Chapter 104: The Forgotten One Awakens
The ruins of Krevos trembled as an unnatural force pulsed through the battlefield.
The Vanguard froze.
Something was wrong.
Kael felt it first.
A sensation deep in his bones—a presence older than time itself.
And then—
A single, shattering sound tore through the air.
The seal was breaking.
Leonel's Warning – The Prison Crumbles
Leonel stumbled back, eyes wide as the ancient glyphs along the stone gate fractured and collapsed.
The symbols twisted, shifting from their original structure into something… unnatural.
Something alive.
His arcane senses screamed in warning.
"This wasn't just a prison. It was never meant to be opened."
Then—the final glyph shattered.
A pulse of pure, undiluted mana exploded outward, sending Leonel flying back.
He landed hard, coughing as dust and debris rained down.
And from the darkness of the ruined temple…
Something stepped forward.
The First Words of an Ancient Power
The figure moved slowly, its body wreathed in deep, abyssal shadows, as if the very air around it rejected light.
It was tall—inhumanly so.
Its golden eyes gleamed, filled with something beyond comprehension.
It did not look like a mana beast.
Nor did it look like a mortal.
It looked like something that should not exist.
And when it finally spoke—its voice was like a whisper against reality itself.
"At last… the chains are broken."
Leonel pushed himself up, mana surging around him, but his hands shook.
He had faced warlords. Assassins. Mutants.
But this?
This was something different.
This was something ancient.
The figure turned its head slightly, as if testing its own movements, then looked directly at Leonel.
"Tell me, child of the new world… what century is it?"
Leonel's breath hitched.
It didn't know?
How long had it been sealed away?
He took a slow step back, eyes narrowing. "Who… what are you?"
The being tilted its head, considering the question.
Then it smiled.
"I am the first of the Forsaken."
Kael & Lucian – The Battlefield Stills
Kael felt the pulse of mana.
The moment the seal shattered, his gravity domain wavered, as if something fundamental had shifted in the world.
Lucian felt it too.
Their battle against the Ruin Guardian had ended, but neither of them moved.
Instead, they turned toward the ruins.
Toward the ancient presence now waking.
Lucian's golden eyes hardened. "That wasn't just an old seal breaking."
Kael nodded, jaw clenched. "No. That was something escaping."
He activated his communication sigil.
"Leonel—what's happening?"
Static.
Then—Leonel's voice, urgent and shaken.
"We have a problem."
Kael and Lucian exchanged a glance.
Then they moved.
The Vanguard Regroups – A War on Two Fronts
Selene and Rael emerged from the shadows, both looking grim.
Darius and Evelyne arrived next, still bloodied from their fight but standing strong.
Cassian and Mira followed, bruised but alive.
Kael met their eyes.
"Change of plans," he said. "We regroup with Leonel. Now."
Cassian frowned. "Not to be that guy, but what's more important than dealing with Xelthar's forces?"
Kael's expression darkened.
"We just woke something up. And I don't think it cares about Xelthar."
Silence.
Then—
"Then we move."
Far beyond the battlefield, a single figure stood atop a crumbling tower.
Draped in dark robes, their face hidden beneath an intricate golden mask, they watched.
The being in the ruins… was not part of their plan.
This was not something Xelthar had created.
This was something older.
Something forgotten.
The masked figure exhaled.
"Interesting."
They turned, their cloak shifting in the wind, and vanished into the shadows.
The game had changed.
And now, even Xelthar was uncertain who the real enemy was.