The silence that followed felt heavier than any battle. Julius stood motionless amid the ruins of the kingdom, his eyes fixed on the enormous black gate hanging above the world. The heartbeat echoing from beyond it continued to shake reality itself, each pulse stronger than the last.The ground trembled cracks spread through the mountains in the distance.The sky darkened further. Around him, nobody spoke. The surviving soldiers remained frozen, the Titans stood alert, the Champions wore expressions Julius had never seen before.Not the fear of death, not the fear of losing but the fear of realizing something you believed for centuries might be completely wrong.The First Sovereign’s memory still lingered in Julius’ mind."Seal it before it wakes."Those words repeated endlessly inside his head. The memory had been clear. The Sovereign hadn’t been trying to seal the Fifth, he had been trying to protect it or perhaps he had been trying to protect everyone else from whatever existed bey

The moment Julius met the gaze beyond the gate, something inside him shattered. It wasn't his body. It wasn't his mind. It was the mark.A searing pain exploded across his forehead as the golden symbol burned brighter than it ever had before. He stumbled backward, clutching his head while visions poured into his consciousness like a river breaking through a dam. He saw stars dying. He saw entire civilizations turning to ash. He saw Titans kneeling before an endless darkness. Then he saw himself, not the Julius who stood on the battlefield. A different Julius who was older, bloodied, standing before the same gate. The vision disappeared before he could understand it. He gasped for air, his knees crashing into the fractured ground."Julius!"Marcus rushed toward him, but before he could reach him, the old woman extended her staff."Don't!"Marcus froze."What?""If you touch him now, the mark may drag you into the memory."Julius barely heard them. His heartbeat thundered in his ears a

The first rays of dawn stretched across the broken capital, bathing the ruined city in a warm golden light that seemed almost out of place. From a distance, the kingdom looked peaceful again. Smoke no longer filled the sky, and the screams that had haunted the streets for days had finally faded.But anyone who walked those streets knew better. Walls that had stood for centuries now leaned dangerously against one another. Entire districts had vanished beneath piles of rubble. Shops remained shuttered, and families searched through collapsed homes, hoping to recover even a single treasured possession.The battle was over but its scars were not.Julius stood near the academy gate, now nothing more than two cracked stone pillars connected by a broken iron arch. A travel pack rested against his shoulder, and a plain sword hung from his waist. It wasn't a legendary weapon or a priceless artifact, just a well-balanced blade borrowed from the academy's remaining armory.He preferred it that w

The cheerful sounds of Ashwood Village had vanished completely. Only moments earlier, children had been laughing around the village fountain while merchants haggled over the price of grain and livestock but now every door was slammed shut, every window barred, and every street stood eerily empty except for the people trapped in the middle of the unfolding confrontation.Julius slowly turned in a circle as the rooftops surrounding the village square were occupied.Black-cloaked figures stood silently on clay-tiled roofs, church bell towers, merchant houses, and even atop the village walls. None of them spoke or moved but they simply watched.There were over twenty of them, or even more.Julius narrowed his eyes as he caught the brief shimmer of movement in a narrow alley to his left.Then another behind the blacksmith's workshop, they weren't twenty or were closer to forty.Marcus quietly stepped beside him, "I've got a bad feeling."Julius let out a dry laugh, "I think we're way past

Rain continued to pour over Ashwood Village and the battlefield was littered with broken stone, shattered carts, and the bodies of fallen assassins. Thunder rumbled overhead, echoing through the valley as if the heavens themselves were watching the confrontation unfold.No one moved, not even the assassins as all their attention remained fixed on one man, Raven.The smile that had never left his face since the battle began was gone, replaced by an expression so cold that it made the surrounding air feel heavier.Julius tightened his fists and the Fifth Sovereign's mark burned faintly beneath his skin.Marcus stood at his left, both swords raised, Aurelia twirled her crimson spear once before lowering its tip toward Raven while Lyra calmly rested her rifle against her shoulder, her sapphire eyes never blinking.“Three Heirs, One Sovereign” was the identity they were given.Against the Eclipse Order,the village held its breath.Raven slowly drew the black sword from his waist. Unlike or