In the Third Realm: When Storms Echo Across Borders
They called it the Six-Month Severance — the razing of the Yin Empire by a single man, one dragon, and a handful of Gatekeepers. News spread faster than light, faster than shadow. Even before Zaxton stepped out of the ruins, whispers had already crossed borders.
In the Third Realm, where sky cities floated and cultivators bent time, power meant everything.
And Zaxton had just become a cosmic reminder of what First-Realm cultivators were becoming.
The Council of Twelve Moons, rulers of the dominant powers in the Third Realm, convened for the first time in two hundred years.
> "He has skipped the ladder," spoke Moon Sovereign Inori, her voice sharp as starlight.
"He has reshaped the sky in our image… but without our permission."
> "The Don Empire was fading. Now its shadow stretches across realms," whispered another.
But even as they debated, not one dared to say Zaxton's name with contempt. Not now.
Not after what he'd done to Yin.
Instead, they proposed… an invitation.
A challenge dressed as diplomacy — a Summit of Ascending Skies.
A test to see what Zaxton truly wants… and if the Third Realm should fear his vision or follow it.
---
Meanwhile, in Wei Lan: Jin Sori's Crossroads
Back in the First Realm, Jin Sori stood atop the newly built Wei Lan Observatory, overlooking the rising city he had helped crown. The people adored him — the boy who brought Gatekeeper wisdom and Zaxton's fire in his eyes.
But now, they watched him not just as a messenger of peace… but as a descendant of wrath.
> "You look troubled," said Emperor Wang, adjusting his royal cloak beside Jin.
> "They fear my father," Jin said simply. "And now… they look to me wondering when the storm will fall again."
Wang smiled. "Let them wonder. That fear is a weapon. Use it to build, not destroy."
Jin nodded, but the pressure was rising. Zaxton's shadow stretched far, and Jin Sori — still young, still becoming — felt that duality of pride and burden. Yet he would not falter.
In private, he began training harder than ever before.
He studied diplomacy with Auren IX, warfare with Stoneveil's ex-generals, and cultivation techniques designed to push his body and soul beyond what was thought possible for someone his age.
He still called Zaxton "Father."
But now, he was preparing for the day he would be known not as Zaxton's son — but as Jin Sori.
---
Their Paths Converging Again
In Ashguard, Zaxton received the Third Realm's invitation. He read it in silence. Draknyr loomed over his shoulder, silent and patient.
> "So… they've noticed," Zaxton said softly. "Good."
He sent a message back through the stars — not with words, but with a symbol:
> The sigil of the Gatekeepers, burning through the parchment like wildfire.
He would attend.
But first, he sent word to Jin:
> "Ready yourself. The sky is opening."
Storm Before the Soar
The razing of the Yin Empire had shattered the status quo.
Where fear once kept borders secure, now desperation and ambition stirred. Lesser sects sent envoys under nightfall. Merchant kings offered caravans laden with tribute. Cultivation clans, some ancient, some obscure, sent heirs as political offerings.
And Zaxton — no longer just a name, but a myth cloaked in thunder — stood at the center of it all.
---
One Year of Stormlight
He called it the Year of Consolidation.
He spent it wisely:
Three Great Sects swore vassalage in exchange for protection and cultivation rights.
Four trade routes were established, secured by elite Gatekeepers and patrolled by flying beasts.
Ashguard's military doctrine was codified and taught across the entire state, blending First Realm resilience with Second Realm precision.
And in secret, Zaxton laid the foundations for a trans-realm intelligence network — whisper webs that would span beyond even the Gatekeepers.
He also constructed the Hall of Heavens, a citadel at the peak of Ashguard's mountain spine, with a gate that would one day lead to the Third Realm. A monument, a bridge, and a warning.
---
Father and Son
With Ashguard thriving and Zaxton now standing at the pinnacle of the Second Realm, there remained only one matter left.
He stood with Jin Sori beneath a starlit sky, overlooking the vast territories he'd once bled to earn.
> "This state," Zaxton said, voice quiet but sharp, "needs a ruler. Not a shadow of me. Not a boy behind my name. You."
Jin stood taller, his jade robes trimmed in the silver of the Gatekeepers.
> "I won't fail you, Father."
Zaxton shook his head, placing a hand on his shoulder.
> "Don't worry about failing me. I already believe in you. Just become someone this realm — and the next — will follow."
And with that, he handed Jin the Crescent Ring, a token of authority and passage. The next day, Jin Sori was declared Lord Protector of Ashguard.
---
The Highest Level
On the eve of his departure, Zaxton meditated within the Hall of Heavens.
The storm inside him had calmed. His cultivation reached the Aether Meridian Stage — the apex of the Second Realm. His presence could silence riots, steady earthquakes, and make spirits bow unbidden.
He no longer knocked at heaven's gate. He walked its halls.
And still, he knew it was only the beginning.
---
To the Third Realm
The portal opened like an eye — vast, luminous, and cold.
Zaxton wore simple armor, draped in the cloak of the Don Empire. Draknyr, his dragon companion, coiled in the air above him. The Gatekeepers saluted. Jin Sori bowed, not as a son, but as a ruler.
> "Be more than they fear," Zaxton whispered to himself.
"Be what they need… even if they don't know it yet."
And with that, he stepped through.