The air in this place had weight like he was breathing smoke instead of air. Aiden stood at the edge of a broken stairway that fell into endless dark, the ruins around him humming with low, rhythmic sound. Every echo seemed to come from the walls themselves.
His system window blinked alive.
> Environment : Dominion Layer - Floor 1
Status : Stable Entry
Objective : Conquer the First Domain.
Failure : Erasure.
He exhaled. So no pressure.
The ground beneath him pulsed faintly each time he took a step, responding to his presence. In the distance, towers of obsidian jutted upward, connected by bridges of light that flickered on and off like a heartbeat. He could feel eyes on him even when nothing moved.
A whisper drifted through the gloom, soft, drawn-out, neither male nor female.
"You have returned, fragment."
Aiden turned, sword ready. The figure that approached looked human but wasn't. Its armor was translucent, carved with symbols that glowed pale blue. Where a face should have been, there was only shifting mist.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"The first warden," the figure said. "The guardian of what you left behind."
"I didn't leave anything. I was dragged here."
The warden tilted its head. "Ignorance is mercy. But mercy will not open the gate."
It lifted a blade of pure light. The ruins trembled.
The system chimed again:
> Challenge Initiated : Trial of Dominion - Phase 1
Victory Condition : Survive.
Aiden barely moved before the first strike came. The warden's sword cut through the air in a blur. He blocked, the impact throwing him backward into a wall. Sparks of energy spilled from his blade.
Fast.
The second swing followed instantly. He rolled aside, the edge slicing through stone like cloth. The sound wasn't metal, it was like thunder compressed into a whisper.
Aiden steadied himself, letting his own Dominion flare. The markings along his arm burned with dark silver light. He swung, the power wrapping around his sword like living smoke. The clash sent ripples through the ground. For the first time, the warden staggered.
"So the fragment remembers how to fight," it said.
He gritted his teeth. "I'm not your fragment."
He pressed forward, each strike faster than the last, sparks tearing from every collision. The warden countered with impossible precision until one blow caught its side, splitting armor and light alike. The creature fell to one knee, glowing fluid spilling from its chest.
The system responded.
> Phase 1 - Complete.
Dominion Sync : 72 %.
Phase 2 : Awakening Core.
The warden laughed, a sound that made the air shake. "You think conquest is battle. But Dominion is will."
Its body dissolved into light that poured into the floor, tracing sigils around him. The ruins shifted. A massive gate rose ahead, carved from black glass, sealed with a sigil identical to the one that had burned into Aiden's memory back in Ares: a circle divided by a single line.
The moment he looked at it, his head flooded with voices, thousands overlapping.
"Open the path."
"Return what was taken."
"Remember."
Aiden stumbled, clutching his head. The system flared a warning.
> Cognitive Overload - Imminent.
Stabilize using Dominion Core or risk disintegration.
Dominion Core?
Instinct guided him. He placed his hand on the gate, focusing on the rhythm of his pulse. The markings along his skin lit up, connecting in patterns that formed a circle in his palm. The voices quieted, replaced by one steady heartbeat, not his own, but the world's.
He whispered, "Stabilize."
Light exploded outward. When it faded, the gate stood open. Beyond it stretched an arena surrounded by floating shards of crystal. In the center waited a throne of obsidian and seated upon it, a figure that mirrored him exactly.
Same face. Same stance. Same faint glow in the eyes.
His reflection smiled. "Finally."
Aiden's breath caught. "Who are you?"
"You," the echo said, rising. "Or what you were meant to become."
It drew its sword, a perfect copy of his own and the air cracked with power.
The system window pulsed.
> Phase 3 - Dominion Confrontation.
Rule : Only one may exist.
The echo lunged forward. Their blades met in a burst of light so bright it tore the floor apart. Every movement mirrored perfectly; every strike, every feint, answered instantly. Fighting it was like fighting a memory that already knew the ending.
Aiden growled. "You can copy my moves, but not my reasons."
He let the power flow freely this time, ignoring the pain tearing through his arm. His Dominion spread outward in a circle of shifting light, his new ability, Domain Pulse. The world flickered. The echo froze for a heartbeat as reality twisted around them.
Aiden moved. His sword cut through the hesitation, driving straight through the reflection's chest. The double gasped, expression almost human, then smiled faintly.
"Then you are worthy," it whispered, and burst into light.
The throne dissolved. The arena folded in on itself, and a rush of energy flooded into Aiden, filling every nerve until it hurt to breathe.
> Trial Complete.
Dominion Sync : 100 %.
Reward : Skill - Domain Manifest.
Effect : Summon a fragment of your Dominion to the physical world.
The ruins around him steadied. The endless dark receded, replaced by faint stars. For the first time since he'd arrived, the air felt alive.
He knelt, exhausted, but alive. His system flickered once more.
> New Directive : Ascend to Floor 2.
Secondary : Find the one called the Architect.
Aiden looked toward the distant stairway now glowing faintly in the dark. He sheathed his sword and started walking.
Somewhere far above, in Ares, alarms were sounding again and Lira Vance was staring at a new report that read:
> Energy Signature : Dominion Layer -Active Link Restored.
Subject : Aiden Cross - Status : Alive.