> **System Notification:**
> *Eclipse Countdown: 5 Days Remaining*
> *Main Quest: "Thread of Eclipse" – Progress: 43%*
> *Risk Level: Rising*
> *Warning: New hostile element detected – [The Hollow Mask]*
The night hung thick over Raventhorn, cloaking its towers in a velvet shroud. The wind whispered of change—of blood.
Azrael stood alone at the top of the eastern spire, robes dark as the void, his eyes fixed on the moon. It was no longer the celestial guardian of old myths. It was a ticking clock. And its shadow crept closer.
He had thwarted the Velis Node.
Shade had successfully corrupted the Hollow Sky Monastery's anchor, according to her coded message—"Petals scattered. Roots rotten."
Two out of three threads severed.
That left the final, and most dangerous one: the capital itself.
> **System Prompt:**
> *Capital Node Status: Hidden, Embedded in Royal Line.*
> *Action Blocked: System cannot interfere without direct confrontation or ritual override.*
> *Suggested Course: Subvert the ritual from within.*
Azrael clenched his fist.
He had known from the start. His own blood was the lock—and key.
---
Earlier that morning, he had summoned Minister Velkrin for a private discussion.
"Minister," Azrael said with measured calm, "you've served the crown loyally. But I wonder... Do you believe in prophecy?"
Velkrin stiffened. "In theory, Your Highness. But I serve reason first."
Azrael nodded. "Good. And yet, I've received word that a few within the inner court have been... indulging in texts from the Forbidden Archive."
Velkrin's eyes twitched, just barely.
"That would be treason," Velkrin said slowly. "But such accusations require proof."
Azrael leaned forward. "And should that proof point to one of your protégés?"
Velkrin hesitated. "Then... I would bring the blade myself."
Liar.
Azrael smiled.
> **System Prompt: [Keen Insight] Passive Activated**
> *Detected: Incongruence between verbal conviction and neural response.*
> *Suspicion Level: High (75% Probability of Disloyalty)*
After Velkrin departed, Azrael issued a silent command.
> **System Order:**
> *[Shadowbind Subroutine] Activated – Target: Velkrin's Quarters*
> *Result: Unauthorized magical scrolls discovered. Encryption matched to Circle codes.*
> *Evidence Logged.*
One piece moved.
---
But that same night, something else moved in return.
Azrael's private chamber lights flickered—an unnatural pulse. His vision blurred for a moment, like something had tried to overlay itself upon reality.
Then he saw it.
A figure at the edge of his vision. Faceless. Pale white mask etched with nothing but a hollow circle.
It moved like smoke and shadow—there one second, gone the next.
Azrael didn't blink. "System," he whispered, "anomaly?"
> **System Alert:**
> *Unknown hostile detected – [The Hollow Mask]*
> *Classification: Aberrant Entity – Not bound by natural law.*
> *Threat Level: Variable*
> *Recommended Action: Do not engage alone.*
"Perfect," Azrael muttered.
He turned sharply just in time to parry a knife made of silence.
> **System Combat Mode Activated**
> *Reaction Speed Boost: +18%*
> *Skill Buff: Shadow Counter (Lv2)*
The masked figure lunged—unnaturally fast. But Azrael had trained in silence for years. He met the strike mid-air, deflecting the blade with a twist of his arm, then used the momentum to roll backward and draw a glyph-carved dagger.
> **System Notification:**
> *Skill Used – "Veil Piercer"*
> *Effect: Bypasses magical camouflage and illusion.*
> *Successful hit: 1*
The blade scraped the figure's side. It didn't bleed.
Instead, it screamed.
A voiceless shriek tore through the room—not sound, but pressure. Azrael staggered, his ears ringing.
And then the figure vanished.
> **System Notification:**
> *Hostile repelled. Unknown if destroyed.*
> *Data Recovered:*
> – *Codename: The Hollow Mask*
> – *Affiliation: ??? (Possibly Circle / External Entity)*
> – *Behavioral Pattern: Anti-fate Intervention*
Azrael steadied himself.
"They're summoning things not of this world now..."
---
The next day, Azrael convened the Circle of Shadows—his secret inner council, composed of loyal spies, assassins, and two war mages.
"Velkrin is compromised," Azrael declared. "We allow him to think he's ahead. I want his movements tracked. If he tries to reach the Circle, intercept the messenger."
"Understood," said a masked woman with a crow-feather mantle. "And the creature?"
Azrael's gaze darkened. "The Hollow Mask is not of the Circle. It's something worse. Have the archives searched for any mention of similar events—ritual interruptions, entity projections, eclipse-born anomalies."
"And the people?" another asked. "Tension is rising."
Azrael tapped the table with his finger.
"We give them a spectacle. A public rite of protection, hosted by the High Temple. We stage a blessing. The nobles feel secure. The commoners distracted. And during the rite... I'll place a failsafe over the royal bloodline seal."
---
> **System Notification:**
> *New Skill Unlocked – "Thread Lock" (One-Time Ritual Override)*
> *Allows: One-time substitution of host signature with illusionary proxy during fate-aligned rituals.*
> *Cooldown: Permanent – Consumable Use Only*
> *Warning: If exposed during use, system integrity will be compromised.*
He exhaled.
Every choice he made now had weight.
One misstep—and it all unraveled.
---
That evening, Azrael walked through the lower districts in disguise. He listened to the whispers: rumors of the eclipse, of nobles disappearing, of cloaked figures seen near the palace.
People were afraid.
Good.
Fear was a tool.
---
As the moon rose again, brighter and more menacing each night, Azrael stood at the top of the palace once more.
A knock.
He turned.
It was Shade—this time bloodied, but victorious.
"Velkrin sent a courier to the outer estates. We intercepted. The scroll was a Circle command order, sealed in spider wax."
"Burn it," Azrael said. "And send a copy to Cadmon. Let him believe Velkrin is baiting me."
Shade raised an eyebrow. "You're playing both sides now?"
Azrael smirked. "No. I'm writing the script they're trying to follow."
---
> **System Notification:**
> *Influence +4 (Deceptive Messaging + Counterintelligence)*
> *Shadow Loyalty: +2%*
> *Circle Confusion Level: Rising*
Azrael sat at his desk once more and activated a new interface:
> **[Eclipse Watch: Day 5/9]**
> *Status: Final Node Active*
> *Host Seal: Vulnerable*
> *Next Event Trigger: Eclipse Ceremony in 48 Hours*
He folded his hands, voice cold and clear.
"Let them come."
"They will find nothing but shadow and ruin."
"And when the light returns—"
"I will still be standing."