The ash clouds had not yet settled after the battle at Crimson Hollow, and yet the name Rael Thornhart had already begun to stir unrest across all the dominions of Arcana. But for Rael, now seated alone in the Grand Library of Emberhold, peace was a stranger he could only remember faintly, like a dream half-forgotten.
The pages before him shimmered with arcane runes — ancient, volatile, and sealed by the Seven Scribes themselves. The book, "Codex of Forgotten Ascensions," had chosen him. The system had confirmed it: [Authority Recognition Granted. Ascension Path 'Verdant Flame' Initiated.]
But something wasn't right.
[System Alert: Anomaly detected in Source Core. Unknown residue traces embedded in Flame Protocol.]
Rael narrowed his eyes. "Show me."
The system hesitated — something it rarely did.
[Visualizing fragment…]
A projection unfolded above the page. A glowing sphere — the essence of his Flame Core — pulsed erratically, like a heart gripped in fear. Tiny strands of shadow coiled around it, like serpents drinking light. They pulsed with a rhythm not his own.
Rael's fingers clenched. "That's… not from me."
The system responded.
[Correct. Foreign spiritual residue classified: High-Tier Void Fragment (Suppressed). Estimated origin: The Abyss of Silenced Thrones.]
The name alone was enough to send chills into the heart of any scholar. The Abyss of Silenced Thrones — a dimensional fracture where fallen gods and broken ascenders were devoured by their own ambitions. No one had ever returned from it.
Yet somehow… it had left a mark in Rael.
"How long has it been there?" he asked, his voice a whisper.
[Unknown. Likely post-interaction with the Dimensional Rift in Chapter 29.]
That Rift — where Rael first unlocked the protocol for Elemental Singularity. He remembered now. When he stabilized the rift using the twin glyphs of Time and Fire, something had pulsed back through the seal. He'd thought it was just a backlash of mana.
It wasn't.
He had been touched by the Void.
Rael's gaze shifted to his hand. It trembled. Not from fear — but from restrained power. Something deep within him had changed. Evolved. Twisted, perhaps.
But not corrupted — not yet.
"Can it be removed?"
[Analysis in progress…]
While the system worked, Rael stood and turned toward the glowing basin of Emberhold's Soul Forge. His reflection shimmered — and he saw it.
A second pair of eyes, just behind his own. Watching. Waiting.
For the first time, Rael understood something profound: this journey, this ascension… it was not merely about strength or dominion.
It was about balance.
The Flame and the Void were now both part of him.
Suddenly, the system pinged.
[Update: Full removal not advised. Foreign fragment has bonded with core protocols. Attempting extraction may result in core collapse or loss of key abilities.]
Rael inhaled slowly. "Then I'll learn to master it."
He reached into the basin and summoned forth the Flame Mirror — a relic capable of reflecting one's true essence. What he saw chilled him.
Half his soul burned with divine fire.
The other half was wrapped in living shadow, whispering in a tongue that no human should understand — and yet he did.
[New Pathway Discovered: "Dual Sovereign Protocol" — Classification: Forbidden Ascension Path.]
[Requirements Met.]
[Would you like to accept the Dual Sovereign Protocol? This action is irreversible.]
Rael didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
The basin exploded in flame and void energy. The air cracked. The sky above Emberhold trembled as if witnessing something unnatural being born.
A voice echoed through the chamber, one not belonging to the system.
"Two thrones lie before you. One forged in light. One birthed in ruin. Choose wisely, child of the fracture… for both demand a price."
Rael stood tall. "I'll sit on both."
The twin thrones erupted into existence within the forge. One of pure fire, the other of obsidian and starlight.
And then…
[Dual Sovereign Protocol Activated.]
[New Class Unlocked: Paradox Ascendant.]
[Special Trait: Flamebound Abyss – All fire-based skills now generate void echo effects.]
[Warning: High instability. Fate threads beyond measurable control.]
Rael smirked.
"Bring it on."
He turned from the forge, eyes blazing and shadowed at once. The realm wasn't ready for what he was becoming.
But he didn't need it to be.
He would forge a new fate — one that neither gods nor devils could predict.
And from the depths of the Void, a voice chuckled.
"My vessel awakens."