A lone carriage crossed the western bridge of the Crimson estate. No guards. No escort. Only one occupant — Lucien Crimson, youngest son of the house. He wasn't headed toward the training fields. Not the dueling rings. Not the war libraries. No.
He was being taken to a place few living Crimsons had ever seen. Hidden behind layers of folded space, enchanted gates, and ancestral oaths, the Graveyard of Swords was sacred. Not a battlefield. Not a cemetery. A sanctum. Over a thousand blades — broken, forgotten, or legendary — were planted into obsidian ground. Each sword once wielded by a Crimson, or earned through conquest. Some hummed with dormant power. Others wept blood beneath the surface. Lucien stepped through the mist, guided by an old swordkeeper. "You are to choose one," the man said, "If any deem you worthy." Lucien said nothing. He could feel it — the pull. Like the whispers of bones calling to him in a language only chaos understood. He passed relics, dragon-bone hilts, silver flames, curved blades that shimmered like starlight. But none of them reacted. Until he saw it — a blade half-buried in a bed of black crystal.
Its hilt looked simple. Worn. Unmarked. But the aura it emitted was not of fire or light.
No. It was emptiness. And when Lucien's fingers touched it—
[Mythical-Grade Weapon Detected: "Nullfang" — The Blade of Forgotten Truths]
[Weapon Attribute: Nihility]
[Warning: This sword devours the concept of "Nihility."]
The black crystal cracked beneath him.The old swordkeeper gasped, eyes wide. "He… woke it."
After the selection, Lucien was taken to a sealed chamber where mana concentration was tested — an ancient ritual meant to confirm the bloodline's legitimacy.He stepped into a ring of ancient Crimson runes. The room darkened. A floating orb pulsed above him. "Lucien Crimson, place your hand forward." He did. The orb glowed—Then shattered. The room was consumed in a shockwave of silver-red mist. The runes on the walls surged to life. The observers screamed and retreated. The swordkeeper fell to his knees. "T-That's… not possible."
"Pureblooded Mana Detected."
"Purity: 99.93% — Second only to Crimson Patriarch Velkan."
"Bloodline Verdict: Supreme Lineage."
"Result: Pureblooded Awakening."
Next, Lucien was placed before a sword instructor — not a noble, but a 7-Star duelist who had trained generations of Crimson heirs. The duel was simple.
Survive for two minutes.
No victory required. No pressure to win.Just survive. "Ready?" "Begin."The instructor's sword moved like lightning.Lucien reacted with decades of combat knowledge — he deflected, redirected, and dodged. His body was still catching up to his memories, but he remembered too much to die now. The instructor intensified — adding aura, changing tempo. But Lucien adapted again.
He drew Nullfang, and for the first time, a blade met force with nothing. The instructor's strike lost its weight entirely upon contact. Void cuts what strength cannot. Time ticked down. Lucien endured.
Two minutes passed. Lucien stood, barely sweating, blade still in hand. The instructor bowed. Bowed. A sealed box was placed before Lucien — a reward spoken of in whispers. He opened it. Inside lay a dark crystal amulet and a writhing thread of energy.
[Mythical Rare Item Acquired: "Heartlace of the Voidborn"]
— Enhances mana recovery, stealth, and allows mind-link to an entity within the system.
[Unique Title Unlocked: "One Chosen by the Grave"]
[You have awakened 3 additional Authorities and unlocked 3 more Fragments.]
Name: Lucien Crimson
Status: Regressor
Title: Heir of Fafnir, One Chosen by the Grave
Authorities:
Chaotic Fear – Instinctual pressure that instills dread and obedience.
Voice of the End – Weighted speech can force weaker beings to submit.
Dominion Veil – Mask your presence entirely; passive illusion field.
Soulwound Echo – Blade attacks may leave echoes in the victim's mind.
Dragonborne Nihility – Reduces the effectiveness of spiritual and divine magic in your presence.
Oathbane Will – Breaks suppressive contracts, seals, and oaths around you with each level of growth.
Fragments of Fafnir Unlocked (4/6)
Fragment I: Fear of Chaos
Fragment II: Throat of the End
Fragment III: Memory That Bleeds
Fragment IV: Flesh of Silence
Lucien turned his back to the stunned council. His siblings, his elders, his observers — they watched a boy walk who now bore the mark of a monster. And they finally understood:
"This is no kid, he is an anomaly."