House Drenlor.
Rain wept against the tall windows of House Drenlor.
Thunder growled in the distance, low and patient, like some old beast stirring in its den.
The sky had not cleared in two days — nor had Kael risen for more than minutes at a time.
He lay in the darkened chamber, the silken canopy above his bed undisturbed, save for the occasional flicker of lightning that cast pale shadows across the velvet drapes.
After returning home that night, Kael had done only one thing before sleep claimed him — he hid everything.
The mask, the sword, the scrolls— all of it, anything tied to the devil — he sealed away behind stone and lock.
Kael had returned broken in body, but worse, in soul.
The moment the door to his chambers closed behind him, he had collapsed — and since then, the world had passed him like a blurred dream.
Sleep came in waves, feverish and deep. Time unspooled around him.
He did nothing. Could do nothing.
Each breath was heavy, each movement a quiet struggle. The house physicians came and went in whispers, binding wounds, draining infection, murmuring about fractured ribs and torn muscle.
But it was Selene who remained.
She was not loud, not insistent. She sat beside the bed with cool cloths and tinctures, her hands steady, her voice softer than the rain.
When he stirred, half-conscious, she would touch his brow and tell him he was safe. That the bleeding had stopped.
Now, after two days, he opened his eyes fully for the first time.
The world was blurry — but real.
His body ached. Bandages ran across his side, shoulder, thigh. Each beat of his heart felt like it echoed in bone. But he was breathing.
Alive.
Kael slowly pushed himself upright, wincing as his body protested.
"I'm still… weak," he muttered, jaw tightening. "My ribs... haa…"
He grimaced, then suddenly let out a low, dry laugh.
"Haha… but still… quite a harvest."
Leaning back against the headboard, he exhaled through his nose, lips curling into a tired grin.
"Let's see what I got…"
With a thought, the air before him shimmered — and the system panel bloomed into view in ghostly light, silent and waiting.
###
[Conqueror's System]
[Name: Kaelion Drenlor.]
[Title: Certified Treacherous Bastard]
[Race: Human]
[Affiliation: House Drenlor (Kingdom of Velmora)]
[Rank: Noble – 3rd Son of the Duke (Duchy of Velmora)]
[Talents : Horse Riding: (D), Swimming: (E), Swordsmanship: (C) Mana Control: (SSS)]
[Spells(1/7) : Moon Blade ( Rank 1)]
[Relics: Dreamweaver(Soul-Bound ), Nortic Mask (Rank 8)]
[Familiar Spirit: Yue]
[Familiar Beast: ####]
[Primary Objective: Claim the Duchy !!
Reward: Rank 4 Spell – 'Crimson Veil']
[Curse: Godbreaker's Mark]
###
Kael nodded slowly, eyes still scanning the faint glyphs suspended in the air.
"It looks… much better now," he muttered, voice still hoarse but steadier.
He reached out mentally, trying to open the full descriptions of Yue and his beast, hoping to learn more — but the system pulsed red.
[Access Denied]
"Haa…" Kael sighed and let his head fall back against the pillows, the ache in his ribs pulsing with the motion. "Figures."
Still, his gaze drifted back to the first entry. Dreamweaver.
He focused — and this time, the system responded.
The panel rippled. The text shifted, deepened, expanding into new lines etched in eerie silver.
****
[Dreamweaver(Soul Bound):
Once the elegant sword of the legendary Queen of the Dreamrealm.
Rumored to be forged by the gods themselves in the celestial forge, it was bestowed upon the sovereign who ruled the boundary between waking life and dreams. A blade feared and revered by all, its shimmering edge could cut through both flesh and the very fabric of reality.
Now, that same weapon is bound to a pitiful soul — a far cry from its glorious past, yet still humming with latent power.
Forms:
[1] Grants access to the Dreamrealm — a shifting plane of thought and memory. Can pull enemies into it, where their minds can be attacked and broken.
(Note:With each increase in rank, a new form awakens—unleashing deeper, deadlier powers hidden within) ]
****
Kael's mind short-circuited. His breath hitched, eyes wide as the weight of what he'd just read slammed into him.
'Forged by gods...'
'Queen of the Dreamrealm's sword...?'
The pieces slammed together like thunder in his head.
"W-what?!" he almost jumped out of bed, voice cracking.
'That means… that sword belongs to Yue. Yue is the Queen of the Dreamrealm?'
A bitter laugh escaped him. "F— fuck. That's OP as hell."
His fingers trembled slightly as he stared at the glowing panel, heart pounding. Everything was suddenly... far bigger than he'd imagined.
But that wasn't all.
Before Kael could fully process the weight of the revelation, a soft chime echoed in his mind — clear, mechanical, and impossibly cheerful.
[Congratulations.
[You have cleared the hidden mission: Escape the Mount Veilspire.]
Kael blinked, heart still pounding. Then his lips curled into a grin.
"Yes! Finally! Some recognition!"
He bounced lightly in his seat, the exhaustion momentarily forgotten.
Then, a new line flickered in the system panel:
[Reward: Rank 4 Healing Potion]
Kael froze.
"W-what?" he muttered, staring dumbfounded at the screen.
A bitter laugh escaped him.
"All that, and I get a healing potion? Seriously?"
"Fucker, you—!" Kael shouted, punching the air furiously.
"Why the hell do I get a healing potion after all that?!"
His fists sliced through empty space, each punch more wild than the last.
Just then, the door creaked open and Selene stepped inside, holding a small vial.
"Master, I bring medi—"
She froze mid-sentence, eyes widening at the sight before her.
Kael, red-faced and breathing hard, was shouting and swinging his fists like a madman.
For a beat, neither spoke.
Then Kael suddenly noticed her standing there, frozen and staring.
His anger deflated in a puff of awkwardness.
He cleared his throat loudly.
"Ahem. Uh… I'm fine. Just… uh, exercising."