The Heartland Citadel was silent.
The ruins, once dead and forgotten, now pulsed faintly with power.
Deep below the broken stones, the Nexus Core stirred —
awakened by Kaelen's victory over the Guardian.
The first heartbeat of a new Sovereign Nation echoed through the Weeping Expanse.
Kaelen stood at the center of the courtyard, Sovereignblade Astryn planted into the cracked ground before him.
The Pathbreakers gathered around, battered but unbroken, eyes shining with fierce hope.
Above them, the wounded sky stretched endless and waiting.
[System Notification]
[Heartland Nexus Core Stabilization: 100%.]
[Sovereign Stronghold Foundation Activated.]
[Sovereign Authority Award Granted.]
Kaelen inhaled slowly.
A Sovereign Authority?
This was something different.
Something greater.
The ground beneath him glowed faintly, ancient runes spinning into the air.
And then the system spoke again.
[System Notification]
[Choose Your First Sovereign Authority.]
[Options:
Pillar of Strength (Personal Combat Enhancement)
Shield of the People (Fortress Defense Bonus)
Multiplication of Sovereign Wealth (Resource Multiplication Ability)]
Kaelen didn't hesitate.
He chose the third.
Because he remembered—
His mother sewing broken clothes.
His father selling heirlooms to buy bread.
His siblings dreaming of futures beyond reach.
Never again.
[System Notification]
[Multiplication of Sovereign Wealth Selected.]
[Trait: Sovereign Multiplication Acquired.]
[Effect: Multiply any basic resource (gold, potions, materials) by x100 minimum.]
[Growth: Multiplication Rate Unlimited — grows with Sovereign Path Progression.]
[Limitations: High Sovereign Energy Cost. Cooldown: 1 day.]
Kaelen staggered slightly as the power flooded him.
It wasn't just strength.
It was abundance.
It was freedom.
He could build.
He could protect.
He could uplift everyone around him.
Reflection
As the runes faded, Kaelen closed his eyes.
He imagined it:
Vaults filled with multiplied gold.
Armories overflowing with weapons.
Cities built not by nobles' taxes, but by Sovereign will.
His family — strong, unafraid, honored.
The cracked-crown sigil on his chest pulsed in rhythm with the Nexus beneath the earth.
"Not just for me," Kaelen whispered.
"For all of them."
"For everyone they ever called worthless."
The Sovereign Nation had begun — not with war,
but with a single, unbreakable dream.
Meanwhile — In the Royal Capital
The Royal Council seethed with rage.
Scouts reported the impossible:
"The Uncrowned Sovereign…
is building a Fortress."
The High Chancellor slammed a golden goblet to the floor.
"Send them all.
Hunters.
Guild assassins.
Dragonblood mercenaries."
"Crush the Pathbreaker Fortress before it rises!"
Across the great kingdoms,
armies were already moving.
But it was too late.
The first stone had been laid.
The Sovereign flame had been lit.
And not even the heavens could snuff it out now.
Back at the Heartland Citadel
Kaelen opened his eyes.
His gaze swept across the battered courtyard.
The ruins would rise again.
The broken walls would stand taller than any king's pride.
And those who followed him —
his companions, his family —
would rise higher than any bloodline dared dream.
He turned to the Pathbreakers.
"This is our land."
"This is our future."
"Let the world come."
He raised Sovereignblade Astryn high.
The Pathbreakers roared in answer.
And under the torn skies,
the first Sovereign Nation in a thousand years
took its first true breath.