Silverleaf City was not like the rustic, decaying village of Oakhaven. It was a fortress of stone and iron, a jagged tooth of the Empire biting into the frontier. Its massive walls, reinforced with anti-magic runes, shimmered with a silver hue under the moonlight—giving the city its name. But to Arlan, the silver glow felt like the cold bars of a cage.
Arlan sat atop Fenris at the edge of the treeline. The massive Shadow Wolf's breath came out as dark mist, his blue eyes scanning the patrol towers for any sign of detection.
[System Alert: Entering Neutral Zone - Silverleaf City]
[Detection Risk: Moderate]
[Advice: Activate 'Void Veil' to suppress mana leakage.]
"Fenris, merge," Arlan commanded in a low rasp.
The wolf didn't make a sound. Its physical form dissolved into liquid shadow, flowing into Arlan's own shadow. Arlan felt a surge of cold power as their souls synchronized. He pulled the hood of his Cloak of the Void lower, hiding his golden eyes, and began the long walk toward the gates.
The guards at the entrance were not the lazy militia of the countryside. They were Imperial regulars, their armor etched with the 'Blazing Sword' insignia of the Emperor. As Arlan approached, two guards crossed their halberds, blocking his path.
"State your business, traveler," one growled, his hand resting on the hilt of a magic-infused blade. "No one enters Silverleaf after the second bell without a merchant's permit or a noble's seal."
Arlan didn't flinch. He reached into his belt and tossed a small velvet pouch. It landed in the guard's hand with a heavy, melodic clink.
"I am a mercenary seeking work," Arlan said, his voice magically altered by the system to sound deeper and older. "The Whispering Woods are crawling with beasts. I seek a bed and a drink."
The guard peered inside the pouch. Seeing the pure gold coins stolen from Elder Thorne's treasury, his eyes widened. Money had a way of making runes and regulations disappear. The halberds were raised.
"Move along. But keep your weapons sheathed. The Inquisitors are in town."
Arlan's heart skipped a beat at the mention of 'Inquisitors'. These were the Emperor's personal hounds—mages trained specifically to hunt down 'trash' like him. He walked through the gates, feeling the hum of a scanning spell wash over him. His cloak held firm, masking the dark energy of the system.
The city was a labyrinth of narrow alleys and bustling taverns. Arlan chose a dive called 'The Rusty Anchor,' a place where the air smelled of stale ale and secrets. He took a seat in the darkest corner, his back to the wall.
[New Quest: Information Gathering]
[Objective: Identify the 'Black Rose' rebels in the tavern.]
[Reward: 1,000 Exp, Skill: Eye of Truth]
As he sipped a bitter drink, Arlan listened. The whispers around him were frantic.
"Did you hear? Oakhaven was wiped out by a demon."
"No, they say it was a rogue prince seeking revenge."
"The Emperor is furious. He sent Inquisitor Vane to purge the frontier."
Suddenly, the tavern's heavy oak door creaked open. A group of individuals in dark, travel-worn cloaks entered. One of them, a woman with piercing violet eyes, scanned the room. Her gaze lingered on Arlan for a second too long.
She walked directly to his table and sat down without an invitation. "Your shadow is too thick for a man who claims to be 'alone'," she whispered.
Arlan's hand moved under the table, his fingers brushing the hilt of his Shadow Dagger. "And your eyes see too much for someone who wants to stay alive."
The woman leaned in, showing a small tattoo on her wrist—a black rose. "The Inquisitors aren't here for the village. They are here for you, Arlan of Valoria."
Arlan froze. His true name hadn't been spoken in years. The system screen turned blood-red.
[Danger Level: Extreme!]
[Inquisitor Vane has entered the vicinity!]
Outside, the temperature seemed to drop by twenty degrees. A heavy, suffocating pressure descended upon the tavern. The windows began to frost over, and the chatter died down into a terrifying silence. Arlan felt the presence of a predator—one much stronger than the Shadow Stalker or Elder Thorne.
"He's here," the woman hissed, her hand trembling. "If you want to live, follow me through the cellar. Now!"
The atmosphere in 'The Rusty Anchor' shattered. The frosted windows didn't just crack; they exploded inward as a wave of pure, holy mana surged through the room. Arlan felt his Shadow Dagger vibrate violently in its sheath, reacting to the presence of its natural opposite: Divine Light.
"Move!" Seraphina hissed, grabbing Arlan's arm.
They lunged behind the bar just as the tavern's front wall was obliterated by a pillar of white flame. The patrons screamed, but their voices were cut short as the pressure of Inquisitor Vane's aura crushed the very air out of their lungs.
[System Alert: Divine Suppression Active!]
[All Shadow Skills cost 50% more Mana!]
[Warning: Inquisitor Vane (Level 35 - Grand Inquisitor) is searching for your signature.]
Arlan followed Seraphina into the damp, rat-infested cellar. She pulled a hidden lever disguised as a wine rack, revealing a stone staircase that spiraled deep into the earth. As they descended, the sounds of destruction above grew muffled, replaced by the rhythmic dripping of sewer water.
"How do you know my name?" Arlan demanded, pinning Seraphina against the cold stone wall the moment the secret door clicked shut. His eyes glowed a dangerous gold, and the shadow beneath him shifted—Fenris was growling from within the darkness.
Seraphina didn't look afraid. She pulled back her hood, revealing long silver hair and ears that were slightly pointed—an Elf-Human hybrid. "My father was the Royal Archivist, Arlan. He was executed the same night you were poisoned. He knew the prophecy of the Forsaken King, and he died protecting the truth of your bloodline."
Arlan's grip loosened. A memory surfaced—a kind old man who used to sneak him books from the Forbidden Library when he was a child. "Marius... your father was Marius?"
"Yes," she whispered, her violet eyes hardening. "The Black Rose was formed by those who were discarded by your father's empire. We don't want to save the kingdom, Arlan. We want to burn it down. Just like you."
[New Quest Updated: The Rebel Alliance]
[Condition: Reach the Black Rose Sanctuary without being detected.]
[Reward: Skill Book - 'Void Step' | 2,000 Exp]
Suddenly, a loud thud echoed from the door they had just closed. The stone began to glow with a terrifying white light. The Inquisitor wasn't just following them; he was melting through the reinforced stone.
"He's using 'Heavenly Solvent'," Seraphina gasped. "No lock can hold him. We have to go through the Catacombs. But be warned—the things that live down here haven't seen a soul in centuries."
As they sprinted through the dark tunnels, the System began to map out the area.
[Area Map Updated: The Silent Catacombs]
[Enemy Detected: Bone-Gnawer Ghouls (Level 18)]
From the darkness of the side tunnels, pale, elongated figures began to emerge. Their skin was translucent, stretched thin over skeletal frames, and their fingers ended in jagged bone-claws. They were the victims of the Empire's past purges, left here to rot and turn into monsters.
"Fenris, manifest!" Arlan roared.
The shadows exploded from Arlan's feet. The massive Shadow Wolf materialized, snapping its jaws shut on the neck of a ghoul that had tried to pounce from the ceiling. Blue flames erupted as Fenris tore the creature apart.
[Fenris has slain a Bone-Gnawer Ghoul!]
[Exp Gained: 200]
"Keep moving!" Arlan shouted, his dagger carving through the air, sending waves of shadow energy that cleaved through the ghouls like a hot knife through butter. He felt a dark adrenaline. Every kill made his core feel more stable, more hungry.
But behind them, the white light was getting closer. The Inquisitor was moving through the tunnels like a slow, inevitable tide of fire.
"Arlan!" Seraphina called out, pointing to a massive iron gate at the end of the hall. "That leads to the Old Sewers, but it's sealed with a Blood Lock. Only a royal can open it!"
Arlan reached the gate. It was covered in ancient runes that hummed with a dormant power. In the center was a small indentation for a hand.
[System Analysis: Blood Lock (Ancestral Grade)]
[Requirement: Blood of the Valoria Royal Line.]
Arlan bit his thumb and pressed it against the cold iron. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the runes turned from a dull grey to a vibrant, angry red. The sound of shifting gears filled the tunnel, and the massive gate began to groan open.
"So the 'trash' prince is finally useful for something," a cold, melodic voice echoed from the darkness behind them.
Arlan turned. Standing at the end of the corridor was a man in white and gold robes. He held a staff topped with a sun-shaped crystal. His face was beautiful but expressionless, like a statue. This was Inquisitor Vane.
"Arlan of Valoria," Vane said, lifting his staff. "The Emperor was merciful to let you live as a beggar. But to return with the power of the Abyss... that is a sin I cannot ignore."
[Final Warning: Boss Encounter - Inquisitor Vane]
[Probability of Victory: 5.2%]
"Seraphina, get inside," Arlan muttered, his eyes narrowing. "I'll give you thirty seconds. If I'm not through by then... seal the gate."
Inquisitor Vane moved with a grace that was sickening. He didn't walk; he glided, the hem of his white robes never touching the filth of the sewer floor. The staff in his hand, known as the 'Sun-Piercer,' illuminated the dark tunnel with a light so intense it felt like it was peeling the skin off Arlan's face.
[System Warning: Divine Radiance is melting your Shadow Cloak!]
[Cloak Durability: 65%... 60%... 50%...]
"Fenris, Shadow Pounce!" Arlan roared.
The massive wolf lunged from the darkness, a streak of midnight aimed at the Inquisitor's throat. Vane didn't even turn his head. He simply tapped his staff on the ground. A shockwave of holy energy exploded outward, slamming into Fenris and sending the beast crashing into the stone wall with a pained yelp.
[Companion Status: Critical Damage!]
[Fenris is temporarily desummoned to the Shadow Realm for recovery.]
"You fight with the pets of the Void," Vane said, his voice as cold as a tombstone. "It is a pity. Your mother was a woman of great light. To see her son wallow in the filth of the Abyss... it is a mercy to kill you."
At the mention of his mother, something snapped inside Arlan. The cold calculation of the System was replaced by a burning, primal rage. His mana core, cracked and damaged from the childhood poisoning, began to spin at a suicidal speed.
[Detection: Emotional Resonance detected!]
[System Protocol 'Vengeance' unlocked!]
[Warning: Activating 'System Overload' will cause permanent HP reduction. Do you wish to proceed?]
"Do it," Arlan hissed, his voice distorted as black veins began to crawl up his neck and across his face. "Give me everything!"
[SYSTEM OVERLOAD INITIATED!]
[Current Level: 10 -> Temporary Level: 25]
[Skill Unlocked: Black Sun Eruption]
The air around Arlan turned heavy. The shadows didn't just hide him anymore; they began to solidify, turning into jagged blades of darkness that hovered in the air. Vane's expression shifted for the first time—his eyes widened slightly as he raised his staff to form a 'Holy Aegis' shield.
"Black Sun... Eruption!"
Arlan slammed his palms together. A sphere of compressed shadow energy formed between his hands and exploded. It wasn't a blast of fire; it was a blast of nothingness. The holy light in the tunnel was sucked into the sphere, creating a vacuum of absolute darkness that collided with Vane's shield.
The shockwave was cataclysmic. The sewer walls groaned and began to collapse. Arlan felt his ribs crack under the pressure, and hot blood filled his mouth. But he didn't stop. He pushed every ounce of his soul into the attack.
CRACK.
The Inquisitor's shield shattered. Vane was thrown backward, his pristine robes scorched and torn. For the first time in his life, a High Inquisitor had been wounded by a 'trash' prince.
"Arlan! Now! The gate is closing!" Seraphina's voice screamed from beyond the iron bars.
Arlan didn't look back to see if Vane was getting up. He knew that 'System Overload' would leave him paralyzed in seconds. He lunged through the narrowing gap of the Blood Lock gate just as the massive iron slab slammed shut with a thunderous BOOM.
On the other side, the tunnel was silent. Arlan collapsed onto the cold, damp floor, his vision blurring. The black veins on his skin began to recede, leaving behind an agonizing ache.
[Overload Terminated.]
[HP: 5/450]
[Status: Near Death / Mana Depletion]
Seraphina was over him in an instant, pouring a glowing green liquid down his throat—an Elixir of Life from the rebel's private stock. "You're insane," she whispered, her eyes filled with a mix of terror and awe. "No one survives a direct clash with Vane. No one."
"I... I'm not... just anyone," Arlan managed to rasp before the darkness finally claimed him.
[Quest Completed: The Rebel Alliance]
[Experience Gained: 2,000 Exp]
[Skill Learned: Void Step (Rank B)]
[Level Up! Level 10 -> Level 13]