Prologue — The Fall of the Morning Star
Year 11,115 of the Imperial Calendar
The sky above the Imperial Capital bled crimson.
Thunder rolled like the roar of an angry god, and the golden spires of Valenholm trembled beneath the weight of divine energy gathering above the palace. The entire world of Enos held its breath — the Everlasting Empire's judgment day had come.
Ren Qiming stood at the center of the shattered Hall of Eternity, his robes torn and singed by divine lightning. The once flawless marble floor was cracked beneath his feet, and the banners of the imperial dragon fluttered in tatters, burned by the very flames that once symbolized the Empire's might.
Before him knelt a girl — her white hair now veined with streaks of inky blackness, her eyes an abyss of endless sorrow.
Lian Xue. His childhood sweetheart.
The girl who used to smile at him over a plate of stolen pastries from Old Mother Wynn, who left bread by her window each dawn for hungry children to "steal."
The girl who once dreamed of seeing the Imperial Capital's lights reflected in a river at night.
Now, she bore the mark of the Abyss on her chest — a swirling sigil of corruption that devoured light itself.
Behind him, at the far end of the hall, stood his best friend — Emperor Ardyn Valen Aetherion, the man whose mere presence could make gods tremble. He was the second coming of the First Emperor, or so the people said. His silver eyes glowed with divine fury.
Around him, twelve divine guardians knelt in silence, their weapons drawn, yet none dared to breathe.
"Step aside, Ren Qiming."
The Emperor's voice was calm — too calm. Like the stillness before a storm that could unmake worlds.
"You know what she's become. The Abyss has claimed her soul. Look at what she's done to my capital — the last bastion of the people of Enos. To spare her is to doom millions."
Ren's breath trembled as he tightened his grip on Lian Xue's cold hand. The darkness inside her pulsed faintly, whispering through her lips: "Kill me… before I lose myself."
She was fighting it — the Abyss. Holding it back to buy them moments, seconds even. But he couldn't.
He remembered the oath he made to her all those years ago in Qinghe Village — the quiet promise under a sky full of fireflies: "I'll protect you, no matter what comes."
"Ardyn," Ren Qiming said, his voice shaking with both fear and resolve. "There must be another way! I can save her! If you'll just give me time—"
"Time?"
The Emperor's tone cracked like thunder, and his aura flared — a golden storm erupting from his body, tearing through the air like divine fire. The great hall split further, pillars collapsing as runes flickered across the dome.
"You've always let your emotions rule you. You could have ascended to Tier Ten by now, my dear friend — the last son of Shenzhou! But now you stand in defense of a demon! Have you forgotten what that same demon did to your homeland?"
Ren's heart clenched. He wanted to scream, to argue — but deep down, he knew his friend wasn't wrong. The Abyss was a corruption beyond mortal comprehension. Even the gods of the upper heavens feared its touch.
And yet…
He looked at Lian Xue, tears burning his eyes.
He saw her laughter, their secret meetings by the lotus pond, the day she swore she would follow him wherever he went.
He saw the innocent girl behind the monster the world now feared. How could he abandon her?
Because you're the hero of Enos, his mind whispered. Because your duty is to protect the last of humankind. But his heart refused to obey.
"No," he whispered, shaking his head. "She's still in there. I can feel her. If I give up on her now… then what kind of hero would I be if I can't even save the person I love?"
The Emperor's expression faltered — grief flickering beneath his divine calm.
"Then you are not ready to be the hero you claim to be. You would endanger billions for the sake of one."
A spear of divine light appeared in his hand, forged from condensed will and faith — the weapon of the Everlasting Sovereign. The guardians bowed their heads. Even the heavens seemed to mourn.
Lian Xue stirred weakly, her corrupted voice barely audible.
"Ren Qiming… it hurts. Please… end it…"
Ren's soul trembled. His knees weakened. He was facing a god among men — the last Tier Ten powerhouse on the continent. He was merely a Tier Nine who refused to yield. Still, he smiled through the tears.
"I promised you, didn't I? That I'd protect you — no matter what."
He turned, drawing his sword. It was cracked and bloodstained, yet he held it as if it were the most sacred relic in existence.
"Ardyn," he whispered, "if saving her makes me a traitor… then I'll gladly bear that sin."
Ren drew power from his inner world, sacrificing the denizens that resided within. Their spiritual cries echoed in his mind — his final offering to love. The air screamed as their energies collided.
Ardyn's Sol Invictus, the Sword of the First Emperor, descended like a falling sun.
Ren Qiming met it with everything he had — lightning, flame, gravitational energy, and runic matrices fused into one impossible strike.
The explosion consumed half the spire. Shockwaves rippled across the fabric of space. Cultivators across the continent froze mid-meditation — sensing the clash of divinity and defiance.
In distant temples, priests fell to their knees. Even the heavens seemed to dim. Ren was hurled through the air, his left arm shattered, blood spraying across the broken marble. He landed beside Lian Xue, who trembled, whispering his name in a voice half hers, half abyssal.
"Ren Qiming… it hurts… end it…"
Tears streamed down his face.
"No. You told me once… to never give up on the light."
He gathered what little energy remained, channeling it into her core, trying to suppress the corruption. His body began to disintegrate from the overload — his cultivation collapsing inward. Ardyn watched in silence, then stepped forward, voice heavy with sorrow.
"Then you leave me no choice."
The Emperor's blade pierced them both. Golden and black light erupted — divine and abyssal, clashing in impossible harmony. For a heartbeat, everything stopped. The storm faded. Even time bowed in silence. Ren's hand found Lian Xue's. She smiled faintly, the corruption fading from her eyes.
"You kept your promise," she whispered.
He smiled back weakly.
"I just wanted… to see the dawn with you."
Then she crumbled into ash. Ren's hand reached for her fading form.
"Lian Xue…"
He couldn't feel his body anymore — only warmth and light. He looked up at Ardyn, a faint, broken laugh escaping him. As his life faded, a single tear escaped the Emperor's eye. The light from his sword dimmed.
"Forgive me, my friend," Ardyn murmured. "You forced my hand."
Ren tried to speak — to curse him for not believing in him, for not giving him time — but only blood fell from his lips. Ardyn looked up, watching the clouds break as dawn began to rise.
'So warm, he thought. Maybe this is what freedom feels like.'
Ren's eyes closed. Darkness claimed him. Fragments of memory flickered — his siblings' laughter, his mother's gentle smile, the taste of sweet buns from Qinghe Village, the feel of Lian Xue's hand in his.
Aftermath – The Emperor's Burden
Silence fell over the Hall of Eternity. Only the faint hum of dying energy remained, painting the world in shades of grief.
The Emperor stood alone among ruins — the air thick with ash and divine residue. The guardians dared not meet his eyes.
"Prepare the pyres," Ardyn said, voice hoarse. "And summon the army. The Abyssal Gate still stands open."
He turned toward the balcony. Beyond the horizon, the Rift of Shadows loomed — a gaping wound in reality from which endless beasts poured forth. Black clouds churned above it, dripping corruption that burned through stone.
Ardyn raised his hand, and the heavens obeyed. Golden sigils formed in the sky — thousands of divine runes intertwining, forming a barrier that spread over the capital like a second sun.
"The Emperor commands!" cried one guardian. "Formations Alpha through Omega — engage the Abyssal tide!"
A roar answered from beyond the walls — tens of thousands of soldiers, their armor gleaming with divine light. The Eternal Legions surged forward under banners of gold and white, clashing against the tide of darkness spilling from the abyssal breach. Ardyn stepped onto the outer terrace. His silver hair whipped in the storm. Below, entire districts burned. The screams of mortals reached him, distant but clear.
He clenched his fist. "All this… because I was too weak to save one friend."
From the clouds above, a colossal Abyssal beast emerged — a serpent of shadow and bone, its scales oozing black fire. Each breath melted the sky itself. Ardyn leapt — the air itself bending beneath his might.
His sword Sol Invictus blazed to life once more, its edge carrying the light of a dying god.
"By the authority of the Everlasting Throne," he thundered, voice echoing through the storm, "I command the dawn — ARISE!"
Light engulfed the battlefield. Every soldier felt their strength surge. The sky burned with gold. The serpent screamed — its form unraveling under divine radiance.
Ardyn landed upon its skull, driving his blade deep. The impact cracked the land for miles. Yet as the beast fell, dozens more clawed their way through the Rift. He could feel the corruption eating at the barrier. He could sense the world itself crying out.
"Ren," he whispered, staring into the chaos. "You always believed there was another way. I hope… you were right."
Behind him, the imperial city burned, but the sun was rising — a faint, fragile light breaking through the crimson clouds. Ardyn looked up, his silhouette framed against that dawn. To the people of Enos, he would forever be the savior who stood alone against the Abyss.
But in his heart, he knew the truth:
The Morning Star had fallen. And the light of the world dimmed with him.
And somewhere beyond the veil, a faint whisper stirred —
Not yet. Your story isn't over, Ren Qiming. The light shattered. Let us begin the story once more with one ore variable.