I. A Night Without Aurora – The System's Message
The citadel slept beneath the starlight, but Samael could not find rest. From the tower, he felt the pulse of the clan—the restless dreams of the youths he mentored and the shadow of future threats.
In the midst of the silent murmur, the System manifested with unusual clarity, invading his mind with symbols and echoes of an ancient melody:
[New Main Mission: "The Path of the Patriarch"
Objective: Find and recognize your first legitimate disciple before the solstice.
Condition: You must set out alone, without allies.
Reward: Divine Heritage (Mastery Seal), access to the "Pavilion of the Five Paths."
Penalty: Loss of one mythic heritage; decrease in Lineage Luck.
Hint: "The flower that fears not the frost blooms in the rift where light does not reach."]
The message left Samael tense. This was not just an order; it was a challenge to the very legacy of the Morningstars. A solo mission, without a safety net, without the imposing aura of the Patriarch—relying only on his will, instinct, and hard-earned wisdom.
II. Silent Departure
Before dawn, Samael packed a bag with essentials and a single protective talisman. He left instructions for Lilith and Seraphina to maintain stability in his absence. After a silent embrace with Celeste, he crossed the southern gate of the citadel.
The System temporarily restricted many of his clan functions, enforcing his isolation.
[Mission in Progress: Minimal assistance. All aid must be earned through personal merit.]
He walked for miles under the frozen mantle of dawn, following the intuition anchored in the hint: "flower... frost... rift without light."
III. The Path of the Rift and the Trial
In a remote valley where the sun barely touched the floor, Samael found a deep crack in the rock. The Qi was murky, steeped in ancient memories and forgotten laments. As he ventured inside, the air grew cold and the silence heavy, broken only by dripping water and the creaking of roots. Soon, Samael felt spiritual presences: specters of fallen disciples, echoes of old mistakes, and voices trying to tempt him with doubt and remorse.
[System Trial: "The Master must face his own reflection."
Goal: Overcome the fear of being followed, betrayed, or forgotten.]
In the gloom, Samael saw himself—young and fearful—in dreams of failure and loneliness. —"What can you teach, if you still drag your own chains?" the reflection whispered.
Samael closed his eyes and remembered his people, the times he mentored from a place of pain rather than hope. He opened his fist and accepted the truth: —"I do not seek disciples to be worshipped. I seek to give meaning to my own abyss, so that another may cross it without getting lost."
The shadow dissipated, and the Qi cleared. The rift revealed a hidden passage wrapped in shimmering frost.
IV. Meeting the Frost Flower
At the end of the passage was a small clearing where a single bluish flower grew amidst ice and stone. Beside the flower, a girl—no older than fourteen—meditated in silence. Her clothes were in tatters, yet her posture was firm. She had dark hair with bluish highlights and eyes that sparkled like frost under the moon.
When Samael approached, the girl opened her eyes without fear. —"Have you come to steal the flower's heritage?" she asked, her voice as cold as the ice.
Samael showed no authority, only honesty: —"I seek one who does not fear growing in the shadow. I seek one who can learn and challenge me, not one who worships my name."
The girl stood up, moving the frozen Qi around her with natural ease. —"I have waited for years. Here, only those who fear neither darkness nor oblivion survive."
The System whispered:
[Candidate Detected: Unknown lineage, dual affinity (Frost and Mist).
Potential: Heiress of the Flower of Eternal Winter.
Name: Elara.
Action: Claim as official disciple?
(Warning: If you fail to guide her, your lineage's fortune and Qi will decrease). ]
Samael extended his hand, making no empty promises, offering only to leave the abyss together. —"I do not promise you easy glory. But if you walk with me, we will learn to break our own chains."
The girl looked at the flower, plucked it delicately, and handed it to Samael. —"I only follow one who respects even the smallest of flowers."
V. The Return and the Mastery Seal
On the journey back to the citadel, Elara traveled alongside Samael. Along the way, he told her stories of the clan, of the Star Tree, and of the promise that true strength is not the absence of fear, but the will to move forward even in the shadows.
Upon their arrival, the System provided the rewards:
[Mission Accomplished: First disciple recognized.
Mastery Seal Unlocked; Access to the Pavilion of the Five Paths granted.
Bonus: Flower of Eternal Winter fused with the Clan Qi; temporary Luck Multiplier active.]
Elara was presented to the elders and her new siblings in a discrete ceremony. Lilith and Seraphina accepted her as an adopted daughter of the aurora, and the young disciples saw in her a new symbol of both hope and challenge.
Samael, looking at his new disciple, knew that the true journey had only just begun—and that the Morningstar legend is nourished, above all, by those who choose to bloom in the rifts.