Ascendancy: The Fractured Throne

Imperius Prime, Ascendancy Coliseum 

Year 9783 C.C. – Day of the Ascendancy Trials

*****

The coliseum shimmered with golden light, its towering spires stretching into the twilight of Imperius Prime. Thousands of nobles gathered in the high seats, draped in ornate robes embedded with glowing energy threads —a silent display of status, power, and lineage. Below them, at the very center of the grand arena, stood Kael Veyrin, the last heir of House Veyrin. 

A name soon to be erased. 

The cold wind carried the faint hum of the Celestial Archive—a vast, invisible system that categorized, judged, and defined every noble's existence. Holographic banners floated above the coliseum, displaying Kael's Ascendancy Trial for all to see. This was his final test. His chance to claim his rank within the Dominion's hierarchy. 

And yet, he already knew the outcome. 

The Ascendancy was a lie. 

*****

From the high balcony, Sovereign Xyra Tal'Voss, ruler of the Dominion, watched in silence. To her right stood Lord Magnus Kain, a great noble, clad in regal black, his golden eyes as unreadable as ever. Next to him, standing in rigid discipline, was his daughter— Seraphina Kain. 

Kael met her gaze across the arena. She did not flinch. 

Her expression was cold, unreadable—the same as it had been in all the years they had known each other. And yet, there was something beneath her golden irises, something buried too deep for the others to see. 

Doubt. 

The announcer's voice boomed across the coliseum. 

"Kael Veyrin, last of his house, step forward." 

Kael exhaled, stepping into the trial circle, the ground beneath him pulsing with a faint blue glow. The rules were simple—defeat the opponent chosen for him. Ascend to Tier-6. Claim his noble status.

But this trial was never about proving his strength. It was about erasing him. 

*****

The opposing gate hissed open, and a towering figure clad in obsidian-black armor stepped into the arena. The air grew heavier, the energy field surrounding the warrior distorting with sheer force. 

Kael's heart clenched. 

This was no noble initiate. 

This was an executioner. 

The challenger's Celestial System interface flared to life, his status window displayed on the massive coliseum screens. 

 [Celestial System – Noble Ranking] 

► Name: [Darius Valkaarn] 

► Ascendancy: Tier-7 (Elite Noble Enforcer) 

► Core Power: Aegis Titan (Absolute Defense) 

► Physique: Tier-7 (Enhanced Strength) 

► Psyche: Tier-6 (Battle Instincts) 

► Abilities: Shockwave Strikes, Kinetic Nullification 

Murmurs rippled through the audience. This was not a fair match.

Kael's hands clenched. They weren't even trying to hide it. 

*****

"Begin," the Sovereign declared. 

Darius moved like a meteor, crossing the arena in a single, earth-shaking step. Kael barely twisted aside as a shockwave exploded where he had stood, sending dust and stone flying. 

Kael's Celestial Archive flickered, pulling up his own status window. 

[Celestial Archive – Restricted Access] 

► Name: [Kael Veyrin] 

► Ascendancy: Tier-3 (Suppressed) 

► Core Power: [ERROR: Data Corrupted] 

► Physique: Tier-5 (Condition Unstable) 

► Psyche: Tier-6 (Enhanced Perception) 

► Abilities: [Unknown] 

► Hidden Traits: [Access Restricted]  

He barely had time to react before Darius came at him again. A brutal fist slammed toward Kael's ribs—he spun, dodging, feeling the sheer force of the attack carve a crater into the arena floor. 

I can't win this. 

He wasn't supposed to. 

*****

Kael twisted, dodging another devastating blow, his mind racing. He could already see the outcome. 

The moment he lost, the Dominion would declare him unworthy of Ascendancy. 

The moment he surrendered, the noble houses would erase his name from history. 

The moment he fell, House Veyrin would be nothing more than a forgotten memory. 

But then— 

A voice entered his mind. 

"It has always been broken."

For a fraction of a second, time froze. 

Kael's Celestial Archive pulsed, glitching, the data shifting as something deep within the system struggled to unlock. 

[Unauthorized Decryption Detected…] 

[Attempting System Override…] 

[ERROR: External Interference Detected…] 

[Restricting Access…] 

[WARNING: MEMORY LOCK ENGAGED] 

His vision blurred. 

The moment passed. 

Then, a blade of golden energy cut through the arena. 

Kael barely registered it before pain lanced through his body—Darius's blade piercing his shoulder. The world tilted. His breath caught in his throat. 

The coliseum erupted in cheers. 

Above, the Sovereign raised her hand. "Kael Veyrin has failed the Ascendancy Trial. His noble status is revoked. His life is forfeit." 

*****

Darkness. 

He was aware of movement. The cold weight of chains. The hum of a starship leaving the core worlds.

His body ached, his vision flickering. His mind was a haze of betrayal and a single, lingering thought— 

What was that voice?

The last thing he saw before consciousness faded was the stars stretching before him, endless and empty.

And then, nothingness took him. 

*****