The room was dark, lit only by the faint glow of the moon slipping through the wooden window. Kael sat cross-legged on the floor, his breath slow, his body trembling. The stolen energy from Joren still rushed inside him, raw and untamed. His veins burned, his heart pounded as if it wanted to break free.
But Kael was not afraid. He welcomed the pain. It meant strength. It meant he was no longer helpless.
He closed his eyes. The silence pressed against him, and then, from deep inside his soul, something stirred. A voice. A memory.
At first, it was faint, like the echo of a distant drum. But then it grew louder, clearer, until Kael's mind was swallowed by visions.
---
Visions of the Past
He saw a throne of black stone, towering high in a palace of bones. He saw armies kneeling before him — devils, beasts, and mortals alike. Their voices roared in unison, calling his name: Devil God Kael.
He saw the betrayal, the blades of his own generals piercing his flesh. He saw the so-called heroes striking him down. He saw his soul burning with rage as his body fell.
And then, he saw what had made him strong. The path he had walked, the power he had created.
The Soul Dominion Path.
---
Kael gasped, his eyes flying open. His body shook with sweat, but his mind was sharp. The memories were no longer broken pieces. They had returned like a book opening before him.
He remembered everything.
"This is it," he whispered, his voice shaking with excitement. "The path that once made me a god. I can rebuild it. Step by step. Stone by stone. Flesh by flesh."
He pressed his palm against his chest, feeling the faint pulse of strength inside him. Already, Joren's stolen energy had started repairing the cracks in his crippled body. It was the first step of many.
---
The Steps of Soul Dominion
The Soul Dominion Path was not like the cultivation of righteous sects. Their ways were slow, pure, built on balance and harmony. His way was faster, darker, born from hunger and domination. It was a forbidden path, but it was his path.
And now, the steps came back to him, clear and sharp.
---
Step One: Foundation of Hunger
A cultivator on this path must first accept his weakness and embrace hunger. To desire flesh, to desire power, to desire souls — this hunger was not a curse, but a weapon. By feeding on others' energy, the broken foundation of the body could be restored.
Kael smiled faintly. He had already started this step. Joren's death had fed him, filling his crippled flesh with stolen vitality. The hunger had awakened.
---
Step Two: Tempering of Flesh
After feeding, the body must be strengthened. Not with healing herbs or righteous spirit energy, but through the pain of stolen vitality. Each kill was a forge. Each feed was a hammer strike. With every victim, the bones hardened, the blood thickened, the flesh became a vessel strong enough to hold greater power.
Kael touched his thin arm. Already, he could feel faint strength returning to his muscles. Soon, every enemy he killed would become another stone in his foundation.
---
Step Three: Binding of Souls
This was the heart of his path. By planting fragments of his will inside others, he could bind their souls to his. Servants, enemies, even proud disciples could be turned into puppets. Their strength would not only serve him but also flow into him, making him greater.
Kael's mind flashed with the memory of the servant girl he had tested his command on. Her unwilling obedience had thrilled him, but that was only a spark. Soon, he would bind dozens. Then hundreds.
---
Step Four: Desire Furnace
The most feared step. The Soul Dominion Path did not just use blood and strength. It used desire. Lust, greed, pain, obsession — all of these could be transformed into raw energy.
Women were the richest sources of this energy. Their bodies carried the essence of creation itself. By corrupting them, by bending their will and turning their purity into obsession, Kael could build a furnace inside his soul — an endless fire to fuel his rise.
Lira's face appeared in his mind. Beautiful. Pure. Untouched. The Saintess of the sect.
His hands trembled, not from weakness, but from hunger. She will be my furnace. She will burn for me.
---
Step Five: Throne of Shadows
When enough souls were bound and enough desire had been harvested, Kael could form the Throne of Shadows. It was not a real throne, but a mark in the spiritual world. With it, he could command armies of enslaved spirits. His power would no longer be limited to his body — it would stretch like a web, unbreakable and vast.
In his past life, this step had made him untouchable. Armies had fallen before him, not from his sword, but from the weight of his will crushing their souls.
---
Step Six: Godhood of Dominion
The final step. The peak. To reach it, Kael had slaughtered thousands in his past life. He had consumed generals, bound saints, broken kings, and carved his law into the world. It was not just strength. It was control.
At this stage, even gods had bent before him.
But betrayal had stolen it all.
Now, he would walk the path again. He would rise higher than before. And this time, he would not fall.
---
Back to the Present
Kael opened his eyes. His breath was steady, his mind calm, but his heart burned like fire. The path was clear. The steps were set.
He wiped the sweat from his face and stood. His body was still weak, but no longer empty. He clenched his fist and felt strength ripple through it. Small, but real.
"This is only the beginning," he said softly. "I was humiliated. Laughed at. Spat on. But soon, the sect will tremble. And Lira…" His lips curved into a cold smile. "…you will be the jewel of my furnace."
The moonlight fell across his face, making his eyes gleam with a dark light.
---
A Plan is Formed
Kael spent the rest of the night planning. He could not rush. His enemies were many, and his body was still fragile. To reveal his strength too soon would bring destruction.
He needed to build step by step.
1. Feed in secret. More disciples would vanish, their strength becoming his.
2. Bind the weak. Servants, outcasts, those with fragile will — they would become his first puppets.
3. Touch desire. He would test his control on women of the sect, starting small, until he was ready for Lira.
4. Grow in shadows. He would not stand in the open until his throne was ready to rise.
The plan was simple, but deadly.
Kael closed his eyes and smiled. The Devil God had returned.
---
Dawn
When dawn broke, the sect buzzed with noise. Disciples rushed to training, elders prepared lectures, and whispers spread.
One name was on their tongues.
"Joren is missing."
His bed was empty. His room silent. Some said he had run away. Others whispered he had died in secret. No one suspected Kael.
Kael walked among them, his face blank, his body still frail. To them, he was still the cripple, the weakling, the useless shadow of a disciple.
But inside, his heart laughed.
"Mock me while you can," he thought. "For soon, your laughter will turn to screams."
---
Kael looked toward the Saintess's courtyard in the distance. The morning sun bathed her residence in golden light. He could almost see her there, pure and untouchable, like a goddess.
His eyes narrowed, his lips curling into a whisper.
"You will be mine."
And with that, Kael began the first true step of his rise.