System Reminder: 645 days remaining until your soul is claimed.
Nightmare Gauge: 2%
SP Total: 770
Codex Sync: 14%
Allies: Tenn, The Broken Trinity (Bound)
Current Objective: Unlock First Sin Fusion
They traveled in silence.
The road that wound away from the ruins of the Chained Tower was not real in the traditional sense. It was a path through fractured data fields—a liminal corridor, a faultline where broken systems bled into one another.
Kael led the way, each step traced by glitching flames that didn't burn. The Codex pulsed against his soul, like an unread whisper, hungry to be opened further.
Behind him: Tenn, still silent since the contract ritual. And the Broken Trinity—his new bonded servants.
They didn't speak.
Not unless commanded.
They shuffled behind like shadows of a sin Kael hadn't yet named.
Echoes of Old Systems
[System Alert – Transitional Zone: Forgotten Cache Detected]
Kael stopped.
The area shifted—becoming a crumbled hall lined with decayed monoliths. Symbols of long-dead systems flickered across stone. One caught Kael's eye:
A sword piercing an eye. The System of Judgment.
He approached.
As his hand touched the monolith, a surge of memory hit him—not his, but ancient.
Flashback – A Past User's Fall
A boy stood before a burning cathedral, screaming as his system shattered.
He had followed Justice. He had believed in Order.
But in the end, Order betrayed him.
Because he hesitated to kill a sinner—his brother.
"You broke the clause. Emotion interfered with enforcement."
"System Judgment: Revocation. Execution queued."
His screams echoed as the light consumed him.
Kael snapped back to the present, panting.
"Another broken one," he muttered.
Tenn watched him with narrowed eyes. "How many like you are there?"
Kael answered without turning. "Too many. That's why I have to keep going."
Sin Codex Activation
[Codex Sync: 15% – First Fusion Unlocked]
Choose any two active Sin Paths to fuse temporarily.
Kael opened his system screen.
Pride.
Wrath.
Envy.
Gluttony.
Greed.
Sloth.
Lust. (Locked)
He chose:
Pride + Gluttony
[Fusion Achieved: Devouring Sovereignty]
Effect: Absorbed enemies no longer just fuel SP—they reinforce Kael's physical body, granting him temporary stat spikes and a passive Sin Aura that forces weaker minds to kneel.
The ground trembled.
A black ring of power pulsed from Kael's feet.
Tenn immediately braced herself, struggling to remain upright. The Broken Trinity dropped to their knees—whimpering.
"Turn it off!" Tenn barked.
Kael blinked—and shut it down.
For now.
Ambush at the Threshold
They crossed into the next realm, only to be greeted by blades.
Four figures in white armor stood on the path. Their armor bore the sigil of The Balance Enclave—a faction of purity that maintained equilibrium between systems. Fanatics.
"Kael Vireth," one hissed. "You are declared a destabilizing variable. You have breached System Law. Submit for purification."
Kael smirked.
"And if I don't?"
Another raised a staff—releasing a pulse that erased Kael's SP bar for a moment.
[System Suppression Field Activated – Sin Abilities Disabled Temporarily]
Tenn stepped forward, but Kael raised a hand.
"No," he said coldly. "Let me see what these little gatekeepers are made of."
He cracked his knuckles.
[System Rewrite: Engaged] – Gluttony Modifier Activated]
Gluttony Override: System Suppression counts as consumable. Attempting to devour...
Kael's eyes glowed red-black.
The field shimmered—then twisted.
He consumed it.
Power rushed back.
The four zealots staggered.
Kael moved.
Faster than light.
[Devouring Sovereignty – Activated]
He pierced the first one's chest—absorbing the system tether inside.
The man collapsed, screaming.
Two others turned to run.
They didn't get far.
Kael's aura flared again, forcing them to kneel mid-sprint.
He killed them cleanly.
Only one remained—desperate, sobbing. "You don't understand what you're doing! This balance—this cycle—it protects everyone! If you break the system—"
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"I am the system now."
He consumed him too.
[Enemies Defeated: Balance Enclave Scout Squad]
+180 SP
+Codex Progress: 17%
+Skill Fragment Absorbed: [Purification Pulse Lv.1] (Under Analysis)
Tenn watched the carnage, silent.
When it was over, she finally spoke.
"You're not just fighting the system, Kael," she said. "You're becoming something worse than it."
Kael didn't respond.
Because deep down, he already knew.
And he no longer cared.
Closing Scene – The Laughing Voice Returns
That night, Kael dreamed again.
Lucivar stood in a field of ash, juggling system cores like marbles.
"I saw what you did," he chuckled. "You ate suppression. What a gluttonous little sovereign you're becoming."
Kael didn't smile.
"What's next?"
Lucivar dropped the cores.
"Next?" His grin stretched ear to ear.
"You meet someone worse than me."
Incoming Threat: The Collector
Class: Tier 7 System Reclaimer
Alignment: Undefined
Ability: Collection Protocol – Steals both skills and memories from defeated targets.
Status: En route to Kael Vireth
Estimated Arrival: 3 Days
System Reminder: 645 days remaining
SP Total: 950
Nightmare Gauge: 4%
Codex Sync: 17%
New Ability Fusion: Devouring Sovereignty
Threat Detected: The Collector (Approaching)
Note: Lucivar Watches with Interest