The towering figure stood motionless on the narrow stone path ahead, silver armor gleaming beneath the pale moonlight. Its eyes—cold spheres of glowing blue—locked directly onto Collins Lutherchris as though it had been waiting there for centuries.Seraphine grabbed Collins by the wrist, yanking him to a stop so abruptly that dust scattered around their feet.“No…” she whispered. “Not that one. Not here.”Collins struggled to catch his breath.“What is it?”“A Silver-Class Dominion Sentinel,” Seraphine said.“Not like the Wraith Sentinels from the keep. This one is… a hunter unit.”As if responding to her words, the Sentinel raised its hand with unnatural precision. A ripple of blue mist spiraled around its palm, forming a crescent-shaped blade of energy.Then it spoke.Its voice was neither mechanical nor human—but a layered echo, like several voices speaking in perfect unison.“DESCENDANT OF THE LUTHERCHRIS LINE.”The sound vibrated through the air like a thunderbolt.Collins felt

The moment Collins Lutherchris’s flames collided with the Astral Devourer, the entire citadel shook as if struck by a meteor. Waves of golden fire clashed against the creature’s swirling violet mass, each impact sending shockwaves that shattered stone pillars and ripped ancient banners from the walls.The Devourer recoiled, screeching—a sound that cracked windows throughout the Dominion.Malchior shielded his face from the blinding flash.“Impossible… your flame should not resist it!”Collins stepped forward through the storm of swirling void-energy. His veins glowed brighter than ever, the Hidden Flame coursing through him with a heat that didn’t burn—only strengthened.“It doesn’t matter what it ‘should’ do,” Collins said tightly. “I’m not here to obey your rules.”The Devourer lunged.Its massive, shadowy maw opened, revealing a core of swirling stars—an endless void hungering for essence.Collins raised both arms, crossing them as a fiery barrier erupted around him. The beast stru

A blinding wave of golden and white light tore through the entire fortress, sweeping across the devastated halls like a sunrise erupting from within a storm. Selene staggered, raising an arm to shield her eyes as the ground beneath her trembled violently. The runic seals she had cast to contain the explosion crackled and shattered, unable to hold the raw force Collins had unleashed inside the Crucible.The world fell silent.The dark lightning sphere vanished.The swirling vortex of collapse evaporated.Only a shimmering mist of residual energy hung in the air, sparkling faintly like drifting stardust.Selene’s heart hammered in her chest.“Collins?” she whispered.No answer.She took a step forward.“Collins Lutherchris!”Still nothing.A faint crack echoed through the ruins. She spun toward the sound, her pulse jumping—only to see the damaged walls settling into place.“Don’t do this to me…” she murmured.Then—A flicker of gold.Selene froze.From the lingering mist, a silhouette e

The morning sun rose over the Dominion with an ominous haze. The skies, once clear, now shimmered with faint distortions—as if something far beyond mortal sight was bending the world from behind a thin veil.Collins Lutherchris stood at the edge of the ruined citadel, staring into the distance. The Hidden Flame simmered quietly inside him, but every now and then, a pulse—subtle yet powerful—ran through his veins.Selene tightened her cloak as she approached him.“The map Malchior stole… I found its remains in the rubble. Most of it is destroyed, but the path toward the Gate of Origins is still marked.”She handed him a torn parchment, its corners burnt, its ink glowing with faint blue runes.Collins inspected it.A single line curved across the Dominion’s central region, ending at a mountain range shaped like jagged fangs.“The Serrated Peaks,” Collins murmured.“My parents talked about those mountains once… before they disappeared.”Selene raised a brow.“You think they knew somethin

The midnight air outside the Moonrise Fortress was crisp, humming faintly with arcane residue from the Council’s protective barrier. Collins Lutherchris stepped into it, tightening the strap of the travel cloak Velron had handed him earlier.The glowing map—now condensed into a small flame-infused crystal—floated above his palm. Seven points of light shimmered softly.But one glowed brighter than the rest.The First Vanguard Candidate.Location: The Ruined Sanctum of Emberfall Ridge.Collins closed his hand around the crystal.“Emberfall Ridge… that place is practically dead.”A voice answered from behind him.“Which makes it perfect for hiding.”Collins turned sharply, flames instinctively rising in his palm—only to extinguish when he saw who approached.Aren Falk, the silent scout of the Hidden Flame Order.His soft black boots didn’t make a sound on stone. His cloak blended into the night.Collins frowned.“I didn’t expect Velron to send someone.”“He didn’t,” Aren replied calmly.