Smoke lingered in the remnants of the chamber, curling through cracks in the ancient stone. The aftermath of the clash between Zero and the Archon left the relic hall drenched in silence, the only sound being the faint pulse of dormant power echoing from the cracked throne.
Marina sat beside Zero, her sword resting across her knees, her body battered but upright. Zero's breath was ragged, but steady. The Crown of Ash no longer hovered—it rested on the floor beside him, dim but still warm to the touch.
Zero winced as he sat up. His body felt like it had been torn apart and stitched back together by lightning. Every joint ached. His vision blurred, colors bleeding at the edges.
"I don't think I was supposed to survive that," he muttered.
Marina smirked despite the tension. "You didn't. Not fully."
A beat of silence. Then her expression hardened. "Do you even know what you've done?"
Zero turned toward her, golden eyes faintly glowing. "Not everything. But I know this—whatever I unlocked... it's only the beginning."
Suddenly, a pulse echoed through the chamber again. The cracked throne rumbled. A low hum reverberated from the stone—like a heart beginning to beat after centuries of stillness. Zero and Marina rose, tensed.
From the throne's base, stone peeled away to reveal a second relic. This one was not a crown, but a spear forged of voidglass and crimson metal, wrapped in chains etched with ancient sigils. Its presence was colder—harsher.
RELIC IDENTIFIED: SPEAR OF CALAMITY
STATUS: BOUND
THREAD LINK: INCOMPLETE
Zero took an instinctive step forward before the system blared:
WARNING: THREAD INCOMPATIBLE
HOST WILL BE TERMINATED UPON CONTACT
He halted, jaw clenched.
"It's not yours," Marina said.
"I know," he replied. "But it's waking up because of me."
Outside the catacombs, the Academy was in chaos. Grand Magister Ravaryn paced across the war room floor while Lysaria and a dozen arcane scholars analyzed the energy readings.
"Two relics have activated," said Lysaria. "The second one responded to the resonance from the Crown of Ash."
Ravaryn scowled. "And the Archon?"
"Destroyed," she replied. "Or... banished."
Ravaryn stared out the high window toward Mount Solari's peak, which still glowed faintly under the stars.
"If that boy truly bears the mark of the Shadow Crown, then everything we feared is coming to pass. The Dormant Thrones are stirring."
"What's the order?"
"Send envoys to the Dominion. And prepare the other candidates."
"Even the one in the Glass Citadel?"
Ravaryn hesitated. "Especially that one."
Zero and Marina emerged from the catacombs just before dawn, their figures casting long shadows across the frost-covered courtyard. A contingent of soldiers awaited them, weapons drawn, mage lights pulsing.
Marina stepped forward. "Lower your blades. He's not a threat."
A familiar voice broke through the tension. "You sure about that?"
Cassian Graves—duelist prodigy, top of the Elite Division, and Zero's sworn rival—strode into view, his silver cloak billowing behind him.
"Didn't think you had it in you, Zero," he said with a cocky smile. "But triggering two relics? That's a record."
"I wasn't trying to break anything," Zero muttered.
"Oh, I know. That's what makes it worse."
The soldiers parted as Headmaster Ravaryn approached, face grim.
"Zero," he said, voice like tempered steel. "You've crossed into territory no one has in centuries. We'll speak in my study. Now."
The Headmaster's study was vast, lined with relics sealed behind glass and gold-etched containment glyphs. Zero stood before the great desk as Ravaryn studied him in silence.
"You are either the herald of a new age," Ravaryn finally said, "or the spark that will burn the world."
Zero said nothing.
"The relic responded to your blood. That means your ancestry is no accident. Do you know anything about the Shadow Crown?"
Zero shook his head. "Only what I saw in the vision."
Ravaryn's expression darkened. "The Shadow Crown was not a myth. It was the last monarch of the Forgotten Kingdoms—cast out when the divine pantheon rewrote history. They were erased. Buried. But their legacy lived in hidden bloodlines."
"And now it's awakened," Zero said quietly.
"Yes. Which means every kingdom, every dominion, and every god-forsaken church will hunt you. Some will want to use you. Others will want to kill you. All will fear you."
Zero clenched his fists. "Then let them come."
Ravaryn gave a weary smile. "That's exactly what the last one said before the world fell into war."
Later, Zero sat atop the Academy's north tower, the morning wind raking through his black hair. Marina joined him in silence, carrying two cups of steaming saffron tea.
"You're calmer than I expected," she said, sitting beside him.
"I feel like I've already seen the war coming. Like it's not the future—it's the past repeating itself."
She sipped her tea. "Prophetic and depressing. That's new for you."
Zero gave a rare, dry chuckle. "You think I've changed?"
She looked at him seriously. "Yes. And no. The weight's heavier, but it hasn't crushed you yet."
He glanced at her. "Why are you still here?"
She paused. "Because you need someone who'll stab you in the leg if you start thinking you're a god."
He smiled faintly. "Fair."
A pause.
Then Marina spoke again, softer. "And because I think you're the only one who might survive what's coming. If I can help, I will."
Zero looked at the horizon, where thunderclouds gathered over the Dominion capital.
"Then stay close. It's only going to get worse."
Far to the east, in a chamber of crystal and twilight, a girl opened her eyes.
She had hair like white fire and eyes of molten sapphire. Her body was suspended within a containment seal forged by angels. Around her floated fragments of shattered relics.
As she awoke, runes lit across her skin.
THREAD SYNC: INITIATED
COMPATIBLE RELIC: HALO OF RUIN
TITLE: FIRST SERAPHIM
A voice echoed in her mind: The Crown has returned.
She smiled, slow and cold. "Then it begins."