The faint hum of the Void Citadel lingered in Soren's ears as he stood amidst the dissipating shadows of Kaelith's departure. The room had fallen silent, yet the energy of the first node still pulsed faintly beneath his feet, threads of power lingering like a heartbeat echoing through the halls. Soren's gaze traced the threads, each one a fragment of multiversal law, vibrating with potential and knowledge.
"Every node… every fragment… is a lesson. And every lesson brings me closer to Absolute Dominion."
The words were barely a whisper, yet The Chronicler responded immediately. "Correct. You have completed your first synchronization. But one SSS-tier Dominion Summon alone is insufficient for real conquest. True mastery lies in coordinating multiple summons simultaneously. This will be your next trial."
From the shadows, three spheres of darkness coalesced, each forming into a distinct SS-tier Dominion Summon:
Lyrathis, the Veil Warden, a sinuous shadow able to manipulate perception and distort reality around nodes.
Tharok, the Titan of Ruin, a hulking construct whose every movement could shatter the threads of unstable realms.
Elyndra, the Frost Sentinel, ethereal and graceful, commanding elemental threads of ice and temporal stabilization.
Soren's hand instinctively rested on Eclipse Aethernis, feeling its resonance align with the summons. He had mastered summoning Kaelith, but the complexity of coordinating four beings simultaneously required law-resonance synchronization at a level even the Citadel rarely tested.
"Observe carefully," The Chronicler instructed. "A node does not react to power alone—it measures intent, strategy, and the unity of the wielder's command. Misalignment can fracture threads, collapse simulations, or even injure the summoner. Focus."
Soren inhaled, extending his consciousness through the law threads, connecting to all four summons. At first, the threads tangling—Kaelith's shadows clashed with Lyrathis' distortions, Tharok's brute strikes collided with Elyndra's ice, and the node pulsed violently in resistance.
"Focus," he murmured internally. "Each summon is a thread. Bend them to a single purpose, or the node will reject us."
Gradually, synchronization began. Kaelith struck shadows at precise intervals, Lyrathis warped perception to open weak points, Tharok shattered barriers that resisted brute force, and Elyndra's frost stabilized unstable energy currents. The node pulsed, fighting back, testing not only the summons but Soren's own understanding of Absolute Dominion.
Time warped around him; minutes stretched into hours within the Citadel. Every strike, every adjustment, every command was deliberate. The node's resistance became a lesson in patience and control.
Finally, the node's energy threads unraveled, submitting to his command. The room fell silent, the Citadel itself seeming to acknowledge his success.
Kaelith's violet eyes glimmered. "You have proven your control is not only over us, but over the threads that bind reality itself. Few have synchronized multiple SS-tier Dominion Summons on their first trial."
Soren sheathed Eclipse Aethernis, feeling the residual hum of the node in his fingertips. The Citadel's lessons were more than physical—they were strategic, requiring thought, calculation, and ruthlessness. Power alone would never be enough.
The Chronicler's voice resonated, calm but sharp. "This was only the beginning. Nodes outside simulations will resist far more. Some carry remnants of your parents' legacy. Their history, knowledge, and power may lie within you—but only if you master coordination and Absolute Dominion."
A flicker of memory passed through Soren—his parents, Aedric Arclight and Nythera Solveil, the legends whose combined legacy had given him Eclipse Aethernis and the potential for conquest. They had vanished long before his birth, leaving fragments of their power scattered across the multiverse. The nodes might hold the answers he sought: why they disappeared, and what they had left him to accomplish.
"Every conquest is a lesson. Every node a fragment of truth," he thought. "I will master them all—not for vengeance, not for glory—but to impose order where chaos reigns. All realms, every node, will bend or break."
The summons dissipated, leaving faint traces of energy in the hall. Soren extended his senses along the threads left behind, feeling the lingering echoes of the node. The lessons absorbed would shape his strategies for the countless trials to come.
"Soon," The Chronicler said, voice cutting through the silence, "you will leave the Citadel. Real nodes, real realms, real challenges. The multiverse will resist. Some rulers, gods, and mortals will oppose you. Only through Absolute Dominion—the perfect combination of strategy, power, and ruthlessness—will you succeed."
Soren's eyes narrowed. He did not think of mercy, nor did he feel hesitation. Only the endless tapestry of nodes, threads, realms, and Dominion Summons filled his mind.
"The gods ignored the mortals. Rulers fought only for themselves. If no one else will impose order… I will. Every realm, every node, every thread will bend—or break."
And with that, Soren Arclight's true conquest began, each step deeper into the multiverse drawing him closer to hidden truths, the limits of his Absolute Dominion class, and the eventual confrontation with rulers far stronger than he could yet imagine.
TBC...