The chains bit into my wrists before I even opened my eyes. Cold iron, blessed by mages and blazing with their power. The metal was a constant reminder of what I was. What I would always be.Hollowborn.I forced my eyes open and immediately wished I hadn't. The Plaza of Ascension stretched before me, packed with thousands of people. All of them were here to watch children become something more. Something I could never be.Above the plaza, the five floating cities hung in the sky like impossible dreams. Skyreach directly overhead, the capital where the Council ruled. To the east, Windshear with its glass towers catching the morning light. West sat Ironhold, dark and industrial. North was Crystalmere, shining with scholarly magic. And south, Goldspire, where the merchant families kept their wealth.Each city floated miles above the ground, held aloft by massive Vire Cores. Crystallized magic so powerful they could lift entire mountains. Up there, mages lived in luxury. Down here, peopl

For two days, I hid the veins. I wrapped my arms in stolen cloth and kept my hands in my pockets. No one asked questions. Down here, everyone had secrets they didn't want to explain.But I couldn't stop thinking about what had happened. About the relic's power flooding into me. About the strange words that appeared in my vision whenever I focused on something.On the third morning, I couldn't take it anymore. I had to know what I could actually do.Lirae was working near the fire, muttering curses at a small device in her hands. It was a fire-starter, the kind weak mages used to light their lamps. A Tier 1 magical tool, barely worth anything in the upper cities.Down here, it was valuable."Come on, you piece of junk," she hissed. A tiny flame flickered at the tip of the device, then died. "Almost had it."She tried again. This time the flame held for three seconds before going out. I moved closer, fascinated. The flame was so small, barely bigger than a candle's, but it was real magi

The pain came in waves. Each one crashed through me harder than the last. My body felt like it was being torn apart from the inside. The blue veins under my skin pulsed so bright they lit up the entire chamber."Kael, stay with me." Lirae's voice sounded far away. "Don't you dare die on me."I wanted to answer. I wanted to tell her I was fine. But my mouth wouldn't work. My whole body had stopped listening. The words in my vision flickered wildly.[SELF INTEGRITY: 55% → 52%] [CRITICAL THRESHOLD APPROACHING] [SELF INTEGRITY: 52% → 48%] [MENTAL BARRIER FAILING] [WARNING: PERSONALITY COLLAPSE IMMINENT]Then new words appeared. Different. Urgent.[ACCESSING DEEP MEMORY FRAGMENTS...] [HISTORICAL DATA AVAILABLE] [INITIATING EMERGENCY INTEGRATION]The world went dark.++++++I wasn't in the tunnels anymore. I stood in a massive hall carved from white stone that glowed from within. Columns stretched up to a ceiling so high I couldn't see where it ended. The air felt thick, heavy with power.P

The climb started with ancient stairs. They were carved into the cavern wall, spiraling upward into darkness. Each step was worn smooth by centuries of neglect. Some had crumbled away completely, leaving gaps I had to jump across.The construct Lirae followed me. Even knowing she wasn't real, I was grateful not to be alone."This is suicide," she said."Probably." I kept climbing. My legs are already burned. "But I have to try."Words appeared in my vision.[DISTANCE TO CITY: 2.7 KILOMETERS] [ESTIMATED CLIMB TIME: 14 HOURS] [TIME REMAINING UNTIL EXECUTION: 7 HOURS 42 MINUTES]Seven hours to climb what should take fourteen. Impossible. But I'd survived impossible before.The stairs ended at a massive shaft that stretched straight up, disappearing into darkness. Metal beams crisscrossed the space, remnants of old machinery. Chains hung from the walls, thick with rust."The old maintenance shaft," the construct said. "Before the cities perfected their floating magic, they used mechanical

Forty-three minutes. I stepped toward the barrier. Heat radiated from it like standing too close to a forge. The system's warnings scrolled across my vision in angry red letters.[WARNING: CATASTROPHIC FAILURE IMMINENT] [COPYING TIER 5 SPELL AT CURRENT RANK: FATAL] [RECOMMENDATION: RETREAT]"Don't," construct Lirae said behind me. "Please. I'm not worth this."I reached out anyway.The moment my fingers touched the barrier, pain exploded through every nerve. It felt like being unmade, torn apart at the seams. The spell was too complex, too powerful, too much for what I was. Fire raced through my veins. My bones felt like they were cracking.[COPYING: PURIFICATION BARRIER (TIER 5)] [ERROR: INSUFFICIENT CAPACITY] [SELF INTEGRITY: 20% → 19%] [CRITICAL: APPROACHING POINT OF NO RETURN] [BELOW 20% IDENTITY CORRUPTION IRREVERSIBLE]I tried to pull away. Couldn't. The spell had hooked into me like barbed wire, dragging me deeper. Memories that weren't mine flooded in. A thousand faces I'd nev