The cavern had fallen into silence again, broken only by Cassian's uneven breathing. The Seed pulsed faintly in his hand—warm like embers tucked beneath flesh. It wasn't just an artifact.
It was alive.
The Sovereign System buzzed faintly at the edge of his perception, but something else now lingered—something older than the System itself. A presence, buried deep within the Seed, watching him.
Not just a tool......but a throne waiting for a claimant.
Cassian slipped the Seed of Dominion into the inner pocket of his ragged tunic, still stained with dried blood from the warden. He stood, legs trembling slightly, but the fire in his chest burned steadier now.
Power.For the first time in two lifetimes, he felt it stir inside him.
By the time he emerged from the crypt, the stars had shifted. Dawn pressed at the edge of the world, casting ghostlight across the ruins of the orphanage. Smoke still curled skyward. The city beyond lay unaware.
A few children waited near the old chapel, the ones he had saved—those strong enough, or clever enough, to matter.
"Where do we go now?" one of them, a girl with tangled red hair and wary eyes, asked.
Cassian studied her. Maybe thirteen. Thin but alert. She had stabbed a full-grown guard in the thigh during the fire.
He saw potential.
"To Calvaren," Cassian said.
"To beg?"
He gave a cold smile. "To claim."
[Sovereign System Update Detected.]
Seed of Dominion Synchronization in Progress…
Cassian's steps faltered slightly on the dirt path as silver text unfolded in his vision like silk unraveling.
New Trait Unlocked: Sovereign's Spark→ Grants passive resistance to mental domination, +10% influence bonus when issuing commands.
Seed Reaction Bonus Unlocked: Path of Embers (Locked)→ Requirement: Acquire Title [First Flame]. Progress: 1/3 Embers Awakened.
Passive Ability Tree Fragment Detected: Tyrant Lineage (Tier 0)→ Initiate Tyrant Path? [Y/N]
He paused.
"Tyrant…" he murmured. It was a dangerous word. Damning. But true power was never earned by saints.
"Yes," he whispered.
Tyrant Lineage Initiated.
Skill Unlocked: Command Presence (Level 1)→ Lowers resistance of targets below your social rank. Increases obedience from frightened or desperate individuals.
Cassian's lips curled into a smirk. He turned toward the ragged children walking behind him—orphans like he once was.
And now? Subjects in training.
They entered the outer district of Calvaren through the corpse gate.
No one questioned orphans limping in from the ruins of a burned home. Calvaren's underbelly was a vast network of broken dreams and forgotten names. It swallowed the poor whole, chewed the desperate into nothing.
Perfect hunting ground.
Cassian rented a rotting corner of a wine cellar from an old blind widow in exchange for two silver bits and a forged locket he claimed belonged to her dead son. He set up the base. Mapped the back alleys. Gathered whispers from drunkards and thieves.
The city hadn't changed.
Neither had its rot.
One night, a week later, he found himself standing alone in a ruined bell tower overlooking the lower wards. The Seed pulsed again in his pocket.
And then… it spoke.
[Resonance Detected.]
"Your blood sings of ruin. Your mind pulses with ambition. Do you hear the chorus of ash?"
Cassian turned sharply. No voice came from the air, yet the words rang deep within his soul.
"Who are you?"
"Not who. What. I am Dominion itself. Fragmented. Buried. Forgotten. You stir what should not rise."
"And yet I will rise all the same."
Silence.
Then—
"If you would wear the crown of embers… you must ignite the second spark."
"What is it?"
A choice.
The vision that followed struck him like lightning.
[Vision Unlocked: Embers of the Forgotten]
In his mind's eye, Cassian saw three paths:
A noble's mansion bathed in gold—corruption hidden behind smiles.
A hidden shrine beneath the slums, pulsing with forbidden magic.
A rebel cell beneath the glassworks, plotting against the Duke of Calvaren.
Each held a piece of the forgotten flame.
He had to choose.
Back in the bell tower, Cassian exhaled slowly, his fingers clenching around the stone ledge.
He couldn't chase them all. Not yet. But the rebel cell… they were dangerous. Untamed. He could twist them. Mold them.
They'd make the perfect pawns.
Decision made.
That same night, he returned to the cellar base where the orphans gathered.
The red-haired girl stepped forward again. "What now, Cass?"
He looked at them all—seven in total.
"You want food, don't you? A future? A name?"
They nodded.
"Then you'll follow me. We'll start small. Coin runs. Message trails. Poison errands. You'll do what I say, when I say it. And one day… we won't be dogs in the dirt anymore. We'll rule the wolves."
They hesitated.
Cassian stepped forward, his voice like cold iron.
"You want to survive?""Y-yes."
"Then kneel."
One by one, they knelt.
[Achievement Unlocked: First Vassals]→ +1 Command Presence→ Title Acquired: Ashlord of the Forgotten→ Minor Influence Network Established (Calvaren: Outer Ward, Tier 0)
Cassian turned toward the city, its lights flickering like dying stars.
A pawn once.Now a shadow.
Soon?
A sovereign.