Recap:
Kael Vire, once the most vulnerable orphan, now wields the forbidden Dread Sovereign System. After outsmarting his abuser Joran without shedding a drop of blood, he boldly claims the title of ruler over the forsaken orphanage. Now, he's gearing up to push the boundaries of his new found powers and establish his first genuine connection—the Hollow Bond.
---
The rain didn't let up.
It fell relentlessly, as if the sky itself was grieving for some thing that no one else could sense.
Inside the orphanage, everything was still. Quiet.
Almost sacred.
Kael sat cross-legged in his attic corner, gazing into the soft glow of his System window.
[Hollow Bond - Link 1/5 Created]
Status: Dormant
Target: Elric Vane
Type: Emotional-Linked Loyalty
Effect: Passive empathy connection. Target gains increased morale, courage, and System resonance near the user. Can be deepened.
He couldn't quite grasp why Elric had sparked the bond.
He hadn't picked the boy.
The System had.
"Elric," Kael murmured into the stillness. "The one who still cries at night."
The image of the small boy's face—so accustomed to flinching, so ready to shrink away—burned in Kael's mind.
The others had long since stopped crying. They had learned to be silent.
But Elric hadn't broken.
Not yet.
And somehow, that... mattered.
Kael blinked, the hollow screen dimming as a faint pulse coursed through his chest.
He could feel Elric's fear, like a tiny echo. Weak, trembling. But it wasn't fading.
The bond was real.
And if Kael allowed it to grow, it could evolve into some thing more than mere control.
It could become loyalty rooted in faith—not fear.
He rose before dawn.
Joran stood like a statue near the stairs, his eyes vacant, waiting for orders.
Kael brushed past him and entered the main room where the younger children had gathered.
Most of them looked at him now—not with pity, but with confusion... and a peculiar kind of awe.
"Line up," he said calmly.
They did.
He wasn't loud or angry, but there was something in his voice that commanded attention.
Kael stood before them, his silver hair damp from the leaking roof, his crimson eyes scanning their faces.
Then, he pointed directly at Elric.
"You're coming with me."
[Hollow Bond: Stage 1 - Recognition]
Effect: Target's fear decreases. Trust begins forming.
Secondary Effect: Link compatible for combat support in future stages.
Elric followed him in silence as Kael stepped through the back door of the orphanage for the first time in years.
The city loomed ahead—a skeleton of rusted metal, cracked glass, and shattered dreams. Draewyn's Verge, the slum that lay in the shadow of Upper Draewyn, where the elites and "clean" citizens resided.
Out here, systems were scarce, and hope was a distant memory.
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"This is where we begin."
"Begin what?"
Elric asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Kael looked down at him.
"A place of our own. Not theirs. Ours."
He gestured toward the abandoned marketplace across the alley—a once-vibrant spot now forgotten by every institution that promised salvation.
"We'll reclaim that," Kael declared.
"And when we do, no one will ever hurt you again."
Elric stared at him, puzzled. "Why… why me?"
Kael didn't smile.
"Because you still have a softness in a world that crushes it.
And I can't stand the thought of them taking that away."
[System Update: Sovereign Domain Initiated]
Name: Hollow Court (Unformed)
Requirement: Establish foothold with minimum 3 Hollow Bond links and base infrastructure.
Kael's mind raced.
He needed space, followers, defenses, and influence.
But right now, he had none of that.
So he'd take it.
Brick by brick.
Body by body.
A sharp notification cut through his thoughts.
[Warning: External Detection Registered]
Threat Detected: Level 8 Operative - Hero Guild Surveillance Unit.
Codename: 'Vex' - Recon Division
Kael froze.
"They found me already?"
From the shadows of the rooftop, a faint silhouette shifted—a slender figure, visor mask, cloaked in black armor.
Vex.
The Guild was keeping an eye on him.
Not attacking.
Not yet.
[Emergency Task Unlocked: Prove the Sovereign]
Defend territory OR force the intruding agent to retreat.
Failure = Domain delay + Reputation loss. Kael glanced at Elric and gave the boy a reassuring nod.
"Back inside. Now."
"What's wrong—" "Run," Kael ordered.
Elric didn't hesitate.
Kael turned to face the rooftops, where the figure now stood fully visible—arms crossed, observing.
"Kael Vire," the voice echoed through a voice-modulator.
"So the rumors are true." Kael stepped forward, unflinching.
"They are."
"You've awakened something dangerous. That makes you a threat to the balance."
A smirk tugged at Kael's lips.
"Then consider this your first lesson."
With a snap of his fingers, the shadows around him began to twist.
The air thickened.
[New Skill Unlocked: Echo Field]
Effect: Projects fear into the minds of enemies within range. Lowers combat initiative. Chance of triggering panic or retreat in lower-tier opponents.
Vex hesitated, just for a moment.
But Kael caught it.
Good.
"You can leave now," Kael said, his voice colder than the storm.
The figure remained still for a heartbeat, then turned... and melted into the shadows. Retreat.
Not a victory.
But not a defeat either.
[Task Complete: Prove the Sovereign - Partial Success]
Reward: +1 Reputation among Outcast Factions. +5% Sovereign Domain Progress.
Kael let out a breath.
Then he turned his gaze back toward the marketplace.
Soon, it would be his. Not just a building. A kingdom.
---
End of Chapter 3