The next village was silent.
Charred wood. Collapsed roofs. Burned corpses with armor still glowing faintly with holy enchantments.
Lira gasped as she stepped over a child's toy, melted into the stone.
"This wasn't monsters," she whispered. "This was them. Your enemies."
Kael didn't answer.
He walked through the ashes, his cloak brushing the dirt like a judge's robe. Zar stalked nearby, sniffing for survivors.
[New Area: Redfall – Destroyed Border Hamlet][Population: 0 | Resources: Scarce | Spirits: Lingering]
"SAGE: Suggestion – Establish base. Proximity to frontlines optimal for recruitment, evolution, and territory control."
Kael looked around. Crumbling walls. Exposed roots. Broken altar.
"Yes," he muttered. "This will do."
They worked through the night.
Zar cleared the center courtyard and planted crude stakes.
Lira carved runes for barrier magic — small, weak, but better than nothing.
Kael meditated in the ruins of the old church, absorbing the pain left in the stone. His mana responded eagerly.
[Passive: Abyssal Resonance – Activated][Emotion Residue Absorbed: +37 Mana | Skill Catalyst Formed]
[New Skill Gained: Crown of Grief Lv.1 – Temporarily instills overwhelming despair in enemies within radius]
He rose slowly.
"Let it be known," he said aloud. "This ruin is mine."
[New Territory Claimed: Fallen Redfall][Kael – Title Earned: Lord of Ash][Followers gain bonus effects while within this domain.]
But something heard him.
Far in the lower ruins, where the ground dipped and a dry well remained, a faint groan echoed upward.
[Alert: Dungeon Entrance Detected Beneath Redfall][Classification: Sub-Tier Trial Crypt – Unopened][Recommended Rank: E+ and above]
Kael's eyes flashed silver.
"SAGE. If I clear this?"
"Authority will increase. Chance to awaken a Domain Core: 37%. Dungeon Key Required."
He knelt and traced the ancient well's rim with dark mana.
It opened with a shudder.
Zar readied his blade. "More fighting, Master?"
"No," Kael said.
"More rising."
Meanwhile, in the capital of High Loras, war horns blared.
A council of kings and high priests now knew of Redfall's reclamation — not by light, but by darkness.
"He's building a throne," said one. "If we wait longer—"
"There will be no world left to save," said another.
And so, they summoned champions.
[Kael – Rank: E+][Territory Gained: Redfall Ruins][Dungeon Unlocked: Trial Crypt (Unentered)][Followers: Zar (E+), Lira (F)][Status: Territory Holder | Marked for Cleansing by Kingdom Council][Threat Level: Rising]