Kyrian shoved the heavy stone door, emerging into the blinding light of day. His silver hair whipped behind him as the stale air of the Nether Dungeon rushed out. The jagged obsidian walls faded into the verdant forest surrounding the exit.

He stretched out his senses, seeking any lingering threats. Satisfied he was alone, Kyrian extended his mana to a singular fabric of space. The dungeon rewards materialized before him - sleek obsidian blade, ornate gold ring, mirrored disc, and ebon gauntlets.

A surge of recollection washed over Kyrian as he recalled the System's audacious attempt to deposit the rewards in his divine realm, a celestial plane where his primordial powers reigned supreme. With swift action, he had ensnared the items in a pocket dimension, narrowly averting their intrusion into his sacred space.

He now turned his attention to the captured loot:

**Nether Blade (Rare)**

A razor-edged longsword forged from the hardest obsidian in the Nether Realm.

+275 Attack Power

+15% Increased Critical Strike Chance**

**Storage Ring (Rare) **

An unassuming gold band with the ability to store a vast number of items in an extra-dimensional space.

Capacity: 10,000 lbs

**Mirror of Truth (Epic)**

A primordial relic from the Void, imbued with the potent power of divination, capable of laying bare the most pertinent truths, no matter how expertly hidden.

**Venomstrike Gauntlets (Epic)**

Ebon gloves allowing the wearer to coat their weapons in deadly neurotoxins.

+150 Poison Damage

Inflicts a stackable 'Withering' debuff on enemies.

Kyrian frowned. Most of these items were no more than children's playthings, entirely superfluous to him. As for the Mirror...he traced a finger over the cold, reflecting surface. Curious, he activated the rune etched into the mirror’s frame.

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"How peculiar," Kyrian muttered, narrowing his eyes at markings now glowing on the Mirror's edge.

The faint etchings pulsed with an eerie crimson light, searing unfamiliar runes into the Mirror's obsidian frame. Kyrian leaned closer, his brow furrowing as he studied the manifesting glyphs. Though ancient in origin, he could decipher the sinister message they conveyed.

Echoes of duplicity from eras faded,

Ensnared in fetters by a System braided.

Kyrian flinched, his heartbeat thundering in his ears as the words ricocheted through his thoughts. Betrayal? It seemed inconceivable... but the message was clear. However, he quickly reined in his shock, a cold determination replacing it. He had to consider the possibility that this could just be another ploy by the System to manipulate him. He exhaled slowly, wrestling his swirling emotions under control. There would be time to delve into this riddle later.

Suddenly, a subtle pull of primordial mana began to stir within Kyrian's consciousness, a faint echo that seemed almost drowned out by the cacophonous noise of System mana. This energy felt strangely familiar, like a long-forgotten melody resurfacing from the depths of his memory. With an unexpected jolt of recognition, Kyrian's eyes sprung open.

"Thalor..."

The primordial signature was unmistakable, if incredibly weak - Thalor's spirit reaching out across the realms. Kyrian honed in on the fleeting tendril, his own essence enveloping and amplifying the connection.

Flashes of emerald light, whispers of primordial mana...Thalor's voice, weary but defiant, echoed through the link. "Kyrian...cannot...much longer..."

With a gesture, Kyrian wove together strands of raw primordial mana, the elemental forces of creation itself bending to his will. Arcane runes blazed to life around him as he intoned the words of an ancient scrying ritual.

The spell's ethereal lens expanded, Kyrian's senses reaching out in all directions across the realm of Mount Valera. He could perceive every rock, tree, and creature with perfect clarity...save for one obscured region several hundred miles to the northeast.

There, his vision blurred and warped, potent wards disrupting even his divine sight. If he were to hazard a guess, Thalor was likely in that region.

Kyrian's jaw clenched. Whoever held Thalor captive there commanded formidable power to cloak an entire territory from his gaze. But their defenses would not protect them from his wrath.

With a sweep of his arm, ghostly wings of primordial energy unfurled from Kyrian's back in a blaze of azure light. He launched himself skyward, each powerful downstroke propelling him at staggering speeds towards the concealed region.

Granite spires and snowcapped peaks blurred beneath him as the wind shrilled past. Kyrian's expression was a mask of grim determination, his mind racing.

The shielded territory grew larger on the horizon, a roiling sphere of distortion like a festering blemish marring the pristine landscape. Kyrian angled his descent, whole body tensing as he pierced the turbulent boundary at meteoric velocity.

Magical forces slammed into him with the fury of a raging maelstrom. He grit his teeth, emerald lightning arcing across his form as the wards fought to expel this intruder from their domain.

But Kyrian was no mere trespasser. He was the Primordial Creator, and this realm answered to his dominance. With a growl of unyielding resistance, he channeled his vast primordial power, intertwining dual strands to obliterate the barrier.

With a thunderous concussive boom, the wards shattered like glass, banished by Kyrian's overwhelming might. He hurtled unimpeded towards the heart of the shielded territory, undaunted -

Until something colossal slammed into him from below.