Light swallowed the Convergence—
blinding, absolute, burning Kael's vision to white.
Then it all snapped away.
Not gently.
Not gradually.
Like a cord had been cut.
Kael fell forward onto cold stone, coughing. His hands shook as he caught himself on the ground. The air was sharp, metallic, clean in a way that felt unnatural after the bloody fog of Predator's Run.
He blinked until shapes formed.
He was no longer on the mirrored plane.
No Monarchs stood watching.
No trial.
No Riven trapped behind a barrier.
He was standing in a long stone hall, lined with towering archways carved with glowing runes.
A faint wind carried echoes from far, far above—hundreds of floors shifting.
He was inside the Labyrinth proper.
Riven stumbled in beside him, pressing a hand against her ribs.
Mr. Han lay on the floor, unconscious but breathing.
Shards of blue light still flickered faintly around Kael's arms, like dying embers.
Riven stared at him with a look he hadn't seen from her before.
Not fear.
Not irritation.
Not predator's amusement.
Recognition.
Respect.
Submission, even if she didn't want to admit it.
She lifted her blade and tapped its point lightly against the ground.
"A Monarch who survives a Convergence… is a Monarch the floors must acknowledge."
Kael looked down at his hands.
They were still trembling.
His veins glowed faintly beneath his skin—fracture-light pulsing like another heartbeat.
"What changed?" Kael asked quietly.
Riven glanced up at the runes carved into the stone hall.
"These symbols weren't here before. They're reacting to you."
Before Kael could answer, the system's voice echoed like a whisper from the walls.
Monarch Advancement Completed
Title Granted
Monarch of the Shard Dominion (Lesser)
Effects:
• Monarch Presence unlocked
• Domain Strength +40%
• Shard Affinity increased
• Convergence Recognition: You are marked by three Monarchs
• Floors may react unpredictably
Riven winced.
"Oh, that last line is going to ruin everything."
Kael nodded slowly.
He already felt it.
The walls were… listening.
The Labyrinth itself felt aware of him now, like it was watching him through the runes.
Another message appeared.
Warning
The Convergence has branded you
Other Monarchs may seek you
Riven muttered something under her breath.
"Wonderful."
Kael stood, dusting his clothes off.
His body ached everywhere—
but he didn't feel weak.
He felt carved into something sharper.
He looked at the massive archway at the end of the hall.
Through its shimmering veil, he saw glimpses of another floor—
floating spires
bridges made of cracked light
a sky swirling with golden storms
The next floor.
Before Kael could take a step, Riven put a hand on his chest to stop him.
"No. Not yet."
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
"Because you haven't seen the cost yet."
Kael frowned.
"What cost?"
Riven's eyes darkened.
"You think awakening is free? You think gaining a Dominion is just a reward?"
She pointed at the hallway floor.
Kael followed her gaze—
and froze.
His shadow was not his shadow anymore.
It was split.
Fractured.
Pieces of darkness floating slightly apart from each other.
Each shard sharp, jagged, moving when he didn't.
And behind that broken silhouette…
another shadow shifted.
Tall.
Crowned.
Bent over like a dead king crawling behind him.
Kael stepped back instinctively—
but both shadows followed perfectly.
Riven's voice dropped to a whisper.
"That's your Echo imprint.
A reminder of the Monarch who died.
A reminder of the power you stole."
Kael's breath caught in his throat.
The broken shadow felt cold, alive, watching him.
Riven stepped away.
"Every Monarch who sees that imprint will know exactly what you are."
Kael's jaw clenched.
"And what am I?"
Riven met his eyes.
Her voice was quiet, but there was no softness in it.
"Something the other Monarchs will try to recruit…
or erase."
Kael looked again at the fractured shadow.
At the crown-shaped crack glowing faintly over it.
He spoke slowly.
"I won't bow to them."
Riven smirked.
"Good. Because Monarchs don't bow."
She crossed her arms.
"But don't get arrogant. You aren't powerful yet. What you did back there was instinct. Echo memory. Unstable. You try to use that Shardstorm again now, and you'll tear your own body apart."
Kael nodded.
He felt it.
The Shardstorm itched beneath his skin—
hungry
eager
but unrefined
dangerous
And there was still one problem.
Kael knelt beside Mr. Han.
The old man's breathing was weak, shallow.
Not from wounds
but from something deeper—
a crackling corruption that the Echo's shockwave had forced into his veins.
A faint black mist clung around Mr. Han's arms like coiled threads.
Kael reached for it—
the mist recoiled violently.
Riven hissed and pulled Kael's hand back.
"That is Convergence Corruption.
Touch it raw and it'll eat into your mind."
Kael's heart dropped.
"Can it be removed?"
Riven nodded slowly.
"Yes. But…"
She looked at the shimmering archway ahead.
"…it requires ascending to a floor where purification exists."
Kael stood up.
Determination hardened in his chest like crystallizing glass.
"Then we keep moving."
Riven stepped in front of him again.
"If you go forward right now, you'll die. Your Domain isn't fully stabilized. Your shard resonance is unstable. And the Monarchs who saw you survive are going to send things after you."
Kael stared at her.
"Are you saying we should stay still?"
Riven shook her head.
"No.
I'm saying you need to learn what a Monarch actually is."
Kael frowned.
"And you're going to teach me?"
Riven sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose.
"I'm not your teacher, Kael. I'm not even your ally."
She pointed her blade at him.
"I'm someone who doesn't want the Labyrinth collapsing because some kid with an Echo got overconfident."
Kael folded his arms.
"So what's your plan?"
Riven's eyes narrowed.
"Before we go to the next floor…
you need to stabilize your Dominion.
And there's only one place in the Labyrinth where a Monarch can learn to do that safely."
Kael's pulse quickened.
"Where?"
Riven pointed to a broken sigil etched into the hall wall.
A symbol shaped like an eye made of cracks.
"The Vault of Sovereigns."
Kael stepped closer.
"What is it?"
Riven's voice went cold.
"A prison.
A library.
A grave.
A place where Monarchs store memories, secrets, and forbidden techniques."
She held up her blade.
"And where the last Monarch of Shards was erased."
Kael's broken shadow stretched behind him—
longer
darker
alive
Riven sighed.
"You want to rise?
Fine.
Then your next step is walking straight into the place where your predecessor died."
Kael stared at the crack-shaped symbol.
The air around it pulsed like a heartbeat.
The Echo inside him hummed with recognition—
danger
power
familiarity
His voice came out quiet.
"I'm ready."
Riven shook her head.
"No.
But you will be."
She gripped his shoulder.
Her eyes glowed fiercely.
"Let's go, Monarch.
To the Vault of Sovereigns."