The night over Elyndor was unnaturally still.
The stars flickered uneasily behind thin veils of black mist.
The earth itself seemed to hold its breath.
Beneath the city, deep within forgotten tunnels, something ancient stirred.
Something that should never have awakened.
At the Pathbreakers' Hideout
Kaelen stood atop the watchtower's broken battlements, Sovereignblade Astryn resting across his back.
He stared across the sleeping city, frowning.
He could feel it.
A pressure.
A pull.
Something older and darker than any dragonfire.
Behind him, the Pathbreakers gathered, armored and ready.
Selina tightened the straps of her battle robes.
Eren leaned on his heavy axe, expression grim.
Mira checked her quiver.
Lyra whispered to the winds, sensing the coming storm.
Kaelen turned to them.
"Prepare yourselves."
"Something worse than dragons is coming."
They didn't question him.
They trusted him — absolutely.
[System Notification]
[Warning: Catastrophic Event Detected!]
[Black Moon Guild Ritual: Fallen Sovereign Fragment Awakening.]
[Mission Objective: Survive. Delay. Destroy if possible.]
Kaelen's eyes sharpened.
They were ready.
They had to be.
Beneath Elyndor — The Black Moon Ritual Site
At the heart of the ruined tunnels, cloaked figures knelt before a black stone.
The relic pulsed faster, leaking crimson mist into the cracks of the world.
Above it floated a shard of ancient crystal — cracked, blackened, and humming with death.
The Guildmaster raised his staff high.
"Rise, Fallen One!"
"Rise and devour the coming Sovereign!"
The crystal split.
And a monstrous shape began to form — all bone and shadows, wearing the shattered remains of a crown.
Above Ground — The Disaster Unleashed
The earth trembled.
Buildings cracked.
Mana storms tore open the night sky.
The Celestial Arena's banners ripped free, tossed by invisible gales.
Panic spread through the city streets like wildfire.
Commoners screamed.
Soldiers stumbled.
Even the noble guards recoiled in terror.
Kaelen Moved
Without hesitation, he summoned the Pathbreakers.
They raced through the broken streets, pushing toward the source of the chaos.
Toward the ancient evil clawing its way back into the world.
[System Notification]
[New Mission: Suppress the Fallen Sovereign Fragment.]
[Optional Rewards: Legendary Artifact Drops. Sovereign Path Progression.]
[Warning: Death Rate Estimated at 92%.]
Kaelen grinned grimly.
"Better odds than usual."
The First Encounter
As they reached the shattered marketplace, the ground exploded upward.
From the crater rose a nightmare — the Fallen Fragment — a towering being of black crystal bones and swirling death-mist.
It wielded a crown of broken stars.
Its hollow eyes locked onto Kaelen instantly.
The monster roared — a soundless cry that made even magic itself tremble.
And it lunged.
Kaelen stepped forward.
Sovereignblade Astryn burned bright silver in his grip.
His cracked-crown sigil blazed like a small sun against the night.
He planted his feet and raised his blade high.
"You're late."
He surged to meet the horror head-on.
The Clash
The Fallen Fragment's clawed hand came down like a meteor.
Kaelen met it with a two-handed slash, the impact sending shockwaves through the ruined square.
Stone shattered.
Magic screamed.
But Kaelen stood firm.
He wasn't fighting for fame.
He wasn't fighting for power.
He was fighting for a future — for his family, for his guild, for the new world he would forge with his own hands.
[System Notification]
[Sovereign Path Progression: 30%.]
[Hidden Title Condition Unlocked: "Breaker of Fallen Crowns."]
Kaelen smiled through gritted teeth.
"Come on, then."
The real war had just begun.