The city was restless.
Ironclad City slept on the surface, but beneath the streets, in abandoned maintenance tunnels and long-forgotten subways, a network of whispers and shadows stirred. Kael Dominus sensed it before he saw it—the subtle tremor of presence, faint, deliberate, unlike the pulsating authority he carried.
It began with a message, simple and cryptic:
"Rank-E, you're not as invisible as you think. Meet us where the city forgets itself."
No sender. No system notification. No trace. Only the words, floating in his mind as if written on the air itself.
Kael frowned. Authority had taught him caution. The system had failed him once; he didn't intend to fail it—or himself—again. Yet curiosity, a dangerous companion, tugged at him.
Who could know? Who could see me?
That night, he moved silently through the city's lower districts. Narrow alleyways twisted like veins, broken lamps flickering weak light over graffiti-stained walls. Students and citizens alike avoided these paths; rumours said these streets belonged to the Black Talon Guild, a shadow network of rogue beast tamers, mercenaries, and system outlaws.
Kael stepped lightly, senses sharpened. He felt no fear, only awareness. Every footstep, every distant echo, and every flicker of light told a story, a pattern, a presence.
Then he saw them.
Three figures emerged from the shadows, cloaked and hooded. Their movements were precise, deliberate, and predatory. One stepped forward, pulling back his hood to reveal a sharp-featured young man with cold eyes.
"Rank-E," he said, voice smooth, almost musical, yet edged with danger. "You've drawn attention… dangerous attention. The system isn't the only thing watching you."
Kael's jaw tightened. "Who are you?"
"A friend… or a warning," the man said. "Name's Kaelrix. The Black Talon Guild. We watch the system's failures. You… are one of them."
Kael's eyes narrowed. Authority pulsed faintly within him. Recognition, silent and observant. This Kaelrix—he wasn't afraid. But he wasn't naïve either.
Guilds. Rogue factions. Shadow manipulators…
The system had never accounted for them. Not fully. But Kael could sense their presence: subtle, fluid, dangerous.
"Why contact me?" Kael asked cautiously.
"Because you are not supposed to exist," Kaelrix replied. "A Rank-E commanding without a beast… the system cannot see it. But others can. And some do not wish for you to continue."
Kael exhaled. The night seemed heavier, thicker, pressing against him. Every instinct screamed that the world was bigger—and darker—than the neat rankings of Ironclad City High.
Days passed in tension.
Whispers of underground guild movements reached Kael through unusual channels—graffiti on walls, coded messages in discarded tech, and fleeting glances from students who didn't belong to any official class. Every contact carried the same unspoken warning: trust no one; the system misses nothing, but others see everything.
Kael felt it too. The subtle hum of authority inside him pulsed faster, sharper. Each time he stepped near a rogue presence, a shadow of recognition brushed against him. The Sovereign Interface flickered faintly.
Directive: Observation RecommendedPotential Threats: High
And then came the first betrayal.
It happened during a combat simulation. The class gathered in the arena, with ranked students showcasing their bonded beasts under instructor supervision. Kael remained at the back, as usual, observing, noting patterns, and testing boundaries.
A Rank-A student, Jorvan, approached under the pretence of offering guidance. "Need help?" he asked, voice smooth, friendly. But Kael noticed the faint shimmer of mana beneath his sleeve—unauthorised manipulation.
Kael narrowed his eyes. Authority pulsed, subtle, probing. Something was off.
Jorvan smirked. "You're not supposed to be here, Rank-E. You shouldn't have calmed that rogue beast."
Before Kael could react, a surge of energy erupted. Jorvan activated a hidden glyph, a trap designed to expose weaknesses. Students gasped. Beasts recoiled. The system blinked red, trying to intervene.
Kael didn't flinch. He let the pressure inside him flow, calm, deliberate, unnoticed by the system. The glyph collapsed under the unmeasured force. Jorvan's eyes widened.
"You… what are you?"
Kael's voice was quiet, almost a whisper: "Not what you think."
Jorvan stumbled back, the betrayal evident in his eyes. Authority had protected him, and yet he understood nothing. Kael didn't strike, didn't boast. He simply existed—power unseen, command unregistered.
The system blinked. Panels flickered. Warning icons appeared, then vanished. The instructors stared, perplexed. No logs recorded the anomaly. No ranks updated. Nothing.
Kael stepped away, expression unreadable.
The world ranks power by beasts…But there are powers beyond sight.
That night, Kael returned to the auxiliary wing, mind racing. The rogue guild, the betrayal in the arena, the system's blind spots—it all connected. The city wasn't safe. Not for him. Not for anyone who moved outside its invisible chains.
Rina appeared at his side without warning. "You're shaking," she said, voice quiet, concerned. "What happened?"
Kael shook his head. "Nothing you need to worry about."
Her eyes narrowed. "Rank-E doesn't get nervous. You're hiding something."
He exhaled, letting the subtle authority within him pulse once, a faint reminder of control. "There are things… people… the system can't account for. That's all."
Her lips pressed into a thin line. "Then we watch. Together."
Recognition. Trust. Connection. Something fragile and dangerous in a world that measured everything by rank and beast lineage. Kael realised he could not face this alone—not yet.
Later, in the stillness of his dorm, Kael let the pressure within him expand. Authority was calm, measured, and aware. The rogue guild was only the beginning. The betrayal in the arena was only the first warning. And yet, the presence within him waited, patient, observant, satisfied.
The system sees nothing.The world judges me as weak.But unseen, I am stronger than anyone suspects.
Kael closed his eyes. Shadows moved in the city below. Guilds, spies, system monitors—all watching, all waiting, all unaware of the quiet force he commanded.
This is just the beginning.
And somewhere, deep within him, the Sovereign Authority pulsed once, a whisper:
Obedience is not required. Recognition is earned.
Kael smiled faintly. He did not need a beast. He did not need a rank. The shadows, the system, the guilds—they were all pieces of a larger game.
And he had only just begun to play.