The Crimson Core shattered above them, and the pieces of glowing crystal disappeared into the crimson sky. Luna stood motionless, staring at the place where the strange figure had vanished. The arena was no longer an arena. There were no spectators, no royal officials, no tournament banners, and no cheering crowds. Only broken platforms floated in a vast darkness. Kael stood beside her, sword drawn, while the rest of Black Phoenix remained close. "Where did everyone go?" Victor asked. Ryan looked at his system for the fifth time. "I still can't detect them." Luna looked at Elias. "You said you knew what this was." Elias's face remained unusually tense. "I know what it isn't." "That's not an answer." "It isn't part of the system I created." He looked into the darkness. "Whatever appeared here existed before the game." A sudden tremor passed beneath their feet. The floating platforms began moving toward one another, locking together like pieces of a giant puzzle. Luna stepped backward

The mountain split open with a sound that shook the entire continent. A deep roar rolled across Elarion. The Aelari stopped firing. The Dravari warriors lowered their weapons. Even the Nymari emerged from hiding. Everyone stared toward the northern mountains as enormous cracks spread across the stone. Luna felt the ground trembling beneath her boots. "That's not the Veyrian," Elara whispered. Luna looked at her. "What is it?" Elara's face had gone pale. "Something older." Another roar erupted. This time, the sky itself seemed to shake. Kael moved beside Luna. "Whatever is coming, we stay together." Luna nodded. But she could barely hear him. She was looking at the mountains. She had played every released version of the game. She knew the monsters. She knew the bosses. She knew the legendary creatures. Dragons had never existed in the world she knew. Yet she could feel something ancient waking beneath the earth. Ryan suddenly shouted. "My system is back!" Lu

The ancient city of Aurelis had become a battlefield.Above the crystal towers, dragons fought the black-armored hunters that had descended through the broken sky. Their roars shook the cavern while flashes of fire and lightning illuminated the streets below. The Aelari defended the eastern gates, the Dravari held the central avenue, and the Nymari surrounded the city's wounded with protective magic. Luna stood at the heart of the chaos with Kael beside her, watching the enormous black-crowned figure hovering above the city.The figure had called her Aria.Again.Luna's fingers tightened around her blades."Who are you?" she shouted.The figure looked down at her."You already know.""I don't.""You have simply forgotten."Kael stepped forward."Then tell us."The figure's attention shifted toward him.For several seconds, nothing happened.Then the figure laughed."You."Kael frowned."What about me?""You are not supposed to exist."Luna immediately looked at Kael.The figure contin

Kael's final words hung in the air.Luna stared at him, unable to look away."You remember something?"Kael's hand slowly tightened around his sword."Not enough.""What did you see?"He closed his eyes."For a moment, I saw a city."Luna's heart skipped."What city?""I don't know."Before Kael could say anything else, the sky above Elarion changed.The clouds stopped moving.The wind disappeared.Every dragon in the First Brood suddenly raised its head.Then the world trembled.Luna felt the World Weaver class react inside her.A silver thread appeared in front of her.It stretched from the ground into the sky.Then another appeared.Then another.Hundreds of glowing threads formed a giant circle above them.Eldrin walked out of Aurelis and looked upward.His face went pale."No."Luna turned toward him."What is it?"Eldrin didn't answer."Tell me."He swallowed."The city.""What city?""The city that was never supposed to return."The circle in the sky began rotating.A deep soun

Darkness swallowed Luna.For several seconds, she heard nothing.No dragons.No wind.No voices.Only a deep silence that seemed to stretch forever.Then someone grabbed her wrist."Luna!"Kael.She opened her eyes.They were lying on a broken section of crystal ground. Around them, pieces of Astralis floated through the darkness. The mythical city had been destroyed, but fragments of it remained suspended in the air like pieces of a shattered dream.Kael pushed himself upright."Are you hurt?"Luna touched her shoulder."I'm fine."Kael looked at the destruction around them."Where's the city?"Luna slowly stood."Destroyed."Lyra was nearby.She was unconscious.Eldrin and several Aurelians rushed toward her."She's alive," Eldrin said after checking her.Luna looked at the survivors."How many?"Eldrin's expression was grim."Not many."The dragons had survived, though several were injured. The Aelari, Dravari, and Nymari had also lost many warriors.Astralis was gone.But somethin