Kael stood above the Kingdom of Velmora, his figure suspended in the darkened sky as if the heavens themselves rejected his existence. Before him appeared the Heir of Velmora, Eryndor Valen, alongside the Grand Captain, Aldric Veyron. The moment their gazes met, the air grew heavy, suffocating under an invisible pressure. Kael's anger surged uncontrollably, amplified by the faint yet sinister whispers of Noctyra within his soul. His thoughts became clouded, his emotions twisted until nothing remained but a single, burning purpose—revenge. There was no hesitation left in him, no fear, no doubt. Only rage.
"Who are you?" Eryndor's voice thundered across the sky, cold and filled with authority. "How dare you challenge the Kingdom of Velmora? Have you come here to die?"
Kael smiled.
A cold, hollow smile.
Golden mana began to leak from his body, flickering like unstable lightning. In the next instant, it erupted. The sky turned black as storm clouds gathered violently, thunder roaring as golden arcs tore across the heavens. The pressure descended upon the kingdom, crushing everything below. Low-ranking trainees collapsed instantly, forced to their knees by the overwhelming gravity generated by the Aurion Mana.
Aldric stepped forward, his expression darkening. "You dare stand against us… while still being one of our trainees?" Without another word, he vanished. In a blink, he appeared before Kael, his blade formed from compressed mana, striking downward with the weight of his domain. Space itself bent around the attack.
Kael did not dodge.
He raised his hand, golden mana spiraling violently as it collided with the incoming strike. The impact split the sky, shockwaves spreading outward as both forces clashed. Aldric pressed forward relentlessly, his attacks precise, refined, and controlled. Each strike carried mastery, each movement calculated.
Kael responded with chaos.
His golden mana lashed out without form, without technique, yet overwhelmingly destructive. It devoured everything in its path, distorting the surrounding space as if rejecting the very laws that governed it. The more he fought, the more unstable his power became. The sky cracked, the ground trembled, and the entire kingdom seemed on the verge of collapse.
Their battle intensified.
Blow after blow.
Impact after impact.
Until both reached their limit.
For a brief moment, they stood still—breathing heavily, bodies wounded, power nearly exhausted.
Then—
Eryndor moved.
He raised his hand calmly.
No technique.
No visible force.
Only absolute authority.
The world fell silent.
A single strike descended.
Kael's body froze.
Before he could react—
the attack landed.
A crack echoed from within him.
Not outside—
but from his core.
His core shattered.
The golden mana around him collapsed instantly, turning violent, uncontrollable. His body began to erode from within as the power he wielded exceeded his limits. For a brief moment, clarity returned to his mind.
Memories surfaced.
His mother.
His father.
Their voices.
Their deaths.
His failure.
"…I… wasn't strong enough…"
His vision blurred.
His body began to disintegrate.
"…Pathetic," Eryndor said coldly.
But deep within Kael's collapsing soul—
Noctyra moved.
Using the last fragment of his power, he summoned a final artifact—the Infernal Sacred Stone. A dark, pulsating force enveloped Kael's fading existence, sealing his soul within it and halting the erosion. His presence vanished completely. His mana, his aura, his very existence—erased.
To the world—
Kael was dead.
The stone fell silently into the depths of the forest below.
Two hundred years passed.
The Kingdom of Velmora grew stronger than ever, its influence expanding as the number of trainees approached four thousand. Yet despite this growth, very few surpassed the Law Seeker realm. The imbalance of the world still remained.
Deep within the forbidden forest, the Infernal Sacred Stone lay hidden.
And within it—
Kael endured.
Without a body, without senses, without time—only darkness. At first, there was pain. Then silence. Then… nothing. For centuries, Kael existed alone, his thoughts echoing endlessly. Slowly, his soul began to recover. The power of Noctyra had almost completely vanished, leaving behind only a faint fragment buried deep within him. Yet Kael did not stop.
He cultivated.
Again.
And again.
And again.
He absorbed the natural mana that seeped through existence, refining it within his soul. Time lost meaning.
After four hundred years—
his soul stabilized.
He reached the Law Seeker realm once more.
But even then—
he had no body.
No way out.
Only one choice remained.
To take one.
On one fateful day, a young man entered the forest.
Arrogant.
Confident.
Unaware.
He was the son of Aldric Veyron, now the Grand General of Velmora. Driven by ambition, he chased a Three-Horned Spirit Deer deep into the forbidden forest, pushing further than anyone dared to go.
Until—
he stepped above the stone.
Kael sensed him.
And acted.
The Ritual of Transference was activated.
A forbidden technique embedded within the stone itself, capable of tearing a soul from its body and replacing it. It required immense mana—something Kael no longer possessed.
But the stone—
answered.
A surge of dark energy erupted.
The young man froze as his soul was violently shaken, partially forced out of his body. It was incomplete. Unstable.
But it was enough.
Kael moved instantly.
His soul shot forward—
entering the body.
Collision.
Two souls clashed within one vessel.
The body trembled violently. Veins bulged. Bones cracked under the pressure. The body could not withstand Kael's overwhelming presence. It began to break apart.
For a moment—
it almost failed.
Then—
golden mana emerged.
Aurion Mana wrapped around the body, stabilizing the fusion, suppressing rejection. Slowly, the trembling subsided.
The process completed.
Kael opened his eyes.
For the first time in centuries—
he breathed.
But it did not feel real.
His chest rose.
Air entered.
Yet his heart—
felt empty.
Four hundred years of silence.
Four hundred years of loss.
Four hundred years… alone.
"...Why… am I still alive…"
The thought lingered.
But it did not last.
Because something deeper rose.
Hatred.
Revenge.
Kael clenched his fist slowly, feeling the unfamiliar body. His lips curled into a cold smile.
"Eryndor Valen…"
His voice was low.
Dead.
"I will kill you."
Suddenly—
a voice screamed within his mind.
"You… dare… steal my body?!"
The original soul.
"Do you know who I am?!" the voice roared. "My father is the Grand General of Velmora—Aldric Veyron! The moment he finds out—"
Kael closed his eyes briefly.
Then smiled.
Cold.
Cruel.
"Then let him come."