Night had fallen again, cloaking the city in silence. The streets were narrow veins of darkness, lamps flickering weakly as though even the fire feared to burn too brightly.
Inside the orphanage’s abandoned hall, Kael stood at the center. His presence filled the space like a storm, silent but suffocating. Before him knelt his three subordinates—Lira, the Blade; the thief, his Shadow; and the boy, his Witness. Each bent their heads low, waiting.
The Devil’s Dagger pulsed faintly at Kael’s hip, red light spilling across the cracked floorboards. The System stirred, its voice coiling around Kael’s mind.
[Stage Two Initiated.]
[Directive: Test loyalty. Assign first mission.]
[Failure Penalty: Subordinate death.]
[Reward: +50 Court Influence, +15 Stat Growth for Subordinates.]
Kael’s lips
