They found him in the Obsidian Wastes—barefoot, bloodless, and breathing where no man should. Ashen Vale. That's what the slavebrand etched into his collar said, though the name meant nothing to him. He had no memory of who he was. No past. No voice.
But the shadows whispered.
He was seventeen when the sky cracked.
It started with a hum—low, ancient, and wrong. Then the mines split open like a wound, spewing black flame and forgotten whispers. The overseers fled. The slaves screamed. And Vale? He stood at the heart of it all, arms open to the storm.
From the earth rose a relic: a jagged obsidian shard pulsing with runes. It stabbed itself into Vale's chest before he could move.
He didn't bleed.
He burned.
> [Sigil Detected: Tenebris – Sovereign Class]
[Class Assigned: Sovereign of the Abyss]
[Realm Conquest System Activated]
[You are now Sigilbound.]
Black runes coiled across his skin, spiraling down his spine and around his heart like a living brand.
Then came the shadows.
One by one, the corpses around him stirred—miners, guards, beasts. Their forms twitched, jerked, then rose… cloaked in darkness, eyes glowing pale silver.
They dropped to one knee in perfect silence.
> [Legion of Shade Created: 7 Units Bound]
[Ability Unlocked: Shadowbind – Tier I]
[Your army will grow with every death you command.]
The world tilted. Vale staggered but didn't fall. His mind expanded, flooded with alien knowledge.
A system appeared—transparent, hovering before his eyes:
---
Sigil of Tenebris – Sovereign of the Abyss
Tier I Abilities Unlocked:
Shadowbind – Reanimate and bind the fallen to your will.
Umbral Step – Short-range teleport through shadows.
Soul Ledger – Access the memory and abilities of bound souls.
Realm Progression Activated:
Current Realm: Dreadspire Hollow (Lv. 1)
Core Status: Unclaimed
Next Tier Unlock: Defeat Realm Warden, Claim Core
Legion of Shade:
Bound Units: 7
Max Capacity: Unlimited
Unit Types: Passive — Shade Initiates
Potential Evolutions: Wraiths, Voidcallers, Revenants
---
Vale inhaled deeply. The scent of smoke and sulfur faded, replaced by something colder. Hungrier.
He looked down at his hands. They were no longer trembling.
"I don't know what I am," he whispered, voice ragged, new. "But I know what I'm not."
A victim.
He turned toward the mine's mouth, where the overseers had fled.
Seven shadows followed in silence.
And as Vale stepped forward, the void whispered again.
> [Conquest Begins.]