The Heartland's winds carried the scent of rain.
The Sovereign Academy's banners hung heavy under the thick sky.
The new streets buzzed with builders and merchants preparing for the next festival — the day Heartland would send its champions to the Grand Awakener Tournament.
But far above the bustling city,
within the Nexus Sanctum,
a deeper ceremony was about to begin.
A ceremony that would change everything.
The Gathering
Kaelen stood at the heart of the Sanctum —
a place where Sovereign Energy ran like blood through stone veins.
His family flanked him.
The Pathbreaker Commanders — Mira, Eren, Selina, Damon, Lyra — knelt quietly before him.
None of them wore armor today.
Only simple tunics and travel cloaks.
No crowns.
No thrones.
Only Will.
The Offer
Kaelen spoke, voice low but heavy enough to shake the walls.
"Before I rise, you shall rise first."
Mira's brows furrowed slightly.
"Sovereign… you don't need to—"
Kaelen raised a hand, silencing her gently.
"I do."
"Because Sovereignty is not about standing above others."
"It's about lifting them so high that the stars themselves must kneel."
He drew Sovereignblade Astryn and planted it before him — tip biting deep into the stone.
The Sovereign Upgrade Begins
[System Notification]
[Sovereign Upgrade Ritual Initiated.]
[Targets: Chosen Companions and Bloodline Kin.]
[Resources: 80% Sovereign Energy Pool.]
[Warning: Sovereign will be weakened temporarily until full recharge.]
Kaelen smiled faintly.
"Worth it."
He stretched out his hand.
Golden light — thicker, heavier than any spell — exploded outward,
wrapping around each of his companions and family.
Their bodies lifted into the air.
Their auras ignited like newborn suns.
The Transformations
Mira gasped as shadows wrapped around her form — not hiding her, but empowering her. Her S-Rank Huntress talent evolved into EX-Class Shadow Huntmistress. She would become the nightmare that hunted nightmares.
Eren roared as lightning cracked around his fists. His S-Rank Warrior path burst open, forging him into an EX-Class Juggernaut Berserker — a walking, unstoppable tempest.
Selina wept silently as warm golden light wove into her soul. Her S-Rank Healer talents bloomed into a Legendary Spirit Sovereign Healer — able to raise warriors even from the brink of death.
Damon stood like a mountain as chains of earth and iron wove into his blood. His Defender talents sharpened into EX-Class Fortress Warden — an unbreakable shield for the Sovereign Nation.
Lyra laughed — free and wild — as her Windblade heritage erupted into full flight. She became an EX-Class Sovereign Skystepper, able to weave through battlefield storms like a ghost.
The Family Awakening
Kaelen turned to his family.
Riven burned hotter than any forge, flames licking his armor — Flame Sovereign Vanguard.
Lyanna glowed with ancient Spirit Runes — Spirit Sovereign Scholar.
Alen pulsed softly — his talent undefined but immense, something beyond titles yet to be born.
Garron and Talia — his parents — solidified into true Sovereign Ancestor status:
Founders of the Primordial Line, their mere presence strengthening Heartland's Will.
The transformations were not cosmetic.
They were permanent.
Foundations stronger than any crown.
The Swearing of Loyalty
The light faded.
Silence hung heavy.
Then Mira stepped forward.
Kneeling fully, she pressed her fist to the stone floor.
Her voice was hoarse but unbreakable.
"By the Sovereign Will, by the Pathbreaker Creed, by the stars that watched us bleed—"
"I swear to you, Kaelen Drayce."
"Not to your crown."
"Not to your blade."
"To you."
"Always."
One by one, the others followed.
Eren.
Selina.
Damon.
Lyra.
Then Riven, Lyanna, Alen.
Even Garron and Talia — his parents — knelt and placed their hands over their hearts.
Kaelen's Response
Kaelen sheathed Astryn slowly.
He looked at each of them —
friends, family, dreamers, warriors.
Not subjects.
Partners.
"Then rise."
"Not as servants."
"Not as vassals."
"As Sovereigns."
The cracked-crown sigil over Heartland flared once more — brighter than ever before.
A new Age had begun.
And they would not walk it alone.
The Grand Tournament Invitations
That same night, under banners heavy with new power,
a courier from the World Council arrived at Heartland's gates.
In trembling hands, he carried a single scroll:
Invitation to the Grand Awakener Tournament.
Stamped with the Seven Royal Seals.
And one line burned across the top:
"Sovereign Kaelen Drayce and Delegation.
Heartland Nation."
The world had noticed.
And it was too late to stop them.