At the very center the High Magistrate Vane stood within a narrow circle painted in gold leaf. His robes rustled slightly, his hands resting casually on the pommel of a massive, black-iron broadsword. Beside him, resting upon a velvet cushion atop a stone pillar, burned the Sunfire Relic Gem—a blinding, football-sized orb of primordial light that radiated waves of pure, heat-haze energy across the arena floor."The rules of the final trial are absolute," Vane’s voice boomed, sharp and cold as shattered glass. "The Sunfire Relic belongs to whoever proves themselves worthy to lead the Golden Knights. Your task is not to defeat me because none of you can; but you have to force me to move a single step out of this golden circle."He looked over the ten remaining qualifiers. Prince Julian, despite his total exhaustion from the maze, stood near the front, his pale face desperate to win. "You may use any spell, any weapon, and any fatal technique," Vane added, a mocking smile touching

Fifty yards away, buried under a mound of shattered masonry and broken granite pillars, High Magistrate Vane lay completely unconscious, his golden armor crumpled like foil.Jayd with his hands casually at his back simply turned and stepped over the shattered stone. He walked calmly to the velvet cushion resting atop the stone pillar, picked up the football-sized Sunfire Relic Gem, and tucked it casually under his arm like an unread book.The lead invigilator, trembling so violently he nearly tore his official parchment, looked from the collapsed Magistrate to Jayd. He was waiting for an order to announce the winner but everyone was in shock. He had no choice."The trial... is complete," the invigilator squeaked, his voice cracking through the magic amplification array."By absolute right of force... Jayd is hereby inducted as a Commander of the Golden Knights!"Jayd didn't bow or wave to the speechless crowds who did nothing but doubt him throughout the challenges. Without a second

Jayd walked over to the shattered stone platform where High Magistrate Vane had performed the blood ritual. Halfway up the stairs leading out of the cavern, a leather map case lay abandoned in the black, corrosive mud dropped by Vane in his panicked retreat.Jayd picked it up and unrolled the thick parchment across a flat slab of granite.It was a detailed map of the entire continent, spanning thousands of leagues beyond the borders of Ironcrest. Marked in red ink across five major kingdoms from the frozen spires of the Northern Marches to the shifting sands of the Sunken Empire were five distinct Abyssal runes."The Forbidden Titan's Seals," Lyra whispered, stepping up beside Jayd and looking over his shoulder, her breath catching in her throat. "The hydra beneath our cathedral was just one... there are five major locks hidden across the continent. Naj isn't just trying to conquer Ironcrest. He's trying to unseal the Titan.""And Vane is gathering the keys," Jayd said, his voice

Aethelgard had always been renowned across the continent as the Cradle of Mana, a high-magic realm where marble spires scraped the clouds.The heart of this magic was the Aegis Altar, an ancient, shimmering barrier anchored directly to the life essence of the kingdom's holy maiden, Elysia. Jullian explained all he knew about Aethelgard as they went. He was well read on the history of the kingdom.So long as Maiden Elysia’s divine soul burned bright within the Grand Cathedral, no Abyssal entity could step foot across the kingdom's borders. Jayd wondered if this was true, if no entity from Abyss could enter then why did Valkyrie send him in. As Jayd, Julian, and Lyra approached the massive iron gates of the capital city, the sky was swallowed by a suffocating, unnatural twilight. The dark energy swirled but only Jayd could feel it and he knew they had to hurry or it would be too late."Halt! State your business!" a captain of the Aethelgardian Guard barked, stepping forward with twen

At the center of the tower's summit, suspended in mid-air within a cage of pulsing dark runes, hung Maiden Elysia. Her white robes were torn, her silver-gold hair matted with cold sweat, and her pale skin was now covered in the exact same spiderwebbing, ink-black vein markings that Jayd had seen months ago in the subterranean dungeons of Blackstone Fortress. Her breath was shallow, her energy bleeding out in steady, golden threads that fed directly into the burning sky-seal above her.Standing beneath her, his posture relaxed and hands casually folded behind his back, was Lord Naj. The silver weeping-demon mask he wore gleamed beneath the glow of the ritual.Beside him, General Malakor lay on his knees, panting heavily, his black iron armor cracked and smoking from his panicked retreat.Jayd stepped onto the stone platform. His boots made no sound against the tiles. His broadsword, completely bare of its cloth wrapping, rested at his side, its steel reflecting the blood-red light