"The healers," Lyra whispered. She pointed her shaking finger at the sick boy on the floor. "My family... we have always been healers. It is a rare skill tree. It requires a high base Magic stat. But the new update... it locks the stats. It locks the potential."Everett frowned. He was a fighter, not a doctor. He did not fully understand yet. "What does that mean for the camp?"Lyra grabbed the front of Everett’s shirt. She pulled him close. She needed him to understand the true nightmare."It means that in one generation, there will be no more poor doctors," Lyra said, her voice breaking into a sob. "If a peasant is locked at Level 10 forever, their magic will never be strong enough to cast a healing spell. The System will not let them learn it."Everett’s eyes went wide as the dark truth finally clicked in his mind."Only the rich nobles will have the high-level stats," Lyra cried. "The elite families will buy and capture anyone with a healing bloodline. They will hoard the magic. T

Kael swallowed hard. He looked at the faces of his friends. "The rulers did not just declare noble houses on a screen. They built them. Overnight, massive walls of solid, hard white light appeared right in the middle of Apex City. They cut the city into pieces. They created Noble Districts in the center. The streets there are made of clean marble. The air smells like flowers. But no common citizen is allowed to walk inside.""What happens if they try?" Lyra asked softly."The System throws them back," Kael said, his voice shaking. "If you do not have a Noble Bloodline tag floating above your head, the hard light walls burn your skin. You are physically blocked from walking on the rich streets. The only way inside is if you wear a glowing silver collar. It marks you as a Servant. They are putting collars on the poor just so they can go clean the nobles' houses."Silas cursed loudly. "They split the city like a prison.""It is worse than a prison, Commander," Kael cried. "It is a fact

Everett turned around. He looked at Silas, then at Lyra, then at Rae."When a king wears a crown, he is still just a man," Everett said. "If you cut a king with a knife, he bleeds red blood. If a king gets old, he gets weak. A peasant and a king are the same species. They just wear different clothes."Everett pointed at the terrifying golden line on the screen."But this?" Everett said. "This is biological supremacy. The System is not just making them kings. It is making them a completely different species. It is evolving the rich, and it is freezing the poor."Lyra stepped back, bumping into the cold wall. "A different species. Like... like gods and ants.""Yes," Everett said. "In three generations, a noble will not look at a peasant and see a poor human. The noble will look at a peasant and see a dog. A pet. An insect. You cannot have a rebellion when one side can squash the other side by stepping on them.""Then we have to fight them now!" Silas yelled. He grabbed his rifle from hi

"No," Lyra said, shaking her head. She did not look at Silas. She only looked at Everett. "If you touch that glass, you agree to their rules. You tell the System that they are right. You tell the universe that some blood is better than other blood."Lyra stepped around the table. She walked right up to Everett."I know your heart," Lyra whispered. She reached out and gently touched his chest, right over his beating heart. "You are a good man. You would be a good king. But a good king still sits on a throne. A good king still looks down at the peasants. If you create House Everett, you are just building a new cage. It might be a nicer cage. It might have softer beds. But little Finn outside will still be a peasant. Your children will rule over his children. Is that why we fought?"Everett stared into Lyra's eyes.He remembered the Dead Zone. He remembered the toxic green air. He remembered holding his sister, Sarah, as she died. The System had turned her into a monster to protect the c

The throne in the center of the grand room was made of solid white marble and pure gold. It was a massive, beautiful chair. It was built for a king. It was built for a tall, strong man with broad shoulders.Right now, a ten-year-old boy was sitting on it.His name was Lord Orion. He was the only son of the Duke of Malcor. His legs were so short that his expensive leather boots did not even touch the floor. They dangled in the air, swinging back and forth. Tap. Tap. Tap. He hit his heels against the base of the throne because he was bored.Orion wore a beautiful blue silk jacket with gold buttons. On his head rested a small silver crown. On his right hand, he wore a thick ring that glowed with a bright, pulsing blue light.That ring was his Bloodline Authority tether.His parents, the Duke and Duchess, had left the city three days ago. They were traveling to Apex City to attend a massive, expensive party hosted by High Chancellor Virex. Before the Duke left, he patted Orion on the head