only dispatched when all protocol breaks down.
Attached to its leg was a scroll. No wax. No seal.
Just five words:
"Your father is dead. Come."
I. The Death of a Legacy
The fortress of your childhood, High Hollow, was silent as a tomb. Because now, it was one.
Your father, Duke Calven Blackhollow — dead at his writing desk.
Your mother — collapsed in the atrium, still dressed for a dinner that never came.
Two uncles. One cousin. Every inner servant. All dead.
No wounds. No poison. No sign of struggle.
The kingdom calls it a tragedy.
You call it a move.
(System Notification — Silent)
[High Priority Inheritance Acquired]
Titles: Duke of Hollowmere, Warden of the Crossed Sigils
Unlocking: Noble Access Protocol – Hidden Archives + Blood-Locked Vaults
(This system alert remains unseen by all others.)
Ray, your ever-loyal knight, stood beside you at the pyres.
But he didn't speak.
He knew something was wrong.
Just not how wrong.
II. The Whispering Nobility
The noble court wasted no time.
Lord Genric of Stormwatch demanded a "legitimacy audit" on your inheritance.
Dame Sorcha Velwyn began assembling troops near the Hollowmere border.
Archbishop Elverein publicly denounced you as "a man of unnatural ascent."
They weren't mourning.
They were maneuvering.
Because to them, this wasn't a tragedy — it was an opportunity.
And you? You were the unknown variable they couldn't explain.
You rose from nothing.
You made corporations bend to your will.
You shattered old merchant dynasties.
You moved with precision no one could trace.
They assumed you were just ruthless.
Brilliant. Lucky.
But the system pulsed quietly behind your eyes, hidden from the world.
III. The Vault of Blackhollow
Inside the sealed family crypt, you found it:
A blood-bound ring.
A stone tablet with runes your system immediately translated.
And a single sentence carved into the underside of your father's desk drawer:
"If you're reading this… then it's already watching you too."
(System Notification — Private Mode)
[Bloodline Synchronization Detected]
Memory fragments encrypted in Blackhollow line
Hidden Protocol: "Founder's Code"
Estimated unlock time: 2 chapters
Even your system didn't know everything.
But it feared something.
IV. The Road Ahead
You now held:
Full dominion over the Blackhollow Estate
The political rights to 3 votes on the Royal Trade Council
Access to ancient archives buried beneath Hollowmere — scrolls even the crown never touched
But you also gained something else:
Suspicion.
Too many people died too cleanly.
Too many power vacuums opened in your favor.
And too many victories came with no clear explanation.
The world doesn't yet know your secret.
But they're starting to ask the right questions.
Chapter 21: Inheritance of Ash
(System: Hidden | Public: None Aware)
The falcon came at midnight.
Its black-feathered wings shimmered in the moonlight — a rare royal breed only dispatched when all protocol breaks down.
Attached to its leg was a scroll. No wax. No seal.
Just five words:
"Your father is dead. Come."
I. The Death of a Legacy
The fortress of your childhood, High Hollow, was silent as a tomb. Because now, it was one.
Your father, Duke Calven Blackhollow — dead at his writing desk.
Your mother — collapsed in the atrium, still dressed for a dinner that never came.
Two uncles. One cousin. Every inner servant. All dead.
No wounds. No poison. No sign of struggle.
The kingdom calls it a tragedy.
You call it a move.
(System Notification — Silent)
[High Priority Inheritance Acquired]
Titles: Duke of Hollowmere, Warden of the Crossed Sigils
Unlocking: Noble Access Protocol – Hidden Archives + Blood-Locked Vaults
(This system alert remains unseen by all others.)
Ray, your ever-loyal knight, stood beside you at the pyres.
But he didn't speak.
He knew something was wrong.
Just not how wrong.
II. The Whispering Nobility
The noble court wasted no time.
Lord Genric of Stormwatch demanded a "legitimacy audit" on your inheritance.
Dame Sorcha Velwyn began assembling troops near the Hollowmere border.
Archbishop Elverein publicly denounced you as "a man of unnatural ascent."
They weren't mourning.
They were maneuvering.
Because to them, this wasn't a tragedy — it was an opportunity.
And you? You were the unknown variable they couldn't explain.
You rose from nothing.
You made corporations bend to your will.
You shattered old merchant dynasties.
You moved with precision no one could trace.
They assumed you were just ruthless.
Brilliant. Lucky.
But the system pulsed quietly behind your eyes, hidden from the world.
III. The Vault of Blackhollow
Inside the sealed family crypt, you found it:
A blood-bound ring.
A stone tablet with runes your system immediately translated.
And a single sentence carved into the underside of your father's desk drawer:
"If you're reading this… then it's already watching you too."
(System Notification — Private Mode)
[Bloodline Synchronization Detected]
Memory fragments encrypted in Blackhollow line
Hidden Protocol: "Founder's Code"
Estimated unlock time: 2 chapters
Even your system didn't know everything.
But it feared something.
IV. The Road Ahead
You now held:
Full dominion over the Blackhollow Estate
The political rights to 3 votes on the Royal Trade Council
Access to ancient archives buried beneath Hollowmere — scrolls even the crown never touched
But you also gained something else:
Suspicion.
Too many people died too cleanly.
Too many power vacuums opened in your favor.
And too many victories came with no clear explanation.
The world doesn't yet know your secret.
But they're starting to ask the right questions.