The air crackled with an unnatural energy as the Phantom King loomed over them, his form shifting and flickering like a living shadow. His eyes, burning with cold fire, locked onto Jace. The Guardian tightened his grip on his sword, the blue flames licking up the blade brighter than ever."You should have stayed hidden," the Phantom King said, his voice deep and resonant, reverberating through the cavern. "This defiance is futile."Jace stepped forward, shielding the group with his presence. "We’re not here to talk."The Phantom King extended a clawed hand, and the shadows surged forward like a wave. Jace swung his sword, the blue flames cleaving through the darkness, but it was unrelenting. The shadows twisted around the flames, reforming into spiked tendrils that lashed out. Kael leapt to his side, her shield glowing with protective runes as she blocked the incoming assault.Ryn darted between the chaos, knives flashing as he aimed for weak spots in the Phantom King's ethereal form.
Jace Turner was just an ordinary stable boy in the shadow of Eryndral Castle, a sprawling fortress that ruled over the golden plains of the Celestial Vale. Or so he thought. His only concern was mucking out stalls, daydreaming of adventure, and occasionally sneaking away to the cliffs to sketch dragons circling high above.That was, until the day the sun turned black.It started at noon, the vibrant sky suddenly splintering with cracks of unnatural shadow. The world groaned, a sound that seemed to shake reality itself. Farmers fled their fields; merchants abandoned their carts. The animals in the stables screamed in unison, eyes rolling white with fear. And then came the symbols glowing, twisting runes appearing in midair like ancient ghosts.One of them hovered before Jace.The rune spiraled, etched in fire and shadow, pulsing with an impossible rhythm. His heart pounded as the rune spoke, not with words, but with images. A burning castle, a fractured sky, a guardian in ornate armor
The explosion of light and shadow was so violent it knocked Jace off his feet. The world rippled around him like water struck by a falling stone. As he scrambled to his knees, he could see the Phantom King standing amidst the chaos, untouched, his skeletal crown glinting in the firelight.“You’re not strong enough to win,” the Phantom King taunted, his voice resonating through the wreckage. “But don’t worry, Jace. That’s not your fault. You’ve simply been given a burden far beyond your abilities.”Jace struggled to his feet, his hands trembling as golden energy flickered weakly around his fingertips. His body ached, his mind raced, but he couldn’t give up. Not now, not when so much was at stake. “I don’t care how strong you are,” Jace growled, his voice raw but steady. “I’m not letting you destroy the Realm.”The Phantom King smiled, a cold, cruel expression that made Jace’s blood run cold. “Ah, the optimism of youth. Let’s see how long it lasts.”Before Jace could react, the King rai
Jace barely had time to process Aila’s words before the runes on the walls flickered ominously. A low rumble echoed through the chamber, and Aila spun toward the entrance, her staff already glowing with silver light.“He’s found us,” she muttered, her voice tight.“That didn’t take long.”“What? How?” Jace stumbled to his feet, panic surging through him. “I thought this place was supposed to be safe!”Aila’s masked face turned toward him. “Nothing is safe when it comes to the Phantom King. He doesn’t just follow, he erodes. Every barrier, every spell, every defense. He wears them down until there’s nothing left.”The rumble grew louder, and cracks began to spiderweb across the chamber walls. Jace could feel the oppressive weight of the King’s power pressing down on them, suffocating, consuming. He gritted his teeth, trying to summon the golden energy he had wielded before, but his body refused to respond. He was drained physically, mentally, and magically.Aila cursed under her breath
Aila studied Jace, her masked face unreadable, but there was a subtle shift in her tone. “You’d better be,” she said, standing and offering him her hand. “Because this was nothing compared to what’s coming.”Jace took her hand and let her pull him to his feet. Every muscle in his body screamed in protest, but he forced himself to stand tall. The light around him dimmed, retreating back into the mark on his chest, but its presence lingered, a quiet hum of power beneath his skin.“What now?” he asked, glancing at the destroyed chamber around them. The runes on the walls were dark, the sanctuary clearly no longer a refuge. “Where do we go from here?”Aila tapped her staff against the ground, and a faint trail of silver light appeared, snaking its way toward a hidden doorway at the back of the chamber. “We keep moving,” she said. “There’s a place where you can train, where you can learn to control your power without the Phantom King breathing down your neck. But it’s not close, and the ro
The light seared through Jace’s veins, flooding him with visions. His mind fractured as glimpses of otherworldly landscapes, battles long past, and shadowed faces screaming in agony overwhelmed him. He felt his body lifted off the ground, suspended in the golden torrent emanating from the Heart of Aelthar.“Not prepared?” Jace growled through gritted teeth, his voice blending with a deeper, alien resonance. “Then teach me. Show me what I have to do!”The voice didn’t answer. Instead, the visions intensified, shifting from chaotic memories of the past to horrifying images of the future. Cities consumed by the Void, people twisted into mindless shadow-beasts, and a single, haunting figure standing atop a throne of bones: the Phantom King. His skeletal face turned toward Jace, and his hollow, burning eyes locked onto him.“I’m already inside you,” the Phantom King hissed in the vision, his voice echoing directly in Jace’s mind. “The mark is a beacon, Guardian. It doesn’t just grant you p
Aila didn’t wait for him to recover. She grabbed his arm and dragged him toward the far end of the temple, where a spiral staircase descended into the depths of the earth. “We need to move,” she said sharply. “The Phantom King knows you’ve awakened the light. He’ll send more than shadows next time.”Jace pulled his arm free, his voice raw. “You think I don’t know that? I just...” He stopped, doubling over as another wave of pain surged through him. The mark on his chest pulsed, and for a brief moment, he felt the Phantom King’s laughter again, distant but chilling.Aila turned back, her voice softening just slightly. “The light is fighting back, but it’s not enough. That mark is still connected to him, Jace. If we don’t sever it soon, he’ll drag you into the Void.”“And how do we do that?” Jace snapped, straightening despite the pain. “Every time I use this power, I feel him clawing deeper into me. If I stop fighting, he wins. If I keep fighting, he wins. What’s the point?”Aila stepp
Before Jace could respond, the cavern rumbled, the crystalline walls shimmering as if caught in an earthquake. The runes beneath the platform flickered wildly, and a sharp, piercing sound cut through the air.Aila’s mask tilted upward. “They’ve found us.”“Who?” Jace asked, his stomach sinking.She didn’t answer. Instead, she grabbed his arm and pulled him off the platform. “We need to move. Now.”As they sprinted toward the staircase, the cavern’s entrance exploded, shards of crystal flying in every direction. Jace shielded his face, but when he looked up, his blood turned cold.Shadowy figures poured into the cavern, their forms shifting and flickering like smoke given shape. At their center was a creature unlike any Jace had ever seen, a hulking mass of darkness and glowing red veins, with a single, massive eye that locked onto him the moment it appeared.Aila cursed under her breath. “A Void Warden. He’s sent one of his generals.”The Void Warden let out a guttural roar, and the s