The Darkness System: Rise of the Broken Sovereign

Lady Clara stood at the head of the table. To her left, Felix sat with his legs crossed and an annoying smile on his face. Marcus occupied a chair near the corner, his eyes burning with barely concealed hostility. Diana — Grayson’s second child — leaned against the far wall.

”It’s good to see you’re still alive,” Clara said, her amber slit-pupil eyes studying him with predatory intensity. A smile curved her lips. ”I’m sure you’ve come for your mission.”

”I have,” Kael said.

Clara gestured to the holographic map. A planet expanded in the center of the table — a world of deep greens and blues, dense forests covering vast continents, oceans breaking up the landmasses into jagged shapes.

”Planet Lumethia,” she said. ”Classified as a resource-rich frontier world under contested jurisdiction. The Vorn family and the Draven family have been competing for influence over this territory for the better part of a century.”

Kael’s eyes flicked to the planet. Lumethia. He knew the name.

The planet contained rare resources — minerals, herbs, and mana stones that couldn’t be found elsewhere in the Thirteen Worlds. More importantly, it was home to the Gra-Khazul tribe, a reclusive people who controlled the planet’s most valuable territory. They possessed an inheritance ground and power soul-based techniques that both the Vorns and the Dravens coveted desperately.

The problem was that the Gra-Khazul were notoriously barbaric. Violent. Unpredictable. They had killed emissaries from both families over the decades. Diplomacy was a foreign concept to them.

Clara continued. ”Your mission is to investigate more about them and, if possible, make them side with the Vorns. The problem is that we haven’t been able to contact the Gra-Khazul tribe in the past four months. We need to prevent the Dravens from getting their hands on the tribe’s resources and techniques.”

Kael kept his expression neutral. Inside, his mind was already spinning. This is another execution plot. The Gra-Khazul were dangerous even under peaceful circumstances. Sending a single Shadow — even one with his track record — into a situation with unknown variables and hostile Draven operatives was a death sentence dressed in official orders.

She paused, letting the weight of the words settle.

”You are permitted to go with one Early Spirit Soul realm companion. After all, the agreement between the clans is to not send anyone above the Early Spirit Soul realm. The Patriarch of the tribe is only a Late Spirit Soul realm. So even if things go south, you can escape.” Her smile thinned. ”Do you accept the mission?”

Silence filled the chamber. Marcus’s lip curled with anticipation. Felix watched with idle curiosity. Diana yawned.

”Alright,” he said finally. ”I’ll do it.”

Felix leaned forward, his smile warming by several degrees. ”My Lady, I would like to request permission to send escorts to protect our little brother.” He spread his hands in a gesture of brotherly concern. ”After all, I don’t want anything happening to cause harm to him. I’m sure my other siblings would agree.”

Clara’s gaze shifted to Kael. ”Do you accept the escorts?”

Kael’s lips curved into a smirk. ”Of course, elder brother. I would want nothing more.” He paused, tilting his head slightly. ”However, since I’m already being accompanied by a Spirit Soul realm warrior, I don’t need combat escorts. Just servants to handle the mundane tasks — setting up camp, carrying supplies, that sort of thing. Two mid Mana Heart realm servants should suffice.”

Felix’s smile flickered.

”Of course,” Felix said, his voice smooth as silk. ”I’ll select appropriate candidates.”

”I’ll have them ready within three days,” Felix added.

Clara nodded, satisfied. ”Then it’s settled. Dismissed.”

Kael bowed and turned to leave. As he crossed the threshold, he allowed himself a single thought directed at Felix’s back.

Come on, Felix. It’s not too early to start crippling you.

He brought out his communication device and sent for Vyra. Then he made his way to the inner garden.

Sophie was seated beneath a flowering vine, a porcelain teacup cradled in her hands. She looked up as he approached, her face softening.

Kael pulled out a chair and sat across from her. ”I need a favour.”

Sophie set down her cup. ”Anything for my lovely Kael.”

************************

Three days later, Kael boarded a Vorn military transport ship bound for Planet Lumethia.

The vessel was sleek and fast — capable of crossing thousands of light-years per hour. In the controlled space of Vorn territory of the Odyssey galaxy, piracy was almost nonexistent. No sane captain would attack a ship bearing the Vorn crest. The five-hour journey passed in silence. Kael spent most of it reviewing intelligence reports and running combat simulations in his mind.

The three servants Felix had sent waited in the cargo hold. Kael had memorized their files before departure.

Roderick Vance — Mid Mana Heart Rank 6, seventeen years of service to the Grayson branch.

Gale Mercer — Mid Mana Heart Rank 4, younger brother of one of Felix’s personal attendants.

Maren Cole — Mid Mana Heart Rank 4, formerly assigned to Felix’s estate security.

It seems he sent three instead of two. Well, no matter.

Planet Lumethia emerged from the void like a jewel suspended in black velvet. Dense forests covered ninety percent of the surface, the canopy so thick that it appeared as a single unbroken sheet of green from orbit. Mountains pierced through the trees in jagged ridges. Rivers wound between them like silver threads.

The ship landed at a frontier outpost near the Gra-Khazul territory — a rough settlement of wooden buildings and dirt roads that served as a staging point for both Vorn and Draven operations. Humans and various beast-kin species moved through the streets, most of them mercenaries, traders, or scavengers looking to profit from the conflict.

Kael stepped off the ship with the three servants trailing behind. The midday sun beat down on them.

”We’ll rest here for an hour,” Kael announced, glancing at a rundown tavern near the outpost’s edge. ”Then we move toward the Gra-Khazul border.”

He walked toward the tavern without looking back. The three servants fell into step behind them.

The street was crowded — merchants hawking beast cores, mercenaries comparing bounties, a group of wolf-kin traders arguing over prices. Kael moved through them without hurry, his senses extended, tracking the three servants’ positions through sound and mana signature.

Roderick was two meters back. Gale was three. Maren was —

Kael’s eyes narrowed.

Maren had drifted to his left. Her sword hand was twitching.

He felt them a fraction of a second before they moved. Mana flared behind him — three distinct signatures erupting simultaneously. Wind chopped at his neck. A sword blade whispered toward his spine.

Kael didn’t flinch. He turned slowly, a smirk spreading across his face.

”So you finally decided to show your true colors.”