"A throne is not built on stone or steel. It is built on fear, respect, and the bones of everything that said no."
— Kael Varian, Archlord Ascendant
The forests surrounding Arcanis Academy were known by many names—the Vresari Pines, the Green Rift, the Bloodroot Drift—but Kael Varian remembered them only as a graveyard.
In his previous life, he'd stood atop its highest ridge with a daggered heart and a crownless skull. But now... now the leaves rustled with humility beneath the tread of his boots.
He had one goal tonight.
Form a Soul-Pact. Bind a Beast. Awaken his Dominion.
The now-active Obsidian Flame exploded his options. His System had opened new layers, and among them, a hidden prompt:
[Path to Sovereignty — Unlock Condition: Bind a rare-class beast under Legacy Pact.]
[Current Tier: Aspirant. Pact Failure = Soul Fracture. Accept Risk?]
Kael accepted without hesitation. There would be no path to power without risks worth bleeding for.
The ritual had to be done in solitude.
That's why he'd deliberately skipped evening combat drills, hidden his dorm threads beneath a travel mantle, and left the south wall at twilight. The guards didn't see him. No one ever saw Kael when he didn't want to be seen.
He strode through brush and thorn paths guided by memory and the System's softly pulsing waypoints.
Above, clouds gathered like whispering witnesses. Thunder rolled in the distance. The night air grew heavy with primal energy—feral, watching, growling.
Perfect.
After an hour's trek, Kael reached it.
A shrine, if one could call it that. Half-sunk into the base of a hill, built in cracked hexagonal stone, its arches came up like fangs, teeth swallowed by vines and crawling crimson moss.
Time had forgotten it. Kael had not.
This was the Shrine of the Howler Moon, a forgotten relic from the early age of the Mage-Kingdoms, where ancient beast-pacts were forged—not forced—and mutual.
He stepped under its arch. Instantly, the System bled warnings into his vision:
[Dimensional Rift Detected. Shamanic Aura Active. Tier 2 Beast Signature in Stasis.]
[Pact Requirements Unfulfilled. Legacy Override Pending.]
Kael took out the pendant once more—the one etched with his crest from a time long past. He set it on the ritual slab at the shrine's core, whispering not to the heavens—
—but to something below them.
"I offer no chains. I offer no supplication. I offer a Dominion..."
He slid open the palm of his left hand with his blade and pressed blood to the ancient runes carved into the stone.
"By the rights of flame and shadow, I call thee forth—Beast beyond name."
The wind vanished.
Not stopped—vanished.
Like the forest caught its breath. Like the world inhaled and refused to exhale.
Then—
The stone crackled. Reality burned. Shadows twisted into unfamiliar shapes, rearing and snarling without body. Runes flared violet.
[Condition Met. Legacy Pact Ritual Initiated. Danger Level: RED. Suggested Action: Retreat.]
Kael stood taller.
"I didn't come this far to kneel."
The ground split.
From the void below rose a creature clad not in fur or flesh, but smoke and arcane geometry. Its outline snarled between a wolf, a lion, and something alien—long spine, antlered horns, glowing maw. Its eyes were shapeless yet aware.
A Void Howler.
One of the First Beasts. Supposedly extinct since the Fourth Scorching.
It spoke inside his mind, cold as space between stars.
"Sovereign-blood... Unawakened... Brash."
"You dare disturb the pactstone, knowing death awaits?"
Kael didn't flinch.
"I offer a deal."
"Not servitude. Alliance."
"All mortals say the same. Then scream when the pact burns them."
"Let me burn," Kael said, spreading his arms. "I've burned before. Fire only makes me rise."
[Extended Sync Activated: Initiating Mutual Trial — Soul Tempering Sequence]
[Warning: Failure Will Result in Partial Soul Destruction.]
The world twisted.
Suddenly, Kael was no longer in the forest.
He stood atop a colossal battlefield of black obsidian and ash. A thousand armored beasts roared along endless ridges. Above them loomed the Beast-Lord, now three times its earlier size.
TRIAL OF THE VOID HOWLER: ENDURE WHAT YOU WERE. CHOOSE WHAT YOU BECOME.
One by one, versions of Kael—old, twisted, glorious, broken—began emerging around the battlefield. Archlord. Slave. Tyrant. Martyr. Each wielding versions of his old powers.
"You will fight yourself," the Void Howler said.
"Not to prove you are strong—
—but to prove you are sure."
Kael drew breath. His hands clenched into fists.
The first doppelganger lunged—Kael in full regalia, cloaked in imperial armor and wielding his Crownblade. A symbol of power, yes—but also of pride, entitlement, and the burden that had blinded him once.
It struck.
Kael ducked.
Fought back.
Dodged his own arrogance.
Then came another Kael—this one shorter, eyes full of fire and naivete. A boy dreaming of peace. Of forgiveness.
"They didn't mean it," that Kael screamed as they fought. "You could've saved them without war!"
Kael choked him into silence.
Again, again, and again—he slayed them. Versions of himself too soft, too cruel, too proud. Each strike left blood on his soul. But he continued, until only one stayed standing.
This Kael.
Hoarse.
Unyielding.
Free of delusion.
The beast regarded him in silence.
Then, it spoke again.
"You are... not yet pure."
"No king is," Kael rasped, voice torn from rage and resolve. "But I'm ready anyway."
The world shook. Stars cracked. Flame bowed low.
TRIAL COMPLETE.
LEGACY PACT ACCEPTED.
BEAST: VOID HOWLER — NAMELESS RANK
CONTRACT TIER: BLOODBOUND
SYNERGY: 62% COMPATIBILITY
The creature stepped forward, bowing its shimmering head.
Kael pressed a bloodied palm between its alien brows.
Soulbound.
The shock of the pact vibrated through every bone. He fell to one knee—head swimming, mind syncing, ancient runes burning behind his eyelids.
The Void Howler vanished. Not into death—but into him. Into the space between heartbeats. A beast made not of muscle, but purpose.
A low tattoo now circled his forearm—inked in black flame, shaped like the beast's jagged spine.
His System expanded instantly.
New Abilities Unlocked:
– Howl of Fracture (Active): Shatter psychic will of all enemies within 30 meters
– Echo Step (Passive): Instantly blink after second strike
– Void Devour (Conditional Ultimate): Consume one weakened enemy soul per full moon
Kael rose back to his feet beneath the stars, breath heavy but triumphant. His hands tingled with unfamiliar power, but his heart...
His heart was ready.
He cast one last look at the blood-smeared altar.
"Mark this night, world."
"The beasts no longer roam free."
"They kneel."
And so, under shattered moons and whispering trees, Kael turned back toward the Academy—slowly, quietly, and with conquest in every step.
He wasn't alone anymore.
A sovereign. A beastmaster. A storm veiled in silence.
And soon, everything would hear the howling.