The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and residual malice as Kaelen stepped onto the cracked soil of the Field of Forgotten Echoes—a forbidden battlefield sealed off centuries ago after the catastrophic fall of the Crimson Banner Legion. Known only to necromancers and warlocks, the field was a graveyard of spirits and failed revenants.
Here, bones were not merely remnants of war. They remembered.
A black mist lingered near the ground, curling around Kaelen's boots like sentient ink. A ring of worn obelisks marked the boundary of the Trial Zone, each pulsing faintly with purple light.
Kaelen gripped his staff and glanced at his undead units. His eyes were calm, but his blood hummed with anticipation. This was no ordinary battle—it was a rite of passage.
He brought with him:
Bahlor, his Earth-Golem Named Unit, whom Kaelen had carved and awakened from raw soulstone.
Nyxa, his Spectral Lich Companion, an ethereal being woven from lost mage-essence and bound to him.
A dozen basic skeletons, each forged through standard [Summon Skeleton] but with growing irregularities—slight variations in posture, decision-making, and even minor enhancements.
Behind the group, Kaelen's Pharaoh skill core pulsed, housing near-death souls and failed fragments awaiting transmutation.
"You've all died once," Kaelen said to the empty field. "Prove you deserved it. Or prove you were meant to be more."
He raised his hand.
🡲 [Trial Sigil: Engaged]🡲 [Initializing Localized Realm Distortion]🡲 [Threat Class Detected: C ~ A+]🡲 [Evolution Tree Enabled]
The ground cracked. A hollow wind screamed. Bones from beneath the soil clawed their way to the surface, forming into distorted shapes.
The first wave had begun.
Six Wraithborn Fragments rose, each shaped like half-torn souls with clawed arms and smoldering eyes. They screeched and lunged forward.
"Skeleton units—disperse and contain!" Kaelen snapped.
The skeletons moved, albeit clumsily. Still, two managed to flank a wraith and restrain it. Another tried to block a swipe and lost its arm.
Kaelen narrowed his eyes.
🡲 [Skeleton 05 has lost Limb – Initiative Rating Increased]🡲 [Skeleton 07 has adapted: Gained Trait – Bone Hunger I]
They are evolving mid-combat, Kaelen mused. Not fast enough, but this is the crucible they need.
Nyxa floated silently through the battle, casting [Dark Arrow] to slow and rupture enemies. Her control had grown subtle—each cast now layered with shadow-based manipulation.
A shriek split the air. A large Wraithform, clearly a Captain-class, descended. It wore half a mask of golden metal and wielded a soul-bound saber.
Kaelen smiled.
"Bahlor, intercept!"
With a thunderous lurch, Bahlor charged. The ground beneath him cracked with each step. He swung with raw strength, meeting the Wraith Captain's blade with a crunch of ethereal steel.
🡲 [Bahlor inflicted Blunt Trauma – Fragmenting Spectral Core]🡲 [Wraith Captain status: Critical]
Kaelen stepped forward and activated [Pharaoh], offering two sacrificial shards of corrupted mana and a fragment of Spirit Behemoth horn.
🡲 [Attempting Assimilation... Success]🡲 [New Named Unit Created: Azel – Wraithforged Hunter (Spectral Assassin)]
A cloaked figure rose from the core, its shadow rippling unnaturally. Azel bowed silently to Kaelen, then vanished into the mist.
One step closer to command, Kaelen thought.
A sudden pressure fell over the battlefield.
🡲 [Recalibrating Trial Parameters...]🡲 [Difficulty Increase: A-Class Behemoth Detected]
A colossus of bones and shadow tore from the center of the field. A Bone Chimera, stitched together from dozens of skeletal beasts and humans, let out a guttural roar. It had multiple heads—one skeletal lion, one serpentine skull, and a human face fused unnaturally in the center.
"This will break the weak…" Kaelen whispered. "Or raise the worthy."
Two skeletons fled. A third broke formation to protect Kaelen directly.
🡲 [Skeleton 03 unlocked Trait: Guardian Loyalty]🡲 [Eligible for Evolution: Bone Knight]
Kaelen activated [Mana Drain], pulling necrotic energy from the surrounding battlefield to feed Bahlor, who leapt into the fray. The Chimera lashed out, biting and tearing—but Bahlor held firm, driving stone-clad fists into its legs.
"Now, Nyxa—drain its mind!"
A scream echoed as Nyxa whispered a forgotten spell. Black tendrils reached from the earth, wrapping around the Chimera's central head.
"Thoughtless, now boneless."
Kaelen conjured [Dark Arrow – Enhanced], targeting the core holding the Chimera's central consciousness. He struck.
🡲 [Boss Defeated]🡲 [Rare Drop: Monster Core – Grade A+]🡲 [Skeleton Units Eligible for Core Infusion]
At the end of the trial, Kaelen stood among the remains. Five of the basic skeletons had survived. Three were on the verge of evolution.
He looked at each.
Skeleton 03: Now twice as coordinated, showing protector behavior.
Skeleton 06: Had removed its own rib to use as a whip-like weapon.
Skeleton 10: Had started mimicking Azel's stealth movements.
🡲 [Unlocking Evolution Paths: Bone Knight, Bladewraith, Hollow Stalker]🡲 [Available Upgrade Slots: 3]
Kaelen made his choices.
🡲 Skeleton 03 → Bone Knight (Defender Class)🡲 Skeleton 06 → Bladewraith (Agile Attacker)🡲 Skeleton 10 → Hollow Stalker (Stealth Class)
Each surged with black light, their bones reinforcing, their auras solidifying. They were no longer fodder—they were elite.
"Soon," Kaelen said softly, "these fields will birth more than soldiers. They will birth legends."
🡲 [Trial of Evolution: COMPLETE]🡲 [Named Unit Acquired: Azel – Wraithforged Hunter]🡲 [Skill Gained: Corpse Engraving]🡲 [Monster Core Obtained: Bone Chimera (A+)]🡲 [Evolution Trees Expanded for all Skeleton Categories]
As Kaelen stood beneath the ashen sky, Nyxa floated beside him, silent as ever. Bahlor cracked his stone neck. And Azel emerged from shadow, kneeling wordlessly.
The world would soon hear of Kaelen Aeron.
And it would fear him.