The harsh neon lights of the city square buzzed in the morning gloom, casting an eerie, fluorescent glow over the long line of sixteen-year-olds waiting for their turn to enter the dungeon. The air was thick with anticipation, tension palpable among the hundreds of teenagers. Their faces, lit by the flickering lights, mirrored Kael’s own swirling emotions—fear, excitement, and dread.
Kael stood at the back of the line, hands stuffed in his pockets, eyes downcast. He barely paid attention to the others, his focus inward, running through the same thoughts he had been turning over all night.
What creature will I soulbind to? What does it say about me?
For as long as Kael could remember, the world had been divided into those who succeeded and those who failed. Success came down to that moment—their first dungeon delve. And soulbinding wasn’t just a contract; it was a reflection of the soul itself. The creature you walked out of the dungeon with wasn’t random. It was you—raw, unfiltered, shaped into something physical and deadly.
The thought haunted him. What if the system was right? What if his soul was broken? Worthless? Just like everyone had always said?
“You’re up next,” a guard barked, jolting Kael from his thoughts.
He blinked, suddenly realizing that the line had shrunk to nothing. All around him, he could see the gates of the dungeon looming ahead—a massive rift in reality, crackling with faint purple energy, guarded by two massive, arm-clad soldiers from the Council of Ascendancy. There were no second chances. Once you stepped inside, your fate was sealed.
Kael’s heart raced as he approached the gate. He wasn’t ready. Every fiber of his being screamed for him to turn back, but there was no running from this. It was the way of the world.
“Next,” the guard said again, more forcefully this time.
Kael stepped forward, trying to calm his nerves. His throat felt dry, and he swallowed hard. Beyond the rift, the air shimmered, distorting the world beyond. The dungeon awaited, dark and mysterious.
With a deep breath, he stepped through.
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The world beyond the rift was cold and silent, as if reality had dropped away the moment he crossed the threshold. Kael blinked, trying to adjust to the sudden shift. The dungeon was a vast, sprawling cavern, its walls lined with crystalline formations that pulsed faintly with energy. Dark stone stretched in every direction, broken only by the occasional arch or column that hinted at something ancient beneath the surface.
The entrance behind him shimmered and then vanished, leaving Kael utterly alone. His heart pounded as he took a step forward, the weight of the moment pressing down on him.
It had begun.
A soft chime echoed in the air, and then the System's voice—cold, detached, mechanical—rang out.
“Initiating soul resonance… Scanning user’s soul… Analyzing traits… Searching for compatible creatures…”
Kael’s breath hitched. This was it. The judgment. What would it see? What would it say about him? He had been told for years that his soul was nothing—just another gutter rat like the thousands of other orphans scattered across Draelith.
He stood frozen, waiting for the next words that would define his life.
“System error. Unable to generate three options. One option available.”
Kael blinked. One option? That wasn’t how it was supposed to work. Every initiate was given three creatures to choose from, each one resonating with different aspects of their soul. The choice was meant to define who you would become, a fork in the road for your destiny. But he had only one option?
Panic started to set in. This had never happened to anyone, at least not that he had heard. His thoughts whirled. Was the system malfunctioning? Or… did this mean something worse? Was his soul so broken that it couldn’t even generate three choices?
Before he could fully process the implications, the System continued.
“One creature found: Dreitailen, Unique Rarity. Initiating soulbinding process.”
The name meant nothing to Kael, but the word “Unique Rarity” did. His heart skipped a beat, and a surge of fear shot through him. Unique Rarity was something he had only heard whispers about—creatures so rare they existed outside the normal tier system. They could be incredibly powerful… or impossibly weak. Worse, they drew the attention of the government. People with Unique Rarity creatures were either seized by the Council or forced into a life of servitude.
Kael’s hands shook. The System was bonding him to something dangerous. Something unique. What did that say about him?
“Soulbinding complete. Dreitailen soulbound to user Kael. Status screen updated.”
A rush of cold energy flooded through Kael, his body tingling as the soulbinding took hold. He staggered, feeling something shift inside him—an alien presence coiled within his soul, dark and powerful. It wasn’t like the warmth he had heard others describe after bonding. This was something else entirely.
It felt… wrong. But also exhilarating.
“Would you like to view your status?”
Kael hesitated. He had no idea what to expect, but he needed to see. He needed to know what had just happened to him. Swallowing hard, he nodded.
“Show me my status,” he muttered.
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STATUS SCREEN
Attribute Value Name Kael Soulbound Creature Dreitailen Rarity Tier Unique Rarity Level 1 Evolution Stage 1 Health Points (HP) 100/100 Mana Points (MP) 80/80 Stamina 90/90 Strength 12 Agility 14 Intelligence 9 (-1 Corruption) Endurance 13 Perception 11 Luck 8 Shadow Corruption (SC) 5% Synergy Bonus None
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Kael stared at the screen, heart thudding in his chest. Dreitailen. The name felt foreign on his tongue, yet he knew it was now a part of him. The creature lurking in his shadow wasn’t just some passive partner; it was connected to him on a deeper level than he could have imagined.
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And then his eyes landed on the last entry: Shadow Corruption (SC).
His breath caught. Corruption? What did that mean? He had never heard of anything like that in the tales of other soulbound creatures. Most people just gained strength, agility, or mana after their bond. But this… corruption? Was the Dreitailen warping him? Was this the cost of bonding with such a creature?
His mind reeled with the implications. His soulbinding wasn’t just about power—it was about a slow descent into something darker.
“Dreitailen,” Kael whispered, almost to himself. “What… are you?”
There was no answer, but he could feel it there, lurking just beneath the surface. Watching. Waiting.
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The dungeon loomed before him, its dark corridors stretching out in every direction. Kael knew he couldn’t stand here forever. The others had to be moving ahead already, and his time was limited. He had to move, had to prove he wasn’t like everyone said he was.
With a deep breath, he started forward. His footsteps echoed in the vast cavern, the only sound in the otherwise oppressive silence. Every step felt heavier than the last, weighed down by the knowledge that this place—the dungeon—was both a proving ground and a death sentence for some. But he wouldn’t fail. He couldn’t.
The first chamber opened ahead, lit faintly by the same crystalline formations embedded in the walls. Kael slowed his pace, instincts prickling. This was it—his first real test. He had heard rumors of what to expect from the first dungeon, mostly weak creatures, nothing too threatening. Still, his heart raced as he crept toward the center of the room.
And then he saw it.
A creature, hunched and crawling, its skin a sickly green, eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. It was low-tier, probably a Tier 10, something designed to test new soulbound users without overwhelming them. But this was different. Its eyes locked onto him, and a guttural snarl rumbled from its throat.
Kael froze.
“Combat initiated.” The System's voice was calm, mechanical.
The creature lunged.
Kael barely reacted in time, his body moving on instinct. He dodged to the side, the creature’s claws raking the stone where he had been standing just a moment before. His heart raced, adrenaline flooding his veins.
“Dreitailen, do something!” he shouted.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, from the shadows at Kael’s feet, there was a ripple—a movement that wasn’t his. A shape peeled away from the darkness, fluid and silent. The Dreitailen.
It struck with terrifying speed. One of its tails lashed out, coiling around the creature’s throat and yanking it backward. The creature screeched, struggling in vain as the Dreitailen’s second tail whipped forward, slicing through the air and leaving a dark trail in its wake.
Kael watched, frozen in shock as the Dreitailen tore the creature apart. The battle lasted mere seconds.
When it was over, the Dreitailen melted back into the shadows, its presence still lingering in Kael’s mind.
“Enemy defeated. Awarding experience points.”
Kael stood there, heart pounding, staring at the lifeless body of the creature. The Dreitailen had done it effortlessly. He hadn't even needed to lift a finger. The power it wielded was terrifying.
And it was his now.
But as the adrenaline ebbed, the weight of it all settled back onto his shoulders. What did it mean? What did the system see in him that had brought out this monster from the depths of the dungeon? Was this truly a reflection of who he was? Of what he would become?
“Skill and Ability Points available. Please select one ability and one skill.”
The screen popped up again, this time showing options for his first skill and ability. His mind was still spinning from the battle, but he knew he had to choose carefully.
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Name Type Description Shadow Strike Ability A swift attack from the shadows, dealing bonus damage when striking from behind. Poisonous Claws Ability Adds poison damage to melee attacks, causing lingering damage over time. Shadow Meld Skill The Dreitailen can merge with the shadows, becoming invisible for a short time. So can you. Venom Control Skill Passive trait that allows manipulation of poison potency, increasing its lethality or weakening it.
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Kael’s hand hovered over the options. Shadow Strike or Poisonous Claws? Both were deadly, both connected to the Dreitailen’s nature. But it was the Shadow Meld skill that caught his eye.
Becoming invisible, even for a short time, could be the difference between life and death. And, instinctively, Kael knew it would only grow more powerful as his Shadow Corruption increased. The darkness inside him would make it stronger.
He selected Shadow Meld as his first skill, the knowledge of how to use it flooding into his mind in an instant. It felt… right.
For his ability, he selected Shadow Strike, knowing he would need something direct and offensive in the dungeons to come.
As the choices solidified, Kael couldn’t shake the feeling that he was changing, that the Dreitailen wasn’t just a tool or a partner. It was shaping him. Corrupting him. He glanced at his hands, half-expecting to see dark energy crawling along his skin.
The dungeon wasn’t over yet. There were more chambers ahead, more enemies, more tests. But Kael knew one thing for certain: the creature in his shadow wasn’t just an extension of his soul—it was becoming a part of him. And it was dangerous.
Taking a deep breath, he stepped deeper into the dungeon, knowing that from this point forward, nothing would ever be the same.