The World Tree of Eronas was no ordinary tree. Its roots spanned mountains. Its trunk kissed the clouds. And deep beneath its bark—hidden from gods and men—was a sleeping force crafted in the darkest days of war.
Alanus Vel'Kaer stood before it now, head tilted upward. The bark shimmered with old magic, laced with runes he once carved with hands no longer his.
Seris stood beside him, silent. "Are you sure the Second Seal is here?"
Alan nodded. "Not just the Seal. A memory."
He stepped forward and placed his palm against the bark.
The tree pulsed.
A low hum vibrated through the forest. Birds scattered. The ground trembled. And then, like breath in winter, the air twisted.
From the roots of the tree, a path of light unraveled, spiraling downward into the earth.
Without hesitation, Alan descended.
*****
The tunnel led them to a massive underground cavern glowing in bioluminescent gold. In the center stood a throne of metal and bone, and on it sat something that made Seris flinch—
A war-golem, easily twenty feet tall. Its body was humanoid, forged from blackened steel and dragonbone, its core a glowing heart of blue crystal. Runes carved in a language older than time spiraled down its limbs.
Alan stepped closer.
The golem's eyes flickered on.
"—VEL'KAER—" it spoke in a deep mechanical voice. "—MASTER UNIT IDENTIFIED. AWAITING PROTOCOL—"
Seris gasped. "It knows you?"
Alan said nothing. His eyes were fixed on the golem's chest — where a sigil began to glow. The Second Seal.
"System," Alan commanded. "Access memory logs. Cycle through last known commands."
The golem clicked, gears shifting. "—LAST COMMAND RECEIVED—'EXTERMINATE THE CITY OF STONEHELM. NO SURVIVORS.'—"
Seris's breath caught. "Stonehelm was destroyed during the Forgotten War… the one blamed on the Seven Kings."
Alan lowered his gaze. "It wasn't the kings. It was me."
He looked up at the golem.
"I ordered the massacre."
*****
Silence.
Even the tree above seemed to still.
Seris stared at him, unsure whether to draw her blade or simply run.
"You… you were the one who burned them all?" she whispered.
Alan nodded. "Not as I am now. But as I was."
He placed his hand on the golem's chest. The Seal pulsed.
FLASH.
A vision surged through him — flames, screams, the laughter of a younger, crueler version of himself riding the golem through a city as it crumbled beneath dragonfire.
Then, just as suddenly, it ended.
The Second Seal etched itself into his chest—a dragon swallowing its own flame.
The golem stepped back and knelt before him.
"—ORDERS, MASTER VEL'KAER?—"
Alan's eyes narrowed. "We march east. The Crimson Echo will not summon my past without a fight."
He turned to Seris.
"You still with me?"
She hesitated. Then nodded.
"I came to watch history. I guess I'll watch you change it."