The Wastes had gone quiet. No birds, no beasts, no wind—only the sound of dying echoes. The kind of silence that preceded a shift in power.
Vale stood atop the shattered Watchtower of Hollowmark, watching as the black sun pulsed once more in the sky. Below him, the shadows of his bound Legion stretched and shifted, more restless than usual.
Something was changing.
> [Essence Threshold Reached.]
[Initiate Evolution: Sigil of Tenebris – Tier II]
[Warning: Soulforge Activation is irreversible.]
[Proceed?]
Vale didn't hesitate. "Yes."
The world cracked.
A column of obsidian flame engulfed him, burning through the air like a divine forge igniting. He did not scream. He breathed it in. Every shadow he'd bound, every soul tethered to his will, surged into him—not to die, but to elevate.
> [Tier II Unlocked: Warlord of Night]
New Abilities Gained:]
Legion Call – Summon up to 50 bound souls in battle. Command formations with mental directives.
Eclipse Brand – Mark enemies; shadow damage doubled for all bound units.
Devour Essence – Consume the soul of an elite enemy to permanently gain traits or skills.
> [Legion Evolution Available: Choose First Path]
• Wraith Ascendancy – Speed, agility, and ambush.
• Voidblood Elite – Spellcasters empowered by ambient magic.
• Dreadguard Corps – Heavy frontline brutes, slow but unbreakable.
Vale chose Wraith Ascendancy.
The shadows around him writhed and twisted. Serah dropped to one knee, her armor reshaping itself—sleeker, lighter, yet sharper. Her eyes flared with focused hunger.
> [Shade Knight Serah has evolved to Wraithblade Serah.]
The others followed. Marr and Thorne fused into a single high-speed assassin unit. Whisper shimmered into a veil of floating shadow sigils, pulsing with unstable energy.
And the Soul Ledger rewrote itself.
Vale felt no pain—only clarity. His bond with the Legion was no longer a tether.
It was a symbiosis.
He had become more than a shadowbearer.
He had become a Soulforged Warlord.
And in the distance, he felt something stir—massive, ancient, and watching.
The Warden of Dreadspire had felt his rise.
The game had truly begun.