Beyond the Kaelith Realm, a vast expanse of stars and galaxies lay, untouched by the hands of mortals. It was a realm where time bent and twisted, where the very essence of existence flowed through the hearts of those who had transcended. This was the Immortal Realm, a place that held beings who had surpassed the limits of humanity and attained godlike power. These immortals were the guardians of the divine elements, the manipulators of Qi, and the arbiters of fate itself. Here, they wielded powers that could reshape the cosmos, bending the laws of nature and the threads of time to their will.

For millennia, the Immortal Realm had stood as a bastion of strength, an ethereal world where the most powerful cultivators ascended, leaving behind their mortal coils to become eternal beings. Time in this realm was measured not by years, but by the cultivation and mastery of those who dwelled within it. To reach this world, a mortal needed to not only attain great strength but also to master both the martial and spiritual disciplines that governed the universe. Few had ever succeeded, and even fewer had attained the level of power necessary to rule over the natural forces of Qi.

One of these rare beings, a legendary figure whose name had been etched into the annals of history, was Dimitri Miller. His tale was one of great triumph and even greater tragedy.

Dimitri’s early life was humble, but he was driven by an unyielding ambition. From a young age, he sought to protect the realm he loved, the Kaelith Realm—a vast and prosperous empire on the mortal plane. The Kaelith Realm, under the reign of Emperor William, faced constant threats from both external invaders and internal betrayals. Dimitri rose as a hero, leading armies to victory and protecting his people from darkness and despair. His fame spread quickly, his name whispered with reverence and fear across the empire. 

As a young cultivator, Dimitri’s powers grew rapidly. His ability to channel Qi, his prowess in martial combat, and his skill in the spiritual arts made him an unstoppable force. His cultivation reached levels that few could comprehend, and he quickly ascended to become a ruler of the Immortal Realm. There, he stood alongside the greatest of the immortals, beings who had long since surpassed the realm of mortal comprehension. 

But as the years passed, Dimitri’s insatiable hunger for power only grew. The peace he had fought so hard to create began to feel hollow to him. The Immortal Realm, despite its beauty and serenity, offered no true challenge. He had mastered every discipline, and yet he yearned for more. He began to believe that there was an even higher plane of existence—an ultimate power that could safeguard not only the Immortal Realm but all realms, mortal and immortal alike.

In his quest for this ultimate strength, Dimitri discovered a forbidden ritual that would grant him the power he so desperately sought. The ritual involved the sacrifice of ten innocent souls, a price so steep that few would dare to consider it. The souls needed to be pure, untouched by darkness, and their life force would fuel the Malice Bloom, a mythical flower of immense power. This flower, when properly nurtured, could grant immortality and unlock unfathomable abilities. It was a dangerous artifact, tied to both the mortal and immortal worlds. Its power could heal, but it could also destroy, depending on how it was used.

Despite the risks, Dimitri made his decision. He believed that the greater good justified the cost of the ritual. To save the realms, he would sacrifice ten souls, taking their life forces to fuel his own ascension. He knew it would not be easy, but the promise of ultimate power was too tempting to resist. The path was set, and Dimitri moved forward with determination.

The first nine sacrifices were made without significant opposition. Dimitri, ever the strategist, chose victims he deemed worthy of their fate. Criminals, traitors, and those whose lives were already stained with darkness—these were the souls Dimitri claimed. Each sacrifice brought him closer to the power he sought, and each one left a mark on his soul. He could feel himself growing stronger, but with each life taken, a small piece of his humanity seemed to slip away.

But it was the final sacrifice, the tenth soul, that tested Dimitri’s resolve. This soul was not like the others. This soul was innocent, pure, and tied to the very heart of the Kaelith Realm. It belonged to Riven Brax, the newborn son of Emperor William, the ruler of the Kaelith Realm. The child’s innocence and potential power were unmatched, and Dimitri had chosen him as the final soul in his ritual.

Emperor William had long been Dimitri’s ally, and the two shared a bond of mutual respect. The emperor had trusted Dimitri with the protection of the realm, but now, Dimitri was about to betray that trust in the most unimaginable way. He knew that the act would have far-reaching consequences, but he had convinced himself that this sacrifice was necessary. He believed that once he attained the power of the Malice Bloom, he would be able to protect the realm and its people more effectively than ever before. The death of one innocent soul would save countless others, or so he thought.

On the night of the ritual, Dimitri approached Issac's house where Riven lay sleeping in his crib. The baby, unaware of the fate that awaited him, slept peacefully beneath a canopy of shimmering stars. Dimitri stood over the child, his hands trembling as he raised the blade. His heart ached with the weight of his decision, but he pushed those feelings aside. He had come too far to turn back now.

But just as the blade descended toward Riven, a surge of power unlike anything Dimitri had ever felt erupted from the child. The air around them seemed to vibrate with energy, and the very fabric of reality trembled. In an instant, Dimitri’s plans were shattered. The Malice Bloom, the artifact he had sought to control, was awakened.

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The flower appeared as if forged from pure moonlight, its petals a deep crimson that seemed to glow with an eerie light. It grew from a twisted, blackened stem, its roots sinking deep into the ground, drawing energy from the very life force of the world around it. The flower's veins pulsed with an iridescent glow, radiating dark energy as it spread its petals wide. The center of the flower was a golden core, an orb that shifted between gold and obsidian depending on the ambient energy. This core was the source of its immense power.

Dimitri staggered back in shock as the flower bloomed before him. He had read of the Malice Bloom, but he had never imagined that it could be awakened in this manner. Its pollen filled the air, a fine, glittering dust that seemed to shimmer with malevolent intent. As the pollen touched the air, it spread like a poison, a curse that would soon consume everything in its path.

Those who inhaled the pollen began to experience its effects immediately. They were consumed by hallucinations, their minds twisted by the flower's influence. Their bodies began to decay, turning pale and weak as the rot spread through their veins. In mere moments, they would become hollow shells, their minds lost to the curse, driven by dark and primal instincts.

The curse of the Malice Bloom was not just a plague—it was a transformation. Those who succumbed to its power became mindless creatures, zombies in the truest sense. They were no longer human, driven only by the need to spread the curse further. The more people they infected, the stronger the plague grew, until it consumed entire villages, towns, and eventually, the cities. 

Dimitri watched in horror as the plague spread. He had never meant for this to happen. The very thing he had sought to control had turned against him. He had unleashed a force beyond his understanding, and now, the realm he had sworn to protect was paying the price.

The immortals, sensing the disturbance in the balance of the realms, arrived to investigate. They traced the source of the plague back to Dimitri, who stood in Isaac's house, helpless before the Malice Bloom. The nine immortals, leaders of the celestial world, did not hesitate to act. They found Dimitri guilty of unleashing the plague and destroying the peace that had once reigned in the realms.

They stripped him of his spiritual powers, severing his connection to Qi and leaving him powerless. They cast him from the Immortal Realm, his once-great strength now gone. As punishment, they also took away his sight, rendering him blind as a symbol of the blindness that had overtaken his soul. Dimitri, once the most powerful being in existence, was now a broken, frail figure, cast out to wander the desolate lands of the Thalassa Kingdom.

In the Thalassa Kingdom, Dimitri roamed, lost and alone. His name was now cursed, whispered only in fear and disgust. The legend of Dimitri Miller had come to an end, and with it, the hope that once existed for the realms.

Yet, even in his despair, a flicker of resolve remained. Dimitri knew that the damage he had caused was irreversible, but he also knew that there had to be a way to undo it. He had made a terrible mistake, but he would not let it define him. There was still a chance, a glimmer of hope that perhaps, someday, he could find redemption. And so, he wandered, blind and broken, but never truly defeated, for he knew that even in darkness, a path to redemption might still exist.

 The Malice Bloom System Activate.

Dimitri froze, his heart skipping a beat. His senses were heightened, though his sight was gone, and the presence of the voice sent a chill down his spine. He had heard of systems like this, but they were only myths in the ancient texts—systems that could impose rules and objectives upon a being, forcing them into a game where the stakes were life and death.

The voice continued.

To stop the curse, you must play the game...

Dimitri's breath caught in his throat. A game? A game for what? What did it mean?

The game starts...

Loading...

Initializing...

Dimitri's heart pounded in his chest. This was no ordinary voice. Something in the air seemed to shift, as though reality itself was bending.

Welcome to the Malice Bloom System.

Dimitri’s mind raced as the cold, mechanized voice echoed through his thoughts, and the weight of its words settled in. He was caught in a game, and the stakes were higher than anything he had ever faced. It was the Malice Bloom, the very thing he had unleashed, but now it seemed to have a mind of its own, controlling his fate.

Objective: Remove the curse of the Malice Bloom Flower.

A flood of memories surged through Dimitri. The Malice Bloom, the cursed flower that had brought about the plague in Kaelith, was now the center of his existence. And now, it was clear—the game that had begun was his only chance at redemption. If he failed, the curse would continue to spread, consuming more lives.

Warning: The flower’s curse has a will of its own. Trust nothing. Every decision alters the fate of the realms.

Dimitri felt a shiver run down his spine. What did it mean? Trust nothing? Every decision altered the fate of the realms? His very soul felt the weight of the warning, and the uncertainty of what lay ahead threatened to overwhelm him. He had made countless decisions in his life, and all of them had led to this moment. Now, every choice he made would determine the outcome—not just for him, but for the entire world.

A moment of silence passed before the voice returned, cutting through his thoughts.

Do you wish to proceed?

Dimitri was silent for a long while. What was the alternative? To let the curse continue? To let the realms fall further into decay and destruction? He had already caused enough devastation. The one thing he could still do was try to stop it.

“Yes,” he whispered, his voice trembling. “I will proceed.”

The moment he spoke, the world around him seemed to warp. The air thickened with energy, and he could feel a strange force pulling at his very being. A pulse of power flowed through him, and for the first time since his fall, Dimitri felt something. It was faint—almost imperceptible—but it was there. The power of the Malice Bloom System had begun to awaken within him.

System Activation Complete.

New Objective: Seek out the source of the Malice Bloom’s will. Defeat it. Save the realms.

The voice faded, and Dimitri stood in the ruins of the Thalassa Kingdom, now bearing the burden of a new destiny. The game had begun, and the stakes were higher than he could have ever imagined. But one thing was clear: to stop the curse of the Malice Bloom, he would need to face his past, his mistakes, and the very essence of the flower that had brought about this plague.

The cursed flower, once a tool for power, had now become the source of his redemption—or his destruction. And with that thought in mind, Dimitri took the first step into the unknown, the first step in the game that would decide the fate of not just the Kaelith Realm, but all realms.