Kairos stood at the highest balcony of Lysvein's castle, arms crossed as he overlooked the city below.
The festival had ended, but the real work was just beginning.
Lysvein was still small, still weak, and still a target for larger nations. If it wanted to survive, it needed more than just a powerful guardian—it needed innovation.
"Alright," Kairos exhaled, cracking his knuckles. "Time to break reality a little."
With a flick of his wrist, Kairos summoned his status screen.
ELEMENTAL TRANSMUTATION: KINGDOM MODE ACTIVATED
You now have access to large-scale crafting and enhancements.
Current Resources: Low. Potential: Unlimited.
Warning: The world isn't ready for your ideas. Proceed with caution.
Kairos grinned. Good. Let's shake things up.
First, infrastructure.
The streets of Lysvein were cracked, uneven, and barely fit for carts. He placed his palm on the castle's stone railing and focused.
"Transmute: Reinforced Pavement."
The ground rippled, stone reshaping itself into sleek, durable roads, reinforced with magic to withstand time and weather.
Then, defenses.
He flicked his fingers, embedding invisible mana barriers into the city walls, turning Lysvein's once-brittle fortifications into an unbreakable stronghold.
Finally, innovation.
Kairos strolled to the castle's lower levels, where a group of blacksmiths, scholars, and mages waited.
"What do you want us to make first, my lord?" one of the engineers asked.
Kairos smirked.
"Something the world has never seen before."
Kairos laid out his blueprints.
Steam-powered forges using fire and wind magic instead of coal. Light crystals to replace unreliable torches. Mana-conducting armor that could enhance a warrior's strength.
The blacksmiths gawked. The mages stared in disbelief.
"This… this is impossible," one of them stammered.
"No." Kairos grinned. "It's the future."
The work began immediately.
And in just a week, Lysvein had transformed.
Metallic aqueducts carried purified water through the city.
Streetlights glowed with contained luminescence.
The royal guard donned armor that enhanced their reflexes.
The people whispered in awe.
The other kingdoms took notice.
And the world?
The world had no idea what was coming.
Seraphina watched from a distance, arms crossed as she observed Kairos casually reshaping an entire civilization.
This wasn't normal.
This wasn't human.
Lysvein had been a dying kingdom, yet in just weeks, it was becoming something else—something powerful.
And it was all because of him.
She tightened her grip on her sword.
The Draconian Empire would never allow this.
Yet, as she looked at Kairos—who was now laughing with the young King Orpheus—she felt an unfamiliar pull in her chest.
A thought she refused to entertain.
But it wouldn't go away.
What if I'm on the wrong side?