Smoke curled across the skyline of New Elaron, casting copper shadows over glass towers and aerial rails. Kael stood on the balcony of his penthouse, Sovereign Ember still simmering beneath his skin.
The city had changed overnight.
And so had he.
---
A New Presence
His system pinged—not a typical notification, but something deeper. A pulse. A call.
[Notice: Guardian Protocol Engaged]
[New Companion Acquired: Ember Warden – Name: Lysara]
From a spiral of burning glyphs, she emerged—flames forming a humanoid shape, then solidifying into a woman clad in molten armor. Her eyes glowed ember-red, her voice a whisper of fire and judgment.
"I am Lysara, Warden of the Sovereign Line. You summoned me by claiming the Ember," she said.
Kael stepped back, eyes wide. "You're... a living skill?"
"I'm your protector, mentor, and executioner—should you stray from your blood."
---
Ambush in the Hallowed Quadrant
Kael had grown stronger, but old scars still itched.
[Side Quest Activated: Revenge Protocol – Crush the Crescent Bulwark]
Objective: Defeat the gang leaders who humiliated Kael in year one of the University.
Their laughter still echoed in Kael's mind—the broken glasses, the ripped project, the mockery.
No more.
Tracking them to the Hallowed Quadrant—a tech-slum hybrid filled with dark alleys and cybercrime—Kael moved like a shadow lit by fire. Rin Yurei shadowed him, illusions dancing.
One by one, the thugs fell. He used Power Assimilation to copy their enhancements, turning their own strengths against them.
The final target, Darnic, fled in an exo-frame suit.
Kael ignited Ember Dominus and soared—crashing through the mech's shell and yanking Darnic out mid-flight.
"Remember me now?" Kael asked.
Darnic trembled. "P-Please—"
Kael dropped him from fifteen stories. Illusions softened the fall.
"You'll live," Kael said. "But every breath will remind you I returned."
---
Invitation of Velvet and Void
Leaving the carnage behind, a black hover-limo pulled up beside him. The door opened to reveal a stunning girl with silver-blue hair and eyes that shimmered like shattered stars.
Velveta Ryn, heiress of House Ryn—specialists in spatial manipulation.
"I hear you're building a future," she said. "Need a partner who can fold reality and break enemies?"
Kael smirked. "And hearts, apparently."
Velveta passed him a crystal card shaped like a fractal.
"Call me when you're ready to reshape the world."
---
Whispers of Flame
Back in the penthouse, Lysara stood watching the night sky.
"Enemies multiply. So do allies," she murmured. "But not all bring truth. Some bring chains."
Kael clenched his fists, fire dancing at his fingertips. "Let them come. Let them all come."
His system pulsed.
And in the farthest reaches of the world, in thrones hidden behind veils of time and war...
...the real game had only just begun.