The stairwell spiraled downward into silence.
Each step Kael took echoed not just through stone, but within his chest. The Bastion wasn't merely a fortress—it was alive. Watching. Listening.
He reached the final landing. The door opened not with a creak, but a hum—like metal sighing.
And then the system spoke.
> \[System Notification: Zone Transition – Hollow Crown Bastion Core]
> Warning: Legacy Interference Detected – Synchronization Unstable (42%)
The room was vast. A throne hall carved not for a ruler, but a gravekeeper. Cyan fire danced in sconces along blackstone pillars. Dust floated like ash. The cold here wasn't temperature—it was memory.
Rows of ruined thrones flanked the path forward, each one unique in design but unified by a single feature: a **cracked crown insignia**, carved or seared into its back.
Some thrones held skeletons. Others, melted armor. One looked as if it had imploded from within.
Kael's eyes lingered.
> "Nine legacies," he murmured. "Nine failures."
The system confirmed his thought.
> \[Legacy Records Located – Count: 9]
> Status: Corruption (5), Collapse (2), Rebellion (2)
> Memory Stability: Degraded
He walked until the path ended at a solitary throne—untouched, flawless, and burning with silent flame. It was elevated, with no corpse to guard it.
Waiting.
> \[Legacy Trial Initiated – Path of the Crownless]
> Trial Host Generated: The Forsworn Heir
A pulse rippled outward.
From the throne's fire stepped a figure—emerging as if sculpted from Kael's own shadow.
Same height. Same features. Same gauntlet.
But this Kael was older, leaner, eyes burning brighter. Hair pulled back in a war-knot. Every movement screamed refinement.
> "You still hesitate," the echo said, smirking. "That's why I killed them all."
Kael stepped forward slowly.
> "You're not me."
> "No," the Echo replied, drawing an unseen blade. "I'm who you become once you stop pretending you're not already a king."
They clashed.
---
Steel met phantom light. The echo struck with speed Kael had never reached, fighting like a dancer-turned-executioner. Fluid. Unrelenting. Calculated.
Kael didn't try to overpower him. He absorbed. Predicted. Adapted.
> \[Mind of the Strategist: Activated]
> \[System: Skill Unlocked – Counter Thread]
One strike. A pivot. A redirected blow to the echo's ribs. A follow-up to the shoulder. Final burst from his gauntlet—right to the chest.
The echo staggered.
> "You think restraint makes you human?" it hissed. "You're already system-forged."
Kael didn't answer.
He simply struck again—driving the echo back onto the throne.
> "I'm not here to reclaim the crown," Kael said.
> "I'm here to break the line that made you."
The throne cracked.
The echo let out a silent scream—then shattered into black light.
---
> \[Trial Complete – Echo of the Forsworn Heir Terminated]
> Skill Acquired: Phantom Bind
> Synchronization Increased: +4%
> Moral Shift Detected: +2% Rational Control | +1% Ruthless
The flames shifted. Not brighter, not hotter. Just... steady.
Kael stood before the throne—but didn't sit.
Not yet.
---
### 📜 System Log
* **New Skill:** *Phantom Bind* — Temporarily suppresses target's system interface
* **Trial Status:** Complete
* **Legacy Host Sync:** Stabilizing…
* **Next Gate:** Locked pending interference clearance
* **Moral Alignment:** Updated (Neutral–Control leaning)
---
*Next: Chapter 6 – A Blade Named Silence*
--