Aetheron's breath was steady as the vision faded.
When he opened his eyes, he was back.
The battlefield was silent. The air was thick with the aftermath of power, the ground still humming from the energy that had pulsed through it.
The Sovereign's blade was still in his grip, but it felt different now. Lighter. Like it had finally recognized him.
Aetheron turned his gaze upward.
The hooded figure from before was standing where they had been, watching him carefully. Their expression unreadable.
"…You saw it, didn't you?" the figure asked.
Aetheron didn't answer immediately. His fingers flexed around the hilt of the sword before he finally spoke. "Yeah."
The figure nodded, as if they had expected that. "Then you understand now."
Aetheron exhaled, his golden eyes flickering. "I understand that the fight isn't over."
The figure tilted their head slightly. "And? What will you do?"
Aetheron's gaze sharpened, but before he could speak—
A sound cut through the silence.
A low, deep rumble.
Aetheron turned sharply just as the ground beneath him cracked.
A Sudden Collapse
The battlefield split open.
Aetheron barely had time to react before the earth beneath his feet gave way.
He moved instinctively, shifting his weight and pushing off the collapsing ground, but it was too late—he was falling.
Darkness swallowed him whole.
The air rushed past him as he descended, his mind racing. Where was this leading? Why now?
And then—
Impact.
Aetheron landed hard, rolling with the force before springing back to his feet. His grip on the Sovereign's blade never wavered as he scanned his surroundings.
He was underground.
The space around him was massive, stretching endlessly in all directions. Old, ancient ruins surrounded him, their walls lined with glowing inscriptions.
But the air was wrong.
Heavy. Dense. Like something was watching.
Aetheron's muscles tensed. He wasn't alone.
The Watcher in the Dark
From the shadows, something moved.
Aetheron didn't flinch. His eyes locked onto the shifting darkness as a shape emerged.
Tall. Cloaked in a swirling mass of black mist, its body barely visible beneath the haze.
Two eyes ignited from within the fog—burning crimson, unblinking.
The figure spoke.
"You should not be here."
Aetheron didn't lower his blade. "Then you shouldn't have let me in."
A low chuckle echoed through the space. "You carry his weapon. His power."** A pause.** "Yet you are not him."
Aetheron's jaw tightened. "No. I'm not."
The mist around the figure rippled. "Then let's see if you deserve it."
Before Aetheron could react—it moved.
Clash in the Ruins
Fast.
The figure closed the distance instantly, its form blurring as it struck.
Aetheron's sword flashed as he parried, the impact shaking the entire chamber.
The force sent him sliding backward, but he recovered swiftly, pivoting on his heel and slashing upward.
The blade met nothing.
The mist twisted, reforming just behind him.
Aetheron barely ducked in time as a claw-like strike cut through the air, narrowly missing his head.
He countered immediately, spinning and slamming the Sovereign's blade downward—this time, it connected.
A shockwave tore through the space as the figure staggered.
The mist around it rippled violently, unstable.
Aetheron didn't hesitate. He pressed forward.
Breaking the Shroud
His sword cut through the darkness again and again, each strike precise, relentless.
The figure tried to reform, but Aetheron didn't give it the chance.
One final slash—and the mist shattered.
The cloaked entity lurched backward, its body flickering, struggling to hold form.
Aetheron raised his blade. "Who are you?"
The figure didn't answer immediately.
Then—
It laughed.
Low. Amused. Unfazed.
"It doesn't matter."** A pause.** "You'll know soon enough."
And with that—
The mist collapsed inward.
Before Aetheron could move, the shadows swallowed the figure whole, vanishing without a trace.
Aetheron's Next Step
Silence returned.
Aetheron remained still for a moment, his grip on the sword unwavering.
Then—he exhaled.
Whoever—or whatever—that was, it wasn't random.
It knew about the Sovereign.
It knew about him.
Aetheron's golden eyes flickered as he turned toward the ancient inscriptions on the walls.
If this place was connected to the past, then maybe—just maybe—there were answers here.
He tightened his grip on the blade and took a step forward.
Above, the battlefield was waiting. The war was still ahead.
But down here—
There was something else he needed to find first.