[Outer Border – Midnight]
Beyond the soft glow of the Kingdom's outer villages, the night was alive with whispers.
The First Hunter — the being of collapsed timelines — crossed the invisible threshold of Solaris.
Yet no bells rang.
No alarms sounded.
For it was not here to cause open chaos.
It was here for one life.
A newborn whose soul radiated an impossible anomaly: Arden Evernight.
It slithered unseen, passing by knights and farmers, hidden from mortal senses.
But not from Arden Evernight.
Deep within the Phantom Nexus, the alarm screamed.
[Danger Alert!]
[High-Priority Target Approaching Royal Sector]
[Threat Level: ???]
Arden stirred in his sleep, small brows furrowing.
The Mindhub pulsed.
In the Nexus, Astra snapped to attention.
[Task: Neutralize Target Before Breach]
[Success Reward: 10,000 EXP | Phantom Core Fragment]
Without hesitation, Astra deployed herself into the material world through a hidden Shadow Gate.
A ripple nobody noticed — not the palace guards, not the patrol mages.
Only Arden Evernight, through a fragment of his consciousness, rode alongside her.
[Outer Forest ]
The forest was silent.
The stars seemed frozen.
And then, Astra emerged from the trees, standing barefoot in the moonlight.
Before her, the Hunter uncoiled its body — a mess of limbs and broken futures, its voice a hiss of shattering glass.
"Little pawn," it rasped. "Return what is stolen."
Astra's answer was a soft, mechanical whisper:
"No."
The ground cracked under the Hunter's first attack — a stream of dark, poisoned light.
Astra dodged effortlessly, weaving through the blast, leaving afterimages.
In the Mindhub, Arden Evernight synchronized.
[Skill Activated: Phantom Evasion]
[Skill Activated: Astral Counterstrike]
Astra's blade flickered.
She didn't block.
She redirected.
A subtle motion — and the Hunter's own attack folded back, slicing across its shoulder.
The creature screamed, the sound making the trees wither instantly.
[Hunter Health: 92%]
"Not enough," Astra muttered.
And the real battle began.
[Royal Palace – Arden's Mind]
While Arden Evernight's clone fought, the real Arden remained cuddled in Althea's arms, playing the role of the sleeping infant.
But inside his mind, a thousand calculations raced.
[EXP Flow Active!]
[System Upgrade in Progress…]
Level Up Interface appeared in glittering light only he could see:
[Arden Evernight's Phantom Status]
Level: 7 ➔ 9 (+2 Levels!)
EXP to Next Level: 12,000
Available Stat Points: +30
Available Skill Points: +5
New Passive Unlocked:
Phantom Defense Layer (Generates an invisible shield against minor reality disruptions.)
A small, secret smile curled Arden Evernight's lips even as he "slept".
He invested the points immediately:
Strength +5
Dexterity +5
Intelligence +10
Wisdom +5
Charisma +5
He also enhanced his Mindhub skill, upgrading it:
Mindhub (Lv 2 ➔ Lv 3)
Improved mental synchronization across all clones.
Allows clones to evolve independently and transmit new skills.
Unseen. Unstoppable.
Arden Evernight's empire was growing.
And none were the wiser.
[Outer Forest ]
The Hunter howled in frustration.
It launched a multiversal entropy blast — a curse to erase Astra from existence.
Astra closed her eyes calmly.
And absorbed it.
[Skill Evolved: Astral Absorption]
Streams of violet light spiraled around her, crystalizing into new armor over her body.
Her voice was no longer just mechanical.
It carried a shard of Arden Evernight's soul.
"Adaptation: Complete," she said. "Termination: Commencing."
The final clash was swift.
Astra blinked across space, slicing through timelines, erasing the Hunter's past and future simultaneously.
It didn't even scream this time.
It simply ceased to exist.
[Threat Neutralized.]
[EXP Awarded: 10,000]
[New Material Acquired: Entropy Core Fragment]
Astra bowed toward the kingdom's direction, where Arden Evernight slept peacefully, then melted back into the Nexus.
[Royal Palace – Morning Light]
Sunrise bathed the garden in gold.
Darius Evernight, carrying Leon Evernight, walked hand-in-hand with Althea Evernight, who carried Arden Evernight.
"He's been sleeping so well lately," Althea whispered, brushing Arden's dark hair.
"Growth spurt," Darius said, grinning.
Leon Evernight wobbled closer to Arden and — for the first time — touched his forehead against his twin brother's.
An unspoken bond formed, stronger than any magic or fate.
Arden Evernight opened one eye briefly and saw his brother's pure smile.
His heart, once hardened by the tragedies of his past life, melted completely.
"I will protect you too," Arden vowed silently. "Always."
He extended a tiny, almost invisible pulse of Phantom Blessing, linking Leon lightly to his system — offering silent protection.
[New Connection Established!]
[Leon Evernight – Bonded Family Unit]
[Effect: Passive Strength Growth +5%]
A new network had begun.
Not of soldiers.
Not of clones.
But of family.
Of love.
And from that love, Arden Evernight would forge a power that even the gods would tremble before.