Night blanketed the capital like a velvet cloak. The stars above were silent, but the air was tense with invisible threads—threads only one person could see.
Priyanshu Yadav stood at the edge of the Eternal Observatory, his black robe fluttering with the high-altitude wind. His eyes glowed faintly with silver runes as he extended his hand toward the constellations.
He wasn't stargazing.
He was listening.
[System Update Complete]
New Connection Detected: Minor God of Threads – Azorith, the Puppet God.
Warning: Azorith is known for madness, obsession with control, and distaste for heroes.
The wind stopped.
A voice—thin, mischievous, unnerving—tickled Priyanshu's mind like puppet strings brushing against thought.
"Ahhh... a mortal whose soul sings in manipulation. I see you, little weaver."
Priyanshu didn't flinch. "And I see you, old schemer. Azorith."
"You've bound a Calamity Soul... Chained the Emperor of Collapse. Delightful! Deliciously dark. I offer you a whisper, mortal... a gift. But you must impress me."
"And what would impress a god who sees everyone as a puppet?"
"Make a hero dance for me. Make him rise… then break his wings before he flies."
[New Quest: Dance of the Rising Hero]
Objective: Orchestrate the rise of a righteous figure in the empire. Raise their fame and reputation to the skies. Then destroy them utterly, in full public view.
Reward:– Title: Threadbearer of Azorith– Skill: God's Marionette – Temporarily control any being under Heaven-Realm cultivation.– 500 Dark Karma Points– Azorith's Favor (Random divine insight event unlocked weekly)
Priyanshu's smile curled like a blade unsheathed in silence.
He already had a candidate.
A talented youth from the outer sect named Aarav—the perfect mold for a fake hero. Brash, idealistic, gullible, with a clean reputation.
In fact, he had already secretly guided Aarav's rise for weeks. Saving a merchant caravan here. Exposing a corrupt noble there. All perfectly staged.
"Then I accept," Priyanshu whispered aloud.
From the shadows, Mistress Shaya's voice echoed. "You've made contact with a god now? This is escalating faster than I thought."
"He found me," Priyanshu replied. "They always do. Righteous ones rise under the sun. But I... I build my empire in the shade."
In a distant realm...
Azorith chuckled in his cathedral of string. Infinite threads floated around his form—each thread representing a person, a fate, a future.
And one thread now pulsed with black and gold. The thread of Priyanshu Yadav.
"Dance for me, little villain. Dance so well even gods will bow.