The ruins of Valedorn were long behind him, but Kael still heard them in his dreams.
Now, beneath the shadow of Gravemarrow Ridge, he stood at the entrance of a forgotten dungeon — ancient, sealed for centuries, and pulsing with corrupted magic. The wind here didn't howl. It whispered.
> "This is where you'll find answers," the informant had said.
"Or your end."
Kael didn't care which.
---
Inside the dungeon, torchlight flickered along obsidian walls carved with runes older than the kingdoms themselves. The air was thick with dread — but Kael walked forward without hesitation.
His chest burned where the scar ran. It pulsed like it knew what was waiting below.
Suddenly, the ground trembled.
> Thud. Thud. THUD.
A wall exploded. Three demonic figures stepped into view, each one twisted and armored, bearing the crimson sigil of the Demon King's Vanguard — the same squad that slaughtered Valedorn's capital.
> "You shouldn't have survived the fall, prince," hissed one.
"We'll correct that mistake."
---
Kael's fingers curled. Gravity shimmered around him — warping air, cracking stone.
> "I don't need to survive," he muttered.
"I just need to take you with me."
The battle began.
One demon lunged — and was immediately slammed into the ceiling by an unseen force. The second weaved black flame, but Kael twisted space around it, sending it careening into a wall. The third struck him across the chest, reigniting the scar.
Kael roared — and unleashed a burst of gravitational collapse so intense, the entire chamber folded inward for a split second.
When it cleared, the three demons lay in broken piles of armor and ash.
---
Kael dropped to one knee, breathing heavily. The power inside him was growing — wild, unpredictable. But in that surge, he had seen something. A vision. A woman's face.
> "Lyra…"
Her voice, faint. Her smile — flickering like memory.
Then… gone.
> "She's trying to reach me," he whispered.
---
Suddenly, footsteps echoed behind him.
> "Damn. You don't even leave scraps, do you?"
Kael spun, hand raised. A young man leaned casually against the dungeon wall, flipping a silver coin between his fingers.
Short white hair. A lazy smirk. A cloak lined with binding seals.
Rael Stryne.
A fold-magic user from Myrrha's Rest — and someone Kael had no reason to trust.
> "Who are you?" Kael asked coldly.
"Your new problem," Rael grinned. "Also your ticket to the next competition."
---
Kael narrowed his eyes.
> "I don't need a partner."
"Tough," Rael replied. "You want the Graviton Keystone in Calvyrin? It's locked behind a duo-class tournament. No team, no entry."
Kael clenched his jaw. His scar throbbed.
> "This isn't a game."
Rael stepped forward, eyes serious for once.
> "No. It's your last chance to awaken your full power."
"And maybe — just maybe — find the pieces of her