The air inside the chamber of the Black Sun felt thick—charged with something ancient and unstable. Kaelen's gaze remained locked on the cracked sphere, its swirling darkness pulsing faintly.
The power inside it was trying to escape.
Lirien stepped closer, arms crossed. "So, how bad is it?"
Kaelen clenched his fists. "If we don't repair the seal soon… it won't just break. It'll explode."
Lirien exhaled sharply. "Great. And I'm guessing that's bad?"
Kaelen turned to her, his expression grim. "If the Heart shatters completely, everything that was locked away will be set free. The empire will awaken fully… but so will the thing we locked inside."
Lirien frowned. "And what exactly did you seal away?"
Kaelen remained silent for a long moment.
He had seen glimpses in his visions—a shadow beyond reason, a force even his empire had feared.
He wasn't ready to say it out loud.
Instead, he turned to the kneeling guardians. "The Heart is damaged. We need to restore its power before it fails completely."
The lead guardian, his armor gleaming with faint obsidian light, nodded. "Then we must find the fragments of the Black Sun."
Kaelen's eyes narrowed. "Where are they?"
The guardian hesitated. Then, in a solemn voice, he answered—
"They were scattered beyond the seal, across the world."
Kaelen's stomach sank. That meant—
"We have to leave the ruins," Lirien realized.
And face whatever world had formed in the centuries since the Black Sun Empire had vanished.
---
The World That Moved On
Kaelen stood at the edge of the ruined city, looking beyond the veil of shadows that still shrouded it.
He could feel the power beyond—new kingdoms, new rulers, people who had no memory of the empire he had once ruled.
The world had changed.
But if the fragments of the Black Sun were scattered across it, then he would have to reclaim them—one by one.
Lirien stretched, adjusting her weapons. "So, how do we find these fragments? Just walk into the nearest kingdom and ask nicely?"
Kaelen smirked. "Not exactly."
The guardians stepped forward, their leader holding an ancient map—a relic from the past, its surface shifting with dark magic.
"The fragments lie in places of great power," the guardian explained. "Some have likely been claimed by others. Others may be hidden where none dare tread."
Kaelen scanned the map. His first destination was clear.
A kingdom that had once been part of his empire—now ruled by a false king.
Kaelen's fingers tightened around the map.
It was time for the world to remember the true ruler of the Black Sun.
The First Fragment
Kaelen stood at the ruined gates of the Black Sun Capital, the shadows parting before him. Behind him, the loyal guardians prepared for their march, their armor gleaming under the faint glow of the ever-present darkness that loomed over the city.
Lirien adjusted the straps on her sword. "Alright, let's go over this again. We're heading to a kingdom that used to be part of your empire, right?"
Kaelen nodded. "The Kingdom of Vaelthorne. It was once a vassal state of the Black Sun Empire—until the seal was placed."
"And now?"
Kaelen's jaw tightened. "Now, it's ruled by a false king. Someone who took power in the absence of the Black Sun."
Lirien sighed. "Let me guess. He won't just hand over the fragment."
Kaelen smirked. "Not without bloodshed."
---
The Journey Beyond the Shadows
Leaving the Black Sun Capital was an experience Kaelen hadn't been prepared for.
As they crossed the ancient boundary, he felt it—the shift in the world.
For centuries, his empire had been locked away in isolation. But now, as he stepped beyond the veil, the full weight of time crashed over him.
The world was not as he left it.
New kingdoms had risen. Old names had been forgotten.
And as they made their way through the wildlands, Kaelen began to notice something even more troubling.
The power of the Black Sun was not feared.
It was forgotten.
Lirien walked beside him, glancing at the passing villages they ignored. "No one recognizes you."
Kaelen exhaled sharply. "They wouldn't. The world has moved on."
And yet, he could feel it.
The remnants of his empire still pulsed beneath the surface. There were whispers of old power, places where the Black Sun's influence had never fully faded.
They had to move quickly.
Because something else was stirring in the shadows.
And it wasn't just the false kings.
---
Vaelthorne – A Kingdom Built on Lies
Three days later, they reached the outskirts of Vaelthorne.
The city stood tall, its towering walls built with a mixture of old and new stone—patched together over centuries of struggle.
Kaelen's eyes narrowed. He recognized parts of those walls. They had once belonged to his empire.
And now, they were being used to keep him out.
A large banner flew above the gate, bearing the emblem of a crowned wolf—the sigil of King Aldric Vael, the self-proclaimed ruler of Vaelthorne.
Lirien crossed her arms. "So, what's the plan? Walk up to the gates and demand they surrender?"
Kaelen smirked. "Something like that."
But before they could move, a horn sounded from the city walls.
Kaelen tensed.
He knew that sound.
A warhorn.
Lirien's expression darkened. "Looks like they already know we're coming."
Kaelen drew his sword, the obsidian blade humming with power.
"Then let them remember," he said. "The Black Sun has returned."