The air was unnaturally still.
The veiled envoy from the Temple of the Sigil Arts moved like smoke through the gates of House Umbral. Her robes—gray as the ash of a sacred fire—flowed in silence, and the sigil lantern that floated beside her emitted no light, only a deep hum like the coiling breath of a slumbering beast.
Kael watched her from the upper balcony, heart pounding in a slow, uneasy rhythm. The moment her presence touched the grounds, something inside him stirred—the World Seal pulsed once, hard, like a drumbeat reverberating from beneath the earth.
(Why… why does it feel like she already knows me?)
He wasn't the only one watching. Behind closed doors, behind finely carved screens and magic-sensing drapes, the noble eyes of House Umbral observed her every step. Lady Aiko Veyron stood at the upper gallery, her face carved from stone, lips tight and pale. Beside her, Lord Kaito did not blink. His mind, though unreadable, was turning like the great gears of a buried fortress.
"She's too early," Aiko murmured. "The Temple always waits. They don't interfere this soon unless…"
"They've sensed something," Kaito finished. "Perhaps Kael's awakening triggered one of the boundary wards."
"I should have ordered him sealed the moment that mark surfaced."
"And created a martyr?" Kaito glanced sideways. "No. Let the Temple test him. Either he breaks... or bends."
Down in the courtyard, the envoy stopped beneath the old obsidian lion statue. A servant girl moved forward with a ceremonial bow and offered her a scroll of welcome—written in the elegant, spiraling characters of the Eastern Sigil Script. The envoy did not take it. Instead, her gloved hand raised slowly, palm open.
The scroll caught fire without flame, disintegrating into silver ash.
Gasps rippled through the watching staff. The meaning was clear.
"I am not here to be greeted," the envoy spoke for the first time. Her voice was soft—like rain falling on ancient stone—but it echoed through the courtyard with unnatural clarity. "I am here to weigh judgment."
The voice made Kael flinch.
(That tone… I've heard it before. Not in this life. But somewhere… older.)
Within the next hour, a meeting was called. Only a handful were permitted in the chamber: Lord Kaito, Lady Aiko, Elder Hanzo, Master Shun… and Kael.
When Kael entered the hall, the envoy was already seated, her veil undisturbed, her lantern floating at her side. It pulsed once—no brighter than a heartbeat. Kael bowed stiffly, unsure of the custom.
"Do you know why I'm here?" she asked without turning her head.
"I awakened a sigil not known in your records," Kael said evenly.
The envoy tilted her head. "The World Seal is not unknown. Only forbidden."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Kael's lips parted slightly. "Then why am I not dead?"
A thin smile played beneath the veil. "Because not all forbidden things are evil. Some… are merely feared. And fear breeds poor memory."
Kael said nothing, but the pulse in his ears thundered.
Lord Kaito stepped forward, folding his hands behind his back. "We will comply with the Temple's examination. Name your terms."
The envoy rose. "The sigil must be tested. Not by our hands, but by the seal's own will. If he is worthy, it will protect him. If not—"
She didn't finish.
Kael stepped forward. "When?"
"Now."
The test chamber was an ancient part of the fortress, buried deep beneath the east wing—a place sealed by seven locks and seven sigils. Few even knew it existed. It had once been used during the War of Five Thrones, when sigil-bearers trained to break wards and survive soul-binding trials.
As Kael descended the spiral steps with Shun beside him, the walls whispered old names—some in tongues he didn't understand. The air grew colder. Damper. More alive.
"Are you sure I should do this?" Kael asked.
"You don't have a choice," Shun said grimly. "But… this room was built for truths. Not lies."
They reached the final door. The envoy stood waiting, her sigil lantern now glowing with a pale golden light.
"You will step into the Chamber of Weighing," she said. "You will not fight enemies. You will face yourself. If your sigil is genuine, it will answer your call. If not... it will consume you."
"And if I fail?"
"There will be no body to bury."
Kael exhaled slowly. (So be it.)
The door opened.
He stepped inside.
The chamber was vast, circular, its floor etched with ancient spell lines like a maze of glowing veins. The ceiling arched high into darkness. In the center, a simple stone altar pulsed faintly—no offerings, no artifacts. Only emptiness.
As Kael crossed the threshold, the door shut behind him with a dull, echoing boom. The temperature dropped immediately.
He walked slowly toward the altar, each step sounding louder than the last.
Then… the chamber flickered.
Suddenly, the walls melted away. He stood not in stone, but on a field of endless stars. The sigil beneath his feet surged upward like ink in water, surrounding him in a dome of light and shadow.
Then, from the darkness, a figure emerged.
Kael gasped.
It was… him.
But older. Wiser. And dangerous.
His hair was longer, eyes colder. He wore dark robes etched with burning sigil marks, and his right hand crackled with black fire.
"Who are you?" Kael whispered.
The older version smirked. "I am who you were. Before this life."
"I… I don't remember."
"You will. In time. But first, you must prove yourself worthy to carry the Seal again."
A thousand lights swirled into a storm behind the older Kael. Weapons of every kind—spears, swords, bows—manifested in the air, crackling with sigil energy.
"This is your test, Kael Veyron."
The storm exploded.
Kael moved instinctively, dodging the first blade, ducking beneath a spear of lightning. The older Kael did not move—he only watched, allowing the chamber itself to attack.
Kael reached deep, calling to the World Seal.
(Now. If you're real—if you're mine—answer me!)
His sigil flared.
A black barrier erupted around him just in time to stop the barrage. Then it condensed into chains of glowing runes, whipping forward to tear through the storm.
Kael roared, charging toward the figure.
But the older Kael merely raised a hand, and everything stopped.
"You still think strength is the answer?" the older self said. "You've learned nothing."
Kael was frozen mid-lunge, breath stuck in his throat.
Then… the chains shattered.
And Kael fell to the floor.
"You are not ready."
When Kael awoke, he was back in the chamber.
The envoy stood before him, lantern dimmed.
She knelt beside him and whispered, "You survived. That is enough for now."
Kael tried to speak but felt blood on his lips.
"Rest," she said. "The seal is not yet broken. But neither are you."
Above, in the Council Chamber, Lord Kaito read the first report from the Temple envoy.
Subject: Kael Veyron.Sigil Classification: World Seal—Unstable, Ancient, Previously Lost.Potential Rank: Above Divine Tier.Threat Level: High.Disposition: Awakening.Recommendation: Monitor. Train. Do not provoke.
Kaito folded the parchment slowly.
"Let him train," he said softly. "Let him think he's safe."
And then his eyes turned toward the shadows beyond the window.
"But the moment he forgets the leash… we tighten it."