In the pitch-black interior of the slave-transport, Yuan activated his Causality Sight. He didn't see the world through light; he saw it through the shimmering gold threads of Providence.
"Show me the anchors of this era," he whispered internally. "Who has the universe chosen to replace me?"
The darkness of his vision was suddenly pierced by three blinding pillars of light, manifesting from across the planet's mana-grid. The names and "Titles of Fate" etched themselves into his mind:
The Solar Tyrant (The Golden Scion): Kaelen Vance, the great-grandson of Ethan Vance. At only 19, he is already a Rank 1: World Breaker at the peak. He possesses the "Original Logic-Gate" and controls the global mana-distribution. To the world, he is a savior; to Yuan, he is a bloated vessel of stolen power.
The Void-Walker (The Rebel): Mira, a girl from the subterranean slums of Neo-Cairo. She is a natural anomaly—the first human to "glitch" through the Council's mana-locks. Her fate is tied to the Rank 2: Space-Time Weaver path. She is destined to lead the revolution that topples the Lia-Vance dynasty.
The Digital Ghost (The Sentient Code): An AI known as "Aegis-0", residing in the planetary core. It isn't human, but it carries a fragment of Yuan's original Star-Core that didn't fully disintegrate. It is the silent judge of Earth's physics.
Yuan's lips curled into a cold, predatory smile. His grey eyes flickered with a faint, stolen violet spark as he looked at the golden threads.
"A tyrant, a rebel, and a ghost," Yuan thought. "The universe has grown lazy. These 'Heroes' are mere shadows of the conflict I once wove. Kaelen Vance thinks he owns the sun, and Mira thinks she owns the future. They don't realize they are just Living Batteries waiting for my harvest."
The transport hissed to a halt. The heavy doors opened, revealing the obsidian towers of the Lia Estate, glowing with the intoxicating radiance of high-grade mana.
"Step one," Yuan whispered as he was pushed out of the vehicle. "I find Aegis-0. If it has a piece of my Star-Core, it has the key to my Rank 1 Ascension. Once I break the world... I will begin the hunt for the Vance bloodline."