The wind howled through the jagged peaks surrounding the Galthar valley, carrying with it frost and the echoes of crumbling stone. This was where Lucian's journey had abruptly ended, and it was here, under the banner of a royal expedition, that he returned to seal his fate.
The exploration unit trudged through the deep snow. Behind Lucian, a score of elite Academy guards and a handful of mage-researchers kept pace, their faces masked by thick woolen scarves. Malphas had not come in person, but he had sent his right hand, Captain Vane, a man with reptilian eyes who had never left Lucian's side since departing the capital.
Aria, Shizuka, and Selene walked beside Lucian, forming a silent protective square. They did not speak, but their vigilance was palpable. For them, this place carried its own weight: it was the birthplace of their bond, the sanctuary where the Primordial had been unleashed, and where the Angel had been prophesied.
— We're approaching the collapse zone, Vane announced in a grating voice. This is where the first Blackwood team disappeared. Knight Kurogane, as leader, you should recognize the site.
Lucian stopped at the edge of a yawning crevasse. The ground was still blackened by residues of unstable mana. At the bottom, the cyclopean structures of the ruins emerged from the earth like the bones of a forgotten titan.
— I mostly see a tomb, Lucian replied coldly. The Blackwoods sought what they could not control.
The ascent to the heart of the underground complex was a descent into darkness. The guards' magical torches cast dancing shadows on walls engraved with bas-reliefs depicting celestial battles and blood rituals. The deeper they went, the heavier the air became, saturated with an ancient energy that made Lucian's senses tingle.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[ZONE DETECTED: SANCTUARY OF MEMORIES]
[WARNING: YOUR BLOOD STATS REACT TO THE ENVIRONMENT]
[TEMPORARY REPLACEMENT OF "HIDING" WITH "PRIMORDIAL RESONANCE"]
Suddenly, a scream echoed from the rear of the column. A guard had vanished into a recess in the wall, swallowed by something invisible.
— Form up! Vane roared, drawing his sword.
Shadows detached themselves from the walls. These were not beasts, but Ether Sentinels—magical automatons devoid of physical form, born from the leftover mana of Galthar's ancient mages. They struck with blinding speed, bypassing armor to strike directly at the soldiers' life energy.
— Shizuka, Selene, protect the researchers! Aria, with me! Lucian commanded.
Lucian could no longer rely on gravity magic alone. The Sentinels were immune to physical force. He had to draw from his essence. He invoked his [Chains of Blood], this time infused with Aria's pure shadow. The chains became whips of darkness capable of cutting the immaterial.
Aria transformed into a whirlwind of red claws, laughing as she shredded the Sentinels. For her, it was a feast of pure energy.
— That's it! she whispered into Lucian's ear between attacks. Let the darkness flow, my Monarch!
Selene spread her wings, forming a dome of light that repelled the shadows. Shizuka, using her speed amplified by the bond, finished off the weakened Sentinels. In minutes, the threat was eliminated, though the unit had already lost four men.
Vane approached Lucian, his sword still steaming.
— Your methods are… unconventional for a light mage, Kurogane. These chains… they resemble forbidden magic.
— What is forbidden is often what works, Lucian replied as he continued forward. If you prefer to die with "approved" methods, that is your choice.
Finally, they arrived before a monumental obsidian door, sealed by seven different mana seals. It was the entrance to the final chamber, one Alaric had never managed to open.
— The central seal, Selene murmured, placing her hand on the stone. It does not respond to mana. It responds to bloodline.
Lucian stepped forward. The moment of truth had arrived. Before Vane and the survivors, he had to prove his identity without revealing his pariah past. He cut his palm and pressed his bloodied hand against the obsidian.
The blood did not flow. It was absorbed by the door. The seven seals began to glow with a purplish light, and a millennia-old mechanism stirred with a thunderous roar. The doors opened slowly, revealing a room shrouded in silvery mist.
At the center, atop a crystal pedestal, floated a crown of black steel thorns: the Monarch's Legacy.
— This… Vane whispered, greed replacing suspicion. The artifact the Church has sought for centuries. The power to command life and death.
Vane signaled his men to surround Lucian.
— Knight Kurogane, your mission ends here. Malphas was very clear. The artifact must be surrendered to the Inquisition. And since you opened the door… you are no longer of any use.
— I wondered how long you'd last before betraying me, Lucian said without turning.
— Betray? No, this is legal execution for suspected heresy. Kill them all. Except the girls—they'll make excellent specimens for the lab.
But Vane had not accounted for one thing. In this room, Lucian was no longer a student. He was home.
[ACTIVATION: MONARCH DOMAIN]
[ALL HOSTILE INDIVIDUALS WITHIN 50 METERS SUFFER -80% MAGIC DEFENSE]
— Aria, Shizuka, Selene… clear the area, Lucian commanded calmly. I will deal with the captain.
The slaughter that followed was surgical. The Inquisition guards, once elite, were pinned to the ground by invisible pressure, unable to raise their weapons. Shizuka moved among them like a wind of death, her blade leaving only red streaks across throats. Aria toyed with her victims, draining their blood before letting them collapse.
Vane attempted to summon a shield of light, but Selene shattered it with a single gaze.
— The light you serve is an insult to mine, she said coldly.
Lucian approached Vane, who now trembled like a leaf.
— You wanted my secret, Vane? Here it is. I am not a Kurogane. I am Lucian Kaito Blackwood, the son you left for dead in this pit.
Vane did not have time to scream. Lucian seized his face and used [Soul Consumption]. In an instant, the captain's body withered, his memories and strength absorbed into Lucian.
[LEVEL UP! LEVEL 30]
[NEW SKILL: ABSOLUTE COMMAND]
Once calm returned, Lucian approached the pedestal. He reached out and grasped the crown of thorns. Upon touching his skin, the artifact fused with him, disappearing beneath his flesh to integrate with his soul.
A vision struck him. He saw his mother—not as a servant, but as a guardian of these ruins, a descendant of a line of fallen kings who had ruled long before the Church of Light appeared. She had not "given herself" to Alaric; she had attempted to protect the Blackwood secret by infiltrating their household.
— Lucian… his mother's voice whispered in his mind. Blood is a burden, but the crown is a weapon. Do not reign for glory; reign for truth.
Lucian opened his eyes. His companions knelt before him.
— We are done here, he said. Vane and his team were "victims" of an ancient trap within the ruins. I am the sole survivor with my faithful guardians. We will bring back "crucial" information, but no artifact has been recovered.
He looked toward the exit, toward the outside world waiting for him. With the Monarch's Legacy within him, the Academy was now merely a waypoint. His gaze now turned to the capital—and to the throne of the one who called himself King.
— The game changes, Lucian said. The Inquisition will send Malphas. And when he arrives, I will be ready to show him what a true purge looks like.