The sun had not yet risen, but Kaelen was already awake. After passing the Soulforge Trial, his body craved rest, but his mind burned with purpose.
"Evolution requires more than battle experience," he murmured. "It needs fuel… essence… and material."
The System had revealed what he needed: beast cores, shadow stones, soulcloth, and rare materials only found in the forbidden depths of the world—The Shadow Bazaar.
It was not a place marked on any map. Even nobles whispered its name only in shadows. It existed between layers of space, a temporal pocket open only to those who knew the scent of death, greed, and survival.
Kaelen had an invitation.
A black card given to his grandmother long ago, left untouched. Its runes glowed when Kaelen poured necrotic mana into it.
[Access Token Detected: Initiating Transfer…]
The world bent around him. Space collapsed like folding silk. And then—
Darkness.
Location: The Shadow Bazaar
Kaelen appeared in a wide stone cavern, dimly lit by lanterns of ghostlight and eerie soulflames. Tents and carved bone structures stretched across a city carved from the ribcage of a long-dead leviathan.
The Shadow Bazaar pulsed with forbidden magic. Creatures walked here not seen in daylight—ghoul merchants, robed elves with no eyes, armored giants, and skeletal beasts wearing crowns of fire.
"So this is where the world's filth trades power…"
"You're new," a voice said behind him.
Kaelen turned. A hunched creature with goat-like features and dozens of silver piercings smiled with all the charm of a blade salesman.
"Name's Vrax. Broker of fragments, forbidden spells, and dreams you shouldn't own."
"I need materials," Kaelen replied. "Beast cores. Pure ones."
"Of course you do," Vrax chuckled, gesturing to a back alley. "But nothing here comes free. You pay in coin, secrets, or blood. Which do you offer?"
Kaelen didn't hesitate.
"I'll trade a memory," he said. "One I never want to feel again."
Vrax's eyes widened slightly, impressed. "Now we're speaking Shadow."
The Broker took a knife and motioned for Kaelen to press his hand over a Memory Stone. A moment passed. Kaelen flinched. The stone glowed.
He had given up the memory of the pain of his death in the last world.
🜃 [SYSTEM]
Memory Traded: [Pain of Last Breath – Prior Life]+1 High-Grade Beast Core+1 Soulcloth+Access: Inner Merchant Circle Unlocked
Armed with new supplies, Kaelen moved from stall to stall.
He acquired:
Shadow Spore Crystals – Used to form incorporeal units
Hollow Fang Bones – Needed for reinforcing skeletal evolutions
Ancient Golem Dust – Infused into Bahlor's core
Violet Ember Silk – For Nyxa's next tier evolution
The last stop was a black tent bearing no name. Inside sat a blindfolded woman, her eyes stitched with runes.
"You carry a pharaoh's spark," she whispered, sensing Kaelen's presence.
"I… what?"
"Your soul doesn't just command. It rules. You will awaken the Throne of Bone someday. But for that… you need a name."
She handed him a small mirror.
"Look… and speak what you see."
Kaelen stared. His reflection warped—his skin darkened with ethereal ink, his pupils became radiant blue fire, and a crown of bone hovered behind his head.
He breathed one word.
"Aeron Kaelen."
The name wasn't just a title. It was a Claim.
🜃 [SYSTEM UPDATE]
Title Unlocked: Heir of the Throne of BonePassive Gained: Nearby undead gain +15% regenerationSkill Awakening Progression: 3%Trait Gained: Soulbound Authority (Undead below your rank obey without contract)Access to Bonecrafting Tier I unlocked
As Kaelen left the tent, the sky above the Bazaar twisted. A cloaked figure watched from the rafters, a scythe resting on his back. His eyes were twin black suns.
"So… the next Sovereign walks," the figure whispered. "Let's see how long before the world notices."
Hours later, Kaelen stood in his summoning chamber, surrounded by sigils and circles. The air hummed with power.
He drew the beast core. His eyes blazed. Nyxa and Bahlor stood ready, their auras denser than before.
"Now," he whispered, "let us evolve."
The ritual began. Purple light rose like flames. Bones shimmered. Shadows twisted. Power surged—
—And deep within the soulforge, a third summoning circle flickered to life.
The next Named Creature would soon awaken.
But in the distance, forces stirred—those who had sworn the Necromancer line dead.
The world was about to realize…
The legacy had returned.