In the world of Celestial Worthy of Twelve Heavens, the true antagonist is the Elderspawn— a vast, incomprehensible force trying to breach the world. However, because it is unable to directly enter, it sends its Heralds to prepare the way.

These Heralds are not chaotic, rampaging beasts, but rather organized forces, each working like human clans. There are seven such clans that serve the Elderspawn, each embodying different aspects of its corruption.

Depraved

Blighted

Desecrated

Enslaved

Shackled

Ruined

Damned

These clans function like human societies, each with their own Crests, ideals, and values. They are not just powerful but also highly intelligent, making them formidable foes.

If it weren't for the constant power struggles and infighting between them, humanity would have long since been annihilated.

Of all these clans, the title of the strongest would undoubtedly go to the Depraved Clan. Their influence and might were unparalleled. But, in the present day, the Depraved Clan is considered extinct, wiped from existence due to some power struggle in the clan.

At least… that's what everyone thought.

But now, standing before Levi, one of them is very much alive.

"Can... you spare... me the kn... knowledge of your... name?"

The 'thing' spoke, its voice strained, stuttering and foreign at first, but with each word, its speech began to shift, becoming smoother— more like the way people spoke in the present day.

The rapid absorption of Levi's previous words seemed to help it adapt, almost as though it was absorbing the knowledge located Levi's short gasp.

Knowing what the clan was capable of, he knew that was exactly what it was doing.

But that was not what was preoccupying Levi's mind.

As Levi realized what was truly happening, something in him snapped— a mix of disbelief and forbidden excitement.

'Did I just resurrect a dead clan?'. The thought hit him with the force of a tidal wave. A clan that had been wiped from existence, long lost to the annals of history— and here, Levi stood, the one to bring it back.

A clan once powerful, full of forbidden strength, now bound to him.

'I now control this forbidden power'.

The adrenaline surged in him. The thrill of the discovery, the weight of it all, made his heart race.

He could feel the unnatural coldness emanating from the tether, a cold unlike anything he could had ever imagined.

The Depraved Clan, with their unnatural abilities and ancient power, were once the strongest of their kind. And now, their last remnants, this thing, were his to command.

His previous nervousness, the fear that had gnawed at him since stepping into the ruins, was replaced with raw excitement.

'The things I could accomplish...'.

Levi quickly refocused, fighting to push aside the rush of power. He had to keep control. He couldn't let this excitement blind him. This wasn't just some discovery. This was monumental.

He stared down at the creature, his confidence rising now that he knew it was under his rule. Despite its unnatural strength, it was bound to him. It could never escape.

With a sneer, Levi spoke. "D-don't act like you don't know". He stumbled over his words for a moment but quickly regained his composure.

The creature nodded in response. "True... Sir Levi."

Levi felt a shiver run down his spine. Reading about it was one thing, but experiencing it firsthand was completely different.

From the novel, he had learned how the creature knew his name.

The clan's power was linked to their names. Their abilities ranged from stealing hope, life, or even other powers.

Now it all made sense. He remembered the murals, how they seemed to absorb his voice. And then there was the creature showing him that disturbing moment when one of his tightly clasped hands opened to reveal another.

The creature did that to get a reaction from Levi, and Levi gasping was the reaction it needed. That was the dangers of the evil clans, each and every mob were devilishly intelligent.

Through Levi's voice, it absorbed the information tied to it— his name, in particular.

Levi's facial expression furrowed, but something still didn't add up. If this creature was so powerful— if it could steal a name and absorb abilities— why was it still under his control? Why hadn't it ripped his head off and left him for dead?

Levi thought for a second before coming to a conclusion. 'Maybe it's a mob'. Levi then considered it to be a mob.

But if it was, how had the Stargaze found its way into his hand? The Stargaze was a powerful artifact that protected an entire civilization.

And from the images on the murals, only the priest could wield the Stargaze. Only he could remove it from the alter from which it was embedded.

Looking at the creature again, Levi could see the numerous hands clasped together as if in prayer, the tattered clothes vaguely resembled a clerical robe— this details ultimately pointed at it being the priest.

'And the priest is one of the most powerful individuals in the clan'. A chill ran down Levi's spine at the implications.

Levi knew the limitations of his Avater technique, if the creature he intended to bind was a grade higher then him, he wouldn't be able to bind it.

The only reason he was able to bind the leech was because, the soul was originally his and with strength of the leech a normal human was capable of killing it.

But this was a creature of diabolical powers.

'M-maybe it's death that weaken it'. Levi eyes lit up at the reasoning. 'That must be it'. Levi already tapped into the tether of connection between them and observed it.

A chilling cold snaked up the tether, not the icy cold of a winter wind, but the oppressive, sinister cold of a presence that was fundamentally wrong.

It hummed with a quiet malevolence that didn't feel like a power but rather an inherent nature. At a glance, the connection between them looked solid, a taut line of energy holding the creature captive.

But Levi's senses told him a different story. He could feel beyond the simple flow of power, into the very essence of the link. The creature's ethereal body, bound to him through the tether, was trying to support its own immense weight.

It felt as if the creature were desperately trying to lighten its load, to keep from snapping the connection and alerting Levi to its true strength.

Levi's understanding of his supreme authority over his bound pieces was what gave him this insight. He knew what a truly subservient being felt like through a bond— it was a steady, unburdened flow— like that of the leech.

This was different, this was a constant subtle strain, a careful balancing act by a creature that was far from being bound.

The creature was walking a tightrope, playing a game, and Levi was beginning to realize that the one thing he thought he could trust— the tether itself— was a lie.

Realizing the horror he was in, Levi saw his life flash before his eyes.

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