The second day in the Wastes began with blood.
Mine.
A cut across my cheek—shallow but deliberate—courtesy of a bandit's dagger. The fool had crept up in the night, thinking I was just another dying exile.
He was wrong.
> [Enemy Defeated: Human - Rogue Exile, LVL 2]
+95 EXP
[Devour Essence: Active]
Stat Boost – Agility +1 | Dexterity +1 (Temporary, 30 mins)
His corpse lay crumpled beside the ribcage shelter I'd slept in. I didn't feel guilt. Not even a flicker. Out here, sentiment got you killed. My system knew it. Now I did too.
> [Warning: Emotional Detachment Increasing. System Compatibility Rising.]
[Current Synchronization: 34%]
I clenched my fists, shadow energy flickering faintly across my fingers. With every kill, I grew stronger—but also less... human.
Was that the cost of survival?
Or the key to dominance?
Either way, I wasn't stopping.
By noon, the skies above the Wastes shifted from grey to sulfur yellow. Storms brewed out here like brewing hate—fast, wild, and always hungry. My system displayed a new prompt:
> [Environmental Hazard Incoming: Ashstorm Class 2]
Estimated Impact: 14 minutes
Suggested Action: Seek Shelter | Activate Shadow Merge (Trial Skill)
"Shadow Merge?" I asked aloud, unsure what that even meant.
[Trial Skill: Shadow Merge]
– Merge with a nearby shadow to become intangible for a limited duration.
– Duration: 90 seconds. Cooldown: 3 hours.
– Warning: Incomplete mastery. May cause disorientation or hallucination.
"I'll take hallucinations over getting skinned alive by ash."
I looked around. The Wastes were flat, exposed. The only nearby shadow was under the bandit's corpse.
Disgusting. But I didn't hesitate.
I placed my palm against the man's blood-soaked tunic.
"Activate Shadow Merge."
The world turned inside out.
I dropped into cold.
Not cold like winter—cold like falling into a well with no bottom. My body dissolved, nerves vanishing, mind stretching thin like fabric. Everything turned black. Not empty—crowded.
I saw… something.
Eyes. Red. Watching from a place beneath time.
A voice spoke—not the system, but older.
"You are not the first to wear shadows. But perhaps… the last to master them."
Then silence.
And light.
I gasped as I reappeared, falling backward into the real world just as the ashstorm passed overhead. Dust swirled past harmlessly. My lungs burned, but I was alive.
[Shadow Merge Complete.]
[First Trial Passed: +150 EXP]
Level Up! → LVL 3
New Trait: Veil Sense – Detect nearby movement through shadows (Passive).ay still, eyes wide, heart pounding.
What the hell was that?
The voice, the red eyes—it wasn't part of the system.
Something else lived in the shadows.
And it knew me.
An hour later, my system pinged again—this time with something that made my pulse quicken.
[Primary Quest Update: Rise of the Forgotten Heir]
Objective Unlocked: Locate and Open the First Shadow Gate]
Distance: 2.4 km Southwest. Warning: Corrupted Presence Detected Nearby.]
Shadow Gate.
It sounded ominous—and exactly like the kind of thing that would answer the questions burning in my blood.
I adjusted the torn belt around my waist and moved southwest.
The Wastes weren't silent anymore. I could hear them now—whispers at the edge of my hearing, shadows dancing at the edges of my vision. I wasn't hallucinating. This place responded to me now.
It recognized me.
Or feared me.
Either worked.
Two hours later, I stood at the entrance of a ruined obsidian arch buried in the side of a canyon wall. Vines withered at its base. Carvings along the stone shimmered as my shadow touched them.
Ancient runes glowed:
"Only the Forgotten May Enter."
> [Shadow Gate – Locked]
Requirement: Blood of the Lost | Proof of Rejection | Level 3+]
Status: Eligible. Unlock Gate?
"Yes," I said aloud.
The system didn't respond.
Instead, the gate spoke.
"Speak your name, O child of shadows."
I hesitated.
Was I still Kael Evernight?
No.
That boy had died on the Judgment Spire.
"I am the Forgotten Heir," I said. "Born of betrayal. Forged in exile. Crowned by shadows."
The arch cracked. Then opened.
A blast of cold air swept past me, carrying the scent of dust, power… and blood.
[Shadow Gate Opened.]
[Entering Trial of Sovereignty – 1st Stage]
I stepped inside.
The world beyond the gate was a void lit by pale torches, flickering without flame. At the center stood a throne—stone, cracked, and surrounded by seven shadowy figures in robes.
They turned toward me in unison.
[Welcome to the Trial of Sovereignty – Stage One]
Defeat the Shades of Judgment
Enemies: 7 | Difficulty: Moderate | Perk Reward: Class Upgrade Path Reveal
Class upgrade?
My grip tightened.
Seven-on-one odds weren't fair.
But neither was exile.
"Let's begin," I growled.