Kieran moved through the **broken expanse**, his boots scuffing against the fractured black stone. The air was thick and stale, laced with the faint scent of **ozone and decay**, making his throat burn slightly with every breath. The faint violet glow of the **Territory Core** grew dimmer behind him, swallowed by the swirling mist.
The jagged ruins ahead loomed larger with every step. **Towering monoliths** of cracked stone rose into the storm-choked sky, their tips obscured by the black clouds. Faint **crimson lightning** slashed through the gloom in the distance, illuminating the crumbling structures for brief moments before plunging them back into darkness.
His hand **clenched around the makeshift stone blade** he had wrenched from the earth. It was rough, uneven, and barely sharp enough to cut flesh, but it was better than nothing.
**"Keep moving,"** he muttered under his breath, forcing his legs forward.
The darkness seemed **thicker** the closer he drew to the ruins. The crimson flashes from the sky barely reached this far. It was as though the very air had grown heavier, pressing down on him.
His eyes flicked toward the **system interface**, hovering faintly at the corner of his vision.
---
**[Dominion Status]**
**Territory Range: 60 meters**
**Troops: 3 Wraithborn Sentries, 2 Dusk Hounds**
**Core Stability: 80%**
**Dominion Points: 60**
**Talent Progress: 2% (Arcane Siphon)**
---
The hounds would **alert him** if anything approached the Core. The wraithborn sentries were enough to hold the line. **At least, for now.**
His fingers brushed the **scar on his forearm**—a faint reminder of how easily he could have died hours ago. **He wouldn't survive another night unprepared.**
The ruins were his gamble.
Either they held **resources, artifacts, or answers** that would give him an edge—or they would be his grave.
---
**The first monolith loomed before him**. A jagged spire of dark stone, its surface **etched with alien glyphs**, faintly glowing with **pale, golden light**. The stone looked worn—ancient beyond imagining—its edges crumbling, as if the centuries had stripped it down grain by grain.
Kieran's eyes narrowed. He ran his hand over the glyphs. The **markings felt warm**, like stone baked in the sun, despite the chill in the air. The faint golden glow pulsed faintly beneath his fingers.
The system interface flickered.
---
**[Unknown Artifact Detected]**
**Identifying…**
**Processing…**
**[Dominion Lore Fragment Located]**
**Description: The Pillars of Ascension. Markers left by the First Sovereigns. Contains dormant Dominion energy.]**
**Potential Benefit: +50 Dominion Points upon activation**
**Warning: Unstable energy signature detected. Activation may trigger hostile response.**
---
Kieran's jaw tightened. **Fifty Dominion Points** could let him **summon another troop or reinforce his defenses**, but there was **no guarantee** that activating it wouldn't draw something far worse.
His fingers hovered over the glyphs.
**"Play it safe or take the risk?"** he whispered.
He glanced over his shoulder. The **mist coiled** thick and heavy over the distant landscape, shrouding the Core from sight. He could barely make out the faint flicker of violet light. **Too far to run back if something went wrong.**
His pulse quickened.
He pressed his **palm against the glyph**.
The monolith **flared violently**, filling the area with a blinding, golden radiance. The stone shuddered, **vibrating beneath his hand**. The glyphs burned brighter, lines of light **crawling across the stone** like veins of liquid fire.
The ground beneath him **cracked violently**, releasing faint golden vapors that twisted into the air.
**For one, brief moment** he felt the rush of **Dominion power** flooding into him—his veins briefly pulsing with warmth, his limbs tingling with renewed strength.
Then he heard the **screams.**
---
From the darkness came a **low, guttural wail**—deep and broken, almost mournful. The sound was layered with **inhuman voices**, rising and falling in discordant shrieks.
Kieran **spun toward the source**, his stone blade held in a white-knuckle grip.
The mist **shivered** and parted.
And then he saw them.
**Two spectral figures** drifted forward from the gloom, their forms half-corporeal, **wreathed in ethereal flame**. Their skeletal faces were **frozen in twisted, eternal screams**, mouths agape, hollow sockets pouring out black smoke.
They wore the **tattered remnants of armor**, the plates fused with their decayed flesh, partially melted into their spectral forms. **Chains hung from their limbs**, dragging through the stone with a hollow clatter.
Kieran's **system interface flared** with a warning.
---
**[Hostile Entities Detected]**
**Name: Ascended Wraithknights**
**Rank: Tier 2 Elite**
**Abilities: Phantasmal Rend, Ethereal Surge, Soul Lash**
**Weakness: High-impact magic, spectral disruptors**
**Threat Level: LETHAL**
---
His **throat tightened**.
**Tier 2.** He wasn't ready for this.
The **first Wraithknight surged** forward with terrifying speed, a blur of ethereal flame. Its chain lashed out, glowing with black fire.
Kieran barely **rolled to the side** in time. The chain **slammed into the ground** where he had stood, shattering the stone and **leaving a jagged crater** in its wake.
"Shit!" Kieran hissed.
The second Wraithknight's **hands burned with violet fire**, and with a sharp twist of its arms, **blackened tendrils** erupted from the ground. The spectral chains **snared his ankle**, **yanking his feet out from under him**.
He hit the ground hard, his head smacking against the stone. **His vision blurred**, his ears ringing.
The Wraithknight's chain was already **snaking toward his throat**, ready to crush it.
**Not like this.**
His fingers **fumbled toward the stone blade**, but it was too far. The chain lashed around his neck, **searing his skin with spectral fire**.
The air **left his lungs** in a strangled gasp.
**No!**
His **system interface flashed**. His vision was fading, but he could see the notification blinking.
---
**[Talent Activation Available]**
**Arcane Siphon: Instant Kill Trigger (Single Use)**
**Effect: Upon a successful strike, instantly siphon and consume a lesser enemy's core essence, restoring health and Dominion Points.**
**Activation Cost: 30 Dominion Points**
---
Kieran's eyes **flashed with violet light**. **Without thinking**, he mentally activated the skill.
**Power surged through his limbs**, and he grabbed the spectral chain around his throat. His hand burned violently, but he **held on**.
And then, **he pulled.**
The chain snapped taut. The **wraith's head twisted violently**, its eyes flaring with surprise. **Arcane siphon energy surged from Kieran's grip**, and the creature's ethereal form **fractured**.
**Its spectral body imploded**, pulled inward and devoured by the Arcane Siphon in a whirl of violet energy. The mist **screeched and wailed** as the creature **disintegrated into oblivion**.
Kieran's wounds **seared closed** as the creature's life force **flooded into him**, his Dominion Points instantly refilling.
---
**[Dominion Points +75]**
**[Health Restored: +50%]**
**[Arcane Siphon Progress: 8%]**
---
The **second Wraithknight lunged**, but Kieran's hand was already moving. He snatched his blade from the stone and spun. With a **wild, desperate slash**, he drove the jagged edge through the Wraithknight's chest.
The spectral knight let out a distorted scream, **flickering violently** as its essence fractured. Kieran slammed his palm against the creature's face and activated **Arcane Siphon** again.
Its body **exploded in a burst of violet mist**, dissolving into nothingness.
Panting, **Kieran fell to one knee**, gripping his blade with shaking hands.
The **Dominion interface** buzzed faintly.
---
**[Ruins Cleared: +150 Dominion Points]**
**[Territory Range Expanded: +100 meters]**
**[New Troop Available: Revenant Sentinel (Tier 2)]**
---
He exhaled sharply.
**He was still alive.**
But the ruins held **more than he had bargained for**.
And he knew he was just getting started.