Sylas's vision swam as he staggered backward.
When the citadel had shaken moments earlier, he had been thrown violently against the stone floor. His left palm had scraped across jagged rubble, skin tearing open as blood welled up between his fingers. He hadn't noticed the pain then—only the danger.
Now, as he steadied himself near the shattered artifact, a single drop fell.
It struck the fractured stone.
The chamber responded.
A low, ancient hum rippled through the hall, vibrating through bone and soul alike. The crystal sphere—already cracked—shuddered, glowing veins spreading across its surface like living veins. Dust peeled from the skeleton seated upon the throne as if time itself recoiled.
The Psyche Lord stiffened.
"What…?"
The hum deepened.
Another drop of blood slid from Sylas's trembling hand, seeping into the cracks of the artifact.
Light surged.
"No—stop!" the Psyche Lord shouted, rushing forward and slamming his palm onto the stone. Runes ignited violently beneath his touch as he forced his will into the mechanism, the borrowed body shaking under the strain.
"This resonance is mine," he snarled. "I spent centuries perfecting it—countless failures, endless experiments—you will not take this from me!"
The artifact ignored him.
Sylas screamed.
Pain tore through him—not of flesh, but of existence. His knees buckled as something inside him twisted violently. Two souls ground against one another, memories overlapping, awareness splintering.
White and blue swallowed his vision.
"How dare you!" the Psyche Lord roared. "How dare you steal the culmination of my life's work!"
He drew back his fist and struck.
The blow sent Sylas flying, his body crashing into the far wall with a sickening thud. Blood spilled from his mouth as the resonance flickered, threatening to collapse.
Yet—
It did not stop.
The hum endured.
The artifact refused to obey.
The Psyche Lord froze.
"No… impossible…"
A deafening roar shattered the moment.
The Tier Six monster burst into the hall, tearing through stone and metal as if they were paper. Its massive form forced its way inside, eyes burning with cruel intelligence.
For a breath—
Ancient experimenter and ancient abomination locked gazes.
Then they collided.
Dark sigils erupted across the Psyche Lord's body as he met the monster head-on. Shockwaves ripped through the chamber, pillars collapsing, the citadel screaming under their clash.
Sylas lay broken against the wall.
And awakened.
Not through the Dome.
Not through permission.
But through resonance.
Something aligned.
The pain vanished.
The world unfolded.
[Skill Awakened]
{Name: Soul Perception Archive
Type: Passive / Anomalous
Description:
Grants perception of soul structures and hidden truths.
Reveals information on:
— Monsters
— Humans
— Artifacts
— Skills
— Soul Integrity & Rank
Authorization: Bypassed}
Information flowed into Sylas's mind—not as chaos, but as clarity.
He saw the monster.
{Tier Six — Devourer of Echoes
Threat Level: Catastrophic
Condition: Amused
Intelligence: High}
He saw the Psyche Lord.
{External Soul — Psyche Lord
Integrity: Degrading
Host: Tier Four Knight (Suppressed)
Condition: Unstable}
He saw the artifact.
{Dual-Soul Crystal (Prototype)
Function: Forced Soul Coexistence
Failure Rate: 99.7%
Successful Subjects: 1}
Sylas exhaled slowly.
The world had become readable.
As legends clashed before him, Sylas pushed himself upright, blue-white eyes reflecting souls, sigils, and truths forbidden to mortals.
He stood between two disasters.
And he understood them both.