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The Child of the Shadows - Stories From the Kingdom of Cadia

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In the fractured kingdom of Cadia, where magic defines worth, 14-year-old Gloria Eldeholt is a noble disgrace—born without a spark in a family of Fire and Poison. Trapped in the decaying Eldeholt castle, she hides in its sealed tunnels, her only companions a pack of scrappy rats she feeds with stolen scraps. Her father, Count Edgar, drowns in wine and bastards, his cruelty a lash she can’t escape. Her mother, Countess Helga, wields icy disdain, branding her worthless as her brother Julius soars with prodigy magic at nine. Gloria’s refuge is her secret—until the shadows begin to whisper. When House Filmore—river lords of fish and fees—arrive with a marriage pact, Gloria’s fate is sealed: wed their son Tristan at 18, merging five villages and a city under her father’s greed. The envoy’s brash Rebecca mocks her as barren, magicless, and unfit, igniting a rage that melts a chair in black tendrils Gloria can’t explain. It’s not Poison, as she’s lied—it’s Shadow, a cursed power feared and forbidden, stirring from the castle’s buried past. Edgar grins, promising to “train” her, his intent dark and twisted, while Helga’s cold warnings hint at secrets she won’t share. As the whispers grow—“You’re enough. Rise.”—Gloria must choose: bow to her cage or embrace the darkness within. In a world where power is everything, her rebellion could crown her—or consume her.
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My SSS Rank System

***his life had never been worse, hopeless, miserable...and alone. until he heard the sound... That small sound, like the chiming of a bell, Ding! Yes, that's the one, the sound that changed his life.*** He had always been the weakest. Laughed at by the villagers. Scorned by the hunters. Ignored by the world. Born without magic in a land where even children could tame flames or speak to beasts, Kael was a mistake in everyone’s eyes. He couldn't lift a training sword, summon a familiar, or even sense mana. Not even a flicker. Not even a spark. Not until the day the world cracked open before him. That day, rain poured like the sky wept for him. He knelt beside his sister’s broken pendant, the last thing he had of her. Mud caked his fingers. Blood stained the ground. And then— That sound. So soft, so sudden, it cut through the storm. Ding! A chime. A bell, bright and delicate, like hope itself. > [Congratulations, Host. You have been selected by the SSS Rank System.] [Initialization begins…] His breath caught. His heart skipped. And the sky— The sky stopped crying. From that moment, Kael was no longer the weakest. He just hadn't awakened yet. ***The world of Aerthrial is steeped in mana, spirit beasts, and ancient legacies. Power is everything—measured in Ranks (F to SSS). Guilds protect the world, magic academies train the elite, and the strongest become Archons—those who command dragons, bend space, or rewrite fate. No one has ever possessed an SSS Rank System. Until now.*** **** Main Character: Name: Kael Ardyn Age: 15 (at start) Background: Orphan, magicless, often bullied. His sister died protecting him from a beast raid, and he carries her pendant. Core Trait: Empathetic and underestimated—kind but sharp, and he slowly gains tactical brilliance. Goal: Become strong enough to change the broken world that scorned the weak. System Core Mechanics: SSS Rank System: Grants Kael access to a unique tiered skill tree, beast contracts, evolution paths, and system quests. Has both active abilities (combat) and passive blessings (intuition, mana growth). As Kael emotionally evolves, the System itself evolves, gaining sentience over time. Also hides an ancient “Truth Protocol”—
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