The vile curse slithered into his ear like a serpent of shadow.
[You have slain a Spawn-Rank Scorpion Queen.]
[Preparing for Transportation...]
[Preparing for Appraisal...]
Waking from his slumber, Kaz found himself floating above an endless sea of darkness. So this is what death feels like, he thought. But the sharp sting of his wounds suggested otherwise—perhaps he wasn't dead after all.
Maybe this was the inner realm of the curse.
Drifting in the void, he noticed something unsettling: there was only one source of light, himself. That fact alone sent a chill down his spine. The curse was strange, after all. No one truly knew where it came from.
Some believed it was the final spiteful act of a powerful being from a distant world, cursing humanity for managing to bring it down. But that theory didn't explain everything, especially not why the curse granted humans weapons… and strange, inhuman abilities.
There was no reason, no philosophical sense to it—Kaz still had no idea how he'd survived. Maybe the death of the Desert Queen—well, Scorpion Queen—had been enough to fill the Lineage Stone.
The details didn't really matter. Not now.
What mattered was that he was finally getting out of that horrible world. He could go home. Or… whatever counted as home now.
He sighed, floating in silence as the curse continued its appraisal. Might as well see what kind of boon I got, he thought.
Which meant… the weapon could be a Wrath Weapon.
There were seven known ranks tied to the curse itself—Novice, Evolved, Sage, Hero, Emperor, Divine, and Prime. Each one marked a step deeper into the unknown, a path carved by power and pain alike.
Of course, that didn't even account for the beast ranks, which were an entirely different nightmare. Those weren't for humans. Those represented the monsters—the truly evil things that crawled out of the rifts: Aberration, Evolved, Demonic, Devil, Horror, Pawn, Satanic, and the final, most terrifying… Evil.
[Novice you've survived!]
[A lowly Tarnished, spat into existence by a mother unseen and a father already broken, stumbled through the wasteland of his birth—a barren desert where even hope came to die. He clawed his way through despair, not with grace, but with the desperation of the damned. Feeding off a monster draped in human flesh, slaying beasts while losing pieces of himself, he danced on the edge of madness. He deceived the Queen, not with divinity, but with grit soaked in spite. No god guided his hand. No fate favored his path. His triumph was a curse earned by bleeding knuckles and a soul too stubborn to shatter.]
[You have defeated an Aberrant Beast: Regent Scorpion.]
[You have defeated an Aberrant Beast: Basilisk.]
[You have defeated an Aberrant Beast: Sand Drake.]
[You have defeated Rift Spawn: Desert Queen.]
[You have received the Primeval Chaos Blessing.]
[You have achieved the Unachievable.]
[Final Appraisal: Glorious. Your will to live... insurmountable.]
The last part was unnecessary. What exactly was the curse getting at? Kaz furrowed his brow, but he didn't complain. The praise felt strange, almost mocking—but it didn't matter. His Trait felt like it was on the verge of evolving. The power surge would likely depend on his Soul Crystal, which was still shared. But he had high hopes. Initiate or Sage... the chances were looking good.
[Novice Kaz receives a reward.]
He was still a Novice. The realization soured his mood—if only a little. But what happened next lifted his spirits almost immediately.
[You are eligible to learn your True Name: Far From Order.]
A True Name.
That was no small thing. Only a rare few ever received one. Most people who earned a True Name did so after claiming their second or even third Lineage Stone.
But getting one from his first?
That was unheard of.
but the rewards just kept coming
[your trait is evolving.. would you like to evolve]
Yes! Kaz thought who wouldnt
[Trait Son of Tarnished is evolving...]
[Prime Trait]
[Son of Chaos]
"Prime."
The thought alone made Kaz want to jump for joy—though it remained just that, a thought. His body was still aching, wracked with pain.
The curse was strange like that. It could transport him across entire worlds… but couldn't be bothered to heal him in the process.
Still, the moment of joy was snuffed out just as quickly—like a match blown out by the wind.
A Prime Trait.
That shouldn't be possible. Kaz had never even heard of someone possessing a Trait of that rank. Most people didn't even gather enough Lineage Stones to get close. And now, somehow… he had one?
This was the first time he'd ever heard of anything like it.
If word got out, the world would treat him like royalty. But behind the praise, behind the glory, he knew the truth—he'd never have a moment of peace again.
Everyone would come for him.
Just then, the world began to shift.
Flames engulfed his body—quicker this time—licking up his limbs with unnatural speed. Before he could react, the dark void vanished.
It happened so fast, he didn't even realize he was back.
Cramped. Cold. Real.
Kaz blinked, narrowing his eyes as the harsh fluorescent light of the hospital greeted him. He was back in the capsule bed, the tight space pressing in on him like a coffin.
He took a slow breath and focused, trying to finish reading through his scripts.
Kaz blinked, narrowing his eyes as the harsh fluorescent lights of the hospital greeted him. He was back in the capsule bed. The cramped space pressed against him from all sides, claustrophobic, like a coffin that remembered him well.
He exhaled slowly, grounding himself, and turned his attention back to the glowing scripts before him.
The whole time he'd been trapped in that other world, all he could think about was home—or at least the world he was born in, Earth. But now?
Now, his focus was locked onto the words hovering in front of him.
Trait: Son of Chaos
Trait Rank: Prime
Description: You are a creature of chaos, left behind by one of the two Primeval beings responsible for the creation of all things. You have inherited fragments of her ancient talent and unfathomable power… but also her most horrendous flaw.
Cursed to never be alone.
Innate Ability: Ego of ChaosAbility Description: You are cursed with a double. The two of you share one body. When your True Name is invoked, your other half awakens, taking your place as a manifestation of pure, Primeval chaos.
It is unheard of for a child of chaos to exist without a second self.
This was all strange to him.
A Prime Trait—one of the rarest to ever exist. Kaz didn't know how it would shape his journey, or what kind of burden it would become. But one thing was clear: he couldn't let anyone know.
Fame was dangerous now.
If he became too well-known, if his True Name ever slipped from someone's lips… his alter ego could take control. That thing—his other half—could use his body for whatever it wanted. The thought alone made Kaz's blood run cold.
He could spend years working his way toward riches, power, even peace… only for it all to be snatched away in an instant by the thing inside him.
No. He had to play it smart. Keep his head low. Keep his secrets buried.
And never—never—let anyone speak his True Name.
Even if it meant slaying them where they stand, although Kaz never killed anyone, he imagined that it would be different from killing the rift beast
He hoped it would never come to killing someone.
That wasn't the kind of person he wanted to be.
But having a True Name—having a Primeval Trait—meant walking a dangerous line. If he truly wanted to stay safe, he'd have to give up on the riches. The fame. The worship. The clans bowing at his feet.
For now, at least.
It sucked.
All that power, all that potential… and he couldn't show it. Couldn't enjoy the rewards that should have come with it.
Not without risking everything.
[First lineage stone consumed ]
[Awakening novice power...]