Beneath the shattered altar, the light dimmed.
What had once been a solid foundation of blackened stone now pulsed with veins of red and violet ki—lines that glowed like burning scars as the earth trembled underfoot. Where the Revenant's blood had pooled, a symbol emerged: a sigil older than the Codex's archive, carved into the stone like it had always been waiting.
Lyle stood at the edge, gauntlets still warm from the fight. His chest rose and fell slowly, breath returning to normal, but his eyes were locked on the shifting seal.
The Codex pulsed.
> Sealed Entity Awakening…
Threat Level: Unknown
Classification: [Myth-Tier: Ashborne Lineage]
Recommendation: Flee or prepare for immediate conflict.
Blood Resonance Detected.
He felt it before he understood it—a slow, aching pull in the deepest part of his bones. Like something ancient had recognized him… or claimed him.
"What the hell is down there?" he whispered.
Juno stepped beside him, her ghost-form robes rippling like a breeze moved through her. Her silver-white hair glowed in the gloom, a stark contrast to the bloody stone beneath them.
"It's not just a monster," she said. "It's… a memory."
Muka landed lightly on Lyle's other side. Her claws had retracted, her armor melting into her skin like it had never been there, but her eyes were sharp. Focused.
"You feel that?" she asked. "Something wants out. And it knows you."
Lyle didn't speak. He knelt instead, reaching toward the symbol.
The Codex flared with heat.
> Codex Alert: Bloodline Trait Connection
Signature Match: Ashborne Prince (Fragmented Line)
Optional Quest Unlocked – "Heir of Ashes"
Objective: Absorb the lingering essence of the Ashborne Seal
Rewards: ???
Warning: Quest cannot be repeated. Outcome is permanent.
---
He hovered a hand above the mark.
One choice. That's all it was. One moment to reach forward—or step away.
But deep inside him, the Wizard System and the Vampiric Codex whispered in unison.
Claim it.
Lyle pressed his palm to the seal.
There was no dramatic explosion—only silence.
Then pain.
Agonizing, twisting, blinding pain.
It felt like his bones were being burned from the inside. His veins ran molten, and his blood screamed as if it remembered things he never lived. His soul gauntlets cracked, not from impact—but from what they were being rewritten into.
Muka tried to step forward, but the seal repelled her with a surge of ghostly flame. Even Juno, in her ghost form, was forced back.
"Lyle!" she cried. "Let go!"
But he couldn't.
The Codex was no longer just guiding him. It was evolving.
> Codex Update: Hybrid Integration Triggered
System Evolution: [Bloodbound Path – Revenant Core]
Soul Weapon Awakening: Stage 2
New Form: Revenant Mantle – Gauntlets + Chest Armor Hybrid
Special Trait: Phantom Core
Effect: Grants temporary resurrection upon lethal damage (1x/day). Boosts shadow and spectral abilities.
> Passive Skill Acquired: Echo Armor
Passive Skill Acquired: Undying Resolve
Mutation Unlocked: Ashborne Bloodline (Partial)
– Grants resistance to fire and curse effects. Boosts affinity with spectral and vampiric entities.
– At full sync, unlocks Ashborne Form.
Lyle's scream was swallowed by the void.
And then…
It stopped.
---
He collapsed to one knee.
Smoke rose from his back and arms. His cloak had fused with the forming armor—new plates of dark metal shaped around his chest, glowing faintly with spectral blue. His gauntlets had changed—the bone-like ridges replaced with overlapping ghost-metal, edged in crimson.
But most chilling of all was the symbol on his chest: the mask of the Revenant, etched into the armor's heart.
Lyle stood, wavering slightly. Then he looked up.
His eyes shimmered.
Not red.
Not blue.
But violet.
A fusion.
And from below… a whisper echoed.
"Another heir walks the world."
---
Back in the ruined sky temple miles above, a shadowed figure stirred on a throne of bones.
Golden chains fell from her wrists as she sat up, crimson eyes wide with sudden awareness.
She opened her mouth, tasting the distant power.
"Impossible," she murmured.
"The Ashborne line was extinct."
She smiled faintly, fangs gleaming.
"Unless… one survived."
The sky above the Wild Zone dimmed unnaturally.
Clouds that weren't there moments ago gathered in a slow spiral, as if drawn to the pulse of the Ashborne seal below. Wind cut through the ruins with a low howl, rattling debris and setting broken glass to chime like distant bells.
But beneath the surface, in the belly of the forgotten crypt, silence held.
Lyle remained standing, though barely.
The transformation had left marks.
Not just on his armor or his Codex—but on him. His body felt denser. His ki ran thicker. Shadows seemed to cling to him slightly longer than they should have. Every movement whispered power barely restrained.
Juno hovered closer, eyes wide. "Lyle… you…"
She reached for him, hand trembling.
He caught it gently. His grip was warm. Alive.
But his pulse… wasn't there.
"I'm not dead," he said, his voice rougher than before. "Just… changed."
Muka circled them both, her nose twitching. "You reek of something old. But not like that Revenant. This scent is… royal. Ancient. Predator."
She didn't sound afraid. She sounded intrigued.
The Codex chimed again.
> Soul Bond Stability Check:
– Muka (Status: Harmonized)
– Juno (Status: Synchronizing)
Warning: Juno's spiritual core is reacting to Ashborne energy. Adaptive mutation pending.
Lyle frowned. "Juno—are you okay?"
She shook slightly, still holding his hand. Her eyes unfocused for a moment.
"I… I see fire," she whispered. "A black moon. And someone in white, crying beneath a ruined palace."
Lyle stiffened.
It wasn't a dream.
She was seeing memories that weren't hers.
> Passive Trait Awakened: Spirit Echo (Juno)
Effect: Juno can absorb and reflect traces of powerful spiritual events connected to bonded individuals.
Warning: Overexposure may result in partial possession or memory fusion. Stabilization advised.
"We need to get her out of here," Lyle said quickly. "Now."
"No time," Muka growled, ears twitching. "Something's coming. I can feel it."
A tremor rolled through the chamber.
Then another.
Then—a roar.
Not from the seal.
But from above.
---
Back at the surface, the Wild Zone exploded into chaos.
From the far treeline, packs of corrupted beasts stampeded in all directions. Birds made of crystal and flame took to the sky in panicked bursts. Even the trees themselves trembled—swaying as if pulled by a force deeper than gravity.
And in the middle of it all, something emerged.
A humanoid figure, nearly twelve feet tall, cloaked in silver bone and wrapped in chains.
Its face was a cracked porcelain mask. Its chest burned with the same sigil Lyle had touched. But its power… was wrong.
Twisted.
> Entity Detected: Revenant Warden
Tier: Mythic
Level: 40
Status: Corrupted Guardian
Objective: Eliminate all heirs not of pure blood.
Kill Priority: Lyle Ashborne
---
Deep underground, the Codex flared red.
> Incoming Threat – Estimated Survival Odds: 4%
Suggested Action: Flee or Unseal Hidden Pathway
Pathway Status: Locked – Requires Dual Blood Access
Lyle clenched his fists.
"Then let's open it."
He looked at Juno, who still struggled to stay upright. Her ghost robes flickered—becoming translucent for a moment before solidifying again.
He reached into his gauntlet, slashed his palm, and pressed his blood against the second sigil ring at the altar.
"Juno," he said softly. "Trust me."
She nodded, dazed but willing.
He guided her hand to the altar as well.
The moment her pale fingers touched the glyph, a scream echoed through the stone.
The wall behind the altar cracked—then collapsed inward, revealing a stairway drenched in violet light.
"Go!" Muka hissed, already pulling them both.
And just as they vanished down the steps, the ceiling above them exploded.
The Revenant Warden had arrived.
But they were already gone.
For now.
The staircase spiraled downward with no visible end, its walls glowing faintly with veins of violet crystal. Every step hummed beneath their feet like a heartbeat too large to belong to anything still alive.
Lyle took point, Juno close behind, her fingers gripping the back of his cloak for stability. Her pale hair shimmered faintly now, almost like moonlight given form. Muka brought up the rear, moving like a silent blade, her eyes constantly scanning the shadows for signs of pursuit.
"What is this place?" Juno whispered, her voice echoing strangely against the stone.
Lyle didn't answer at first. He wasn't sure. But the Codex had offered a name.
> Location Discovered: Inner Vaults of the Ashborne Crypt
Access Level: Bloodbound Initiate
Warning: Unmapped Domain
Threat Level: Variable – Unknown Entities Detected
As they descended further, the air grew colder, thicker.
Then the stairwell ended, depositing them in a vast chamber lit only by the glow of embedded soulcrystals.
It was a burial hall.
Hundreds of black marble sarcophagi lined the walls, each inscribed with runes that pulsed with dormant power. Above them, murals stretched across the curved ceiling—depicting battles, rituals, and a family crest: a rising sun split by a curved black blade.
Muka inhaled slowly. "This is… old vampire magic. I feel it under my skin."
Juno moved toward one of the sarcophagi. "And something else. Ghostfire. Spirit magic. Like the kind from the northern marshes."
Lyle stepped into the center of the room, where a single sealed platform sat, shaped like a throne missing its seat.
The Codex buzzed softly.
> Optional Quest Unlocked:
"Claim the Throneless Hall"
Objective: Awaken one of three Bloodbound Legacies hidden in the Inner Vaults.
Rewards: 1 Unique Soul Weapon (Bound), 2 Active Abilities, Title: Cryptwalker
Risk: Permanent Stat Mutation or Death
He eyed the others. "We might not get another chance like this."
Muka raised an eyebrow. "You want to take the trial? Now? With a Mythic-tier Revenant upstairs?"
He didn't hesitate. "Yes."
Juno placed a hand over her chest. "If you do this… something in me is going to change, Lyle. I can feel it. Like a thread pulling tighter."
> Soul Bond Compatibility Spike Detected
– Juno (Status: Near-Phase Transition)
Warning: Spirit Form Initiation Imminent
Result: Partial Manifestation of Ghostborne Lineage (Rare Variant)
Suggested Action: Anchor Form with Shared Ritual
Lyle nodded. "Then let's do it together."
He knelt at the edge of the platform and motioned for the girls to join him.
They formed a triangle—hands linked, ki flowing between them, slow and steady at first.
Then the air cracked.
A pulse of energy tore through the vault.
From the sealed platform, a ghostly figure rose—a woman in tattered noble robes, her hair flowing like smoke, her eyes glowing blue and red at once.
"You bear my blood," she said to Lyle. "You bring both heirs and traitors to my tomb."
"I bring family," he replied. "And I bring power."
She studied Juno and Muka, then smiled—not unkindly.
"Then rise, Cryptwalker. Let the dead guide the living."
> Ritual Complete
Bloodbound Legacy Chosen: Ghostborne Ashblade
Primary Weapon Type: Phantasmal Scythe
Passive Trait: Death Echo – Lyle's soul weapon retains memories of defeated enemies, enabling combat adaptability
Stat Increase: +4 Strength, +2 Willpower, +1 Ki Recovery
Bonded Trait Shared: Juno – Ghostveil (Phase 1)
A swirl of ghostlight erupted from beneath Lyle's feet.
Armor bloomed across his body—thicker, darker, traced with silver etchings that moved like flowing ink. A new cloak unfurled across his back, its ends smoldering with black flame.
And in his hand appeared a weapon like no other.
A long-handled scythe, forged from both bone and shadow, pulsing with soul essence.
He stood.
Juno did too—though her form shimmered now with translucent folds of white cloth trailing her movement. Her eyes were rimmed in silver.
"I feel… colder," she whispered. "But lighter."
Muka ran a hand along Lyle's cloak. "You've changed again, hunter. But this time, it suits you."
The platform trembled.
Above them, another explosion sounded through the collapsing stairwell.
The Revenant Warden was descending.
And it wouldn't stop.