Julius had never worn silk before.
It itched.
The fine garments clung to him like betrayal, every gold-threaded fold a reminder he didn't belong here. His reflection in the polished obsidian mirror showed a royal face—Alexis III, pale-skinned and sharp-eyed, born to rule. But behind that face, Julius's breath hitched.
He turned as a maid approached, eyes low, voice trembling.
"Y-your Highness, your presence is required at the Council of Elders. They await you in the Hall of Flame."
What the hell is the Hall of Flame?
He didn't have time to ask.
Meanwhile…
Alexis stood naked in a glass chamber filled with red steam, his heartbeat syncing with an invisible pulse. Cold cables snaked from the ceiling and latched onto ports in his spine—Julius's spine—and the world pixelated before him.
NEURAL SYNC: LEVEL 0.1 — SYSTEM STABLE
"Subject 117, are you functional?"
The voice came from a floating orb—an Overseer-class AI, smooth and eyeless.
Alexis grunted. "What is this sorcery?"
"Sorcery?" the AI responded flatly. "Primitive vocabulary detected. Neural calibration required."
A hiss of pain lanced through his skull as data surged into him—tactical maps, drone blueprints, attack protocols. His body trembled under the weight of knowledge not meant to be absorbed in seconds. He tasted blood.
Then, the scroll appeared again, glowing crimson:
Quest 002: Escape the Simulation ArenaObjective: Defeat the construct before the cycle ends.Failure: Cardiac shutdown in original body.Time Remaining: 22 hours, 12 minutes.
Eldrath, the Hall of Flame
Julius entered a room built of fire. Actual fire.
Flames roared in obsidian braziers on all sides, casting flickering shadows over robed figures with gold masks. At the head sat a twisted man—his face stretched tight, like wax melted over bone. Julius could feel the magic in the air—the power that warped space around them.
"You're late, Alexis," the man hissed. "Again."
Julius fought the urge to flinch. The scroll had warned him:
"Blend or burn."
He straightened. "My apologies, Lord Sareth. I was... meditating."
There was a pause, then low laughter—sinister and mocking.
Sareth stood, robes rippling with runes. "A prince who meditates while his kingdom festers. Tell me, have you learned the Binding Tongue yet? Show us."
Julius's heart stopped.
The what now?
The scroll flashed again.
Mini-Quest: Speak the Incantation of Fire or Suffer PainHint: Say "Vas'theran k'niir."
Julius hesitated, then muttered, "Vas'theran... k'niir?"
A ring of flame burst around him.
The elders gasped. Lord Sareth's lip curled. "Perhaps you're not entirely useless after all."
Julius didn't know what he'd just said—but it had saved him. For now.
Novaris: The Simulation Arena
Alexis crouched as the construct emerged—a hulking mass of chrome limbs and rotating blades. Lights on its chest pulsed erratically, a red AI core exposed.
He saw something in the interface now—Julius's memories rising like bubbles in his mind.
"Target weak point. Lure into electromagnetic trap."
He gritted his teeth and sprinted—fast. Too fast. His body blurred. Cybernetic strength surged through him. He dodged the first strike, vaulted over a plasma blade, and yanked loose a power conduit. Sparks flew.
"Neural Sync progressing: 0.3%."
He jabbed the cable into the construct's core—electricity burst outward in a blinding arc. The machine shuddered, screeched, then exploded into white static.
QUEST COMPLETE
Reward: System Stabilizer +1 | Memory Fragment Unlocked
Panting, Alexis looked at his shaking hands. What in the seven hells am I becoming?
Somewhere Else
In a void that wasn't space or time, something laughed. Something with teeth that were too long, and eyes that dripped shadow. The Demon God Var'Kul lounged on a throne of bone and code, watching both boys through burning mirrors.
"Oh, how deliciously broken they'll be," he mused, caressing a soul fragment like a gemstone.
He turned to the next scroll, dipping a claw in ichor.
"Let's raise the stakes... Shall we?"