Rain poured heavily over the Draven Estate.
Thunder shook the skies as servants hurried through the massive stone halls with lowered heads, afraid to make even the slightest mistake tonight.
Because tonight…
The disgrace of the family would finally disappear.
Inside a cold storage room beneath the estate, a thin boy sat chained against the wall.
His silver hair was soaked with blood.
Bruises covered his arms.
One of his eyes was swollen shut.
Yet despite everything, the boy remained silent.
Kael Draven had long learned that screaming changed nothing.
The iron door creaked open.
Three figures entered.
A tall man wearing black armor.
An elderly noble with sharp eyes.
And a masked assassin.
Kael slowly raised his head.
The old noble looked at him with disgust.
“Pathetic,” he muttered.
“Seven years wasted on this trash.”
Kael clenched his fists but said nothing.
At the age of five, every child in the empire awakened mana.
Every single child.
Mana determined status.
Power.
Worth.
Without mana, a person was less than human.
Kael never awakened anything.
Not even a spark.
Since then, he had beco the sha of the mighty Draven Family.
The armored man stepped forward coldly.
“You should feel honored,” he said. “The family allowed you to live this long.”
Kael stared at him quietly.
That man…
Was his father.
Darius Draven.
One of the strongest mana wielders in the empire.
Yet there was not the slightest warmth in his eyes.
Only disappointnt.
Only hatred.
Kael’s voice ca out hoarse.
“Was I truly that disgusting to all of you?”
Silence filled the room.
Then the elder sneered.
“You were born cursed.”
“You carry the blood of the Dravens yet possess no mana.”
“You are a stain.”
“A mistake.”
The words pierced deeper than blades.
Kael lowered his head.
For years he had hoped.
Hoped soone would care.
Hoped his father would acknowledge him.
Hoped his brothers would stop treating him like an animal.
But tonight destroyed the last of those hopes.
The masked assassin stepped forward.
“Orders?” he asked calmly.
Darius Draven turned away.
“Erase him.”
Kael’s heart finally cracked.
Not because they wanted him dead.
But because his father could not even look at him while saying it.
The assassin grabbed Kael by the chains and dragged him out of the room.
Nobody stopped him.
Nobody cared.
Rain battered Kael’s face as he was thrown into a black carriage.
Hours passed.
The estate disappeared behind them.
Eventually, the carriage stopped before a dark forest.
Darkwood Forest.
One of the deadliest forests near the empire.
The assassin pulled Kael out roughly.
Mud splashed beneath their feet.
The storm howled like angry spirits.
Kael stared into the darkness ahead.
“So this is where I die…”
The assassin said nothing.
He drew a dagger glowing with faint blue mana.
Kael laughed weakly.
Even now…
Mana.
Everything in this world revolved around it.
“Do it already,” Kael whispered.
The assassin paused slightly.
Perhaps he expected begging.
Crying.
Fear.
But the boy before him only looked tired.
Very tired.
“Any last words?” the assassin asked.
Kael looked toward the stormy sky.
“…I just wanted to live.”
SLASH!
The blade pierced his chest.
Pain exploded through his body.
Kael collapsed into the mud as warm blood spread beneath him.
His vision blurred.
The rain grew distant.
Coldness consud him slowly.
So this was death.
Dark.
Empty.
Lonely.
Just like his life.
His heartbeat weakened.
Then stopped.
Silence.
…
……
Suddenly—
A voice echoed through the darkness.
[Compatibility Confird.]
Kael’s dead eyes twitched.
[Unique Condition Detected.]
[Candidate possesses abnormal survival instinct.]
[Administrator Protocol Initializing.]
Darkness trembled around him.
Countless glowing symbols appeared in the void.
Kael could not move.
Could not breathe.
Yet sohow…
He could hear everything.
The mysterious voice continued.
[Humanity faces extinction.]
[Searching for viable host…]
[Host confird.]
[Shadow Ascension System Activated.]
A violent surge of energy exploded through Kael’s body.
His eyes snapped open.
“AAAAAAHHHHHH!!”
Black shadows burst outward from beneath him like living creatures.
The assassin stumbled backward in shock.
“What—?!”
Kael’s body floated slightly above the ground as darkness wrapped around his skin.
A glowing screen appeared before his eyes.
====================
SHADOW ASCENSION SYSTEM
Host: Kael Draven
Age: 12
Rank: None
Vitality: Critical
Primary Objective: SURVIVE
Issuing First Quest…
====================
[Quest Issued]
Remain alive until sunrise.
Difficulty: Fatal
Reward: Shadow Regeneration
Failure: Permanent Death
====================
Kael’s breathing beca ragged.
The assassin stared at him in horror.
“You should be dead…”
Kael slowly lifted his head.
For the first ti in his life…
Sothing inside him had awakened.
And in the darkness of the forest—
His glowing crimson eyes opened.
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