The road was quiet.
Trees lined the path, twisted and leafless.
The mud squished under Lucien's boots as he walked.
He held a stick in one hand and used it to poke at a dead squirrel.
"Still not moving," he muttered. "Same as my luck."
He dropped the stick and kept walking.
The silence stretched too long.
Finally, he spoke.
"Alright. You there?"
No answer.
Lucien rolled his eyes. "I know you're listening."
Still nothing.
"Don't make me pray. I'm not good at it."
The wind shifted.
Then a voice, soft and dry like old paper, answered.
I listen better when you're annoyed.
Lucien smiled.
"There he is. The whisperer himself."
Vel'Zheron, the voice said.
Forgotten, forsaken, and free.
Lucien stretched his arms over his head.
"Been meaning to ask," he said. "What exactly did you do to me?"
I gave you truth.
"No, I mean specifically. What can I do now? I've been seeing glowing threads between people. I pulled one the other day and the girl tripped into her boyfriend's arms like he was made of mud."
He paused.
"I laughed for a full minute."
Vel'Zheron chuckled.
That was your first taste of Soul Dominion. The power to see what others lie about. The bonds they think are unbreakable.
Lucien nodded.
"Right. So I see emotional threads. What else?"
You don't just see them, the voice said. You can manipulate them. Break them. Twist them. Replace them with new ones centered around you.
Lucien raised an eyebrow.
"Sounds fun."
It is.
"Alright," Lucien said. "Break it down for me. In plain words. What can I do now, what will I do later, and how do I get stronger?"
Vel'Zheron's voice grew clearer.
Like it was inside his head now.
You walk the path of Dominion. The Soul Dominion. Power not over flesh or steel, but the heart.
Lucien scratched his chin. "Still with you."
The world runs on bonds. Love. Loyalty. Faith. Trust. Every person is tied to others by invisible threads.
"I can see them," Lucien said. "They glow. Red, blue, gold. Different shades."
Correct. Each color reflects the emotion behind it. The stronger the bond, the brighter it shines.
Lucien kicked a rock.
"And I'm supposed to… what? Snip them?"
No, Vel'Zheron said. You sever them only when it serves a purpose. But true power comes when you break them slowly. When they collapse from the inside.
Lucien nodded.
"So emotional sabotage."
You feed on the ruin of sacred things.
Lucien stopped walking.
"Now tell me everything again. No riddles. No poetic fog. Just the facts."
The voice sighed, almost amused.
Very well.
Lucien saw symbols in the sky.
Lines, circles, spirals floating for only a second before fading.
Your power is called Soul Dominion.
It allows you to See emotional bonds as Soul Threads. Influence those threads with words, touch, dreams, and presence.
Gain strength by breaking those bonds in your favor. Unlock power based on the type of bond you break
Lucien nodded slowly.
The more emotionally sacred the bond love, marriage, devotion the more power you gain when it breaks.
Lucien licked his lips.
"And that power goes where?"
Into your Dominion Level and your Sin Resonance.
Lucien raised a brow. "Explain both."
Dominion Level measures your overall corruption influence. It grows when you make people fall emotionally, spiritually, or mentally.
Sin Resonance is what you gain when you break a bond tied to a specific virtue.
Lucien grinned.
"And that's the seven sins?"
Seven Sin Virtues. What others call virtue devotion, honor, faith I call weakness. When you break those, you gain Resonance in that sin.
A glowing image appeared in Lucien's mind a dark flower with seven twisting petals.
Here are your Sin Virtues and what they unlock
DEVOTION.
Love into Obsession
Break romantic love or soulmate bonds.
Gain charm, lust-based aura, control over desire.
HONOR.
Vows into Submission
Break oaths, codes, knightly honor.
Gain presence of authority, oath-reversal powers.
TRUST.
Loyalty into Treason
Break friendships, alliances, servant loyalty.
Gain infiltration skills, memory confusion, false friendship.
CHASTITY.
Purity into Craving
Break vows of abstinence, religious purity, or virgin pride.
Gain energy siphon, seduction strength, dream influence.
PRIDE.
Self-Worth into Worship
Break prideful people down into need.
Gain psychological domination and mind influence.
FAITH.
Belief into Heresy
Corrupt divine followers, saints, or blessed people.
Gain anti-divine aura, false miracle casting, and soul tampering.
HOPE.
Optimism into Despair
Kill belief in futures, dreams, or salvation.
Gain dream-walking, emotional collapse auras, and control over sorrow.
Lucien blinked.
"That's a lot."
You'll start with weak influence in each. As you cause Falls in specific virtues, the associated tree grows stronger.
Lucien crossed his arms.
"Falls?"
When a person betrays what they were most loyal to, and turns toward you, you cause a Fall. That generates Sin Resonance. More Resonance, more power.
Lucien paced in a slow circle.
"And each Sin has its own skill tree?"
Yes. Four tiers each.
The more Resonance you collect in a virtue, the more of its tree you unlock.
Lucien sat on a stump.
"Give me examples."
Vel'Zheron's voice grew smoother.
Devotion, early tier. You gain Whisper of Doubt, which lets you implant uncertainty in lovers.
Later, you unlock Throne of Obsession she loves no one but you, even if it kills her.
Honor, First skill is Voice of Hesitation, which makes knights stumble in their vows.
Final skill is Crown of the Fallen, which lets you inherit their authority if their oath breaks for you.
Lucien laughed.
"That's brilliant."
It gets better. Chastity gives you Dreamwalk Seduction enter her mind at night.
Pride gives you Mirror Rot make them see ugliness in themselves.
Faith lets you blaspheme by accident.
Hope gives you a field where no one believes anything good will happen.
Lucien grinned.
"This is real power."
It's what they fear most, Vel'Zheron said.
Not death. Not war. Doubt. Desire. Betrayal. You are the voice of their worst truth, that love is weak, and loyalty is a leash.
Lucien stood.
"Alright," he said. "So to grow stronger, I pull threads. Break hearts. Corrupt loyalty. Make them fall, and collect the pieces."
Yes.
"And in return, I get skills from the trees. Power, aura, illusions, dominion fields."
Exactly.
Lucien looked up at the gray sky.
"How do I know which thread to pull?"
You'll feel it, the voice said.
The right moment will tingle in your bones. And when they break, you'll know. It will taste like lightning.
Lucien chuckled.
"Good. I like lightning."
The wind carried a soft laugh.
Then go, little bastard. Break what they worship. Turn their light to shadow. And feed me their ruins.
Lucien took a deep breath.
Then kept walking.
Up ahead, the road curved through the trees.
A wooden sign stood in the mud, painted in fading letters.
Edrin's Reach – 2 miles
Lucien smiled.
"Let's test their vows."