I. Aurora over Frost, Rumors in the Arena
Dawn bathed the citadel in bluish flashes that hung in the air like curtains of ice. Spatial rifts still pulsed upon the arena floor, a lingering reminder of the previous night's battle. The Qi was so dense it formed visible whirlpools above the heads of the crowd. Nerves were frayed; nothing seemed certain, not even the order of the tournament.
From the Tower, Samael closed his eyes and extended his spiritual sense. He felt the emotions of his clan: fear and pride, tension and hope. The System whispered only to him:
[Investment Function Activated: Every resource "sacrificed" during this crisis will increase the potential return for the clan. Authorize automatic reimbursement to key participants?]
[Alert: Hostile activity detected beneath the arena. An entity is attempting to destabilize the sealing matrices.]
Samael nodded to himself, masking a tense smile. He knew that, no matter what happened, the clan would be prepared.
II. Council and Decision – Family and Clan
In the Strategy Room, the atmosphere was thick. Cedric deployed scrolls of defensive formations, while Xylia's lightning crackled every time someone mentioned the word "betrayal." Kael sharpened his greatsword, the steel reflecting the pale light of the aurora.
Eris, her hair still damp from the ritual bath, watched Violeta with a mixture of pride and anxiety. —"Sister," she whispered, "you went beyond the limit. But every rift you open in space is also a door for the unknown."
Violeta nodded, her voice soft but firm: —"I didn't open those rifts alone. I felt the strength of the clan behind me, and the promise we made under the tree. But… I know this won't be the last time."
Lilith, wrapped in a faint glow of ash, approached the group and announced: —"The Palace of Heritage is ready for a new trial. The next battle will not be one of strength, but of spirit and memory. Lyra, it is your time."
Lyra, standing among the shadows, gripped the ancient staff inherited from her mother, the mist swirling around her like a protective mantle. —"I will accept the trial," she said, her voice trembling for only a moment before hardening. "If the mist can protect, it can also guide."
Samael, with a solemn gesture, led Lyra toward the sealed chamber of the Palace of Heritage. No one noticed the subtle glint in the Patriarch's eyes.
III. The Palace of Heritage – Trial of the Mist
The Palace of Heritage was a dome of crimson marble and frost crystal. As she crossed the threshold, Lyra felt a chill, as if time and memory were warping around her.
A roar of energy enveloped her: the System—invisible to everyone but Samael—activated the internal roulette. The columns filled with ancestral symbols of mist and oblivion. Samael whispered in a low voice that Lyra could not hear: —"May the investment of your spirit return multiplied."
[Investment Function Activated. Every emotional or spiritual sacrifice made during the trial will be restored as potential power. Reimbursement scheduled upon overcoming the challenge.]
Suddenly, the world turned to fog. Lyra found herself standing on a bottomless sea, surrounded by floating faces: some familiar, others unknown, all with eyes void of hope. In the center, the Spirit of the Forgotten Mist emerged. It was a tall figure with dozens of shifting faces, speaking to her with the voice of her ancient fears.
—"Why do you seek the power of the mist, child of two worlds? To hide, to forget, or to protect yourself from what you cannot face?"
Lyra trembled. Among the faces, she saw her mother, old friends, fallen enemies, and herself—alone and defeated. The spirit advanced, and each step stole warmth and color from the world. —"You are mist because you fear the pain of being solid," the spirit whispered. "What will you do now that you must choose: to vanish or to endure?"
Lyra fell to her knees. She remembered her exile, the years consumed by guilt, the feeling of not belonging anywhere. But at the vision of Violeta and Eris—sisters of blood and promise—she felt a spark. —"Mist is a bridge, not just a veil. It is that which sacrifices itself so others may pass unharmed. I do not fear oblivion; I fear failing to be the refuge my family needs."
The spirit smiled. The sea of faces turned into a whirlpool of energy, and Lyra's staff absorbed the fog, becoming translucent and glowing like the dawn after a storm.
[Trial Cleared. Eternal Mist Staff: Unlocked.
Investment Reimbursement: Courage, clarity, and new mastery over mist and memory.]
Upon exiting the Palace, Lyra felt a new lightness: she could now invoke mist for shields, illusions… or to restore memories and strength to her allies. No one knew of the System; they all cheered her as if she had received a direct blessing from the ancestors.
IV. Intrigue and Threat – The Shadows Move
While the clan celebrated Lyra's spiritual victory, Saira, The Fallen, and the Masked Outsider met in the frozen corridors.
—"The clan grows stronger," Saira said quietly, her breath forming crystals. "But every trial leaves them vulnerable." —"The defensive matrix is weakened," The Fallen added, his dark eyes fixed on the arena. "If we act now…"
The Masked Outsider interrupted, his voice like a sigh from the void: —"No. Wait for the intervention of the beast. The true prize is the confusion."
At the same time, a minor disciple—weary of his anonymity—felt a strange presence invade his mind. An ancient echo, a temptation of power promising vengeance and glory in exchange for a single act of betrayal.
V. Surprise Event – Breach and Beast
In the coliseum, the announcer declared the next match. But before the competitors could leap to the center, the ground shook. Rifts of frost and void tore open with a thunderous roar.
A Frost-Void Dragon emerged, its long body like a celestial serpent, opaline scales covered in runes, and eyes that swirled between violet and absolute black. Its breath froze the very air; each roar distorted space and compromised the memories of those present.
The spectators recoiled. Kael, without hesitation, threw himself into the arena, his sword glowing. Cedric invoked a defensive formation, raising walls of liquid metal. Xylia gathered clouds above her head, preparing lightning.
The beast advanced, crushing columns and releasing a haze that robbed strength and memories. The dragon lunged at Kael, who spun, dodging by a hair, and unleashed a crimson slash that tore through part of the monster's jaw. The dragon roared, its blood sizzling on the frost.
Cedric shouted: —"Don't let it touch the center! The matrix will fail if it breaks the Greater Seal!"
Xylia channeled a massive lightning bolt that struck the beast's back. The discharge dispersed, but part of the thunder traveled through the rifts, stunning the creature for a moment. From above, Lyra covered the arena in illusory mist. The dragon's roars were lost in the fog, confusing its senses and making it spin in circles.
At that moment, the possessed disciple lunged at Cedric, knife in hand, eyes rolled back. Cedric barely had time to raise his arm; the dagger tore through his armor. Lyra, from the periphery, invoked the mist and injected it into the traitor's mind, confronting the invading spirit.
The confrontation was brief but brutal: images of war, fear, and despair flashed in Lyra's mind, but she held her staff high and declared: —"We are not slaves to memory or oblivion. Here, only those who choose to remember and protect shall reign!"
The spirit shrieked and was expelled, and the disciple fell to the ground, sobbing. Cedric helped him up, without reproach.
The dragon, furious, discharged a Void Wave. Violeta, who had been observing until then, stepped forward. —"Space, Ice... with me!" she cried.
Eris joined her flame to Violeta's rift, and together they opened a tunnel of frost and ruin toward the beast's throat. The monster hesitated, but the wave continued to expand. Kael and Xylia, wounded, aligned themselves: —"For the Star Tree!" Kael roared.
The five geniuses combined their Qi in a symphony of elements. Samael, from above, channeled the luck and the power investment from the System, ensuring that every sacrifice was returned as multiplied strength.
The dragon writhed, trapped by walls of metal, blue lightning, flames of ruin, illusory mist, and spatial rifts. Violeta, feeling the absolute cold in her blood, invoked all her power, fusing the Laws of Ice and Space.
—"Eternal Aurora Fracture!" she screamed.
A frozen beam pierced the dragon, freezing its core and distorting reality around it. The monster disintegrated into crystals and void dust. In the center of the arena, a Fragment of Supreme Law remained floating: a core of frost and void, pulsating, surrounded by spatial symbols.
VI. The Heritage of the Aurora – Violeta and the Supreme Law
Everyone gathered around the fragment. Violeta, trembling, took it in her hands. The Qi of ice and space recognized her; the energy enveloped her, raising her aura to heights never seen before.
Her hair became even paler, and her eyes shone with the light of two moons. She felt a vision: a fragmented world, thousands of routes open between dimensions, and the promise that, as long as the bonds remained alive, no distance was insurmountable.
In silence, she shared a look with Eris, Lyra, Kael, Cedric, and Xylia. The heritage was hers, but the power flowed toward the entire clan. Samael, hidden in the shadows, felt the reimbursement: the System released a wave of fortune, healing minor wounds and strengthening the morale of every Morningstar present.
VII. Cliffhanger – The True Challenge
Before they could celebrate, the sky darkened. A vertical rift, black as a moonless night, opened over the coliseum.
The Masked Outsider descended wrapped in shadow, followed by an even darker figure, their face hidden behind a mask of bone and void.
—"The tournament continues," his voice announced, full of echoes and promises. "But now, the legend will be written with the blood of the true lineage." —"Celeste has been chosen," the dark figure said, pointing toward the balcony. "The prize is no longer just power, but the very fate of the Morningstars."
The System thundered for Samael alone:
[Threat Level: Extinction.
Urgent Mission: Defend the heart of the lineage.
Reward: Mythic Heritage.
Punishment: Eternal Oblivion.]
The crowd fell silent. The geniuses aligned themselves, shoulder to shoulder, and Violeta, with her new heritage, took a step forward. —"If you want the heart of the clan, you'll have to go through the aurora." —"And the aurora does not surrender."