The sky over the camp had cleared, but the tension had not.
After our return from the Grave of Echoes, the soldiers—both from the forgotten continent and the rebellion—had treated us with reverence. They didn't cheer or celebrate. They watched us like people who had seen death come close… and turn away.
I didn't blame them.
Something had changed down there. Not just in me, but in the world. The Grave hadn't just held one of the Chained God's seals—it had held memories, fragments, pieces of history that weren't meant to be touched again. And even though the Harbinger failed to unlock it fully, he'd walked away with more than a wound.
He'd walked away with momentum.
We were no longer ahead of him.
We were racing to keep up.
Gathering the Flames
The war council had nearly doubled in size. Lord Kaelen now sat with General Ivelya—commander of the Forgotten Armada—and leaders from multiple resistance cells across the mainland. What had once been a desperate rebellion was now becoming a true military force. Unified. Focused. But still fragile.
I stood beside Cira as the newest map was unfurled. Three glowing runes marked the known seal locations. One, at the Grave, was crossed out. Two remained.
"He's moving faster than we expected," Kaelen said, rubbing his chin. "We intercepted scouts moving through the Drenfall Canyons two days ago. If he reaches the Temple of Hollow Sky, we lose our chance to hold the second seal."
"And the third?" Kieran asked.
Ivelya's expression hardened. "Still hidden. If the Harbinger knows its location, he's not showing it yet."
That was bad. If we didn't find it before him, he could finish the ritual in secret. And then…
Cira tapped the canyon route. "We send a strike force. Fast, quiet. Hit him before he has time to fortify."
"I'll lead it," I said.
"No," Kaelen replied, gaze sharp. "You're the Crown Bearer. If he wants to draw you out, he'll lay traps. We need you focused on something else."
"Focused on what?" Elara asked.
Kaelen turned to me. "The Crown's true origin. We believe one of the Old Gods' temples may still exist beneath Aetheris."
My breath caught.
"You want me to go into the Undervaults?"
Kaelen nodded. "It's time you knew the truth behind what you're wielding."
Under the City
That night, Cira led me through ancient tunnels that ran beneath the shining city of Aetheris. We passed through forgotten gates, descending into the catacombs, the polished marble turning to obsidian and rusted brass.
"I thought these places were sealed," I said.
"They were. But some doors were never meant to stay closed."
The Undervault was massive—a buried temple hollowed into the crust of the earth itself. Towering statues of forgotten beings loomed overhead, their faces lost to erosion and time. The walls pulsed faintly with Divin energy—ancient, potent, and unmistakably alive.
In the center of it all stood an altar, shaped like a throne—but cracked, as if something had been torn from it violently.
Cira stepped back, letting me approach alone.
As I placed my hand on the throne's surface, the Crown Mark flared. Gold light spilled out across the floor, racing into the walls. The vault responded with a deep hum, and the room shifted.
The throne began to speak.
The Memory of the Crown
It wasn't a voice exactly. More like an echo of one—a recording burned into the walls of reality itself. I heard it not with my ears, but with my soul.
"To the bearer of the Crown… you walk the path of dominion, as we once did. You claim the right to lead, to judge, to shape. But power is not ownership—it is burden."
The room darkened. Images flickered in the air—of cities crumbling, oceans boiling, skies shattered by divine flame.
"We tried to control it. We built the Crown not as a weapon, but as a promise. A failsafe. To bind what could not be killed."
A final image burned into view: a being wrapped in chains made of stars, its face hidden behind a thousand masks.
"The Chained God is not one. He is many. And he was born from us."
The vision ended. The light faded.
And I understood.
The Crown wasn't just power—it was punishment. A throne forged to imprison the divine mistake its creators couldn't destroy.
And now, I wore that prison.
Regroup
When I returned to the surface, the world felt colder. Sharper. My friends were waiting—Elara, Kieran, Cira, and both Dariens.
"You found something," Elara said immediately.
I nodded slowly. "The Crown… was made to hold the Chained God."
Kieran frowned. "So why is it bonded to you?"
"Because the seal is weakening," I said. "And the Crown's choosing someone to finish what its creators started."
"Finish it how?" Darien asked.
I hesitated. "Either to destroy the Chained God once and for all…"
"Or take his place," Cira finished grimly.
The Harbinger Moves
Just after midnight, word came in—disastrous and urgent.
A resistance outpost guarding the western canyons had gone silent. Scouts sent to investigate found only ash.
The Harbinger had arrived.
Kaelen assembled a quick response team—one airship, two squads of elite strike soldiers, and one Crown Bearer.
Me.
"We strike at first light," he said. "And Sylas—this time, you don't hold back."
Reflections in the Quiet
I didn't sleep.
Instead, I stood on the balcony of The Valkyris, looking out over the sleeping camp.
So much had changed.
A thousand soldiers would follow me into war. Two continents now bent their ears toward my command. And the power I once feared… now trusted me more than I trusted myself.
"Thinking again?" Elara's voice broke the silence.
I turned to find her leaning against the doorway.
"You should rest," I said.
"So should you."
She walked over, her presence grounding.
"You're scared," she said softly.
"Of what I'll have to become," I admitted.
She reached up, gently brushing a strand of hair from my face. "Then become something better. Someone the Crown never expected."
Her eyes locked with mine.
"And if you can't… I'll be there to stop you."
I smiled. "Deal."
To War
At dawn, our ship lifted from the ground, cutting through the clouds toward the canyon where the second seal awaited.
We were heading straight into the heart of the storm.
But this time, I didn't feel like I was going alone.
I was bringing the world with me.