Scene: Imperial's Room
Imperial's room smelled faintly of ink and dust. Afternoon light slanted through the tall window, cutting the shadows in half. Ari sat on the edge of the bed, the book open on her lap — she'd just finished the first half. The others crowded around her, breathless and wide-eyed.
Tracey was the first to speak. "What is this…? That's insane. Ashenfang — an ancient beast… one that served a god."
Dawn's face darkened. "An evil one, to be precise."
"Those two beasts they mention — they're the ones we met in the water village," added Gray, frowning as he reread a line.
Ari kept turning pages, fingers trembling. "Listen to this," she said. Her voice was steady but small. "The successor of the lightning gods is to be returned. His name will be Imperial Alden — the eleventh member of the Alden family."
Silence slammed into the room. For a beat nobody moved.
"What?!" Tracey's chair scraped back. "Imperial? The successor of the lightning god?"
Images flickered across their minds — Imperial's quiet moments, his strange pull on storms, the way lightning seemed to answer him without words. The room felt smaller, the air tighter.
"Ari, that's it — we get it," Gray muttered, but his voice shook.
Before Ari could answer, the door opened. Erika, Zeren and Magnus stepped in. Their faces were grave; Magnus wore the half-smile of a man who had seen too much. Zeren moved forward as if to steady the world itself.
Zeren's eyes locked on the book. "That's the truth," he said bluntly. "Imperial really is the successor of the lightning god — he's been trying to protect this world from the evil one. Magnus, the emperor named in that book… he still walks this age. He's the same emperor."
Erika came closer and laid a hand on Imperial's shoulder. "What Imperial did — he did for something pure. He wanted to protect those he loved: his parents, his friends. He wants to protect you."
Ari swallowed, the question burning on her tongue. "If that's true… then why did he kill my parents?"
Erika reached into her robe and held out a crystal the size of a palm. "Take this." Her voice had gone soft. "Play it."
Ari took the crystal. Her fingers shook as she placed it on the table. When she pressed it, the crystal hummed and a holo-image sprang to life — her parents, alive again for seconds that felt like a decade.
Zech — her father — looked into the camera, pale but steady.
"Ari," he said, voice clipped with urgency, "I don't know when this recording will reach you, but I hope it is not too late. We are recording this because we stand at the edge of death. The reason we were taken and imprisoned is because we belonged to the Sruken Empire — the Sixth Empire. We learned things we were not meant to know, so Emperor Magnus captured us. He is still hunting us."
The image shifted. Zech's hand brushed the necklace at his throat. "The necklace you have," he said, "is from the Sruken Empire." He swallowed. "When we were captured, Magnus injected something into us — a blood infusion. It will react and turn those who enter the Sruken Empire into Hollowborn. Magnus intends to raise an army from those turned Hollowborn, to revive the evil god Sruken after many years. This year, his plan will be set in motion."
Ari's breath hitched. Tracey stepped forward, fists clenched.
Zech's face softened, grief and resolve mixing. "To stop this, we are sacrificing ourselves. Imperial took the blame for us — he accepted it. With us, he would purge those who carry the injected blood. We failed to be good parents. We love you, Ari."
He turned for an instant and looked directly at Imperial, who stood frozen in the doorway. "Protect our daughter," Zech said, voice breaking. "We leave her to you, Imperial. Take care of her."
The recording stuttered and then cut.
Ari's fingers slipped from the edge of the table.
The crystal rolled away and dimmed as she fell to her knees. Her breath caught, trembling. The world around her blurred — sound, light, everything — fading beneath the weight of what she'd just seen.
Her lips parted, but no words came. Just silence and shock.
Gray stepped forward, his voice low.
"…How did you know about it?"
Zeren glanced at him, his expression unreadable. "Imperial told us," he said quietly.
Then his gaze drifted to the floor, heavy with memory.
"Before he left you."
Magna's voice cut through the silence, firm and grounded.
"The real thing right now isn't what's already happened," he said, eyes narrowing.
"It's what's about to."
He stepped closer, his gaze shifting between Ari, Gray, and the others.
"Magnus and his followers are moving toward the Sruken Empire. They've already begun preparations to revive the Dark God himself."
He paused, the weight of his words sinking in.
"And now… we're the only ones who can stop them."
Dawn's voice wavered, her eyes filled with uncertainty.
"But… can we really do this?" she asked softly. "We're talking about stopping Magnus — and the revival of a god…"
Ari slowly rose to her feet, her trembling hands tightening into fists. Her voice, though quiet, carried unshakable resolve.
"We have to," she said. "For his sake."
She looked toward the window — where the sky flickered faintly, as if lightning still lingered in the distance.
"He protected us from every danger… even when we didn't know it."
Her gaze hardened.
"Now it's our turn — to finish what he couldn't."
Gray exhaled, his brows furrowed in thought.
"We'll need backup for this," he said. "I'll contact the C.A. and see if they can support."
Ari nodded slightly.
"And I'll reach out to BladeHex. If they agree to help, we'll have a chance , just a little but..."
Erika looked between them, her expression steady and commanding.
"Then make it quick," she said. "We move fast — Magnus won't wait for anyone."
She turned toward the window, the fading light of dusk reflecting in her eyes.
"Tonight… we leave for the Sruken Empire — by sea."
Scene Shift — Aboard the Ship
The sea stretched endlessly beneath a silver moon, waves whispering against the hull.
Ari stood near the bow, her hair brushing softly in the night wind, her gaze lost in the stars.
Footsteps approached from behind.
"Upset?" Dawn's voice was gentle as she stepped beside her.
Ari didn't answer right away. Her eyes stayed fixed on the dark horizon.
"Hmm… I just keep thinking," she said quietly.
"We were his friends — and still, we never truly understood him. Not his reasons… not his pain."
Dawn gave a faint, wistful smile.
"Yeah… that's what he was trying to do, wasn't he?" she said softly.
"Hiding everything from us — his struggles, his plans — by showing only the side that pushed us away. By making us hate him… so we'd stay safe."
Ari's eyes shimmered faintly in the moonlight.
"…And now, we finally see it."
Gray and Tracey joined them at the rail, the dim light of dawn flickering across their faces.
Tracey's tone was firm, yet heavy.
"This mission might cost us our lives," he said quietly. "But no matter what happens, we'll see this through. We'll finish what Imperial couldn't — and make sure Magnus pays for everything."
Everyone nodded. The wind carried their silent vow across the open sea.
As the first rays of dawn bled through the clouds, the coast of the Sruken Empire emerged from the mist — jagged cliffs, blackened sand, and a crimson glow flickering faintly over the horizon.
Their ship slowed as it neared the shore. Small boats were lowered, rocking against the waves. Erika and her squad were the first to disembark, landing firmly on the dark sand. Zeren and his team followed, moving with disciplined precision. Ari, Dawn, Tracey, Gray, and the others soon followed behind them.
The moment their feet touched the ground, a wave of pressure rolled through the air — thick, suffocating, alive.
The magic here was twisted, unstable. It pulsed from deep within the land like a dying heartbeat.
Dawn glanced around uneasily. "It feels like the whole empire is breathing… wrong."
Zeren's expression hardened. "Something's happening inside — something massive. If Magnus really began the ritual, we're already running out of time."
Then, through the morning fog, two more boats cut across the water and approached the coast. Their banners rippled in the sea breeze — one bearing the sharp insignia of C.A., the other the emblem of BladeHex.
As the boats came ashore, familiar figures stepped out.
From the first, Commander Vince of the C.A. — cloak fluttering, his wind magic humming faintly around him.
From the second, Silver of BladeHex, calm and composed, his crystal pendant glinting faintly in the dim light.
Vince spoke first, his voice carrying easily over the crashing waves.
"Took you long enough," he said, half serious, half relieved.
Silver crossed his arms, his tone low.
"We move when the moment demands it. Looks like that moment's now."
Ari took a slow breath and stepped forward, the sea breeze brushing against her face.
"Then let's move. We end this — together."
Everyone fell silent for a heartbeat. Then, as one, the combined force of Ari's team, BladeHex, and the C.A. turned toward the inland ruins — where a crimson pulse flickered in the distance, steady as a heartbeat.
The storm was waiting.
And this time, they were ready to walk straight into it.
Then they moved forward with Jack's teleportation.
They were traveling by throwing weapons marked with teleportation seals—each toss bending space for a blink before pulling them through in a flash of light.
As they ventured deeper into the Empire, the world around them changed.
Dust filled the air. The sky was pitch black—like the sun had long abandoned this land.
It wasn't night… it was something worse. A place where light had forgotten to exist.
The group slowed down, their boots crunching on the lifeless ground.
Then—
The earth began to tremble.
A low rumble echoed through the dark horizon.
Gray narrowed his eyes. "What's that sound…?"
Zeren raised his bow and released a flaming arrow toward the distance.
The burst of fire illuminated the shadows for a second—
—and revealed something moving.
Ari's eyes widened. "What is this…?"
Erika took a step back, her voice trembling. "Are… are they all real?"
The flames reflected across the field—revealing shapes, hundreds of them—
figures rising from the dust, crawling and walking, their eyes glowing faintly in the endless dark.
The entire group froze.
What they saw made their hearts pound in disbelief—
a sight both shocking and terrifying beyond imagination.
Ari, Gray, Dawn, and Tracey stood frozen — eyes wide, hearts pounding. From the horizon, hundreds of dark figures surged forward, their silhouettes shifting like living shadows. The rumble beneath their feet was like an army's roar — relentless, endless.
Behind them, reinforcements gathered. The Commanders of the CA stood ready: Silver, Vince, Ezren, and Mirae, each flanked by their five soldiers — faces hardened, magic already flaring.
To their right, the BladeHex approached — led by Aden Hale, the Blade of Wind, his cloak whipping in the storm of power. Beside him:
Sasha, the Blade of Earth, her arms already sheathed in stone.
Mich, the Blade of Water, calm but deadly.
Rosa, the Blade of Light, radiating defiant brilliance.
Sana, the Blade of Lightning, sparks dancing across her fingertips.
And then, from the shadows beyond — Erika Rowan arrived with her squad. Zeran Drake followed, his squad armored and grim. Magna came last, leading his unit with silent intensity.
Thirty-eight warriors in total. Each one a storm on their own.
The dark tide drew closer. The Hollowborn army howled — a chorus of despair and fury.
Ari's voice broke through the tension.
"Gray… command us. Take the lead."
Gray's eyes narrowed. Without a word, he reached over his shoulders and drew his twin blades — the steel catching the flicker of dawn and the shadows of oncoming doom.
He stepped forward, the wind swirling around him.
Then, in a single breath — he charged.
Behind him, all thirty-seven others followed.
Magic flared.
Steel gleamed.
The earth shook beneath their united assault as the army of light and will clashed against the endless dark.
The final war had begun.