The warmth in the garden faded as Jin's expression shifted. The stars above seemed to still.
Jin stood, back straight, voice solemn.
> "Rin, from this moment forward, you're no longer just Zaxton's emissary. You're his heir. That means you carry not just his shadow… but his word."
Rin stood up as well, instinctively adjusting his stance. The wind from Mt. Fai now felt colder — sharper, as if sensing the shift.
Jin held out a sealed scroll — an edict bearing the sigil of Hall Arune IX and the mark of the Seven Sovereigns.
> "You'll journey to the easternmost edge of the Third Realm. There lies a city thought lost to plague and skyfire — Verdanthold. They rebuilt themselves from ash, and now they seek audience with us."
> "They want trade. Military ties. Recognition."
Jin paused, looking Rin dead in the eye.
> "We want loyalty."
---
📜 The Mission
Rin accepted the scroll with both hands. Jin's tone was final, but behind it lay trust.
> "You'll act as our diplomat, strategist, and representative of Zaxton himself. Draft their trade pacts, weigh their army's strength, inspect their cultivators, and if they're truly worthy…"
He walked to the railing, staring into the night.
> "…grant them alliance. But if they show signs of internal fracture, deception, or rebellion — end it before it spreads."
Rin gave a single nod.
> "Understood. I will not fail you."
> "I know you won't," Jin said. "That's why I chose you. The other Moons are watching. Let them see why the son of Zaxton walks among them."
---
🏞️ Next Step: Journey to Verdanthold
Rin will now travel to Verdanthold, a city with a painful past but growing reputation. It sits at the edge of the world, surrounded by thunder forests and cliffside markets — cut off for a century but now rich with rare resources, reborn cultivation sects, and a will to rise again.
Arrival at Verdanthold – The City Reborn
Rin's boots touched down at the cliff-gate of Verdanthold as dawn spilled gold across the broken towers and newly etched walls of a once-ruined city. The scent of thunderwood trees and sea air mixed with smoke and incense. Verdanthold stood — scarred but proud — balanced on towering cliffs that fell into cloud-wrapped valleys, ancient aqueducts now glowing with restored spirit energy.
He was greeted by a guard dressed in ceremonial jade, half his armor mismatched.
> "Honored envoy from Mt. Fai," the man said with a respectful bow. "Welcome to the city of thorns and thunder."
The Council of Three awaited him:
Lady Karunai, a stoic war hero who led the city's defense during its darkest hour.
Master Yuro, an eccentric artificer obsessed with lightning and ruins.
Arin Vell, a merchant-turned-mayor who held the fractured factions together with charisma and coin.
Each held a piece of the city's revival… and its tension.
---
📜 II. Negotiation and Division
The initial meetings were ceremonial: banquets, martial displays, speeches. But Rin quickly saw the fractures.
Karunai wanted military alignment with Don Divine Gate to strengthen their borders and train their next generation under Zaxton's legacy.
Yuro only cared for Mt. Fai's forging techniques and astral metals to advance his experiments.
Arin Vell, though grateful, was wary of losing Verdanthold's independence — concerned about taxes, culture, and long-term control.
> "If we bind ourselves too tightly to a giant," Arin warned in a private discussion, "we may be crushed when it shifts."
Rin responded calmly, a wisdom in his young eyes:
> "We do not seek to crush. We build so others may rise with us. But if war comes — and it always does — being alone means being erased."
The talks grew heated. Karunai and Vell nearly came to blows. Rin used his diplomacy and cultivation presence — refined through Stoneveil, Mt. Fai, and the Moons — to demand unity.
He called for a seven-day deliberation, offering mediation, and proposed a system that preserved Verdanthold's autonomy while aligning it under the Celestial Compact of Don Divine Gate.
---
👁️ III. A Hidden Threat – The Ember Sect Plot
But something darker stirred.
On the fifth night, while meditating in the upper spires, Rin sensed something wrong. The spirit veins beneath Verdanthold pulsed with corrupted Qi.
Investigating alone, he uncovered the shattered remains of the Ember Sect, a cult thought wiped out a century ago — practitioners of forbidden body refinement who'd begun feeding on spirit beasts and corrupted artifacts to extend their lives.
They had embedded themselves in the city's underbelly, promising power and protection to fringe groups.
Rin confronted their hidden leader — Huros the Hollow Flame — in a thunder-lit chamber beneath the main square. Their clash burned through the streets in secret, spells hidden behind cloaking seals and muffled formations. In the final moment, Rin summoned the Silent Crescent, a Moon-gifted technique, and severed Huros from his stolen flame.
> "This city rebuilds," Rin said, stepping over the defeated body. "You will not burn it down again."
He exposed the cult to the Council, who were shocked — especially Karunai, who once unknowingly protected one of their members. It cemented Rin's authority. He didn't just speak of loyalty and alliance — he ensured it with action.
---
🛡️ The Accord of Thunder and Stone
The final treaty was signed atop the Verdant Citadel, under moonlight and storm.
Verdanthold would remain self-governed, its council recognized by Mt. Fai.
In exchange, it would train elite guards at Mt. Fai, open trade routes, and provide military support during major celestial conflicts.
A Celestial Gatekeeper Embassy would be built in the city, with Rin as its founder.
Rin's name began to spread. No longer just "Zaxton's pick," but Rin of the Moons, Thunder-Diplomat of the East.
Back at Mt. Fai, Zaxton and Jin both watched the news unfold with silent pride.
Return to Mt. Fai — The Two Heirs Before the Father
The sky was clear, the stars unusually bright the night Rin crossed the bridge of clouds that led to Mt. Fai's peak.
The mountain pulsed with celestial energy — seven sovereign banners snapping in the wind, the halls lit with lanterns of moon-forged flame. Don Divine Gate, built beneath it, glowed like a second constellation. All watched as Envoy Rin, now known across the Third Realm, ascended once again.
He passed familiar elders and young disciples who saluted him not just as a peer, but as a living legend now. The city of Verdanthold had returned with him in song and treaty.
At the Celestial Stair, before the Hall of Arune IX, Jin Sori awaited — clad in deep black and silver armor, carrying the quiet power of ten lifetimes.
> "Little brother," Jin said, smiling.
"Centuries and still can't grow a beard?" Rin smirked.
They embraced like warriors and blood, standing together at the summit of their world.
---
👑 Audience with Zaxton
Within the High Sky Chamber, Zaxton stood waiting — his aura dimmed, controlled, but awe-inspiring even in silence. Behind him coiled his ancient dragon, wings folded, eyes like two galaxies watching the moment.
Zaxton studied Rin for a long time.
> "You have changed," he said.
"So have you, father," Rin answered, bowing deeply.
Jin knelt beside his brother, though older, choosing humility in this moment.
Zaxton extended his hand. Between his fingers floated a crystal shaped like a crescent moon etched with 13 stars.
> "This is the Moonright Emblem," Zaxton said. "The first of its kind."
"With it, I name you not only heir, but Ambassador of the Celestial Dominion — my voice beyond the mountain, within the Twelve Moons and beyond."
The emblem floated into Rin's palm and pulsed once — linking to his spirit vein, forever marking him as Zaxton's chosen Wandering Heir.
Jin then stepped forward and spoke not as brother, but as Stationary Heir and Lord Commander:
> "Together, we balance Mt. Fai. I build its walls. You cast its light beyond the skies."
They turned and bowed together to Zaxton, who, for the first time in memory, removed his mask of command and said:
> "You are my legacy. One is my blade. The other is my voice. Together… you are my will made real."
---
🔮 The Ceremony of Balance
That night, beneath the hovering Starforge Nexus, Mt. Fai held the First Ceremony of Balance, with both heirs elevated:
Jin Sori reaffirmed as Shield of the Divine Gate, master of military might and cultivation refinement within.
Rin elevated to Warden of the Skybound Accord, master of diplomacy, influence, and celestial negotiation beyond.
Elders, disciples, sovereigns, and even observers from the Twelve Moons gathered. They chanted new titles. And in the sky, constellations realigned — the Sign of Dual Dragon Sons appearing for the first time in Third Realm history.