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✍️ Author's Note
> Thank you for journeying with Kael this far.
This Auxiliary Guide was created to help you explore the deeper lore behind the Shadow System, the Ashen Empire, and the identities hiding in the darkness.
I recommend reading this if you want to better understand the secrets behind Kael's origin and the forces rising around him as we head into the next arc.
Spoiler Warning: This guide contains lore based on Chapters 1–20.
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🕴️ [Aux 1] Main Character: Kael Valen / Ren Verradin
Name: Kael Valen (Present)
True Name: Ren Verradin (Hidden)
Age: 17 (physical)
Title(s): The Nameless One, Shadowbound, Ashen Heir
Origin: Unknown (recorded as a servant of Aserion Voss)
Race: Human (modified)
Personality:
Cold, reserved, introspective. Kael hides deep emotional scars under a mask of control and silence. Driven by fragments of memory, betrayal, and a need to protect those he now walks beside.
Abilities:
Shadow Morph – Allows him to vanish and merge with shadows.
Oblivion Cut – Erases presence and memory from the minds of enemies.
Silent Crown – Passive aura that suppresses detection and spiritual tracing.
Ashen Pulse (Locked) – Forbidden trait tied to his identity as Ren Verradin.
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🧍♂️ [Aux 2] Key Characters
Riven
Race: Half-Demon
Role: Mercenary Companion
Weapon: Twin Blades
Personality: Rough, sarcastic, and loyal. Hides intelligence behind brutality.
History: Once hunted Kael, now fights alongside him.
Lyra
Race: Soulborn
Abilities: Soul Vision, Spirit Healing
Role: Healer, Strategist
Personality: Calm, fiercely intelligent. Begins to form a bond with Kael.
Aserion Voss
Race: Human (Modified)
Role: Overlord of the Sealed Sect
Traits: Mastermind, ruthless. The one who erased Kael's past.
Connection: Knows the truth behind Kael's identity and fears it.
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🌑 [Aux 3] The Shadow System
System Name: Shadowbound
Type: Legacy System (Semi-sentient)
State: Previously suppressive. Now partially under Kael's control.
Purpose: Originally designed to erase identity and turn heirs into slaves.
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Core Abilities:
Silent Step – Leaves no sound or footprints.
Shadowbind – Immobilizes enemies using living shadows.
Reflection Void – Disguises spiritual presence.
Nameless Soul (Passive) – Prevents soul identification. Cannot be traced by spiritual means.
Evolution Tree:
Tier I: Servant Traits (Complete)
Tier II: Assassin Traits (Active)
Tier III: Ancestral Memory – (Locked)
Tier IV: Sigil Awakening – (Locked)
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🏛️ [Aux 4] World Lore: Ashen Empire
⚔️ The Ashen Empire
Once the ruling civilization of the western continent.
Known for elite warriors who were Sigil-Born, with bloodlines that wielded memory, flame, and shadow.
Collapsed during the Crimson Collapse, an erased historical event.
Survivors were erased or memory-wiped. Ren Verradin was one such soul.
🔺 The Ashen Sigil
Passed only through true heirs.
Unlocks ancestral relics, hidden systems, and bloodline powers.
Currently re-emerging as a masked figure claims the throne.
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🕯️ [Aux 5] Factions and Forces
Sealed Sect
Led by Aserion Voss.
Controls slave systems and forbidden knowledge.
Once part of a cult that hunted Ashen survivors.
The Order of Silent Flame
Fire priests who use branded memory.
Believes that "truth is only preserved through fire."
Known to possess relics of the Ashen Empire.
Ashen Loyalists
Unknown in number.
Rumored to await the return of the "Nameless Prince."
Their sigil activates only in the presence of a true heir.
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🗓️ [Aux 6] Timeline So Far (Chp 1–20)
1. Kael awakens bound by the Shadow System.
2. Breaks his servitude and goes rogue.
3. Encounters Riven, a former enemy turned ally.
4. Forms a temporary trio with Lyra in the borderlands.
5. Meets a Witness of the Silent Flame — who reveals his true name: Ren Verradin.
6. Unlocks an ancient quest: Ashes of the Forgotten Crown.
7. Learns someone is falsely using the Ashen Sigil in Del'mor.
8. Now travels to reclaim identity, legacy, and his place in a world built on lies.
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