The first Reaver didn't move.
It stood at the edge of Kael's ruined courtyard — flesh pale and stretched, its mouth sewn shut with Sovereign-scripted wire.
Its presence made the very air resist breathing.
Kael's screen pulsed red.
[WARNING: LAWBOUND RESPONSE INCONCLUSIVE]
[Target Class]: UNWRITTEN
[Status]: Not Confirmed as Valid Hostile
"Existing Laws may fail."
Veera's grip on her spear tightened.
"Then I'll make it hostile."
She charged — boots slamming through ash, spear glowing with kinetic force.
The Reaver shifted just once — and was gone.
No sound.
Just Veera, flung backward, crashing through a broken archway.
The Ashbound Veteran lunged next, shield raised.
The Reaver moved like smoke, slicing with clawed arms that left static trails in the air.
Kael watched — unmoving, eyes locked.
He opened the Lawcraft Interface.
[You may write ONE EMERGENCY LAW.]
[WARNING: Class UNWRITTEN may resist binding]
[Lawcraft Trait: Law of the First Sovereign (2/10)]
"Thread Instability detected. Law Risk Level: 46%"
[Proceed?]
Kael stared at the floating script.
He typed one line:
"Those not born of system or man shall shatter within my land."
The interface shook.
The sky cracked blue.
The Law fought back.
[SYSTEM REJECTION: 30%... 40%... 61%]
[OVERRIDE PULSE TRIGGERED — "First Sovereign Thread" detected]
[LAW WRITTEN.]
The Reaver stopped mid-strike.
Its body jerked. Limbs twitched out of rhythm.Then it shrieked — not through its mouth, but through the air itself.
The mask on its face fractured.
And it ran.
[ALERT: UNWRITTEN ENTITY ATTEMPTED RETREAT]
"Blocked by Law #1: No invader shall leave my land alive."
Its form exploded into black mist — torn in place.
The courtyard fell still again.
[BATTLE REPORT]
[Reaver Eliminated (Unknown Tier)]
[System Stability Pulse]: -2%Law
[Progression]: "First Sovereign" advanced (2/10 → 3/10)
[Passive Perk Unlocked]:
{Instinctive Rewrite}
(Grants the sovereign 5-second Law Detection before enemy strikes.Only functions in owned territory.)
Veera rose slowly, blood running from her nose.
"That was… not of this world," she said.
Kael nodded. "Neither are we. Not anymore."
She paused. "Kael. That Law. That wasn't normal writing. That was… raw."
Kael didn't answer.
But in the system's invisible channels, far above the sky, another Observer Node woke up.
[SOVEREIGN KAEL DRAVEN]
[Law Permission Level]: Unauthorized
[Thread Access]: FLAGGED FOR AUDIT
[Watcher Class]: ON ROUTE
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[END OF CHAPTER 8]
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