Recap:
Kael Vire's Hollow Court has leveled up to Tier II. With the Throne of Silence now built and the Edict of Oath activated, every deal made within Kael's territory is bound to the soul. But with new allies come new dangers—and lurking beyond the capital, the Chain breaker Protocol has kicked into gear. Draewyn is wide awake.
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"Sel hasn't come back," Elric whispered.
Kael glanced up from the map sprawled across the bone -laced table in the new command chamber.
The walls of the Hollow Market were reinforced with enchanted scrap, and the gates had been mended with soulforged bars salvaged from the ruins of Guild prisons.
"She mentioned she was just heading to the Fringe Wards," Elric added.
"That was twelve hours ago."
Kael paused, his gaze fixed on the faint sigils now glowing at the edge of the map—trackers.
They hadn't been there yesterday.
Hours later, Kael found himself at the edge of the Hollow Domain, his Crown flickering softly in the air as he stared at the remnants of a collapsed alleyway.
A coppery scent hung in the air.
Blood.
Sel had been taken.
[Alert: Contracted Follower "Sel" forcibly removed from Domain]
Effect: Edict of Oath nullified until target returns or is confirmed dead.
Warning: External domain force detected.
Edict resistance breached.
Kael's fists tightened.
Someone had dared to challenge his authority and had walked away unscathed.
At the White Spire, Lord Cerian toyed with a glass monocle between his fingers, observing as a writhing glyph twisted in front of him.
"She broke the Oath," he said, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"And lived."
A sly smile spread across his face.
"Impressive."
Behind him stood a woman cloaked in red the one who had tracked Sel through shadow and flame.
"She was protected," she murmured.
"His influence is growing."
"And with every inch he claims," Cerian replied, "the Empire's silence grows weaker."
Back in the Hollow Market, Kael called upon his inner circle: Elric, Joran, and the ghost forged sentry known as Ninefold.
"We move at dawn," Kael declared, his voice steady.
"We don't ask questions.
We take her back."
"Where to?" Joran inquired, a hint of concern in his tone.
"The Spire?"
"No," Kael replied, his expression darkening. "That's what they want me to believe."
He gestured toward a marked area on the map.
Serrat Hollow.
Once a fortress for rogue artificers, it had become a graveyard for discarded Guild experiments.
Abandoned —at least, that's how it appeared.
But Kael was well aware of the truth.
That's where they stashed prisoners they wanted to erase from memory.
[Quest Triggered: The Broken Oath]
Objective: Infiltrate Serrat Hollow.
Retrieve Whisper-Merchant Sel alive. Uncover the source of the domain breach.
Threat Level: Lethal
Reward: +1 Edict Upgrade Token | Unique Domain Trait | ???
Night descended like a knife.
Kael didn't wait for dawn.
Dressed in shadowy armor—flame-kissed yet silent—Kael and his team navigated the scorched outskirts of Draewyn.
Each step resonated in the Sovereign's awareness.
The System was keeping a close eye.
At the entrance of Serrat Hollow, ancient sigils flickered to life.
Joran glanced up.
"Wards. Still operational."
"Not made by the Guild," Kael murmured. "These are older."
He lifted his hand.
The Crown of Hollow Flame throbbed with energy.
And the gates... creaked open.
Inside, the walls bore anti-Domain runes, crafted to sap the strength of anyone like him.
Kael strode through them without a second thought.
The Throne had transformed him.
They moved quietly.
Desolate labs.
Shattered vats.
Echoes of screams trapped in metal.
And then— Sel.
Suspended within a circle of Oathfire, her hands bound by sigil-chains.
Her mouth hung open, and her eyes were wide with shock.
"Kael…" she rasped, her voice barely a whisper.
Then, her gaze shot upward.
"Behind you!"
From the ceiling, a figure descended, draped in blood-woven silk.
Its face was obscured by a Mirror Mask, reflecting Kael's own expression twisted in agony.
Kael raised his hand.
The whip materialized.
But the assassin was quicker.
Steel sliced through the air, aimed straight at Elric.
Kael hurled himself into the path of the blade.
Pain.
Real.
Searing.
The blade lodged itself in his shoulder.
But then his Crown flared to life.
And time shattered.
[Passive Triggered: Throne Echo – Reverse 3 Seconds of Time Within Domain Radius. Cooldown: 1 Day]
Kael moved again, but this time with purpose.
The whip coiled around the assassin's throat before the blade even left their hand.
"Who sent you?" Kael growled.
No answer came.
Just a gurgled defiance.
But he didn't need answers.
The Oathfire binding Sel began to splinter.
And the Hollow Crown blazed brighter than ever.
[Quest Updated: Serrat Hollow Secured]
Sel Rescued: ✓
Hidden Chamber Unlocked: ✓
Trait Acquired: Echo-Tether – Allows one bonded follower to receive 50% of Sovereign's stat boost while in Domain.
Reward: Edict Upgrade Token acquired.
Back in the Hollow Market, as dawn broke, Kael stood before the Throne once more.
He had shed blood.
But in return, he had earned loyalty.
As he gazed down at the Edict menu,
he made enhancements.
[Edict of Oath – Upgraded]
Now it enforced complete soul tethering. Breaking the Oath within the Domain would result in permanent branding by the system. It couldn't be removed without the Sovereign's approval.
His enemies had been watching.
Now, they would understand.
He was more than just a Sovereign.
He was the tyrant they had forged.
End of Chapter 9