The ruins of the Black Sun Capital stood in eerie silence, the echoes of Kaelen's battle still lingering in the air. The guardians, once hostile, had now knelt before him, their fractured obsidian armor glinting under the pale light.
Kaelen exhaled, his grip on his sword tightening. The memories that had surfaced during the battle had left him shaken. He had once stood at the head of this empire, leading these warriors into countless battles—but what had made him abandon it all?
"Then rise again, my Emperor."
The lead guardian's voice was unwavering, filled with an ancient reverence. The others followed, lowering their weapons and placing a fist over their chests.
Kaelen swallowed hard.
He had expected resistance, but not this kind of loyalty.
He had sealed them away, left them forgotten in the ruins of a dying kingdom… and still, they recognized him.
Lirien stepped closer, her gaze shifting between Kaelen and the kneeling warriors. "So… what now?"
Kaelen didn't answer immediately. His gaze was drawn beyond the kneeling soldiers—to the throne at the heart of the ruined city.
It stood untouched. Waiting.
---
The Shadowed Path
Kaelen walked forward, his steps slow and deliberate. The weight of the past pressed against him, each stone beneath his feet whispering forgotten stories.
The city had once been alive.
He could almost hear it—the marching of soldiers, the hum of magic in the air, the voices of a kingdom that had sworn itself to him.
Now, only ruins remained.
The Black Throne loomed ahead. Carved from obsidian, it was massive, its dark surface absorbing the dim light. Strange symbols, half-forgotten, pulsed faintly along its edges, as if responding to his presence.
Kaelen hesitated.
Something deep inside him resisted.
Lirien stood beside him, arms crossed. "You don't have to do this."
Kaelen clenched his jaw. "Yes, I do."
He stepped forward—
And the moment he touched the throne, reality shattered.
---
Visions of the Past
Darkness engulfed him.
Then—light exploded.
Kaelen found himself standing in the Black Sun Capital as it once had been—alive, magnificent, its towering spires reaching toward the sky. The streets were bustling, warriors marched in formation, and the throne room was whole.
And standing at the center of it all…
Was himself.
Draped in regal black and gold armor, wearing a crown of obsidian, his past self sat upon the Black Throne, watching as figures knelt before him.
His own voice filled the chamber.
"The war will not end unless we make it so."
The vision shifted.
Kaelen saw the empire at war—armies clashing, fire consuming the skies, creatures of nightmare ripping through the battlefield.
The Black Sun warriors fought with ruthless precision, their shadows moving like living weapons. Kaelen saw himself leading them, his blade carving through the enemy like a force of nature.
Victory after victory.
But then—something changed.
The skies darkened. The very sun turned black.
And then… the screams began.
---
The Fall of the Empire
Kaelen's vision twisted, flashing through moments he had long forgotten.
A betrayal.
A sacrifice.
A power that should never have been used.
He saw himself standing before the throne, blood staining the obsidian floor. He was alone—his warriors, his people… gone.
And then—he made the choice.
His past self raised his hands, chanting words of power.
The throne shattered, the empire was sealed, and everything faded into oblivion.
And Kaelen… disappeared.
---
The Awakening
Kaelen gasped, his body jerking back as he was thrown from the vision.
He was back in the ruined city.
The throne was still there, its dark presence unchanged.
But now—Kaelen remembered.
He had sealed the empire himself.
Not out of betrayal.
But to stop something far worse.
Lirien knelt beside him, concern in her gaze. "Kaelen? What did you see?"
Kaelen's hands trembled. He looked up at the throne, at the city, at the warriors who had sworn their loyalty to him even after centuries of being forgotten.
And he finally understood.
The Black Sun Empire had not fallen.
It had been locked away to prevent something from escaping.
And now…
That seal was breaking.
Kaelen clenched his fists.
It was time to prepare.
The Black Sun was rising again—and with it, so was the darkness he had once fought to contain.
The Breaking Seal
The weight of the past still clung to Kaelen's mind. The visions had shown him why the Black Sun Empire was sealed—but not what he had sealed away.
His breath was steady, but inside, his thoughts raced. If the seal was breaking, then something was coming. Something ancient. Something powerful.
Lirien knelt beside him, her brows furrowed. "Kaelen, you've been silent for too long. What did you see?"
Kaelen looked at her, his voice low. "The truth."
He turned to the kneeling guardians, their eyes watching him with expectation. "Rise," he commanded. "We have work to do."
The warriors stood as one. The air shifted—the very stones beneath them seemed to tremble. The Black Sun was awakening, and the empire was about to return to the world.
But first—they had to restore its power.
---
A City in Ruins
Kaelen led the group deeper into the capital. Lirien walked beside him, still trying to make sense of everything. "So let me get this straight," she said. "You sealed away an entire empire—your own empire—to stop something worse from getting out?"
Kaelen nodded. "Yes."
"And now that thing might be waking up?"
Kaelen's jaw tightened. "Yes."
Lirien sighed. "Wonderful."
The ruins stretched endlessly before them. Towers that had once stood proud now lay crumbling. Streets once filled with life were now covered in dust and silence.
But there was something more.
Kaelen could feel it—the city was still alive. Not in the way it had been before, but in a different way.
The Black Sun was stirring.
And so was the power buried within it.
---
The Hidden Chamber
The guardians led Kaelen and Lirien to the base of an ancient structure—one that still stood intact. Its doors were massive, carved with symbols of the Black Sun, and pulsed faintly with magic.
"This is where the empire's power was stored," one of the warriors said. "If the seal is breaking, we must ensure that the empire itself is restored before the enemy awakens."
Kaelen stepped forward and pressed his palm against the door.
The magic within it reacted instantly.
Dark energy surged, twisting through the stone. The entire city seemed to pulse in response, as if recognizing its master.
And then—the doors opened.
Inside was a chamber of pure obsidian, massive in scale, lined with pillars that reached toward the ceiling. At the center, resting upon an altar, was a sphere of swirling darkness—the Heart of the Black Sun.
Kaelen felt his breath catch.
This was the core of his empire's power. The very thing that had fueled their dominance for centuries.
But something was wrong.
The sphere was cracked.
And from within those cracks, something was leaking.
---
A Warning from the Past
Kaelen stepped closer, his fingers brushing against the surface of the sphere. The moment he touched it, a voice echoed in his mind—his own voice, but from the past.
"If you are hearing this… then the seal is failing."
Kaelen's eyes widened.
"You were right to lock it away. But if you are here now, then the darkness has already begun to stir. It will wake soon. And if you are not ready, it will destroy everything."
The vision shifted.
He saw himself, standing before the sphere, sealing away the empire with a final act of magic. His expression had been grim, his hands covered in blood.
"You do not have much time."
The vision ended.
Kaelen staggered back, his heart pounding.
Lirien caught his arm. "Kaelen? What happened?"
Kaelen's voice was hard when he spoke. "The seal isn't just breaking. It's shattering."
The power they had locked away wasn't just waking up—it was escaping.
And if they didn't stop it soon…
The world would burn.