Chapter 3: Fractured Light and Buried Shadows
The Distant Memory
The memory of his father—the Duke of Veridian—never faded.
A man of overwhelming power and terrifying influence.
But such power came with a cost.
A cost Valen had never fully understood, but the shadows of it clung to him like chains he could never break.
To awaken the dormant blessing of Thanatos within Valen, Duke Kairos had done the unthinkable—he poisoned his own wife, ensuring she would not survive childbirth. In return, Kairos shattered into the Seventh Realm of the Sword—a realm unreachable by most, but purchased at the cost of a soul.
Yet Valen grew up thinking his awakening came from bloodline merit alone.
He didn't know the truth—only the nightmares.
Visions of a boy—himself—standing beside a dead woman. The face, always blurry. The pain, always real.
Each night, he woke drenched in sweat, feeling as if something precious had been stolen before he was even born.
As he was sitting there A person Came to him " What are doing here Young master " As valen Heard those Words he instantly knew who she was she was elara he said to her " Where were You gone big sister I felt so scared that you too were taken away from me. Valen started to sob and Elara reassured him that she would never leave him But the Fate had different plans For them.....
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Marcus's Nightmare: The Fall of a Village
Far away, another child's life was shattered.
Marcus Alderwood, descendant of the once-royal Alderwood bloodline, was only nine when his village was annihilated by soldiers under the new rulers.
It wasn't House Veridian's doing—but it was the consequence of the empire's power shift.
The royal family wanted to erase every last echo of the Alderwood legacy.
Marcus survived only because of his grandfather—a retired royal knight.
Old, weary, but still fierce, the knight fought until his last breath to protect the boy.
As the village burned and screams filled the air, they fled through the woods. The elder knight's words became etched in Marcus's soul:
> "Darkness will tempt you. It feels like safety when pain is all you've known. But if you fall into it… you may never see light again. You'll only imagine it. True power must serve purpose—never let revenge twist your heart into a cage Here Take the Our family Heilroom The Celestial Blade."
With those final words, Marcus was alone.With Just a Sword A Symbo of a fallen Dynasty.
The empire thought the boy died in the flames.
They were wrong.
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Struggles in the Back Valleys
Alone and hunted, Marcus wandered into the Back Valleys—a place where law, loyalty, and love were long forgotten.
There, the young Marcus had to make a choice: die… or survive.
He was attacked by a rogue mercenary—a twisted man who preyed on the weak.
In that moment, something snapped.
For the first time, Marcus killed.
It wasn't clean. It wasn't glorious. But it was survival.
As the rogue fell, Marcus found a leather-bound journal hidden in the man's cloak. Its pages detailed the Realms of Power—the swordsmen, mages, archers, lancers, and the paths they walked to reach the Eternal Realm.
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🌌 Realm System (Top-Tier Balanced Power Structure)
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🗡 Path of Blade (Sword)
1. Iron – The starting realm. Enhances strength and durability beyond normal human limits. The user can slice through iron and move with trained reflexes.
➤ Peak Feat: Can cut a tree in half with a single swing.
2. Silver – Muscle memory unlocks, slashes become fluid. Can cut through steel. Speed increases to near sound levels.
➤ Peak Feat: Shatter reinforced armor with clean strikes.
3. Crimson – Bloodlust awakens. Blades carry "killing intent," causing weaker opponents to freeze or hallucinate.
➤ Peak Feat: Slice through walls like butter, dodge arrows mid-flight.
4. Phantom – Movements blur. Afterimages form. Sword aura can extend blade range up to several meters.
➤ Peak Feat: Can duel multiple enemies simultaneously using aura-based slashes.
5. Dragon – Unlocks dragonforce. Slashes contain concussive shockwaves. Physical blows can cause earthquakes.
➤ Peak Feat: Slash a mountain in half.
6. Sovereign – The blade becomes a ruler's will. Your sword controls the battlefield. Gravity bends with each swing.
➤ Peak Feat: Stop a battalion with a single technique. Slash through space.
7. Celestial – Conceptual slashes. The blade ignores physical defense and cuts through "concepts" (e.g., fate, lies, sound).
➤ Peak Feat: Cut someone's voice, slice light itself, or sever illusions.
8. Eternal – Sword becomes the Law. Every swing is backed by world-breaking force. Slashes bend reality.
➤ Peak Feat: Cut a star in half, cleave through space-time, shatter cause-and-effect over a region.
> Equal to universal-scale destruction if unleashed without restraint.
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🏹 Path of Bow – Hawk
1. Wind – Enhanced eyesight, faster draw speed, perfect trajectory memory.
➤ Peak Feat: Hit a moving target from over a kilometer away.
2. Storm – Arrows carry force like mini-storms. Multi-shot and ricochet become possible.
➤ Peak Feat: Down a flying beast mid-air using chain shots.
3. Phantom – Arrows become nearly invisible; draw speed too fast to follow. Predictive aim.
➤ Peak Feat: Shoot around corners by calculating rebound paths.
4. Eagle – Gains avian perception. Can see in 360°, aim at targets hidden from normal vision.
➤ Peak Feat: Shoot a leaf in midair from hundreds of meters away.
5. Starshot – Each arrow pierces dimensions. Can pass through walls, illusions, even armor enchanted with barriers.
➤ Peak Feat: Fire an arrow that curves through time delay.
6. Celestial Archer – Bows now shoot energy arrows. Arrows can create constructs, summon rain, or blind with divine light.
➤ Peak Feat: Fire multiple arrows that reshape terrain, create holy zones.
7. Eagle God – Shoot celestial arrows that pursue souls. Homing accuracy, unmissable.
➤ Peak Feat: Erase someone's existence with one true arrow (pierces memory and spirit).
8. Eternal Bow Realm – Bows that control fate, arrows that rewrite history mid-flight.
➤ Peak Feat: Shoot through dimensions, unmake universes, destroy planetary consciousness.
> Power equals the Eternal Realm of Sword.
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⚔️ Path of Spear – Lance
1. Stone – Defensive style. Spear becomes immovable. Precision-based power.
➤ Peak Feat: Can withstand a cavalry charge.
2. Wind – Enhanced thrust speed and mobility. Movement becomes spear-like – fast and linear.
➤ Peak Feat: Thrust faster than the eye can follow.
3. Storm – AoE stabs create shockwaves. Pierces through squads.
➤ Peak Feat: Spear shatters a battlefield with one sweep.
4. Lightning – Blinding speed. Spear leaves trails of electricity. Thunder pierces all.
➤ Peak Feat: Impale through multiple enemies with one lightning spear.
5. Titan – Physical form towers in presence. Each thrust shakes the earth.
➤ Peak Feat: Crater cities, lift mountains with momentum.
6. War God – Spear turns into a war avatar. Battlefield control, weapon telekinesis, mind-link with allies.
➤ Peak Feat: Launch a spear strike that causes temporary weapon nullification.
7. Void – Every thrust erases matter. Spear transcends into antimatter or null-element.
➤ Peak Feat: One spear strike erases existence over miles. Can cancel magic.
8. Eternal Spear – Pierces destiny. Spear defines "what exists" and what doesn't.
➤ Peak Feat: Collapse timelines with a sweep, launch a spear that pierces universal borders.
> Cosmic-level destruction matching Eternal Blade & Bow.
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🪄 Path of Sorcery – Magic
1. Initiate – Can cast basic elemental spells. Limited mana pool.
➤ Peak Feat: Fireballs, ice shards, light manipulation.
2. Adept – Learns barriers, healing, and early conjuration.
➤ Peak Feat: Deflect multiple arrows with magic shield.
3. Grandmaster – Multiple element fusion. Can summon familiars.
➤ Peak Feat: Freeze a river, summon a golem, cause explosions with a flick.
4. Archmage – Full control of elements and illusions. Can warp terrain and perception.
➤ Peak Feat: Create a thunderstorm from clear sky, summon illusions that feel real.
5. Sage – Tap into time, mind, and probability magic. Rewrite memories.
➤ Peak Feat: Delay attacks by freezing moments, break minds with soundless spells.
6. Heavenly Magus – Reality alteration. Magic becomes a law. Cast divine-class spells.
➤ Peak Feat: Create artificial dimensions, block physical laws.
7. Celestial Sorcerer – Can cast conceptual magic. Curse immortality. Undo blessings.
➤ Peak Feat: Banish someone from history, uncreate a god's miracle.
8. Eternal Mage – Rewrite cosmic laws. Summon stars. Cast planet-erasing spells casually.
➤ Peak Feat: Terraform moons, reverse time flow, delete souls from the wheel of reincarnation.
> Equal to Eternal Bow, Spear, and Sword Realms.
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⚖️ Balance & Summary of Power Scaling
All 8th Realm users (Eternal-class) are:
Universal-level beings
Can break and rewrite fundamental laws
One careless move could erase cities or planets or even Stars .
Marcus Was Shocked to see that these were all the powers humans could posses.
Then He shifted his gaze to the backside and he found out about blessings also known as grace of gods.
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Blessing System & Realms Redesign
Blessing Ranks (Quality of Blessings & Power)
F-Rank: Barely above ordinary humans. Blessings offer minor physical or mental boosts, mainly for common folk survival.
E-Rank: Minor enhancements, often practical for everyday commoners—better stamina, small elemental affinity, or sensory boosts.
D-Rank: Basic combat or utility abilities given to soldiers or low-tier warriors. Modest elemental control or weapon enhancement.
C-Rank: Slightly above-average talents, common among knights and experienced fighters. Stronger elemental affinities or combat skills.
B-Rank: Skilled warriors and lesser nobles with versatile blessings—multi-element affinities, enhanced regeneration, or tactical foresight.
A-Rank: True prodigies, usually nobles with rare and powerful blessings—unique combat abilities, divine protections, or legendary weapon bonds.
S-Rank: The chosen few, "monsters among men." Blessings border on supernatural, allowing reality-altering powers or dominion over powerful elements.
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Realm Progression (Mastery of Blessings & Personal Growth)
1st Realm to 7th Realm: Advancement depends on the strength and mastery of your blessing (linked closely to blessing rank), training, experience, and willpower. Higher blessing ranks generally make it easier to ascend realms, but mastery is key.
8th Realm: The Realm of Transcendence
Unlock Condition: To reach the 8th realm, the blessing rank does not matter. Instead, the individual must achieve a unique personal milestone or complete a special quest/event, such as:
Breaking a fundamental limit imposed by their own mind or body (e.g., conquering inner fears, breaking mental chains).
Performing a ritual or trial that tests their spirit beyond physical power (e.g., confronting their own shadow or essence).
Gaining enlightenment or true understanding of their blessing's origin or purpose.
Fulfilling a prophecy or destiny tied to the blessing's nature, transcending rank.
Merging their soul with their blessing's essence, creating a unique bond that rewrites their limitations.
Thus, anyone, whether A-rank or S-rank, can reach the 8th realm if they accomplish the required transcendental condition.
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Optional: Blessing Types and Effects
Blessings can be elemental, divine, cursed, or abstract (e.g., war, death, light, shadow), but none grant automatic access to the 8th realm.
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Example:
A C-Rank blessing holder who faces their deepest fear and overcomes it in a sacred trial may unlock the 8th realm.
An S-Rank with raw power who fails the transcendence trial remains at the 7th realm.
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It wasn't just a book—it was a guide.
A sign.
This world ran on strength. And Marcus… would never be powerless again.
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Valen's First Kill
Not far from the capital, Valen Veridian stood in the slums, disguised from his noble identity, drawn by strange rumors of forbidden duels in the shadows of the city.
He didn't expect to be ambushed.
A rogue, sensing his suppressed aura, lunged at him with the intent to kill.
Valen's instincts took over.
He dodged, countered—and drove his blade into the man's chest.
It was the first life he had taken.
But unlike Marcus, Valen didn't feel horror.
He felt… still.
The warmth of the blood on his hands wasn't comforting, but it wasn't shocking either.
He stood there, blade in hand, wondering what he had become—and why the act felt inevitable, not accidental.
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Elara's Funeral
Days later, the capital mourned.
Elara, Valen's loyal maid—the only person who had ever treated him like something more than a weapon—was dead.
Valen stood silently at her grave. His eyes didn't cry. But his soul screamed.
She had raised him, comforted him, believed in the part of him he doubted existed. Now… she was gone.
Then, a stranger approached.
A boy in dark clothes, older now, a scar near his brow. He stood at the edge of the crowd, watching Valen.
Their eyes met.
"Valen Veridian," the boy said softly.
"Who are you?" Valen asked.
The boy stepped closer. "Marcus. Marcus Alderwood."
Valen's gaze sharpened. "That name…"
Marcus didn't flinch. He spoke like a blade.
> "I killed Elara."
The world stopped.
Valen's heart pounded. "Why?"
Marcus's voice was heavy but controlled.
> "Her father was your father's personal guard. When my village burned, that man… stood still. Did nothing. So I made him suffer—through the person he loved most."
Valen's fists clenched. "Then why come here?"
Marcus Face darkened as he spoke some words ".oh Valen To be honest I didn't even do it for revenge Even though I was not a god nor an demon I felt lile a one for half a second I became death the one I had her life in my hand so I intended to throw it into abyss as for why I came here well it was to tell you about her last words oh I forget I did not let her speak any." As the words Left Marcus He began to Laugh Menicingly .
Valen stood still.
Everything felt like it was collapsing.
He wanted to scream—but his voice had been stolen by truth.
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End of Chapter 3
> The past was a graveyard they both walked through—one carrying a sword forged by sorrow, the other cursed by blood and betrayal.
But fate had only just begun to tighten its grip.
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