Death was supposed to be the end.But for Lucien Vale — the infamous Grand Archmage of the Arkanum Empire, feared for his genius and hated for his sins — death was only the beginning of something much darker.
He remembered everything.The betrayal.The poison.The flames that consumed his tower.The face of the woman who once loved him, now twisted with sorrow as she ended his life.
Seraphine... the dragoness.He had chosen power over love. And it cost him everything.
His new life began in a world far more brutal than the one he left behind.
Lucien gasped awake, his lungs screaming for air. Pain greeted him like an old friend. His body was weak, malnourished, and covered in bruises. Chains bound his wrists. His throat burned, and a strange iron collar hummed with suppressive magic.
He blinked, adjusting to the dim light.
Stone walls. Iron bars. Bloodstained floors. And the smell—filthy, thick with rot and fear.
"A dungeon?" he muttered, voice raspy.
A voice echoed in his mind.
[System Activated: Shadowbrand]
Welcome, Lucien Vale — Forbidden Rank Soul Detected.Magical flow: Blocked.Soul Thread: Active.Initiating Nightmare Binding Trial in 72 hours…
Lucien's lips curved into a familiar, wicked smile.
"A system, huh? This might be fun after all."
The cell door creaked open. A scarred guard tossed him a board marked with #513.
"No names here. Only numbers. You're trash now. Learn it."
Lucien nodded meekly. But in his heart, the villain smirked.
They thought he was weak. They thought he'd break. Let them.
He would rise from the filth. And when he did… the world would regret not killing him properly.
They dragged him into the light—dozens of other slaves lined up, all marked by iron collars and hopeless eyes. A woman with icy silver hair stood atop a high platform, cloaked in battle robes, her voice cold and sharp.
"I am Commander Myrrha. You are nothing. If you survive the trial, maybe you'll become something."
She raised her hand.
"Open the portal."
The sky above twisted. A pitch-black orb opened like a screaming mouth, sucking the children inside.
Lucien didn't resist.
[Entering Nightmare Realm][Trial: Bind Your Fear][Survive to Evolve or Be Devoured]
He landed in a strange world—twisted trees, red skies, and bones littering the earth. Shadows crawled between the roots. Whispers slithered through the air.
Suddenly, the earth cracked. A black-scaled dragon rose from the chasm—huge, ancient, with burning eyes and torn wings. It roared, and the world trembled.
Lucien didn't move.
Fear Identified: Draco Umbra — Death Dragon of Your PastBinding Available — WARNING: Highly unstableAccept?
Lucien's heartbeat slowed.
"Seraphine…" he whispered. Even in this realm of nightmares, her soul lingered. Not the real her… but a shadow. A memory of his biggest regret.
He smiled.
"Accept."
Agony. The dragon's shadow wrapped around him, bones cracking, soul shattering. Flames consumed his flesh and mind.
But he didn't scream.
He embraced it.
Binding Complete: Draco Umbra — Shadow Form UnlockedSkill: Abyssal Breath | Trait: Seduction ImmunityYou have taken your first step toward evolution.
Lucien stood as the fire faded. Black runes pulsed on his arms. A spectral dragon coiled around his shoulders like a cloak.
He grinned.
He woke back in the slave cell—sweaty, trembling, and... smiling.
The iron collar was cracked. The chains hummed weaker now.
Across the cell, a violet-eyed girl stared at him, silent. She had seen the flame, the shadow, the change.
Lucien leaned back and whispered to the dark:
"You tried to bury me in chains. But I was born in fire."
He wasn't here to save the world.He wasn't here to play the hero.He was reborn as the Shadow Magus—and this time, he was going to control everything.
Even fate itself.