All Chapters of System Of Judgment: Rise Of Kael: Chapter 1
- Chapter 8
8 chapters
Chapter One: The Brand of Lightning
The rain fell like the sky’s punishment. Chains clinked with every breath Kael took. The mud beneath his knees was black and cold, swallowing what little dignity he had left. Around him, the crowd jeered, miners, guards, merchants, faces he once called neighbors. “That’s the thief.”“He killed his overseer!”“Let the lightning burn the filth clean!”Kael’s head hung low, soaked hair hiding his eyes. His wrists bled where the iron bit deep. The square reeked of wet stone and cruelty.“Kael Thorn,” the overseer read from a parchment, his voice smug, “sentenced to branding for theft, rebellion, and destruction of Imperial property.”Kael’s voice was hoarse. “You forged the accounts. You stole from us.”The overseer smirked, leaning close. “And who will believe a debtor’s son over me?” He lifted a glowing brand from the fire, a rod tipped with the sigil of the empire, red as the devil’s tongue.The heat shimmered in the rain. Steam hissed as it touched the surface. Kael didn’t flinch. He
Chapter Two: The Stranger in Gold
The stranger stepped closer, tall, cloaked in shadow, boots silent on marble. Beneath the hood, Kael caught the faint gleam of gold embroidery and the glint of cold eyes that had seen too much. “Stay back,” Kael warned, chain tightening around his arm. “You move one step.”The man raised both hands, calm. His voice was smooth, confident. “If I wanted you dead, you’d never have heard my voice.”Kael’s jaw tensed. “Then say what you want.”The stranger circled him, studying the room, the corpse, the scorch marks, the faint shimmer of the System’s sigils fading into the air. “So the whispers were true,” he murmured. “Another one… chosen by the System.”Kael froze. “You know about it?”The stranger gave a faint, humorless smile. “I know more than you can imagine. My name is Corvin Duskvale. And you, Kael Thorn… you’ve just lit a fire that will burn this city to ashes.”Kael’s eyes narrowed. “You talk too much for someone trespassing.”Corvin’s gaze slid to the chain still sparking with
Chapter Three: Ashes and Allies
Kael stumbled through the alleys with Mira dragging him by the arm. His back burned where the brand still pulsed, every heartbeat whispering pain.Behind them, the city screamed, bells, fire, soldiers shouting his name. “Stop pulling,” Kael hissed.“Then run faster,” Mira shot back. “You light up like a beacon every time you breathe.”They turned a corner and nearly collided with two patrolling guards. Mira didn’t hesitate, she threw a handful of powder into the air. The spark flared green, blinding. The men cried out, clutching their eyes. Kael blinked through the smoke. “What was that?”“Sleeping ash,” she said, catching her breath. “Hurts like hell if you inhale it. Works every time.”He stared at her, trying to catch up. “Who are you?” “A healer,” she replied, voice tight. “And apparently your babysitter now.”Kael’s temper flared. “I don’t need saving.”“You almost died in there.”“I’ve died before,” he snapped.She stopped, turned on him. “Then stop acting like it’s a badge of
Chapter Four: The Edge of Judgment
Kael’s vision blurred in the smoke as heat slammed into him like a hammer. Mira’s voice cut through the chaos. “Kael! This way, move!”He turned, Corvin was already pulling her toward a side passage half-collapsed with rubble. Behind them, Alaric’s soldiers surged through the fire, their armor gleaming with divine light. “Don’t let them escape!” Alaric’s command echoed, cold and precise.Kael’s grip tightened on his chain. “Go. I’ll hold them.”Mira’s eyes flared. “Don’t be stupid! You can’t fight all of them!”Kael gave a ghost of a smile. “Then I’ll make them remember trying.”Before she could argue, he stepped into the flames. The heat licked his skin, but the lightning inside him answered, flaring wild and white.[Judgment Mode Activated.]The air screamed. Kael’s chain burned blue, cutting arcs of light through the fire. The first wave of soldiers fell before they even reached him. Sparks danced across the stone, blood mixing with steam, but for every one he struck down, three
Chapter Five: The Fall of Fire and Lightning
The chain sparked alive. The cathedral filled with stormlight as Kael charged, straight into Alaric’s fire.Lightning coiled around Kael’s arms as he faced Alaric in the center of the ruined nave. “You destroyed everything that stood for faith,” Alaric said, his voice echoing through the smoke.“Faith?” Kael spat. “You used faith to bury people alive.”Alaric’s expression was calm, almost tender. “I buried sin. The weak exist to feed the strong. That is divine order.”Kael’s chain lit up in fury. “Then I’ll break your order!”They collided, lightning met holy fire with a scream that split the ceiling. The shockwave threw Mira and Corvin behind shattered pews.Sparks seared the air. Every strike rattled the walls, every blow lighting Kael’s scars until he glowed like a storm given flesh.Alaric deflected a blow and shoved him back. “You’re a child playing god.”Kael’s breath came hard. “And you’re a god who forgot he was human.”Their weapons clashed again. Alaric’s blade carved throug
Chapter Six: The Baron’s Sin
The city stank of smoke and rot; banners of the Church burned on every street corner. “He’s close,” Kael said quietly.“You can feel him?” Corvin asked.“The System can,” Kael replied. “It’s like the air grows heavier the nearer I get.”Mira kept pace beside him, cloak soaked through. “The Baron’s estate is built on the ashes of the old mines. If the System guided you here, it’s not coincidence.”Kael’s eyes flickered with blue light. “It’s retribution.”They turned a corner, and froze. Ahead, the road to Ashreach was blocked by rows of armored soldiers. Their captain shouted above the rain. “By order of the Baron, all entrances to the district are sealed. Trespassers will be executed.”Corvin exhaled. “Of course. A polite welcome.”Kael’s chain slid from his sleeve, glinting faintly in the lightning. “Then we make our own entrance.”Mira caught his arm. “Wait. Look.”Through the sheets of rain, a cart approached the barricade, driven by ragged workers, miners, their faces hollow. A
Chapter Seven: The Ghost of the First Judge
The night after the Baron’s fall was too quiet. Kael sat alone by the window of an abandoned watchtower, lightning flickering faintly across his fingertips. Outside, the city smoldered under distant rain. Mira paced behind him, restless. Corvin cleaned his dagger by the fire, his gold mask lying beside him. “You’ve been staring at nothing for an hour,” Mira said finally.“Not nothing,” Kael murmured. “I can still hear her.”“The voice from the System?”“Yes.”His eyes were distant, almost haunted. “She keeps whispering the same word, ‘remember.’ But every time I try, it hurts.”Corvin’s tone was dry. “Maybe don’t take advice from the ghost living in your skull.”Kael’s glare cut to him. “You think I asked for this?”Corvin lifted his hands. “Relax. Just saying, half the city already calls you the storm of Rhaegor. Maybe don’t add ‘mad prophet’ to the list.”Mira shot Corvin a warning look. “He’s trying to focus. You could try not being a rat for once.”Corvin smirked. “A charming hea
Chapter Eight: Chains of Heaven
The rain turned silver under the dawn. Kael stood on the cliff’s edge, wind whipping his cloak as the lightning within him flickered gold and blue. Behind him, a voice he thought he’d silenced forever rose through the mist. “Did you really think death would free you from me, Kael Thorn?”Alaric’s tone was soft, almost kind, and that made it worse. Kael turned slowly. The High Inquisitor emerged from the shadows, his once-silver armor now scorched black and cracked with light. His eyes burned brighter than fire. “Still breathing?” Kael said, voice low. “I should’ve struck harder.”Alaric smiled faintly. “You did. I simply refused to die.”Mira and Corvin appeared behind Kael, exhausted, soaked, but ready. Mira’s hand trembled on her dagger. “He survived that?”Corvin muttered, “He’s like a cockroach blessed by gods.”Alaric ignored them, gaze locked on Kael. “You’ve awakened the First Judge’s soul. Do you even understand what that means?”Kael’s jaw tightened. “It means she wanted ou