The forge cooled at last, the embers dying to a faint glow. Kael sat in silence, mask and chest plate set neatly on the bench beside him. He had already tried them on once — heavy, strange, yet powerful — but now something deeper stirred in his vision.
The HUD blinked to life.
[Equipment Detected.]
[Basic-tier Mask: Integrated.]
[Basic-tier Chest Plate: Integrated.]
New panels slid open across his interface, shimmering black-violet lines forming neat columns.
Equipment Stats:
Mask (Basic-tier): +5 Defense | +3 Stealth Efficiency | Breath concealment.
Chest Plate (Basic-tier): +10 Defense | +2 Stamina Endurance | Weight penalty: -1 Reflex.
Kael blinked. "The system… it absorbed them?"
Nathan's voice hummed, calm but edged with something close to amusement. "Of course. You're bound to the Nether Code. Anything you claim, anything you wear, it doesn't just stay metal and cloth. It becomes part of your Code. Part of you."
Kael leaned forward, studying the new display. He could see the faint outlines of the mask and chest plate shimmering, as if stored in a pocket space just outside reality. He reached out instinctively — and the mask shimmered in his hand without him even touching the bench.
Startled, he let it drop. It clinked against the steel table.
"What—what was that?"
[New Skill Unlocked.]
[Shadow Vault: Active.]
Kael froze.
Nathan explained smoothly, "The Shadow Vault. A private space, only accessible through your Code. Items, equipment, cores — all can be stored there. You summon them when you need them, dismiss them when you don't. But…"
A faint ripple ran through the HUD, and a bar of glowing blue light appeared, ticking downward slightly.
"…it costs Matter. The larger the object, the more it drains. Summoning a dagger? Almost nothing. Armor? More. Try pulling out something bigger… and you'll feel the weight of it."
Kael clenched his fist, testing the function. He willed the chest plate into the Vault. It dissolved into smoke, vanishing from the bench. A second later, he pulled — and the armor rematerialized in his arms, heavy and solid. The bar ticked down slightly, then recovered as his core settled.
He couldn't help but grin. "That's… incredible."
"Practical," Nathan corrected. "Not incredible. A blade hidden until needed. Armor worn only when it counts. It makes you unpredictable — which is what will keep you alive."
Kael nodded, slipping the mask back into the Vault. He could feel it now, like a door at the edge of his mind. A vault that belonged only to him.
The reflection staring back from the steel wall was no longer just Kael Strix. Not just the blank orphan, not just the boy learning to spark embers.
He was something more. Something hidden.
And for the first time, he understood why Nathan whispered so often: "This is only the beginning."