Kael emerged from the mental realm gasping for air, as though he'd been drowning in thought. The obsidian platform beneath him had cooled, no longer steaming, no longer hostile. The flickering runes etched into the floor beneath his feet began to dim—then pulse.
A low hum vibrated through his chest.
"All aspects of the foundational trinity nearing stabilization."
"First Tier Ascension eligible."
He collapsed to his knees. His body trembled—not from pain, but from overflow. His core thrummed with raw mana, its silver-blue hue glowing faintly beneath his skin. His body, now refined by the Trial of Flesh, carried the harmony of strength and speed. And his mind, fractured yet awakening, buzzed with thoughts he was beginning to realize weren't entirely his own.
But now, it was time.
The three spheres hovered before him: Mind. Body. Core.
Each now held a stable anchor, and in the space between them, a vortex began to form—pulling, twisting, converging.
Kael heard no instruction. No whisper from the One. No ancient incantation.
Only instinct.
He reached forward.
The vortex swallowed him whole.
Pain. Bliss. Death. Rebirth.
He couldn't scream, couldn't breathe. Every cell of his body was torn apart, restructured, layered. His spine twisted unnaturally before snapping into alignment. His heart stopped—and started again with three pulses per beat, like a triple rhythm engine. His bones grew denser, his nerves faster, his blood brighter.
This is… what it means to be reborn.
He could feel the second body beginning to form—not externally, but in a realm layered over his own. Like a reflection being painted in real-time. It wasn't a clone. It wasn't even a copy.
It was another Kael.
Identical in essence, but grown from the same seed of mind, body, and core—yet developing its own instincts.
"You are I… and I am you," he murmured.
The two forms pulsed, phased, and for a split second—stacked.
The ground cracked.
Kael roared.
The air around him warped. Time stilled. He stood, two beings layered into one, a resonance state that amplified every fiber of his being.
Then, just as quickly, they separated.
Kael collapsed to one knee. His second body—glowing slightly and ethereal—stood behind him, like a guardian spirit waiting for a command.
[Tier One Ascension: Complete]
Forms:
Primary Vessel – Stabilized
Secondary Vessel – Active
Stack State Available: Yes
Split Functionality Enabled: Yes
Mana Core Expansion: 212%
Vital Synchronicity: 96%
Kael opened his eyes, now burning silver-blue.
And for the first time…
He could feel the world breathing.
[Quest Unlocked: Exit the First Ring of the Labyrinth]
But as he stood, a new voice whispered in his mind.
Not the One. Not the system.
It was his own, but older. Colder.
"We are not the first version of ourselves to ascend."
"And we won't be the last."
Kael turned sharply. His second body simply stared ahead.
Did it… think for itself?
Something was changing faster than he could understand.
The labyrinth doors creaked open at last.
Kael walked toward them.
Behind him, his second self followed—silent, perfect, autonomous.