The glaive hit the ground like a thunderclap.
Stone shattered, sparks erupted, and the Dream-Warden loomed above him, a titan clad in cracked silver armor. Chains wrapped its helm, rattling as it moved, and every step split the Citadel floor.
[SYSTEM ALERT] Dream-Warden Detected: The Chainbreaker (B-Rank).Reward: Dream-Seal Upgrade (B-Tier).Projected Lifespan Reclaimed: +3 Days.Failure Penalty: Forced Exit. -2 Years Lifespan.
Klaus spread his wings wide. Black fire crackled at the edges of each glowing feather. His shadow wolf prowled forward, growling low. The crow circled, its wings scattering sparks of voidlight across the cracked sky. His revenant and Chitinbeast clone flanked him in silence.
He grinned, crimson eyes glowing. "Three days' life for killing you? Looks like I'll walk out younger than I came in."
[Lucifer]: "Or crawl out older, Crown-Bearer. The Chainbreaker isn't some shambling skeleton. Every swing of that glaive could take a year from you. Still… fortune favors the audacious."
Clash of Chains
The Warden moved first. Faster than something that size should. The glaive carved through the air, a storm of molten stone. Klaus dove aside, wings snapping open, feathers burning away in streaks of shadowfire.
His wolf lunged, jaws crushing into the Warden's greaves. The crow blinded with void sparks. The revenant swung its rusted blade, while the Chitinbeast latched onto a leg joint.
The Warden roared. Chains tore loose, whipping outward. The revenant shattered instantly, reduced to dust. The Chitinbeast clone shrieked and split apart under the glaive's second swing.
Klaus grimaced. "Cheap soldiers die cheap."
He lunged in, claws blazing with crimson mana. He slashed across the Warden's thigh—black ichor spilled. The colossus staggered.
[SYSTEM] Damage Inflicted: -4% Integrity.[DREAM-WEAVE] Lifespan Reclaimed: +12 Hours.
Klaus laughed breathlessly. "Every cut buys me more life."
The Price of Power
The Warden retaliated. Chains snaked around Klaus's torso, crushing with impossible force. His ribs cracked. Wings faltered.
[SYSTEM] Condition: Crippled (Minor). -20% Mobility.
Klaus gasped. The glaive rose above him, its molten edge reflecting in his eyes.
[Lucifer]: "One swing, and your borrowed years vanish. Spend, Crown-Bearer. Bleed lifespan, and I'll give you power enough to break free."
A new glyph burned across Klaus's vision:
[DREAM-WEAVE: LIFESPAN BURN OPTION]Sacrifice: 6 Months Lifespan.Effect: Shadow Surge — Wings + Shadows Overclocked.Confirm? (Y/N)
Klaus's chest heaved. His lifespan ticked in his mind like coins on a table. He gritted his teeth and whispered: "Yes."
Fire ripped through him. His wings ignited fully, black flames roaring. His wolf swelled, doubling in size, howling like a starved god. The crow exploded into a storm of feathers that cut like blades.
He tore the chains apart with sheer force and roared back at the Warden.
Turning the Tide
Klaus launched upward, wings propelling him higher than the Citadel towers. He dropped like a meteor, claws wreathed in shadowfire. His wolf slammed into the Warden's chest, crow feathers shredding gaps in its armor.
He drove his claws into the helm. Chains snapped. Black ichor gushed as he ripped downward.
The Warden staggered, its glaive striking wildly, shattering stone. Klaus spun behind it, wings slicing with burning edges, severing another chain.
[SYSTEM] Damage Inflicted: -37% Integrity.[DREAM-WEAVE] Lifespan Reclaimed: +1 Day, 4 Hours.
The counter ticked upward again. Klaus's lips peeled into a manic grin. "Yes… every kill, every wound, makes me stronger. I'll never die if I keep killing."
[Lucifer]: "Careful, Crown-Bearer. That laugh? That hunger? It sounds a lot like me."
The Final Gambit
The Warden staggered but did not fall. It roared, and chains erupted from the ground itself, ensnaring Klaus's wolf and crow. Both were slammed against the walls, pinned, struggling.
The glaive lifted once more, aimed directly for Klaus.
[SYSTEM WARNING] Survival Probability: 21%.
A new option flared across his vision:
[Lucifer's Gambit Unlocked]Sacrifice: 1 Year Lifespan.Effect: One guaranteed critical strike.Confirm? (Y/N)
Klaus's eyes narrowed. He could win without it—but risk failure. Or gamble everything on one sure strike.
The glaive fell. Klaus spread his wings, shadowfire tearing the chains still clinging to him. He whispered through clenched teeth: "Do it."
The world slowed. His claws gleamed with absolute inevitability. He drove them forward—through chains, through helm, through bone and ichor.
The Warden froze. Cracks spiderwebbed across its armor. Then it collapsed, shattering into ash and molten fragments.
[SYSTEM] Dream-Warden Defeated: Chainbreaker.[DREAM-WEAVE] Lifespan Reclaimed: +3 Days.[REWARD: Dream-Seal Upgrade Acquired — B-Tier].[Lucifer's Gambit Success].
Klaus fell to his knees, gasping. His wings dimmed. His wolf and crow limped back to his side.
The upgraded Seal floated before him—larger, etched in silver fire, humming with power.
[Lucifer]: "Well done, Crown-Bearer. You've paid one year to gain three. That's profit even I can respect. But beware—the more you gamble, the sweeter the taste… and the steeper the fall."
Klaus clutched the Seal, crimson eyes blazing. "If power demands years, I'll pay in decades. I'll buy eternity with blood."
The Citadel trembled. New gates rumbled open deeper within. Shadows stirred.
And a new notification burned across his vision:
[QUEST UNLOCKED: Throne of the Ashen King.]Objective: Claim the Warden's Throne.Reward: Legendary Dream-Seal (A-Rank).Penalty: -5 Years Lifespan.
Klaus's wings snapped open. His wolf howled. His crow shrieked.
He laughed into the storm of ash. "Then let's see how much eternity costs.