Rey listened to everything Aiden told him in silence.
When the explanation finally ended, the room felt heavier than before.
If beings of that level truly existed… then why were they here?
He could understand one thing.
If the Shadow Throne family needed an heir, then someone had to be chosen. That much made sense. It could even explain why strange Laws had appeared on his status screen.
But one question refused to leave his mind.
Why him?
From everything Victor had analysed, Rey's talent was mediocre at best. Even with effort, Victor once bluntly stated that Rey might not even reach Tier 3 in his lifetime.
Someone like him wasn't worth investing in.
Not for monsters that terrifying.
"So… what now?" Rey finally asked. "There shouldn't be anything left in that inheritance, right?"
Aiden didn't respond immediately.
He looked thoughtful.
Then his eyes lit up.
"Wait," he said slowly. "There might be a way to extract information."
Before Rey could ask what he meant, Aiden retreated deep inside him and began doing something strange.
At first, nothing happened.
Then—
Rey felt it.
Mana began moving.
Not gently.
Not naturally.
A massive amount of mana surged toward his left hand.
Straight toward the ring tattoo.
His body trembled.
The sensation felt… familiar.
Nostalgic.
As if something deep inside him had recognised this flow and responded instinctively.
But that familiarity came with pain.
His left hand slowly turned red.
The pain wasn't sharp enough to scream, but it felt as if his blood flow was being forcibly redirected. His muscles tightened, swelling unnaturally, veins bulging as mana kept flooding in.
"Aiden—!" Rey called.
No response.
Nearly half of his total mana was being forced into one place.
If not for Victor's regeneration ability, his reserves would have collapsed instantly. Even so, his recovery speed was pushed to absurd levels, barely keeping up with the drain.
Then—
The black tattoo reacted.
It began to glow.
Not brightly.
But deeply.
As if the darkness itself had awakened.
The black colour shimmered like something alive, devouring mana without restraint. The flow continued for minutes, growing denser and denser, until finally—
It stopped.
Aiden reappeared, breathing heavily, wiping imaginary sweat from his forehead.
"What the hell was that?" Rey asked.
Aiden sighed. "I guessed the tattoo needed mana to activate. These types of constructs usually require fuel. I didn't expect it to demand that much."
Rey stared at his hand.
It felt… different.
"So now it's usable?" he asked.
But his relief vanished instantly.
The tattoo was spreading.
It crawled across the back of his hand, expanding into complex patterns, lines, and symbols that pulsed faintly with power.
"If it stayed on my finger, I could hide it," Rey muttered. "No,w anyone who looks twice will notice."
Aiden frowned.
"…That wasn't supposed to happen."
"So you don't know either?"
"No," Aiden admitted. "My knowledge of this kind of tattoo is incomplete. All we can do is wait."
Rey clenched his teeth.
"Great. My destiny really hates me."
Before he could say more—
His vision blurred.
The room spun.
His body stopped responding.
Rey collapsed onto the floor as his consciousness faded.
The trio rushed to him.
They scanned his body.
Nothing was wrong.
No damage.
No corruption.
It was as if his entire system had entered a locked-down state.
The only thing still changing was the tattoo.
By the time it stopped, it covered the upper back of his left hand completely.
Strange symbols glowed faintly within it, beautiful and unsettling at the same time.
Luckily, the door was locked.
If Jasmine had walked in and seen that tattoo—
Rey would have suffered a fate worse than death.
But that concern was meaningless now.
Because something far more important was happening inside him.
[White Space]
Rey opened his eyes.
He was back.
But something was wrong.
Aiden, Victor, and Zero stood frozen.
And there was someone else.
A man sat casually in the white space, sipping from a cup.
Rey felt a chill run down his spine.
"Oii," Rey snapped. "Why is there someone inside me without my permission?"
No answer.
Only the quiet sound of sipping.
Aiden's shock twisted into rage.
Pure, violent rage.
"I… WILL KILL YOU!" Aiden roared.
The entire white space trembled.
Furniture ripped from the ground, compressed by telekinesis, and hurled toward the man.
None of it touched him.
A dark, transparent barrier erased everything effortlessly.
Aiden attacked again.
And again.
Useless.
Breathing heavily, Aiden glared at the man.
"Did your worthless attempts end," the man finally spoke, "or will they continue?"
His voice was cold.
Emotionless.
Mechanical.
Rey's heart skipped.
Aiden snarled. "I'll kill you for what you did to my master!"
Rey froze.
Therealisationon struck him like lightning.
This man—
The one Aiden spoke of.
The Shadowthrone member, his master, fought in the Abyss.
Victor and Zero restrained Aiden before he could charge again.
The man turned his gaze toward Rey.
"Now that the hindrance is removed," he said calmly, "I may introduce myself."
The space seemed to tighten.
"I am Veylen Shadowthrone."
Rey's blood ran cold.
"The one who dragged you into this grand play of destiny."
"And the one who will eventually watch you be devoured by it."
"Huh....."