Reborn as the Empire's Blind Prince

7. The Star Ranks

The Dominion Class burned with a red glow.

Dominion users channeled essence invasively. Their energy reached outward and latched onto foreign essence, bending it to their will. They suppressed abilities mid-activation. They disrupted essence flow with precision strikes, temporarily disabling an opponent's class entirely.

At higher ranks, they could plant delayed commands in a target's mind or turn an opponent's own manifested construct against them.

But their most feared ability was physical.

Through direct contact, a grip on the wrist, a palm pressed to the chest—a Dominion user could pull essence directly from another's core and absorb it into their own.

The drain was slow. Seconds mattered. But every moment of contact weakened the opponent and strengthened the Sovereign.

An element determined the sensation of the drain. A Dominion user with a Fire affinity made the target feel like their blood was boiling as their essence was ripped away.

A Dominion user with an Ice affinity caused a creeping, numbing cold that slowed the victim's thoughts and reactions.

The weakness was focus. A sudden shock of pain could sever the connection instantly. Dominating a stronger will was dangerous and could backfire, shattering the user's own core. Numbers overwhelmed them. A Dominion user could drain one opponent, not five.

For Lucian, Dominion was the most terrifying class, but also the most intriguing. False Sight already allowed him to read emotional intent. That was the first step.

But his version of Dominion would not be built on brute psychic force. He would need to understand his targets deeply before he could influence them. Their fears or patterns. The exact shape of their emotions. And if he ever mastered the absorption aspect, his weak body would finally have a shortcut to strength. He wouldn't build power from nothing. He would take it from those who had too much.

But a class was only half the equation. Power without measure was chaos. The Valerian Empire measured everything.

Every Awakened was ranked by the density and purity of their essence core. In the Valerian Empire, these ranks were named for the stars.

A Faint Star was unawakened. Essence existed but it was dormant. This is Lucian's current state.

An Iron Star had survived the Ordeal. Their core was ignited and they had a class and an element. Basic abilities were accessible. This was where every Everstar began.

A Bronze Star had stabilized their core. Essence flowed smoothly. They could use abilities reliably in combat. Most palace guards and career soldiers stopped here.

A Silver Star had mastered the fundamentals and begun developing personal techniques. They were considered dangerous. Elite knights and specialist soldiers peaked at this rank.

A Gold Star had achieved absolute mastery over their class. Royal guard commanders and frontline generals held this rank.

An Absolute Star was nearly unbreakable. Their essence resisted external manipulation. A Dominion user of equal or lower rank could not suppress them. They had transcended the vulnerabilities of their class while not yet reaching legendary status. This was the peak for most.

An Astral Star was legendary. Their name would survive centuries. The Primarch's inner circle sat here. Abilities began to break normal limits.

A Sovereign Star did not merely use essence. They knew how to command it and their presence alone was destructive.The Primarch himself was rumored to be Sovereign, or higher.

A Celestial Star had begun to transcend the class system entirely. Their essence behaved in ways that should not be possible. They imposed personal laws on reality.

A Primordial Star was no longer merely Awakened. They were something closer to a force of nature. No Primordial Star had walked Ur in years. They were myths. Bedtime stories for monsters.

The final section of the ledger detailed the Ordeal itself.

It was a trial by pure, unadulterated exposure. The participant entered the Star Chamber, a sealed vault deep beneath the Starlight Castle where raw, violent essence was pumped directly into their body. If the bloodline and willpower were strong enough, the essence ignited the dormant core.

If not, the core simply shattered under the pressure. The penalty for failure was absolute permanence. A ruined core could never be repaired. The participant could never awaken. Full stop. They would remain a Faint Star for the rest of their broken life.

The text was clear. The Ordeal responded to willpower. Essence respected conviction. A strong body helped, but a strong, unyielding mind was the true catalyst.

Suddenly, the first true ray of morning sunlight crested the horizon and pierced the high glass windows. The bright light washed over the open page, reflecting harshly upward. A sharp, stinging pain instantly spiked through Lucian's retinas.

He slammed the heavy ledger shut and squeezed his eyes closed, plunging himself back into the muted, translucent safety of his False Sight. His chest heaved in the quiet room.

In thirteen days, he would be wheeled into the Star Chamber. He had the mental discipline. He had survived transmigration. He had survived the death of his old life and the crushing grief of the body he now inhabited. But his body was still a ruin.

'What if it isn't enough?' he thought, a cold sweat breaking out on his palms. 'What if I step into that chamber and fail to awaken? What if False Sight is all there is, and the raw essence just shatters me?'

He sat in the silent library, the weight of Ur's history pressing down on him, and for the first time since waking in the rose garden, he felt genuinely, completely afraid.

He clenched his fist. Someone out there wanted him dead. They had already tried to kill the old Lucian. What were the chances they wouldn't try again? And from what he suspected, it was one of the emperor's sons, his brothers. He needed to know who. And he needed to make them pay.

'I have to awaken, even if I get a weak class. I need to stay alive,' he thought. 'I won't let my second chance go to waste.'

Lucian took a moment. The room was translucent again. The sun was bright against his skin. He could feel it.

He remembered that Cassian had come from the left wing hall, which meant he had been in the library. Lucian was curious to know what he had been doing there.

But then Lucian yawned.

'I don't have time for that now. I have to get to bed before Isabel or Garrett looks for me. Besides, I need to sleep again.'