The moon was cold and high above the Valen estate.
Serena sat cross-legged on the floor of her chambers, her fingers trembling slightly as she stared at the flickering candle before her. Shadows danced along the walls like silent witnesses to her growing unrest.
> Weak. Helpless. Worthless.
The words still echoed from the noble daughters earlier.
> "Serena can't even summon light."
> "Her spirit vein must be broken."
She clenched her fists.
> I won't stay in the dark forever.
---
> [System Notice: Optional Mission – Break Through to Essence Vein Stage 3]
Estimated Pain Level: 84%
Risk of Failure: 17% (Base)
Reward: Unlock Path of Cultivation. +1 Trait Reveal. +5 Reputation Points (System Only).
Serena exhaled. "Do it."
> [System Initiating Forced Core Alignment. Please brace yourself.]
The pain came like fire through her bones.
Her body twisted as if something inside her was being scraped, pulled, and rewritten. Her breath hitched, sweat beading along her skin. No physician had ever explained why her veins resisted essence—only that it was "defective."
> "You will never cultivate," her former fiancé once said coldly. "You're a pretty doll, Serena. Nothing more."
But the System didn't believe that. And now—neither did she.
She bit down on a cloth and screamed through it, muscles locking. Energy raced through her spirit veins, breaking through hardened blockages with sheer violence.
> [Alignment 42%… 66%… 89%... 100%]
[Breakthrough Achieved – Essence Vein Stage 3]
Trait Unlocked: Shadow Grace (Passive) – Movement enhanced in low light by 30%
+1 Cultivation Path Access Granted
System Ranking: Tier 1 System (Awakened)
---
As the pressure lifted, Serena collapsed forward, gasping.
Her fingers dug into the wooden floor. Something had changed. She could feel her body humming, alive in a way it had never been. The candle flame danced unnaturally—leaning toward her as if drawn.
Then, a gentle shimmer spread before her eyes:
---
" SYSTEM PANEL "
Name: Serena Valen
Stage: Essence Vein Stage 3
System Rank: Tier 1 – Awakened
Traits:
• Silent Core (Passive) – Gain energy when humiliated or underestimated
• Shadow Grace (Passive) – Stealth and movement improved in darkness
Reputation: -3 (Despised – Local Noble Circle)
Fate Rating: Shattered Pearl (Rapid Rise Detected)
Next Objective: Burn the Past
Destroy or reclaim one item that symbolizes your former life.
Reward: System Feature – Inventory Unlocked
---
Serena smiled faintly.
> "Burn the past… huh."
She stood slowly, her body sore but brimming with warmth. It wasn't raw power—it was the control. The energy inside her was hers now, not bound by old rules.
She walked to the drawer and pulled out a velvet box.
Inside was a sapphire hairpin, her mother's final gift—and the last thing she wore on the night her engagement was broken. Serena stared at it for a long time.
Then, without a word, she threw it into the candle flame.
The sapphire cracked. Fire licked the velvet.
The scent of char and loss filled the room.
---
> [Objective Complete – "Burn the Past"]
Reward Unlocked: System Inventory | Bonus Feature: Hidden Affinity Detector
+5 Reputation (System-Only Tracking)
---
Far across the capital, in a dusty shop on the edge of the noble district, a cloaked figure stirred.
The man's eyes opened, pupils narrowing like a beast's. He sensed... a ripple.
A familiar frequency.
> "Another one…" he muttered, lips curling. "Another system… and nearby."
Only he could feel it. Ordinary mages, nobles, or elders would never know. But his own system had whispered.
And now, the hunt had begun.
---