"The most dangerous enemy is not the demon outside—
but the whisper inside your mind…
that starts to make sense."
— Lucian Veylor
---
Kael sat alone in the training hall.
His sacred sword stood lodged in the stone floor.
His body remained still—
but his mind… was anything but.
Evelyn.
The Saintess.
His center of calm.
His beacon of clarity.
Now… she had become the origin of a question that gnawed at him.
"Your truth... may simply be the most beautiful version of a lie."
What did she mean?
Was she cursed?
Possessed?
Had some dark sorcery corrupted her?
No.
Her eyes that night were too clear.
Too conscious.
Not madness—
but conviction.
Kael summoned his interface.
---
[Hero System – Active]
Scanning Target: Evelyn Ailysse
Mental Status: Unstable
Connection to Core Light: -17%
Classification: Non-divine anomaly detected
Recommended Action: Spiritual Quarantine – External Influence Investigation
---
Kael clenched his fists.
The system couldn’t identify the source.
That was worse than demons.
Worse than monsters.
"If the system can't explain it...
then something greater is at play."
And Kael knew—
only one man was cunning enough to orchestrate this.
---
In the forgotten castle,
Lucian let out a low chuckle as he reviewed the real-time data.
---
[Target: Kael Veylor]
Emotional Status: Fluctuating
Mental Focus: Fragmented
Trigger Activated: Doubt Pathway – Unlocked
---
"Perfect," Lucian murmured.
One piece was faltering.
Another beginning to crack.
But the game had just begun.
He opened a new command window.
---
[Villain System – Active]
Protocol Deployed: Illusion Node
Target Zone: Sacred Temple – Kael’s Meditation Chamber
Objective: Manipulate divine visuals and audio during meditative state
---
Lucian whispered to himself with a calm smile.
"Time to make the light too blinding to bear."
---
Three days later.
Kael sat cross-legged in the Chamber of Enlightenment.
A place so sacred,
even saints whispered when entering.
Normally, peace flowed through this space like a living hymn.
But tonight—
something was off.
The light was too bright.
The hymns echoed with sharp feedback, looping unnaturally.
And then…
From the edge of Kael’s vision,
another figure stepped forward.
It was himself.
Identical in form—
except for the eyes: void of light.
And the smile: crooked, knowing.
"You know your enemy, Kael.
But have you ever asked…
who made you a hero?"
---
Thump.
Kael’s eyes snapped open.
Breath ragged.
Forehead cold with sweat.
System alerts blinked.
---
[System Alert]
Cognitive Echo Detected
Duration: 0.3 seconds
---
Three-tenths of a second.
That was all it took.
For the seed of doubt to be born.
And in a battlefield ruled by belief—
one crack…
could bring the whole cathedral down.
---
Back in the castle.
Lucian shut the system panel.
His face was expressionless.
But behind his half-lidded gaze,
his crimson irises glowed faintly.
---
[Infiltration Effect – 31%]
Evelyn: Instability Increasing
Kael: Focus Split – Active Doubt
Projected Chaos Index: +12%
---
“Light is never eternal,” he whispered.
“And when it dims…
even shadows…
may rise as kings.”
---
TO BE CONTINUED...