Wind moaned through the scorched halls of the Hollow Bone Sect.
Not from weather.
But from fear.
Kael Draven had purged four hidden factions in a single night. Every sect disciple who once mocked him now bowed—or vanished. Elders clung to excuses. The Sect Leader hadn't shown his face in two days.
It wasn't discipline.
It was submission.
Chaos Log Update
[System Rank: System Breacher]
[Chaos Points: 112]
[Faction Loyalty: 'The Discarded' – 6 members (Growing)]
[Current Status: Destabilizing Mortal Realm Order]
Kael sat in the Whisper Bloom Garden, flanked by statues of long-dead founders. Fodder stood beside him, checking a map scrawled on parchment.
"Three elder disciples fled last night. Two tried to poison their soul cores first."
Kael didn't react.
"Let them run."
"Wherever they flee, chaos spreads."
Meanwhile: Hidden Moon Pavilion
A shadow flickered over ancient tiles. Wind carried a whisper—jasmine, honeyed wine, and dark intent.
Elder Han's Wife.
Or rather, Elandra—former Empress of Time.
She stepped into the candlelit chamber, where seven veiled women knelt. Their faces bore golden scars. Their spines had been surgically reinforced. Cultivators of a forgotten seduction art—The Thousand Year Bloom Sect.
"Begin preparations," Elandra said, removing her robe.
Her body shimmered—flawless skin over divine bones. But her gaze was colder than void steel.
"The god-eaters have awakened."
"And Kael Draven is no longer a variable."
"He's an anchor point."
The kneeling women bowed.
"Shall we kill him?"
"No."
Elandra smiled.
"We seduce him."
"Then destroy everything he hasn't yet touched."
Back in the Garden
[Quest Alert: ??? - A Hidden Path Awakens]
Kael paused.
The system didn't show the full details. Just one symbol: a spiraling golden loop, burning at its edges.
He knew it.
From before.
"She's moving," he muttered.
Fodder looked up. "She?"
"A woman who once ruled time."
"She wants to test me. Again."
"Should I prepare the formation?"
Kael stood, dusted his coat.
"No. This time, I go alone."
Hidden Moon Pavilion: Courtyard of Veils
Elandra sat atop a petal-shaped throne, robes loose, wine cup full. The atmosphere pulsed with controlled lust and layered illusion. Kael stepped into the arena casually.
The seven veiled seductresses kneeled in a circle. Their combined aura would've melted the mind of a Core Disciple.
Kael walked past them like they were flowers.
Elandra watched him.
"You've grown sharper."
"You've grown predictable."
She smiled. "Still angry?"
"You betrayed me."
"You shattered fate first."
"You made me believe in purpose, then stole it."
Elandra raised a hand. A glass floated to Kael.
"Drink."
"Poisoned?"
"Laced with memory."
He drank. The world shifted.
Flashback: The Before-Times
A ruined sky.
Kael and Elandra stood together on a floating fortress. Beneath them: a dying Immortal World.
"They'll never stop hunting you," she whispered.
"Let them come."
"Even fate bends around your presence. You're a paradox."
"And you still want to control me?"
"No. I want to break with you."
They kissed.
And then… she stabbed him.
"For the future."
The memory snapped.
Kael staggered.
"Why show me this now?"
Elandra stood.
"Because I'm no longer trying to control the world."
"I want to burn it now."
"With you."
System Notification
[Divergent Timeline Detected]
[New Romance Path Unlocked: 'Empress of Ash']
[Affinity Modifier: +17%]
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"This changes nothing. We're still enemies."
Elandra stepped close, pressed her palm to his chest.
"Then let's be enemies that rule together."
"Let's become the Immortals they were always too afraid to imagine."
Outside: Chaos Gathers
Fodder met with the remaining four members of Kael's faction.
"He's walking into a trap," the blind archer said.
"No," Fodder replied.
"He's baiting one."
From the sky, a crack formed.
A Star Envoy descended. Veiled in celestial robes, sword drawn. Eyes blazing.
"I seek Kael Draven. By order of the Star Tribunal."
Fodder cracked his neck.
"Then you'll have to go through us first."