Gideon Justiceborn stood by the frost-covered window of the barracks, his breath misting in the cold mountain air. Beyond the cracked stone walls, the moon cast its silver glow over the academy’s training grounds, revealing scars etched into the earth by countless drills and battles. A year ago, Gideon had been a farmer’s son, his days spent tending fields and dreaming of heroics told in the village square. Now, his hands bore the calluses of a sword, and his dreams felt distant, buried beneath the grueling trials of the White Knight Academy.The academy was nothing like the stories his mother had told him. Songs of valor and banquets of triumph gave way to endless bruises, sleepless nights, and the sharp sting of failure. For every knight who emerged victorious, dozens faltered, their dreams shattered by the academy’s brutal reality.“Still pretending to belong, Justiceborn?”The voice sliced through Gideon’s thoughts like a blade. He turned to see Jareth Holyblade leaning lazily in

The aftermath of the battle left the White Knight Academy in a fragile silence. The fissure that had split the battlements now loomed like a dark scar, the acrid smell of smoke still lingering in the air. Gideon stood at its edge, his knuckles white as he gripped the Dragon Sword. The mark on his chest pulsed faintly, as though alive and waiting.But for what?“Justiceborn,” Roderic’s voice was stern but laden with weariness. “We need to talk. Now.”Gideon turned, his mind still replaying Lysandra’s words. Roderic’s face, usually unreadable, betrayed the weight of unspoken truths. Without a word, Gideon followed him through the rubble-strewn halls to the inner sanctum a chamber few knights ever saw.Roderic lit the braziers along the walls, casting flickering light over the room’s contents. Ancient tapestries told stories of battles long past, and shelves overflowed with dusty tomes. At the center of the room stood a pedestal, and upon it lay a single object: a fragment of a shattered

The academy bells rang out like a desperate cry, their resonance shaking the walls. The sound of armored boots echoed through the halls as knights scrambled to their posts. Gideon stood frozen in the courtyard, his thoughts a tempest. The vision of the academy’s fall still burned in his mind.“You can’t hesitate now, Gideon!” Roderic’s voice snapped him from his trance. The commander stood at his side, his sword drawn and face hard as stone. “This is what the academy prepared you for.”Gideon swallowed hard and nodded, gripping the Dragon Sword tightly. But as the blade hummed faintly in his hand, he couldn’t shake the ominous weight of his sister’s words.The enemy forces spread across the horizon like a dark tide, their banners marked with the sigil of the Dark Lord a gnarled black tree with crimson roots. Above them, winged creatures circled, their screeches chilling the air. At the forefront stood Lysandra, her obsidian armor shimmering in the pale light.“Brothers and sisters of

Gideon blinked against the blinding golden light, his senses reeling as the vast plain solidified around him. The grass beneath his boots shimmered like liquid sunlight, and the sky above was an endless expanse of radiant gold. In the distance stood the figure in golden armor, its presence both awe-inspiring and ominous.“Where am I?” Gideon asked, gripping the Dragon Sword tightly.“This is the Veil of Eternity,” the figure said, its voice echoing as if spoken by countless others. “A place where souls are tested, and destinies are forged.”Gideon’s gaze narrowed. “Why am I here? I didn’t choose this.”The figure stepped closer, the ground beneath its feet glowing with each step. “You hold the Dragon Sword. You bear the mark. Fate has chosen you, Gideon Justiceborn. But whether you accept your role or not is up to you.”A fissure opened in the ground before Gideon, dark and yawning. From its depths, voices whispered pleas, threats, promises. He staggered back, the mark on his chest bu

The clash of the Dragon Sword and the Blade of Shadow echoed across the fractured battlefield. Sparks of light and darkness danced like fireflies, illuminating the chasm’s edge where Gideon and Lysandra fought. Each strike carried the weight of their shared history, a bond now fractured by fate.“You think you can stop me, brother?” Lysandra hissed, her blade searing through the air. “You can barely hold yourself together.”Gideon gritted his teeth, deflecting her attack and countering with a sweeping strike that forced her back. “If it means saving the world, I’ll do whatever it takes even if it means stopping you.”Her laughter was a mix of pain and derision. “You’ve always been so naive. You think the world deserves saving? Look at what they’ve done to us, to our family. To you.”Her words pierced deeper than her blade ever could. Memories of the life they had shared before the academy flooded Gideon’s mind nights spent stargazing, sharing dreams of a future far removed from war an