The chamber pulsed with an ethereal hum.
Joy Quinn Talen stood at the heart of her family's ancient sanctuary—an obsidian room hidden beneath the ruins of a forgotten shelter, buried for centuries under vines and ash. The moment her fingers brushed the cold, silver surface of the ring, her entire world fractured—and realigned.
A thousand memories not her own flooded her mind. Screams of battles past. The anguish of sacrifice. The weight of power.
And a voice.
> "Do not fear what is coming, Joy."
It was his voice.
Quinn Talen.
Vampire King.
Immortal Guardian.
Her ancestor—and now, the one trapped inside the ring.
---
Joy fell to her knees, breath shallow, heart thundering like a war drum.
A blinding light engulfed the room, and within it, she could see a system—lines of radiant glyphs etched in the air. She blinked. They hovered, waiting. Watching.
> SYSTEM INITIALIZED.
[Host: Joy Quinn Talen]
Bloodline Match: 98.9% — Verified
Welcome to the Legacy Protocol: Deity Evolution System.
Her lips parted in stunned silence. "Deity... evolution?"
> "This system was my last gift to the world. To you."
Quinn's voice was gentler now, filled with the weight of centuries. "I knew that one day, someone would carry my blood and my burden. The world has shifted again. The balance is tipping."
The words appeared in rapid succession before her:
> LEVEL 1: Initiate
Affinity Detected: Light / Spirit / Astral Control
Mother Spirit Core: Dormant (Potential - Limitless)
Unlocked Abilities: Lightstep | Spirit Sight | Binding Halo
Companion: Ring AI [Quinn]
Quests Available: 2
– [Awaken the Mother Core]
– [Subdue the Dark Prince]
Joy's fingers trembled as she hovered them over the first ability. Lightstep.
And then, everything around her exploded.
---
She appeared twenty feet away from where she stood just a moment ago—no effort, no energy drain, just pure teleportation through light. Joy's eyes widened in awe.
Before she could process it further, another sequence of glyphs rotated around her body.
> Ability: Spirit Sight Activated
The room dimmed, yet lit up in another spectrum entirely. Joy could see the remnants of those who once passed through here. Echoes. Spirits. One, in particular, stood tall—an older man with pale eyes and the insignia of the Vampire Corps.
She turned slowly toward the ghost.
"Uncle Varik..." she whispered.
But the ghost only saluted her before fading into motes of light.
She turned back to the ring. "Quinn... what is this system? What do you mean by Deity Evolution?"
---
A holographic image of Quinn shimmered before her. His expression was calm, wise—his usual battle-worn face replaced by something deeper. Fatherly, almost.
> "This system was created in the waning days of our war. When the gods fell, and the vampires scattered. The world you inherit now is twisted, fragmented. I built this to adapt, to grow alongside the one worthy of bearing the final Spirit Core."
Joy inhaled sharply. "You mean the Mother Spirit of Light."
He nodded. "And your brother… has the Father Spirit of Dark."
A pulse shot through her chest at the mention of Vaatu. Memories surged—her twin, born under a cursed eclipse, marked with the sigil of the Black Moon. She remembered the day he vanished, taking half their home with him in a storm of shadows.
> WARNING: Spiritual Balance Threat Detected
Subject: Vaatu Quinn Talen — Codename: The Dark Prince
Current Status: Unknown — Threat Level: Deific / Class S+
Joy stared at the alert as it flashed red.
Quinn's voice sharpened. "You will face him. But not now. Your body is still awakening. We must start small. Learn control. Survive the lower evolutions."
> Deity Evolution Phases
– Initiate
– Spirit Conduit
– Lightbearer
– Divine Embodiment
– Mother Ascendant
– True Deity
Each tier shimmered with complexity and growing power.
Quinn continued, "The more you fight, the more you grow. Your soul will expand. But you must take care—the stronger you become, the more Vaatu will feel your presence. The balance of the world depends on the two of you. One must rise… and one must fall."
Joy clenched her fists. "I won't let him destroy this world. I'll do whatever it takes."
Quinn's smile was tinged with sorrow. "And that is why I chose you."
The sanctuary shifted. New glyphs rotated into existence, marking the floor beneath her feet.
> Trial Commencing: System Calibration Initiation
Spiritual Constructs Activated: Light Elementals [Level 5]
Cracks tore open in the air as three figures of living light emerged. They shimmered with angelic grace, but Joy could feel the pressure they emitted—testing her resolve, testing her capacity to wield the system.
She didn't hesitate.
Her hands moved instinctively, and the Binding Halo appeared—a ring of glowing energy that spiraled from her palm and wrapped around the closest construct. The elemental shrieked as it was bound mid-air.
She took one step—then vanished.
Lightstep.
She reappeared behind the second construct and struck its core with a flare of energy from her palm. The entity exploded in a radiant burst.
Quinn's voice echoed, "Well done. You already move like a Level 10 Spirit Walker."
The final construct approached—larger, brighter. It wielded a spear of plasma and swung toward her with divine speed.
For a moment, Joy doubted. Her power flickered.
The spear scraped her side. Blood trickled down.
Quinn's voice roared in her mind.
> "Use the Core!"
Instinctively, her hand reached toward her heart.
> Dormant Core Accessed… Overclock Permission Granted
Mother Spirit Node: 1% Activation
The world froze.
Joy's body rose into the air, light pouring from her eyes, her veins. A halo formed above her head—not from the system, but from within her.
> New Ability Unlocked: Radiant Suppression
With one movement, she released a pulse of holy light that shattered the final construct into shards. The entire chamber dimmed—awestruck by the light she had just conjured.
> SYSTEM CALIBRATION COMPLETE
Congratulations. You have unlocked the path of the Lightborne Deity.
---
She collapsed, panting, glowing with the faint pulse of lingering divinity.
Quinn's image appeared once more.
"You've taken your first step, Joy. But this is only the beginning. The world is not ready for what is coming. And neither is Vaatu."
Joy grinned, despite the blood on her lips. "Then we'll make them ready."
---
Outside the sanctuary, the skies began to darken.
Far to the east, in the ruins of the Nightshade Citadel, Vaatu stirred from his meditative slumber. A tremor ran through the ground. The dark runes carved into his arms lit up like fire.
He opened his eyes—void-black, endless.
"She's awakened."
He stood slowly, dark cloak rustling like a shadow breaking free.
"She's coming."
And he smiled.
---
[END OF CHAPTER 3