The Soul-Forge System was a strange new presence in Valerius's mind. It was cold and dark, but it was also powerful. It promised him a way to fight back. It could not give him his old magic, the magic of creation. Instead, it offered him the magic of decay and chaos. He did not have to create. He only had to destroy.
His first power was called [Corrupt Machine]. The System told him he could touch any machine powered by magic and fill it with dark energy. He could make it break, or even make it attack its masters. For the first time in years, Valerius felt a small spark of hope. It was a dark hope, but it was better than nothing. He needed to test this new power. He needed to see if it was real.
He walked through the dark, wet streets of the Undercity. Soon, he heard a familiar sound. Clank-whirr-clank. It was a Clockwork Sentinel. These robots were the police of Aethelburg. They were made of brass and steel, with one glowing blue eye that searched for any trouble. They were symbols of the Council's power, the same power that had crushed him. This was the perfect test subject.
The Sentinel walked past him, its metal feet splashing in the dirty puddles on the ground. Valerius's heart beat fast. He was afraid, but his anger was stronger than his fear. He took a deep breath and ran from the shadows of a small alley. His hand, covered in grease and dirt, reached out. For just a second, his fingers touched the cold metal leg of the robot.
He did not need to know how the machine worked. The System did everything. He felt a strange energy flow from his body, through his hand, and into the Sentinel. It felt cold and wrong, like pouring poison into a clean river. The effect was instant. The Sentinel's smooth sounds became a loud, painful grinding of gears. Its blue eye flickered, then turned a bright, angry red. The magic tubes on its arms and legs, once glowing with a calm blue light, now pulsed with a sick purple color.
The robot stopped. It shook for a moment, like a confused animal. Then, with a loud scream of metal, it turned. It raised its big metal fist and smashed the news-screen that was still showing Corvus's face. The screen exploded into a thousand tiny pieces of glass. The Sentinel then stumbled away down the street, no longer a guard of the peace, but a monster of pure chaos. It began to smash pipes and break lamps, causing panic in the street. Valerius watched from the alley, a real, dangerous smile on his face. It worked. He was not hollow anymore. He had a weapon.