The Ni-beast lay in pieces around him.
It had been a Gravehide Stalker—six-legged, plated in obsidian bone, its core hidden behind layered Ni-veins that pulsed like a second heart. It had stalked him for nearly an hour through the black ravines before finally striking.
He had barely survived.
His whip had wrapped around one leg, lightning snapping instinctively through the coil. The beast shrieked, shadow bleeding from the wound. His daggers followed—precise, surgical—driving into joint seams while his katana finished the work in a single, clean arc.
When the creature finally collapsed, Kaelen dropped to one knee, breathing hard.
Blood dripped from his knuckles.
Shadow clung to his boots.
Lightning cracked faintly along his spine.
All three answered him now.
Not strongly.
But they answered.
A pressure built behind his eyes.
Then—
The world paused.
Not froze.
Paused.
A translucent interface unfolded in front of him, lines of pale silver text forming in the air.
Kaelen flinched backward, hand flying to his katana.
“What—” he breathed. “What is this?”
The screen pulsed once.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Then resolved.
[SYSTEM: VOLKOV CONDUCTOR]
[SUBJECT IDENTIFIED]
Name: Kaelen Volkov
Age: 14
Kaelen frowned. “That’s… accurate.”
The screen continued.
Race: Dampyr (Half-Human / Half-Vampire)
Species: Mutant
His breath caught.
“Mutant?” he echoed sharply. “That’s not—”
Another line appeared, indifferent to his reaction.
[CLASS CONFIRMED]
Fledgling Conduit
Kaelen stared.
“Conduit?” he whispered.
The system responded immediately, text scrolling faster now, as if encouraged.
[CLASS DESCRIPTION: FLEDGLING CONDUIT]
A Conduit is a rare existence capable of channeling Ni in its purest conceptual forms.
Unlike traditional wielders, the Conduit does not borrow power — they become the path.
Blood. Shadow. Lightning.
Life-force. Absence. Cataclysm.
Kaelen’s chest tightened.
That was… exactly how it felt.
The screen flickered again.
[LEVEL ADJUSTMENT IN PROGRESS]
Detected: Prior Combat Experience
Detected: Ni-Core Regeneration
Detected: Multidisciplinary Ni Affinity
Level recalibrated.
[LEVEL: 5]
Kaelen’s eyes widened.
“Five?” he muttered. “I just— I should be—”
The system didn’t let him finish.
[ATTRIBUTES — UPDATED]
Strength: 14
Dexterity: 14
Wisdom: 14
Constitution: 14
Ni-Reserves: 140
Kaelen swallowed.
He could feel it now—his body heavier, denser. His reactions sharper. His lungs pulling deeper breaths. His Ni moving again, not like a shattered thing—but like scar tissue finally giving way.
His core—
He reached inward.
And for the first time in months—
It answered.
Not fractured.
Not broken.
Whole.
Kaelen staggered, catching himself against a rock wall as shadow bled instinctively from his palm, lightning dancing across his fingers, blood humming hot and alive beneath his skin.
“I’m… healed?” he whispered.
The screen pulsed softly.
[NI NETWORK STATUS]
Blood Ni: 1 / 5 — 0%
Shadow Ni: 1 / 5 — 0%
Lightning Ni: 1 / 5 — 0%
Dormant pathways restored.
Mastery requires growth.
Kaelen laughed once—short, disbelieving.
“They said it was gone,” he said quietly. “They said I was finished.”
The system did not argue.
Instead, another section unfolded.
[XP PROGRESSION — FLEDGLING CONDUIT]
Level 1–10: 150 XP per level
Current XP: 620 / 750
Growth achieved through combat, survival,
and mastery over Ni-based entities.
Kaelen looked down at his hands.
At the blood drying on his skin.
At the shadows curling at his feet.
At the faint lightning still crackling through his veins.
Exile had not killed him.
It had rewired him.
He reached back, feeling the familiar weight of his weapons—
the obsidian katana,
the whip coiled at his hip,
twin daggers resting where they always had.
The Veil Lord attire waited in his pack.
Soon.
Kaelen lifted his head, eyes sharp, alive in a way he hadn’t felt since the bomb.
“Alright,” he said softly to the empty wilds.
“Let’s see what a Conduit becomes.”
The screen faded.
The hunt did not.