"The world that birthed me has burned.The world I've entered is already dead.But I'm still breathing. That must mean something."
Lucien walked through the ruins of a world that wasn't his own, his boots crunching against broken marble etched with glowing runes. Some were buried beneath layers of dust, others pulsed faintly with a cold, ghostly light—like memories refusing to fade.
He stopped before a colossal statue, now cracked and half-toppled. The upper face was shattered, but the eyes—what remained of them—still seemed to watch. Not with judgment… but with sorrow.
A cold wind swept past.
The transparent system interface flickered back to life before him.
[Tutorial Realm Initiated]Objective: Reach the Heart of Vaelthorn Ruins.Warning: Entities Detected – Class C to A Threats
Note: Hollow Core detected. Suppression Field partially active.
Lucien stared at his right hand. In the center of his palm, a faint black sigil pulsed with each heartbeat. Not a scar. Not a tattoo. Something deeper—alive.
He still didn't understand what this Hollow Core truly was.
But standing still wouldn't bring answers.
Thirty minutes later, he found it—a half-buried stone gate carved into the wreckage. Massive, ornate, and ancient beyond comprehension. Arched across the top were words written in glowing script:
"House Vaelthorn – Born of Stars, Buried in Ash."
Lucien froze.
Vaelthorn.
The name from the system. The name it claimed was his. He didn't remember choosing it… but it clung to him like a whisper from a forgotten dream.
Suddenly—movement.
From behind the rubble, a figure stepped into view.
Tall, draped in broken armor and a tattered black cloak. Its face hidden behind a cracked helmet, two violet lights burning in the void where eyes should be.
[ENTITY IDENTIFIED]Name: Warden of the First GateClass: ABehavior: Aggressive
Note: Recognizes Hollow Signature. Initiating Combat Protocol.
It didn't speak.
It attacked.
The Warden lunged with a blackened spear that cracked the earth where Lucien had been standing seconds before. He barely dodged, instincts firing like lightning. His right hand flared with that same black glow.
The world around him dimmed. Color drained. The wind halted.
[NULL DOMAIN: 30% Activated]
The spear stopped mid-air—as if frozen in place.
Lucien looked up. The Warden staggered. Its magical core destabilized inside the Null field. Lucien didn't know how, but he knew this was his territory.
He gritted his teeth. In his hand, a blade of pure void formed—long, pulsating, hissing softly. It felt like it had been waiting for him all along.
One step forward.
One clean swing.
SSHHHK—
The blade sliced through the Warden's chest like air.
For a moment, nothing moved.
Then the armored body fell apart with a sound like shattering stone.
[ENTITY DEFEATED]XP Gained: 200New Title Unlocked: Scion of the VoidbloodItem Acquired: Warden Sigil (Key Item)
Lucien stood there, breath heavy—not from fatigue, but shock.
He had killed it.
A creature straight from myth. Something ancient. Dangerous.
And he had won.
He looked up at the fractured sky.
"I don't understand any of this," he muttered.
"But if I can't go back… then I'll burn everything in front of me."
Beyond the gate, a faint light stirred.
The Vaelthorn crest above the arch glowed softly—acknowledging him.
The stone doors rumbled open.
And the world shifted—for Lucien Vaelthorn had returned.