The Devourer's Dominion

Aetheron's breath was heavy, his hands pressed against the cold floor. His body still trembled from what he had just seen.

The countless reflections. The void. The robed figure's words.

"You are not the first."

"You are simply… the latest."

His mind was a storm.

What did that mean? Who were those others? Were they past wielders of Dominion? Or… something worse?

A shadow loomed over him.

The masked figure was still there, watching him. Silent. Waiting.

Aetheron forced himself to stand. His legs felt like lead, but he wouldn't kneel here. Not now.

He met the masked figure's gaze. "What the hell was that?"

A pause. Then—

"A warning."

Aetheron's jaw clenched. "From who?"

The masked figure tilted its head slightly.

"From the one who came before you."

Aetheron's fingers twitched.

The one before him?

His head was still spinning, but before he could press for more answers, the chamber around them shifted.

The golden throne pulsed. The cracks in space—remnants of the robed figure's intrusion—began to mend themselves, like reality was stitching itself back together.

Aetheron exhaled sharply.

Everything about this place… this moment…

It felt like something had changed.

And then—

A voice echoed from the throne itself.

"You have seen the shadows of Dominion. Now, you must decide—"

"Will you take another step forward? Or turn back before it is too late?"

Aetheron's heartbeat slowed.

Something was being offered to him. Something real.

The masked figure gestured towards the throne.

"Sit."

Aetheron's instincts screamed at him.

Every part of his mind told him that this was a turning point.

That once he did this—there was no going back.

His fingers curled into a fist.

The weight of the robed figure's words still lingered.

But at the same time…

He knew.

He couldn't stop here.

Without another word, he stepped forward.

And lowered himself onto the golden throne.

The Throne of Dominion

The moment Aetheron's body touched the seat, the world shifted.

The throne wasn't just a seat.

It was a gate.

The golden glow surged—

And suddenly, he was falling.

His body was weightless, pulled through an unseen force. Space twisted around him, blurring into streaks of white and black.

Aetheron's mind barely had time to process what was happening before—

He landed.

A New Realm

The first thing he noticed was the silence.

No wind.

No sound.

Just an endless, vast expanse stretching in every direction.

But it wasn't empty.

Massive structures rose from the ground—monuments, statues, ruins of an ancient civilization long forgotten.

Aetheron's eyes widened as he took in the sight.

Everything was massive.

Buildings the size of mountains. Pillars that stretched into the sky like they were holding up the heavens themselves.

And in the center of it all—

A colossal sphere of swirling energy, floating above a platform of shattered chains.

Aetheron took a step forward.

The energy pulsed.

Something was here.

Something waiting.

As he approached, a voice whispered in his mind.

"You are not the first to stand here."

Aetheron's breath hitched.

He spun around—

And saw them.

Silhouettes.

Figures standing in the distance, half-faded, like echoes of the past.

He counted ten.

Ten beings, all watching him from across the ruined city.

Each one had a different presence—some towering like giants, others barely visible like wraiths.

And then—

One of them stepped forward.

The air shook.

Aetheron instinctively raised his guard, Dominion flaring around him.

The figure stopped just a few steps away.

It was humanoid, covered in worn armor, with cracks running across its entire body.

And its eyes—

They were the same as the robed figure's.

Aetheron's pulse quickened.

This wasn't a coincidence.

This wasn't just some vision.

These were the previous wielders of Dominion.

And the one in front of him…

Had failed.

The armored figure finally spoke.

"You walk the same path as we once did."

Aetheron clenched his fists. "And what happened to you?"

The figure was silent for a long moment. Then—

"We were consumed."

Aetheron's body stiffened.

The other figures in the distance remained still. Watching. Waiting.

The armored figure took another step forward.

"We sought power."

"We took Dominion into our hands."

"And in the end, we became nothing but echoes."

Aetheron exhaled slowly.

His mind raced.

He thought back to the robed figure's words—how others had come before him, and how they had failed.

Now he was standing in the ruins of their legacy.

And he was next in line.

Aetheron looked up at the floating sphere of energy.

It pulsed again, reacting to his presence.

The armored figure followed his gaze.

"That is the core of Dominion."

"The power we all reached for."

"And the power that destroyed us."

Aetheron narrowed his eyes.

Destroy?

No.

If that was the case—

Then why was he still here?

His fingers twitched.

A choice was before him.

One that every wielder before him had taken.

And if history was anything to go by…

It had led them all to ruin.

Aetheron inhaled sharply.

His gaze locked onto the core.

And then—

He took a step forward.

The figures didn't stop him.

The armored one simply watched.

And as Aetheron reached the platform beneath the core, he felt it.

A pulse.

The same feeling as before—when he first devoured the Sovereign's mark.

The same feeling he had when his Dominion evolved.

This wasn't just power.

It was something more.

Aetheron exhaled.

His hand reached out.

The moment his fingers brushed the core—

Everything collapsed.

The Awakening

Aetheron's eyes snapped open.

He was back in the chamber.

Still seated on the throne.

The masked figure stood before him.

Watching.

Waiting.

Aetheron's breath was steady now.

His body felt… different.

Like something had settled inside him.

Not just power.

Knowledge.

The weight of those who came before him.

The path they walked.

And the truth of Dominion itself.

The masked figure finally spoke.

"You have taken your next step."

Aetheron slowly stood from the throne.

His Dominion flickered around him—

But this time, it was calm.

Refined.

Controlled.

He met the masked figure's gaze.

No words were needed.

They both understood.

The path forward was set.

And Aetheron was ready to walk it.