The Hollow Throne whispered with new power. Aren stood at its edge, cloaked in frost and shadow, watching the forest beyond his domain ripple with wrongness.
The system pulsed a quiet warning.
[Domain Alert]Anomaly Detected: Corrupted Spirit SignatureDistance: 94 metersThreat Level: Minor – Spirit DesyncEstimated Host Vitality: 22%Suggested Action: Investigate / Cleanse / Reap
Aren narrowed his eyes.
Someone was dying.
And not the clean, noble death the Spiritbound prided themselves on—this was twisted. Unstable. Like him.
He called Fang and stepped beyond the boundary.
They found her in the ravine.
A girl, barely older than fifteen, lay sprawled in the snow—her body riddled with glyph-burns. Her spirit companion, a deer-shaped entity of once-golden light, now flickered in shattered loops. One antler was broken; the other pulsed with corrupted code, leaking static and sparks.
She was choking on her spirit's decay.
Aren hesitated. The system whispered.
[Spiritbound Collapse Detected]Status: Unstable Bond / Host ConsciousOption Available:➤ [Reap Memory]➤ [Cleanse and Terminate]➤ [Shadowbind Candidate – 42% Compatibility]
Warning: Binding others is a Sovereign action.
He stepped closer. Her eyes fluttered open—grey, unfocused.
She whispered, "Don't… let it kill me…"
Aren clenched his jaw.
She wasn't like the Inquisitors. She wasn't hunting.
She was breaking.
Just like he had.
[Command: Initiate Shadowbind – Sovereign Override Required]Cost: 15 Soul EssenceRisk: Irreversible BondingResult: Creation of "The First Marked"
Aren knelt.
"I don't know who you are. But I won't let the world toss you aside."
He pressed his palm to her forehead.
"Rise under my shadow."
The glyphs around them shattered.
The deer spirit let out a final cry—then burst into black light.
And something new formed in its place: a smaller, darker spirit. A shadowed fawn, half-formed, eyes glowing faintly violet.
The girl screamed—then gasped.
The system roared to life.
[Shadowbind Successful]Host Name: Kaeliah RimeSpirit Form: [Wane-Fawn]Bond Status: Stable (51%)Role: The First MarkedPassive Link Formed: Domain Resonance (Shared Territory Bonus: +3%)
New Skill Gained:➤ Sovereign's Mercy (Active): Restore a dying spirit through forced rebirth.Requires: Consent or Near-Death. Cost: 15–30 Soul Essence.
Aren pulled back, breathing heavily. Kaeliah was conscious now—barely—but her breathing had steadied. The color returned to her face.
Her eyes locked on his.
"You're… not Spiritbound…"
"No," he said quietly.
"I'm something else."
He brought her back to the Hollow Throne. Gave her food, bandaged her wounds. Let her sleep under the watch of the shrine's dome.
And when she woke again, she looked up at him not with fear—but with recognition.
"You're the one the spirits rejected," she said.
He nodded.
"I'm the one the world forgot."
Kaeliah touched her chest, where the remnant of her old spirit still flickered. "Then let me follow. No spirits. No laws. Just… your shadow."
[Follower Loyalty: 19% → 46%]Trait Progress: Sovereign's Will +3%New Faction Formed: The MarkedFaction Members: 1Morale: Fragile, GratefulDomain Expansion: +20m Radius
Aren stood at the center of his throne room.
He was no longer alone.
He had a follower. A name. A faction.
And soon… he would have an army.