Night settled heavily over the Sky Temple.The moon hung low, half-veiled by drifting clouds, casting pale light over the stone spires and floating bridges. The temple should have felt calm at this hour—but it didn’t. Something beneath it stirred, like a heartbeat out of rhythm.Sadi stood alone on the western balcony.The Sword of Surtr rested against the stone railing beside him. Its blade no longer burned bright. Instead, faint embers pulsed along its edge, slow and deliberate—like breathing.Sadi placed his palm on the hilt.The warmth crept into his skin at once.You feel it too, the voice murmured.Sadi stiffened.He didn’t turn. He didn’t speak aloud. His jaw tightened as he stared into the darkness below the temple.“Yes,” he answered in his mind. “The cracks.”The sword hummed softly.The seals weaken. The world remembers what it tried to bury.Since the ceremony, strange incidents had spread across the realms. Corrupted beasts attacked border villages. Sacred rivers turned b

The Sky Temple lay bathed in the pale light of dawn, its white towers glinting faintly against the soft blue of the morning sky. Birds chirped faintly in the distance, yet the courtyard felt eerily silent. Sadi’s footsteps echoed against the stone as he walked toward the central plaza. Each step felt heavier than the last. He could feel the subtle tremor in the air—the kind that only came when something monumental shifted in the unseen currents of magic.The Sword of Surtr hung at his side, its flames dim in the morning light but pulsing faintly as if sensing the tension. He stopped at the edge of the courtyard, eyes narrowing at the horizon. Thin plumes of smoke twisted upward in the distance, barely visible at first, yet unmistakable. Smoke rising from nowhere was never a good sign.Mason appeared silently beside him, moving like a shadow over the stone floors. His face was unusually pale. “It’s worse than last night,” he said, his voice low, carrying an undertone of fear. “We inter

The hidden passage was narrow and suffocating, lined with jagged stone walls that glowed faintly with traces of ancient magic. Each step Sadi took sent a low hum echoing through the corridor, as if the temple itself was aware of their movement. Surtr’s flames lit the way, dancing across the carvings etched into the walls, revealing symbols older than even the oldest records of the sages.Mason’s eyes swept the surroundings, alert to the faint vibrations in the stone. “These markings… they’re different from anything I’ve seen before,” he murmured. “Even the wards in the Sky Temple don’t resonate like this.”Nikita’s fingers brushed along the wall, and she flinched as the stone pulsed under her touch. “It’s like the magic here is alive,” she whispered. “And it’s reacting to us—especially you, Sadi.”Sadi frowned, his eyes tracing the twisting symbols. “The shadow figure said these runes hold knowledge,” he said. “Not just magic… knowledge. Maybe the first step to understanding Damon’s c

The valley lay tense and trembling after the first clash. Sadi, Surtr glowing, Mason, and Nikita stood among the scattered shadows of dissipating corrupted beasts. Smoke rose from the blackened river, and the faint stench of corruption lingered in the air.Sadi scanned the area carefully. The sword whispered softly, “The source is closer. The first seal—broken. Find it.”He turned to Mason. “We can’t waste time. The corrupted seal is what’s feeding these creatures. We must find it and cleanse it before more appear.”Mason nodded, glancing at the valley’s edges. “If Damon’s touch is this strong here, the seal might already be influencing other areas. We should be prepared for resistance.”Nikita adjusted her staff, the glow of her energy reflecting in her eyes. “I can sense the runes ahead. They’re faint, but the corruption is strong. We’ll know it when we find it.”The trio moved carefully along the river, noting the patches where the corruption burned brightest. Shadows stirred, movi

The journey toward the next seal was far from easy. The valley they had just cleared lay behind them, scorched earth and lingering shadows a reminder of Kaelith’s dark magic. Sadi walked in silence, Surtr strapped across his back, its flames dimmed but still warm to the touch. Each step forward carried the weight of the realms on his shoulders.Mason rode slightly ahead, scanning the terrain with hawk-like precision. “This mountain range is ancient,” he said, voice low. “The seals here weren’t just placed for defense. They’re wards—meant to contain something far older than Damon. Whatever corrupted this seal… it’s tied to the very essence of the mountain.”Nikita kept her fingers near her magic stones, sensing the subtle currents of energy that twisted the wind. “I can feel it,” she murmured. “The corruption is spreading faster than we expected. The first seal was only a warning. The second one is alive with it. If we linger too long…” Her voice trailed off, but Sadi understood the th