They called him the Shame of the Clan but before that, Vale Athrimir was born a prodigy, one of the rising stars expected to lead the next generation of the Clan. But on the day of his manifestation, he was awarded the Forbidden Mark Order, a power feared and loathed throughout the realm.

In an instant, his world collapsed, his friends turned their backs, his father disowned him, and he was cast into prison. After three years of starvation and torment, he was thrown into the Borderlands, a labor camp where the forsaken dig rocks until they die.

But Vale refused to break.

With nothing but his rage and ambition, he clawed his way free and began to build. Starting with outcasts and exiles, he forged the foundations of something the world had never seen, an empire that would span nations, topple kingdoms, and unite the fractured lands under the Eternal Skies.

The Forbidden Mark Order carried a terrible secret, and with an Ancient's Inheritance in his grasp, Vale discovered he possessed power beyond measure. Now, he would transform from prisoner to emperor, from outcast to conqueror.

From the ashes of betrayal, the Universal Empire would rise.

"It is done," Vale heard the demon's voice, distant like a faraway chant.


"Congratulations on being the new Lord of the Eternal Pyre. I hope we meet again in a more favorable environment. I will leave you a gift, and you'll owe me no debt for it."


Then the voice was gone, and Vale knew the presence had vanished as well. He made no move to stand; his body felt like mud. But inside, he was raging. His essence was slowly returning to its place.


Yet now, he had fewer sub-essences in his core. Before, there had been five, now there were only three, and he felt their absence like a gnawing hunger.


The other two, Shadowforge Creation and Nightmare, had been transferred to Tiber and Slya. Essentially, Vale was now their construct, the source of their new powers.


Chapter 62 - Source