Kael knelt in the fading heat of the Trial. The glyph of the Hollowflame still pulsed faintly within his palm, a reminder of what he had just overcome—and what had been awakened.
But the Trial had not ended.
As he stood, the scorched battlefield around him dissolved into black dust. The world tilted—and from the far edges of that collapsing space, something growled.
The sky above the Vein cracked open.
> [Warning: Rift Spawn Detected]
⬤ Entity: Rift Reaver (Elite-Class)
⬤ Category: Tier 3 Monster – Eldritch-Touched
⬤ Aggression: High
⬤ Objective: Eliminate System Anomaly (Kael Virdane)
A jagged form fell from the sky—a mass of black sinew and bone-blades, eyes scattered across its twisted limbs.
---
Kael's body moved on instinct.
> [Skill Activated: Shadowstep – Lv.2]
▪ Blink to nearest shadow within 10 meters
▪ Cooldown: 6 seconds
In a burst of gray smoke, he vanished just as the Rift Reaver slammed the ground where he stood.
BOOM. Ash and debris flew.
Kael reappeared behind a twisted rock formation, breathing heavily.
> (It's fast.)
> [Skill Activated: Ember Pulse – Lv.1]
▪ Fires a small burst of searing energy
▪ Damage scales with Charisma + Trait synergy
He raised his palm—the glyph ignited—and fired a short burst of flame.
It hit the Reaver's carapace, burning deep, but it didn't fall.
It roared, charging again.
Kael grimaced. "Not enough…"
---
The system responded.
> [Trait Surge Detected – Hollowflame Veinwalker Core Unstable]
[Class Trait Activated: Scorched Legacy]
▪ System Feedback reduced
▪ Ember Control unlocked (temporary)
The glyph in his hand flared, spreading heat up his arm.
> [Skill Unlocked: Veinlash Ember – Lv.1]
▪ Conjures whip of living flame
▪ Can bind, burn, or redirect attacks
▪ Cost: 8 Stamina per use
Kael flicked his wrist—a whip of flame snapped into being.
The Rift Reaver struck again—but this time, he met Kael's burning tether.
The whip coiled around its limb, dragging it mid-charge. Kael twisted—redirecting the beast into a stone pillar.
It screeched, stunned.
He leapt forward.
> [Combo Triggered: Shadowstep → Veinlash Ember → Ember Pulse]
[Critical Chain Success – Adaptive Evolution Registered]
Kael pulsed forward, driving a blast of ember energy into the creature's core from close range.
KRAAKK!
The Reaver screamed—its body rupturing.
It fell, hissing and melting into ichor and flame.
---
Kael dropped to his knees, panting.
> [Combat Complete]
[EXP Gained: +172]
[Skill Mastery: Ember Pulse → Lv.2]
[Skill Mastery: Shadowstep → Lv.3]
[New Skill Added: Veinlash Ember – Lv.1]
[Loot Acquired: Rift Core Fragment x1 | Eldritch Ichor Residue]
And something else…
> [System Update: Anomaly Resistance Increased]
[System Sync: 14%]
Kael looked at his hand.
The glyph had changed again—sharper now, more alive.
---
Somewhere far away, in the Hollow beyond systems, a chained being smiled.
> "So the Ash burns back... how delightful."