---
The wind was still. Not even the flames dared move.
Kael stepped off the cracked stone platform, each footfall sending whispers through the glowing runes beneath. His trial had ended, but something deeper had begun. His veins no longer burned—they thrummed. A quiet, chilling harmony that echoed with every heartbeat.
He didn't need the system's prompt to know.
He had changed.
Behind him, the Crownless Trial construct crumbled, vanishing into sparks. A single fragment of the obsidian crown remained — floating — before it dissolved into motes of light and embedded itself into his chest.
> [Crownless Sigil Acquired – Tier Unknown]
⚠️ System Evolution Paused. Awaiting Path Calibration…
Kael grimaced.
"Paused?" he muttered. "After all that?"
A hollow ache sat behind his ribs. Like something had latched onto his soul.
---
A short cough broke the silence.
Silna Farros stepped out from the scorched perimeter, her white dreadlocks singed at the tips. Blood dried across one cheek. Her armored coat was ripped at the sleeve, and the knuckles of her gloves were still bloody.
She didn't speak right away. Her gaze locked on Kael—not with awe or suspicion, but something harder to place. As if she were running calculations in her head.
"You're different," she finally said. "That thing in your chest… it wasn't in any record."
Kael said nothing. He could feel the sigil pulsing beneath his skin like a second heart. Every breath pulled energy from the air itself. He hadn't learned a new skill, but he was a new skill now.
"You planning to draw that blade of yours?" she asked flatly.
He blinked. "No."
"Then why's your aura flaring like a warlock's during a duel?"
Kael lowered his gaze, flexed his fingers. She wasn't wrong. The power he absorbed wasn't sitting idle—it was coiling like a predator, waiting to be used.
"I don't know how to stop it," he admitted.
---
> [System Alert]
New Quest Unlocked:
🗡️ "Path of the Uncrowned – Survive the Factions' Interest"
• Mercenary Guild: Suspicious
• Magisterium: Observing
• Royal Heirs: Unaware
Reward: Crownless Path Initialization
---
Silna crossed her arms.
"You should disappear for a few days. Lay low."
Kael arched an eyebrow. "Because you're concerned?"
"Because half the damn continent felt that surge. You think only I came to investigate? Factions will be swarming this ruin by morning. If they see that sigil, you'll be dissected by breakfast."
Kael narrowed his eyes. "Then why haven't you drawn your weapon?"
She smirked. "I don't fight artifacts I can't catalog."
A beat of silence passed.
"Besides," she added, "you're useful. For now. You'll stay with my team. As muscle."
Kael studied her. He could sense the lie—she didn't want him as muscle. She wanted to keep him where she could see him. A precaution. Or maybe… a gamble.
Still, he nodded. "Deal."
"Good," she said. "Don't make me regret it."
---
They began moving out, leaving the glowing ruins behind. The sun dipped below the jagged ridge, bleeding amber light across the hills. The silence between them wasn't friendly—but it wasn't hostile, either.
Kael kept a hand near his side, fingers brushing the hilt of his borrowed sword.
Whatever this new power was… it didn't feel like a blessing.
It felt like a challenge.
---
📘 End of Chapter 8
---
📣 [System Humor Log Unlocked]
💠 Kael's Personal Memelog #4
[System]: You have completed a deadly trial.
[Reward]: A glowing tattoo, 2 nightmares, and the attention of 6 powerful enemies.
[Kael]: Can I at least get a cloak?
[System]: No.
---