Chapter 18 — Virel City
The journey continued beneath quiet skies.
No one spoke much after the bandit attack.
The merchant family's wagon creaked steadily along the forest road while the wounded guard drifted in and out of consciousness.
The children no longer cried.
But they still watched Zero whenever they thought he wasn't looking.
He noticed.
He simply didn't care.
Night arrived quickly.
Darien ordered a stop beside a small stream hidden between rocky outcrops.
"We'll rest here."
His wife immediately began preparing what little food remained while Klaus helped the injured guard drink water.
Zero walked away from the camp.
Far enough that the firelight no longer reached him.
He sat beneath an old tree overlooking the dark forest.
Silence.
The second heartbeat echoed once.
THUMP.
"...Status."
The blue window appeared immediately.
THE ASCENSION RECORDS
Name: Zero
Race: ???
Rank: Mortal Rank
Aspect: Void Walker
Affinity: Void, ??????
Bloodline: Vel'Noctum Bloodline (Sealed)
Active Hearts: 1/7
STATS
Strength: 9
Agility: 11
Vitality: 10
Essence: 14
Perception: 13
TITLES
The Surviving Heir
One Who Should Not Exist
WEAPON ARTS
None.
BOUNDED ITEMS
?????????? — Active
?????????? — Dormant
ESSENCE CIRCULATION ART
Veinforge Art
INNATE ABILITIES
Spatial Distortion — Partial Unlock
Void Perception — Active
Demonic Essence Heart — Active
CONDITION
Mental State: Fractured
Bloodline Seal Stability: Unstable
Zero read every line slowly.
Most of it remained unchanged.
Then his eyes stopped.
Void Perception — Active.
Yesterday it had still been dormant.
So the Veinforge Art hadn't simply circulated his essence.
It had completed something.
Zero closed his eyes.
Immediately—
the world around him expanded.
The wind moving through distant branches.
The quiet breathing of the horses tied beside the wagon.
Water flowing beneath smooth stones inside the nearby stream.
Tiny insects crawling beneath the grass.
None of it reached him through sight.
It was awareness.
The perception he had experienced during the battle with the bandits no longer came and went.
It had stabilized.
It had become part of him.
"Hmmmm'".
"Approximately 10 meters".
Then his gaze shifted downward.
The question marks remained.
Race.
Second affinity.
The two bounded items.
They were there.
Waiting.
Hidden.
"...How?"
The question escaped quietly.
Not directed toward the system.
Toward himself.
How had he awakened?
Every Dominator awakened through the Prime Nexus.
That was the law of Nyxara.
Everyone.
Yet his awakening had ignored that law completely.
No ritual.
No blessing.
No guidance.
Only...
Death and Pain.
The second heartbeat.
His hand slowly rested against his chest.
The heartbeat answered.
THUMP.
One heart.
One of seven.
If a single awakened heart had granted him all this...
What would happen when another awakened?
Power.
More power.
Yet...
For the first time since Ashvale—
a small feeling of unease surfaced beneath the emptiness.
Each awakening seemed to demand loss.
Would every heart require another sacrifice?
The thought lingered.
The system shifted.
New lines appeared.
NOTICE
First synchronization complete.
Veinforge Art proficiency increased.
Void Perception synchronization stabilized.
Another line followed.
Recommendation
Continue circulating essence to strengthen pathways.
Host body remains below minimum specifications.
Zero stared quietly.
His body was too weak.
The power exceeded the vessel.
That explained the burning sensation each time essence flowed through his veins.
He dismissed the screen.
"...Again."
Dark essence naturally flowed through his body.
The Veinforge Art activated once more.
His breathing slowed.
His heartbeat synchronized with the circulation.
Each completed cycle became smoother than the last.
The sharp pain gradually dulled.
Not because he had become stronger.
Because his body was slowly learning.
The system wasn't granting him power.
It was teaching him how to wield the power already sleeping inside him.
Hours passed unnoticed.
Only when the first rays of sunlight touched the forest did Zero open his eyes.
The following afternoon—
the dense forest gradually began to thin.
The old dirt road widened into smooth stone.
More travelers appeared.
Merchants.
Hunters.
Mercenaries.
Imperial patrols.
For the first time since leaving Ashvale—
the world felt alive again.
Darien smiled faintly.
"We're here."
The trees finally opened completely.
Massive stone walls stretched across the horizon.
Nearly thirty meters high.
Watchtowers overlooked every approach.
Golden banners bearing the emblem of the Solaryn Empire fluttered proudly above the gates.
Virel city.
The nearest imperial city.
Klaus slowed unconsciously.
"...It's enormous..."
Zero remained silent.
Ashvale suddenly felt impossibly small.
Outside the gates, hundreds of people waited in organized lines.
Merchant caravans.
Independent Dominators.
Travelers.
Nobles escorted by armored guards.
Everywhere—
essence.
Power.
People far stronger than anyone Ashvale had ever produced.
This...
was the real world.
Darien brought the wagon to a stop.
The injured guard had recovered enough to stand with support.
Then Darien climbed down and walked toward the two boys.
He bowed his head respectfully.
"...I won't forget what you did."
Zero looked toward the city gates.
He neither accepted nor rejected the gratitude.
Klaus smiled instead.
"Just make sure everyone gets home safely."
Darien chuckled tiredly.
"I think... we'll manage now."
His wife gently pulled the children closer before offering a quiet bow.
One of the younger children hesitated.
Then quietly whispered—
"...Thank you."
Zero gave no reply.
He simply turned toward the city.
Klaus gave the family one last nod before following after him.
Soon the merchant wagon disappeared into a separate line leading toward the trade district.
Their paths parted there.
Perhaps forever.
Ahead—
the main gate slowly opened.
Imperial Knights stepped forward.
Silver armor reflected the afternoon sunlight.
Blue cloaks bearing the imperial crest flowed gently behind them.
The pressure they radiated far surpassed Elder Rowan.
One knight spoke calmly.
"You two."
Klaus instinctively straightened.
"We're traveling to the Imperial Citadel."
The knight raised an eyebrow.
"Prospective students?"
"...Hopefully."
His gaze lingered on Zero.
Something...
felt wrong.
He couldn't explain it.
The cloaked boy possessed essence.
Nothing unusual.
Yet instinct whispered that something didn't fit.
The feeling vanished almost immediately.
The knight stepped aside.
"You may enter."
The massive gates slowly opened before them.
Zero crossed the threshold without hesitation.
Behind him—
Ashvale had become nothing more than a memory.
Ahead—
lay the wider world.
The Imperial Citadel.
Answers.
Power.
And somewhere beyond all of it—
the truth of who he really was.