Grayhaven had never seen anything like it.
The streets were a war zone. Stone buildings lay cracked and bleeding faint crimson veins, fires licking the edges of thatched roofs. Citizens fled in terror, some screaming, some frozen in disbelief, while guards and mercenaries tried to fight back against… something they could not see.
Isaac Ardent stood in the center of it all, hands shaking, eyes glowing faintly red. The world seemed heavier, sharper, as if reality itself pressed against him.
"I… I didn't do this!" he yelled, staggering backward.
But deep inside, a voice whispered a voice not his own, ancient and cold, yet strangely alluring:
"Yes… you did. And you will do more."
Isaac's hands burned, energy spilling off him in invisible waves that shattered glass and cracked stone. He could feel it the Scarlet King, the first and greatest sovereign, awakening within him. His mind was a storm of voices, memories of battles fought before the gods existed, the screams of kings crushed under an impossible crown, laws broken by a will older than creation.
The First Test
A mob of frightened guards had finally gathered near the town square, weapons trembling in their hands.
"Step back! Stand down, boy!" one shouted, his sword shaking.
Isaac raised his hands instinctively. A pulse of invisible power swept outward, and the soldiers froze. Their faces turned pale as their armor felt suddenly suffocating, as if gravity itself had betrayed them.
He tried to step back, tried to calm himself. "I… I don't want to hurt anyone!"
"Then you will learn. They will force your hand."
A man screamed as the ground beneath his feet cracked. Isaac looked down and saw the first hint of Berserk Crimson Energy
the air around him warped, distorted, glowing faintly red. The seal within him was beginning to fracture, releasing fragments of the King's power.
Isaac fell to his knees, sweat streaming down his face. "What… what is happening to me?"
The system interface appeared again, hovering in front of his eyes:
[SYSTEM: CRIMSON DOMINION]
Host: Isaac Ardent
Authority Rank: Dormant Sovereign → Active Awakening Detected
Seal Status: 1 / 7 – CRITICAL FRAGMENTATION
Core Abilities Unlocked:
▸ Tyranny of Reality (15% Usable)
▸ Law Devourer (Dormant)
▸ Existence Subjugation (Locked)
Mental Stability: 8% → WARNING: Vessel Integrity Compromised
Options:
▸ Accept Awakening → Power Surge (+50%)
▸ Resist Awakening → Mental Damage (-25% Vessel Stability)
Isaac's heart pounded. Accept? Resist? Every instinct screamed to resist, to remain human, to not become… this.
But before he could decide, the mob of guards charged. Steel clashed against invisible forces they were attacking him, and the Scarlet King within demanded a response.
The First Strike
Instinct took over. Isaac raised his hand, focusing. The world around him trembled.
BOOM!
A wave of crimson energy exploded outward, sending the first line of soldiers flying. Buildings quaked, roofs splintered, and stones were thrown into the sky. Yet the energy felt… restrained. The King's full power was still sealed, a dangerous, writhing fire that threatened to consume Isaac if he overused it.
When the dust cleared, Isaac's eyes burned brighter. The red within him pulsed in time with his heartbeat. He could feel the world bending slightly, as if matter, air, and even time obeyed a subtle command he had not yet spoken.
One guard, braver or perhaps crazier than the rest, charged again, spear thrust forward. Isaac clenched his fist. A shard of invisible force slammed into the man, crushing him like a puppet.
Isaac's stomach turned. He had not wanted to hurt anyone. And yet… the King inside whispered with cruel amusement:
"You are mine. The world bends to me. Accept it, or it will bend anyway."
The Priest's Warning
A familiar voice broke through the chaos.
"Isaac Ardent! Stand down, or you will be the ruin of Grayhaven!"
It was the priest from Chapter 1, the one who had called him Scarlet King. He stepped forward, holding a staff etched with holy runes that glowed faintly against the crimson aura.
"Who are you?!" Isaac demanded, voice trembling. "I… I don't understand any of this!"
The priest shook his head, fear and urgency in his eyes. "You carry the First Sovereign. The Crimson King sealed away long before men walked this earth. If you unleash its power fully… even a town like this will be erased in an instant. Restrain it, Isaac! You must resist, or you will lose yourself!"
Isaac looked around. Grayhaven's streets were already ruined. Fires burned, people screamed, and his hands throbbed with energy that felt alive.
"Resist? Or embrace?"
The voice within whispered again, patient, eternal.
"You are my vessel. Yield, and you will conquer all."
Isaac's chest ached. His mind screamed to resist. His body, however… responded instinctively.
The Crimson Awakening
A surge of will coursed through him. He could feel fragments of the Scarlet King's consciousness interweaving with his own. His aura flared red, spreading like molten blood across the town.
Time slowed. A guard swung a sword, but Isaac instinctively lifted his hand. The motion alone distorted reality the blade froze mid-air, bent unnaturally, then shattered into fragments.
Isaac's mind screamed in terror. "No… no! I don't want this!"
"You will want nothing. You will command all."
The system interface appeared again, this time more insistent:
[SYSTEM UPDATE]
Host: Isaac Ardent
Authority Rank: Active Sovereign Awakening
Seal Fragment Status: 2 / 7 – FRAGMENT UNLOCKED
New Abilities Detected:
▸ Reality Distortion (Passive, Minor)
▸ Crimson Aura (Active)
▸ Enhanced Reflexes & Perception
Warning: Mental stability critical. Vessel may fracture if control is lost.
Isaac's vision blurred, but a terrifying calm washed over him. His heart was still human, yet his hands held the power of a king who had ruled before gods existed. The world had shifted, and with it, his destiny.
He took a deep breath. The Scarlet King's whispers filled him like a tide: patient, cold, inevitable.
"You are mine. And through you, all shall kneel."
Isaac clenched his fists. He was terrified. He was horrified. But he was alive. And as the crimson aura continued to radiate from him, one truth became undeniable:
The awakening had begun.
Grayhaven was only the beginning.