> **System Notification:**
> *Event Trigger: Eclipse Ceremony – Day 7/9*
> *Main Quest Progress: 71%*
> *Active Objective: Subvert the Circle's Final Ritual Without Exposure*
> *Secondary Threat: Unknown Entity – The Hollow Mask Present in the Capital*
> *Warning: One Council Member will betray you. Prepare accordingly.*
The sun never rose that morning.
Not because it had forgotten—but because the heavens were preparing for war.
The eclipse loomed like a divine blade in the sky, and the people of Raventhorn—ignorant yet uneasy—gathered beneath golden banners and ceremonial arches. In the center of the capital, the Grand Plaza had been transformed into a sea of color, sound, and curated faith.
At the heart of it all stood the royal platform. High above, Azrael waited in black robes laced with silver threads, the sigil of the empire gleaming on his chest. A golden mask sat beside him—ceremonial, heavy, and utterly false.
Just like this entire charade.
---
> **System Prompt:**
> *Final Node Stability: 98% – Ritual Ready*
> *Host Seal Detection Active. Risk Level: Critical.*
> *Thread Lock Skill: One-time usage enabled.*
> *Do you wish to use illusionary proxy during eclipse?*
> *(Y/N)*
He stared at the message.
The crowd below chanted, sang, prayed.
Azrael? He smiled.
> **Y.**
The moment he confirmed, his entire body trembled—not from fear, but from the transfer. A shadow peeled from him, indistinguishable from his form. It stepped forward onto the ritual sigil, just as the sun began to dim.
> **Thread Lock Proxy Activated.**
> *Seal Signature Copied. Ritual Anchoring Diverted.*
Let the Circle believe they had him. Let them pull from a puppet.
He'd be watching from the shadows.
---
From the rooftop of the East Bell Tower, Azrael watched through enchanted lenses.
Below, high priests chanted. Light bled from the sun. People cried and bowed.
And in the center of it all, the proxy Azrael stood still—cold and perfect.
> **System Notification:**
> *Circle Ritual Initiated.*
> *Key Nodes Aligned: Monastery Node – Corrupted | Velis Node – Nullified | Capital Node – Spoofed*
> *Intervention Potential: 94%*
> *Warning: Betrayal Detected – Initiator: Minister Velkrin*
Azrael's pupils narrowed.
So it was true.
---
From beneath the stage, a hidden glyph pulsed—the glyph of the Weavers.
Velkrin emerged from the side of the ritual platform, garbed in foreign silk, his hands glowing with arcane fire.
"I invoke the right of succession!" he shouted. "The Prince is a fraud! A cursed child born of lies! The true seal lies with the blood of Velkaria!"
The plaza erupted in gasps, screams, and confusion.
Guards moved. Clerics stumbled. The Circle's agents among the crowd activated their hidden glyphs.
Azrael, above, didn't flinch.
> **System Prompt:**
> *Would you like to intervene directly? Risk: Exposure – Medium. Gain: High.*
> *(Y/N)*
He chose: **Y.**
---
In a flash, he leapt from the tower.
Shadows bent around him. The system fed his limbs with speed, precision, and deadly intent.
He landed between Velkrin and the ritual glyph just as Velkrin raised his hands to sever the seal.
The crowd gasped louder than before.
"Minister Velkrin," Azrael said, voice echoing unnaturally across the plaza, "you were warned."
Velkrin's eyes widened. "Impossible—you were part of the ritual. I saw—!"
"I gave you what you wanted," Azrael whispered, "an opening."
> **Skill Activated – Mind Veil**
> *Effect: Prevents magical truth detection for 2 minutes.*
Azrael raised his left hand.
A black glyph spun in the air—unregistered, ancient, and pure chaos.
> **Skill Unlocked – "Ruin Script: Sentence of the Unseen"**
> *Effect: Erases target from magical memory and diverts all accountability.*
> *Cooldown: 30 days.*
Velkrin screamed—but no one heard it.
They couldn't.
The spell was already devouring him.
He vanished—not in flame or light—but in *forgetting*.
The crowd blinked, confused.
The space where he had stood was empty.
No one asked why.
Because no one remembered.
---
> **System Notification:**
> *Threat Neutralized – Minister Velkrin*
> *Bonus Reward: +1 Strategic Title – "Architect of Illusion"*
> *Circle Confusion Level: Maxed*
> *Ritual Hijacked. Eclipse Power Flow: Redirected.*
Azrael turned toward the ritual.
The glyphs meant to chain him now pulsed with wild energy—seeking purpose.
He gave them one.
> **System Injection:**
> *Rewrite Ritual Endpoint.*
> *Target: "Self – Core Evolution Trigger"*
The Circle's own eclipse magic—meant to trap him—now flowed into his system core.
> **WARNING: HIGHLY UNSTABLE**
> *System Integrity at risk. Proceed?*
> *(Y/N)*
He whispered:
"Yes."
---
The world burned gold.
The sky cracked.
And for one heartbeat, Azrael saw everything.
Threads of fate. Timelines. Rebirth loops. Alternate selves. The very algorithm of the world.
He reached out.
And *cut one*.
---
When the light faded, Azrael stood alone on the platform.
His shadow was gone.
So was the eclipse.
And the people below?
They cheered.
Not for survival.
But for him.
---
> **System Notification:**
> *Core Evolution Complete*
> *New Evolution Path Chosen: Eclipse Sovereign*
> *Bonus Abilities Unlocked:*
> – *Dominion of Twilight: Partial control over sun/moon cycles within localized space*
> – *Thread Severance (Passive): +40% resistance to fate manipulation*
> – *Hidden Passive: ???*
> *Main Quest "Thread of Eclipse" – COMPLETED*
> *Reputation in Capital: ↑↑*
> *Circle Response: CHAOTIC*
---
Azrael bowed his head. But not in reverence.
In warning.
The gods who watched would now know his name.
And those who believed in fate?
They would learn to fear him.