The silence in the Cathedral was heavy, suffocating, and tasted of ozone.
Lucian stood amidst the rubble of the Awakening Stone, his lungs burning with every breath. To the onlookers, he looked like a godling reborn. To himself, he felt like a glass bottle filled with pressurized steam. The 12,450 Soul Points weren't just a number; they were a weight pressing against his soul, demanding to be spent before they tore him apart.
"Guard the exits!" Duke Alistair's voice shattered the stillness like a whip. "No one leaves this hall! If word of the Stone's destruction reaches the Royal Palace before I speak to the King, it will be considered an act of war!"
The Thorne household guards moved with practiced lethality, their silver-plate armor clanking as they blocked the massive oak doors. The noble guests, once arrogant, were now huddled like frightened sheep.
"Lucian."
His father walked toward him, his heavy boots crunching on the obsidian shards. He stopped five paces away, his hand still resting on the hilt of his sword. His eyes weren't filled with pride. They were narrowed with suspicion, searching Lucian's face for a sign of possession or dark magic.
"What did you do?" the Duke asked, his voice a low growl.
"I awakened, Father," Lucian replied, matching the man's gaze. "Is that not what you wanted?"
"You didn't awaken. You annihilated a holy relic." The Duke stepped closer, the pressure of his A-Rank aura flaring. "That stone has measured the lineage of every noble for a millennium. You didn't just break the stone, Lucian. You broke the law of the gods."
[Warning: Hostility Detected.]
[Target: Alistair Thorne (Duke of Thorne)]
[Danger Level: Fatal]
[Recommendation: Initialize 'Class Selection' to stabilize Soul Energy.]
Lucian ignored his father's intimidation. If I don't choose now, the energy will explode, he realized. He swiped his hand through the air—a gesture only he could see.
System, show me the Classes.
[Three Compatible Classes Found for the 'Devourer' Trait:]
1. Void Sword-Saint (Epic): Focuses on infusing weaponry with the hunger of the void. Every strike drains the enemy's mana. (Requirement: 5,000 SP)
2. Sovereign of Sin (Legendary): Allows the Host to manifest the 'Gluttony' trait into physical summons and soul-binding contracts. You do not fight; your hunger does. (Requirement: 10,000 SP)
3. The Hollow Monarch (Mythic - Unique): A path of absolute isolation. You become a living black hole. You do not just steal mana; you steal concepts—luck, lifespan, and destiny. (Requirement: 12,000 SP)
Lucian didn't hesitate. In his past life, he had been a "Null"—someone who lacked everything. He would never be empty again.
Select: The Hollow Monarch.
[12,000 Soul Points Consumed.]
[Class: 'The Hollow Monarch' has been equipped.]
[Acquiring First Skill: 'Crown of the Abyss' (Passive).]
[Acquiring Second Skill: 'Soul Feast' (Active).]
A sudden, violent chill swept through the Cathedral. The violet embers flickering around Lucian's body suddenly turned pitch black, then vanished, pulled inward toward his heart. The pressure that had been threatening to blow him apart solidified into a cold, hard core of power.
The Duke gasped, stumbling back as the temperature in the room plummeted. "Your eyes... Lucian, your eyes!"
Lucian looked into a shard of the broken stone at his feet. His pupils were gone. In their place were two rotating rings of violet light surrounding a center of absolute darkness. He looked like he was staring through the world and into the end of time.
"I am tired of standing in the dirt, Father," Lucian said, his voice now carrying a strange, resonant echo.
"Brother, stop this!" Cassian shouted, finally finding his courage. He drew his practice blade, though it trembled in his hand. "You've clearly been corrupted by some demonic entity! You're a threat to the House!"
Cassian lunged. He was fast—fast enough that the old Lucian wouldn't have even seen the movement. But to the Hollow Monarch, Cassian moved like he was underwater.
[Skill Activated: Soul Feast]
[Target: Cassian Thorne]
[Warning: Full consumption will result in death. Throttling to 'Taste'...]
Lucian didn't draw a weapon. He simply raised his hand and caught Cassian's blade between two fingers.
The moment the steel touched Lucian's skin, the blue frost mana coating the sword turned gray and withered. It looked like smoke being sucked into a vacuum. Cassian's eyes went wide as he felt his own mana—the energy he had trained a decade to cultivate—being ripped out of his body through the sword.
"Let... go!" Cassian choked out, his knees buckling.
Lucian leaned in, whispering so only his brother could hear. "You told me to die quietly, brother. But I found that I have a very loud appetite."
He released the blade and shoved. Cassian flew back, crashing into the front row of pews, his mana core temporarily drained and flickering.
The Cathedral fell into a deathly silence. A sixteen-year-old "Null" had just neutralized an A-Rank prodigy with two fingers.
"Alistair!" The High Priest scrambled forward, pointing a shaking finger at Lucian. "This is not an Awakening! This is an Abomination! He must be restrained and taken to the Holy Inquisition for cleansing!"
The Duke looked at his fallen heir, Cassian, then back at his youngest son. His face was a mask of calculation. Lucian knew that look. His father was weighing his options: kill the "monster" and keep the Church's favor, or keep the "monster" and use it as a weapon.
"Restrain him?" the Duke said slowly.
"Immediately!" the Priest screamed.
The Duke drew his sword—not to point it at Lucian, but at the Priest. "My son has awakened a power your ancient stones couldn't even contain. If the Church wants to 'cleanse' a Thorne, they are welcome to try. But they will start with me."
Lucian felt a flicker of grim amusement. His father hadn't changed. He didn't love Lucian; he just loved power. And right now, Lucian was the most powerful thing in the room.
[New Quest: 'The Viper's Nest']
[Objective: Survive the first night in the Thorne Estate. A traitor is planning your 'accidental' death.]
[Reward: 2,000 SP / Mystery Box]
Lucian turned his back on the altar, his black-ringed eyes scanning the shadows of the Cathedral. Somewhere in this room was the person who had orchestrated his family's downfall in the previous timeline.
"Let's go home, Father," Lucian said, walking toward the exit. The guards instinctively parted for him, heads bowed. "We have much to discuss."