The night winds over Emberfall were sharp, carrying the scent of ash and iron as if the world itself knew something dangerous had awakened. Ethan stood on a broken ledge overlooking the valley, the Star-Core Shard pulsing faintly beneath his skin. The light wasn’t bright, but it was aware—as if reacting to something approaching.Behind him, Mira tightened her cloak.“You feel it too,” she whispered.Ethan didn’t answer immediately. His eyes were fixed on the sky, where faint streaks of crimson mist curled like serpents.“That’s Sovereign-energy,” he finally said. “But… it’s not attacking. It’s signaling.”Mira’s brows furrowed. “A warning?”“No,” Ethan replied. “A message.”As if on cue, the mist solidified into a floating sigil—an ancient mark Ethan recognized instantly. It was the same sigil carved into the ruins he found on the day his family was taken. The mark of the Sovereign of Nine Veins.Kai stepped closer, gripping his weapon.“Tell me we’re not reading this thing.”“We don’

The passage swallowed Ethan whole.Darkness pressed against him like a living thing, twisting and curling around his steps. The blue glow of the Star-Core illuminated only a few meters ahead—just enough to see the jagged stone walls and the swirling shadows moving like slow smoke.Each breath he took felt heavier than the last.The Sovereign’s presence was everywhere… ancient, cold, and powerful.As Ethan walked deeper, faint images flickered in the surrounding fog—shadows of moments he didn’t recognize.A boy crying.A burning house.A figure standing over a battlefield.None of these memories were his.Yet the mountain showed them to him anyway.He clenched his jaw and kept walking.Minutes—or maybe hours—passed before he reached a circular chamber carved directly into the mountain’s heart. The walls were covered with glowing symbols in a language far older than anything he’d ever seen.At the center stood a stone pedestal, cracked and worn by time.But what caught his attention… wa

Ethan staggered to his feet, the glow of the Crown Fragment still pulsing on his arm like fresh fire.The mountain chamber was quiet again.Too quiet.Kai stared at him with wide eyes. Lira’s blades were half-drawn, her breathing sharp and uneven. Even Master Rowan—who rarely showed fear—looked like someone had just handed him a prophecy he didn’t want to read.The stone floor beneath Ethan’s boots vibrated softly, reacting to the Fragment bound to him.Rowan finally broke the silence.“Ethan… what did you see?”Ethan swallowed slowly.“Everything I needed to see.”He didn’t mention Rick—not yet. He couldn’t. Not until he understood what Rick’s final words meant.Kai stepped closer. “Bro, are you okay? You were frozen for like… minutes. The runes lit up so bright I thought your soul was about to explode.”Lira shot Kai a glare.“Be quiet. He’s clearly not okay.”Ethan lifted his head.“I’m fine,” he lied.Rowan’s eyes narrowed—he could tell Ethan was holding something back, but he did

The moment Arin stepped into the ancient cavern beneath the Fallen Ridge, a strange heat brushed against his skin—not painful, but heavy, almost like a presence breathing against him. The walls glowed faintly with ember-like inscriptions, shifting and dimming as if alive.Rick and Zaya followed behind him cautiously. Even they, with all their strength, felt the oppressive energy seeping from the stone.“This place…” Rick whispered. “It wasn’t formed by nature.”Arin nodded. He could feel it too—an overwhelming residue of destruction, as if someone had once tried to erase this entire cavern from existence.At the center lay a circular platform, cracked from age. As Arin stepped closer, the ground trembled, and glowing symbols lit up beneath the dust.Zaya called out, “Wait—something is activating!”A ring of runes lit up in a fiery spiral, and a deep pulse echoed through the chamber. Before they could retreat, the platform erupted with golden flames. The flames twisted upward, merging,

The cavern’s echoes gradually faded, leaving only the soft hum of residual energy swirling around Arin. The air was still hot from the Ember-Void explosion, yet a cold undercurrent lingered beneath it—his new dual aura refusing to settle.Rick approached carefully, as if stepping too close might ignite something.“Arin… you good?” he asked.Arin nodded slowly. “I think so. The power isn’t overwhelming me anymore. But it’s… alive.”Zaya stepped forward next. “Alive?”Arin placed a hand on his chest. “It reacts to emotions. To danger. To instincts. It’s not just energy—it’s a will.”Rick groaned. “Fantastic. So now you’re sharing a body with magic that has its own opinions.”Arin didn’t deny it.Instead, he looked at the collapsed section of the cavern where he had erased the stone. The swirling rift faded gradually, leaving behind smooth, untouched emptiness.A void scar.Zaya followed his gaze. “If the Dominion reports what happened here, they’ll double their forces.”“They will,” Ari