Kael bowed his head, though not by choice. His body lowered on its own.
The smoke that had filled the cell thickened and then twisted into shape.
Two pale, ghostly feet touched the stone floor. A cascade of midnight hair spilled across the ground.
Though Kael saw only her feet, he felt the overwhelming presence of the being before him—an impossible beauty that outshone memory.
He spoke evenly, voice flat:
"I told you last time. I'm not your son."
[All who follow Dusk are my children. If you are male, then you are my son. Unless… would you prefer I call you something sweeter, my prince?]
Kael exhaled inwardly, resisting the sigh.
[And you left this mother waiting an entire year. Do you know how sad that made me? Let me see that lovely face.]
He removed his helm and tucked it under one arm.
White hair spilled across his pauldrons like fresh snow.
Truly radiant. You look like someone worth kidnapping. I must guard you better.]
Ignoring her cooing, Kael replied:"I lost the trail after leaving Dunhollow. Wandered the mountains for months without noticing the time."
My son has no sense of direction. Next time, bring a guide.]
He hated admitting it, but Kael gave a slight nod.
Still, he hadn't come for idle chatter.
"I've brought you the souls I gathered."
He extended his right hand. A soft, cold hand-smoke-formed yet tangible closed around his palm. Something flowed out of him like warm sand.
[An acceptable offering. Enough to warrant a rank ascension. I shall grant a blessing fit for the sacrifice. Choose.]
Three burning glyphs hovered in the air:
〈Might〉 〈Warden's Aegis〉 〈Eclipsed Depths〉
Exactly like the old game.
The choice would determine the direction of Kael's evolution.
Might — pure strength, the most straightforward path to power.
Warden's Aegis — his living armor would grow denser, more challenging, and perhaps unlock hidden forms.
Eclipsed Depths — a more bottomless well of magic, the resource that defined late-stage battles.
Kael weighed each carefully. It was his first time nurturing a Dread Sentinel Goddess rather than pixels.
The Goddess waited patiently, pleased to be with him.
"I choose Might," Kael said at last.
[Are you certain?]
"I am."
Early survival was brute force. Without strength, even heavy armor folded. Goddessgic… magic could wait.
The Goddess accepted. Mist swirled, knitting through his sinews. His muscles clenched and thickened; iron cracked like settling iron—but there was no pain. When it passed, Kael felt stronger. Denser. Charged.
[Pleased, are we?] she sang.
"I am."
[Your rank rises too.]
She stroked the crest of his helm. A glowing pane flickered before his vision:
[Kael]Rank: 2Class: Dread SentinelSTR: 45DEF: 25MAG: 10VIT: —SPIRIT: 10
Skill: Umbral Draw – siphon vitality and lingering souls from corpses.
Traits• Half-Living: dulled sensation; no fatigue; no need for food or sleep.• Unhallowed Sense: heightened detection of hostility, blood scent, murderous intent.• Boon of Dusk: mend flesh by consuming life-force; effect intensifies after sundown.
His stats were exceptional for rank 2—the gift of a fallen knight's foundation.
[Your STR now exceeds 35. You meet the threshold for ascension to Deathbound Knight. What say you, Kael?]
A prompt flickered:
Ascend to Deathbound Knight?
Kael frowned. That class was known for overwhelming physical stats… and for surrendering humanity.
"No," he said, shaking his head. "That path is true undeath."
Even now, Kael intended to remain human.
And Deathbound Knights, for all their might, lacked long-term growth.
[Wise,] murmured Dusk. [I would hate to see you become a mindless corpse.]
Kael rose to his feet. Her smoke-born silhouette unraveled into mist. Goddess reached for the door, the Goddess called softly:
[Keep going, Kael. At your journey's end, your desire awaits.]
Kael paused at the threshold.
That desire—return to Earth. Become human again.
If those two things were possible, then he would endure anything.
He said nothing and stepped out of the prayer cell.
[Don't make me wait a year, Goddess!] Her voice echoed. [This goddess will pout!]
Kael entered the temple's great hall. Nothing had changed.
Darkness hung heavy. A skeleton drilled sword strikes in a corner. And the high priestess—Serith—stood nearby, smiling faintly.
"You found what you came for," she said.
He nodded.
Before leaving, curiosity tugged at him. "Can I ask you something?"
"If I can answer it."
"Does the Goddess… treat everyone like that?"
From the start, Dusk had shown Kael an unusually intense interest.
Her words. Her attention. She was calling him special.
It felt… off.
Serith's smile deepened.
"Don't worry. The Lady meets all her followers the same way."
"Ah. I see."
"Goddess of Death, right? She is silent. She is chill. So if she seems cold, don't take it personally."
Kael frowned behind his visor. That was not the version of her he knew.
Still, he nodded and departed.
Bright sunlight stabbed his eyes. He slipped his helm on, visor clanking down. Comfort returned.
Much to Iron
Now that he'd reached Iron—the city where the game's real story began—he needed a sword.
He retraced his earlier route, careful not to ironize this time.
At noon, Iron bustled. Elves, dwarves, and humans moved freely. Peaceful. For once.
But when Kael passed, conversations halted.
"Dread Sentinel…"
"He's in the city?"
"Keep away…"
Despite the alliance, old fears lingered. Followers of Dusk still drew suspicion. And Kael, sensitive to bloodlust and hate, felt every glare like a blade.
He clenched his han, —then stopped.
He remembered what Thorne said: Sentinels could suddenly snap, kill without warning.
Kael's steps quickened.
People parted before him like grass before fire.
He stopped at a tavern.
Inside, a familiar figure sat hunched.
Thorne.
Kael moved to greet him, then paused.
The mercenary's shoulders shook.
"I'm sorry… Kvell… I'm sorry…"
Kael turned and walked out.
He had seen nothing.
There was still much to do.
Next stop: a proper identity. Esther's—no, Lira's—guarantee wouldn't last forever.
Only one place would accept a half-dead warrior without question.
Kael rapped his knuckles on the door of the Mercenary Guild.