POV: Kael Darkflame (Age: 6)Location: Mistborn Nest – Outer Deathspine
The Broodmother's screech cracked the air like thunder. Mist churned with unnatural heat as her limbs twisted, clicking and twitching, egg sacs bursting in rhythmic pulses. Acid dripped from her maw.
Kael didn't hesitate.
He moved.
His body darted forward, scythe handle in hand, feet sliding across damp roots as though led by instinct rather than reason.
He didn't have a plan.
He was the plan.
System Combat Log:
❖ Mistborn Broodmother [Elite – D+]Threat Rating: Severe
⚠ Bloodline Surge Imminent➤ Shadow Affinity Response: 24%➤ Adrenaline Modifier: +9%➤ Class Trace: Shadow Reaper (Dormant) – Flickering
➤ Current Trait Synergy Activated:Reaper's Flow I + Instinctive Adaptation II➤ Momentum Echo Triggered!
Kael sidestepped her frontal charge, narrowly avoiding a claw the size of his chest. Her tail whipped, tearing through the soil like a guillotine.
But he bent low — too low for a human child — and rolled into a crouch beside her back leg.
Without thinking, he struck.
A swift blow to the joint.
The scythe handle cracked but didn't break.
The Broodmother howled.
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POV: Selene Frost (Age: 7)
She moved through the mist like a ghost, blades flashing in a cold arc. While Kael had drawn the beast's wrath, Selene danced between the smaller swarmlings, slicing with deadly precision.
Three down. Four.
She was a blur of frost and silence.
Until she caught Kael's form with her peripheral vision — spinning through the Broodmother's attacks like he belonged there.
Not flailing.
Not panicking.
Moving with a kind of natural rhythm that shouldn't exist in a boy so young.
His instincts are unnatural, her mind whispered. But beautiful.
Then the Broodmother raised her tail again — aimed directly at Kael's back.
Selene didn't hesitate.
System Trait – Selene:
💠 Protective Impulse Triggered➤ [Affection Marker] Sync Activated➤ Trait Gained: Ice Step (Lv 1)➤ Speed Boost +22% (Single Action)
She flashed across the battlefield and tackled Kael out of the path just as the tail slammed down, creating a crater where he'd been standing.
They rolled through the dirt and came up breathless.
Kael blinked. "...You?"
"I said you weren't ready for the queen," Selene said dryly, helping him up.
"I'm not letting her kill you either."
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POV: Kael
He grabbed her wrist and pulled her up, nodding once.
"Together, then."
Selene's expression twitched — a rare thing.
"Don't slow me down."
System Prompt — Combat Synergy Detected
⚔️ Tag Skill: Shadow-Frost Resonance – [Locked: Bond Level Inadequate]
➤ Temporary Buffs Applied:Kael: Movement Prediction +5%Selene: Reaction Speed +4%
Combat Synergy Level 1: Achieved
They rushed in.
Kael feinted left — the Broodmother followed — and Selene sliced under her guard with a precise cut to the underbelly. Kael then spun, using his scythe handle to vault upward and bring it down on her eye.
It cracked — not destroyed, but fractured.
Black liquid sprayed the dirt.
System Alert – Combat Critical
Broodmother Health: 61%
➤ Bloodline Activation Trigger: 12.1%
Trait Unlocked: Shadow Pulse (Lesser)
Once per battle: Unleashes a 5-meter burst of shadow energy, staggering enemies.Effect Scales with Affinity
Kael stumbled. His chest burned. Shadows coiled around his legs, whispering in a tongue only he could understand.
Selene glanced over. "What is that?"
He didn't answer.
He let go.
And the shadows erupted.
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POV: Garron Ironclaw (Approaching)
The explosion of shadow energy tore through the mist — and Garron knew.
"The boy…"
He ran faster.
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POV: Kael
The Broodmother reared back, stunned.
Kael's hands were shaking — not in weakness, but in release.
It felt right.
His system flickered again.
Class Trace Flare: Shadow Reaper
Echo Strength: 6%
Passive Signature Detected: [Dark Element Consumption I]
➤ "The blade learns by killing. And never forgets."
He charged.
The scythe was still blunt — but his movement was sharper than ever.
He ducked under the queen's tail and struck precisely at the cracked eye again. It shattered.
The beast screamed, flailing.
Selene vaulted over its side and jammed both daggers into the base of its skull.
The Broodmother fell.
System Notification — Boss Defeated
🐜 Mistborn Broodmother (Elite – D+)XP Gained: +112
🧬 Shadow Affinity Seed Strengthened → Moderate🧠 Skill Progression:➤ Reaper's Flow I → 37%➤ Instinctive Adaptation II → 61%
⚔️ System Rank-Up Progress: 18.3%🧭 Bloodline Stability: Improving
➤ Combat Bond Formed: Selene Frost – [Unranked]
Connection Registered.
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POV: Selene
She stood over the corpse, chest heaving.
Kael stood beside her.
They didn't speak.
But something unspoken passed between them.
Recognition.Respect.Beginning.
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POV: Celestial Realm – Mirrorwatch Tower
A ripple passed through the glass mirrors of the celestial tower. Several priests collapsed, clutching their chests.
"Another tremor!" a seer gasped.
"Tier-0 again. Shadow Pulse origin."
The Archon narrowed his eyes.
"…It's begun."
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POV: Lyra (Age 6)
In the highest garden, Lyra clutched her locket as a shadow passed over the sun.
She smiled faintly.
"I knew you were alive."
End of Chapter 9