The forest had grown quiet—too quiet.
After his recent victory over the Void-Touched Wraiths, Yuki found himself wandering deeper into the spirit-infused region. The canopy above shimmered with a haze of spirit particles, and the air was thick with unseen power. Yet something stirred within him, something more than just instinct. It was a whisper, not from the forest, but from within—a beckoning pull toward something buried deep in his soul.
His movements were slower now, more deliberate. He felt heavier, not from fatigue but from something internal shifting. A tide rising.
He paused on a ridge where silver mist pooled in hollows between the trees. Then, without warning, an overwhelming pulse echoed from his core. The world spun. His limbs buckled. The ground rushed to meet him.
**\[Alert: Soul-Tier Evolution Pathway Detected]**
**\[Prerequisite Met: Void-Soul Fragments Assimilated]**
**\[Catalyst Detected: Sovereign Soul Seed]**
**\[Initiate Evolution: "Proto-Ancient Draconis Psionis" Variant?]**
Yes.
With that silent consent, his consciousness shattered like glass and was pulled into the forge of rebirth.
---
Within the cocoon forming around his body, Yuki felt everything and nothing. His soul was peeled open. Memories danced like threads of light. Skills, sensations, his pain and triumphs—all reformed, restructured, and expanded.
The **Sovereign Soul Seed** reacted to his accumulation of mental and soul-based energy. The dragon he had been—the *Lesser Flame Sovereign*—was dying. Something new was being born.
The world outside darkened, but the barrier surrounding the cocoon pulsed with light. Ethereal flame and soulforce kept predators at bay. Not even the beasts of the deeper glades dared approach this sacred moment.
---
**\[Evolution Complete: Proto-Ancient Draconis Psionis]**
**\[Unique Skill: Predator's Wisdom has evolved into Ultimate Skill: Sovereign Mind (Psyarch Dominus)]**
**New Traits Gained:**
* Majestic Psionic Crest
* Adaptive Neuro-Soul Veins
* Scales reinforced with soulweave lattice
* Sovereign Aura: Passive suppression of lesser soul entities
---
### **Ultimate Skill – Sovereign Mind (Psyarch Dominus)**
A supreme mind-type ability granted through spiritual awakening and Sovereign-tier evolution. Grants control over soul, mind, and thought-domain abilities.
**Sub-Skills:**
1. **Mental Dominion**
Grants total mental resistance and allows Yuki to influence, suppress, or communicate telepathically with sentient beings. Can override hostile mental projections.
2. **Soul Weave Rebirth**
If soul damage is taken, this passive regenerates lost soul threads by converting ambient spiritual energy. Can be accelerated using consumed soul fragments.
3. **Mind Forge Core**
Generates a stabilized psionic core capable of boosting spellcasting, cognition speed, and mental manipulation. The core grows in complexity as Yuki evolves.
4. **Thoughtform Projection**
Create ethereal extensions of himself (decoys, mental traps, or phantasms) composed of pure will. Effective against spirit-type and illusion-based entities.
5. **Psionic Flare (Active)**
Emits a blast of soulfire and thoughtforce that paralyzes, disorients, or outright disables targets with lower resistance. Shreds illusion barriers and weak souls.
---
As the cocoon cracked, Yuki stepped into the world once more, reborn. His scales shimmered with a dull glow of soulfire. His eyes, once molten gold, now held glints of starlit amethyst.
The world felt... clearer. Every breath, every vibration of the forest floor, each gust of wind—even the presence of faraway beings—he *felt* it all. A living network.
His claws scraped the earth as he moved, soulforce trailing in his wake.
And somewhere deeper in the region, something awakened in response. A great spirit stirred, her senses catching the birth of something impossible. But she would not move yet. Not just yet.
---
**Chapter End**