The deep, echoing blast of the warhorn sent a chill through the air.
From the towering walls of Vaelthorne, soldiers moved swiftly into formation. Banners bearing the sigil of King Aldric Vael—a crowned wolf with golden eyes—fluttered in the evening wind.
Kaelen's grip tightened on the hilt of his sword.
Lirien sighed. "So much for subtlety."
Kaelen smirked. "I never planned to be subtle."
The Black Sun Empire had returned—and the world needed to remember.
---
A King of Borrowed Power
Within the high walls of Vaelthorne, King Aldric Vael stood atop the central tower, peering down at the approaching force.
His golden cloak billowed as he turned to his captain of the guard. "Who are they?"
The captain, a burly man in plated armor, hesitated. "They… they claim to be from the Black Sun Empire."
Aldric's expression twisted into a smirk. "The Black Sun?" He let out a short laugh. "That empire has been dead for centuries."
The captain swallowed. "Perhaps, Your Majesty, but…" He hesitated. "The man leading them… his presence is—unnerving. The way he carries himself…"
Aldric's gaze sharpened. "Go on."
The captain hesitated, then said, "He moves like a king."
For a moment, silence filled the chamber.
Then Aldric's smirk vanished.
"Summon the High Magus," he ordered. "Tell him to prepare the Fragment."
---
The Battle Begins
At the base of the city walls, Kaelen and his warriors stood firm.
Vaelthorne's soldiers lined the battlements, bows raised, spears ready. The air was thick with tension.
A lone messenger stepped forward, his voice ringing out.
"State your name and purpose!"
Kaelen stepped forward, his voice commanding. "I am Kaelen, the rightful ruler of the Black Sun Empire. I have come to reclaim what was stolen."
Murmurs rippled across the walls. Some soldiers flinched at his words.
But the messenger remained firm. "Vaelthorne kneels to King Aldric Vael. Your empire is dust."
Kaelen's eyes burned with power. "Then let him prove it on the battlefield."
With a single motion, he raised his sword—a dark glow rippling across the steel.
The Black Sun's warriors surged forward.
The First Clash
The moment Kaelen's sword rose, the battlefield erupted into motion.
From the ramparts of Vaelthorne, archers loosed their arrows. A storm of steel-tipped death rained down, but Kaelen merely lifted his free hand—dark energy surged from his palm, forming a swirling barrier of shadows that swallowed the arrows whole.
Then, he stepped forward, and the battle truly began.
---
A Kingdom That Never Forgot
Despite the centuries that had passed, Kaelen's name still carried weight. Some of the older knights of Vaelthorne, those who had grown up hearing whispers of the Black Sun Empire, hesitated.
Could it truly be him?
The younger warriors, however, had only ever known the rule of King Aldric. To them, the empire of old was nothing more than myth and dust. They rushed forward without hesitation.
A captain in polished silver armor led the charge, his blade gleaming in the torchlight. "Cut them down! For Vaelthorne and the Crowned Wolf!"
Kaelen met him mid-stride. Their swords clashed in a burst of sparks, the impact sending shockwaves through the battlefield.
The captain gritted his teeth. "You're just another warlord trying to claim—"
Kaelen's next strike shattered his blade. Dark energy coiled around Kaelen's weapon, twisting through the air like a living force. The captain's eyes widened in horror as Kaelen drove a boot into his chest, sending him sprawling to the ground.
"Your king sits on a throne built on lies," Kaelen said coldly. "You don't even know what you're fighting for."
Before the captain could respond, Lirien darted past him, slicing through two enemy soldiers with fluid precision. She wiped the blood off her blade and glanced at Kaelen.
"You always this dramatic in battle?"
Kaelen smirked. "Only when I have an audience."
---
The Power of the Black Sun
As the Black Sun's warriors advanced, the very air around them seemed to darken.
Those closest to Kaelen could feel something stirring in the air—a forgotten power, pulsing through his presence like a second heartbeat.
The soldiers of Vaelthorne soon realized they were not merely fighting men and steel.
They were fighting shadows given form.
With each step Kaelen took, the battlefield shifted—the very ground trembling beneath his presence. His sword moved with the precision of a king who had conquered before.
Every swing of his blade carved through soldiers like a painter etching his masterpiece. His empire had not been lost. It had only been waiting.
And now, it was rising once more.
---
King Aldric's Desperation
Inside the grand halls of Vaelthorne's castle, King Aldric paced.
His golden robes trailed behind him as he turned to the High Magus, a robed figure whose hands trembled as they traced glowing runes into the air.
"This is impossible," Aldric hissed. "We sealed them away! The Black Sun Empire was supposed to be gone!"
The High Magus wiped sweat from his brow. "He has the blood of the old empire. The seal never erased them—only delayed them."
Aldric clenched his fists. "Then tell me we still have control of the Fragment."
The High Magus nodded, motioning toward a large obsidian stone, pulsing with crimson energy. The Fragment of the Black Sun.
But something was wrong. The energy within it was reacting.
To Kaelen.
It was as if the Fragment recognized its master.
The High Magus swallowed hard. "If we use it… we may not be able to control the power."
Aldric's expression twisted with fury. "I don't care! If we don't stop him now, there won't be a kingdom left to rule!"
He turned toward the throne, where a black-bladed spear rested against the wall. His father's weapon.
He grasped it and turned toward the battlefield. "I will face him myself."
---
A Duel for the Throne
Back on the battlefield, the gates of Vaelthorne burst open.
From within the city, Aldric Vael emerged, clad in gold-trimmed black armor, the Fragment pulsing at his side. His black-bladed spear radiated a power unlike any Kaelen had felt before.
The soldiers of Vaelthorne stepped back. This was no longer a war—it was a challenge.
Kaelen wiped blood from his cheek and locked eyes with Aldric. "Finally."
Aldric twirled his spear, the dark energy crackling around its edges. "You should have stayed buried."
Kaelen took a step forward. The Black Sun burned brighter.
"I was waiting for the right moment to rise."
And with that, the two kings clashed.
Kings in Battle
The battlefield grew silent.
The air between Kaelen and Aldric crackled with tension, the weight of history pressing down upon them. Every soldier, every warrior—whether ally or foe—stepped back, instinctively knowing that this was not a battle for them to fight.
This was a war between kings.
Aldric spun his black-bladed spear, the Fragment of the Black Sun at his side pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat. Shadows coiled around him, the very air bending under the force of his power.
Kaelen lifted his sword, its dark glow intensifying. The Black Sun had chosen him long before this moment—but now, it was ready to show the world why.
Then, they moved.
---
The Clash of Kings
Aldric struck first, his spear thrusting forward like a bolt of lightning. Kaelen dodged by a breath, twisting his body as the weapon sliced past his ribs. Before Aldric could recover, Kaelen countered, his sword flashing toward the king's exposed side.
But Aldric was fast. Too fast.
He parried the blow, his spear twisting unnaturally, almost as if guided by an unseen force. He spun, aiming for Kaelen's throat—but Kaelen blocked it just in time.
The force of their collision shook the ground beneath them. The soldiers watching felt the shockwave pulse through their bones.
They weren't just fighting—they were rewriting the very balance of power with each strike.
---
The Truth of the Fragment
High atop Vaelthorne's castle, the High Magus watched the battle unfold. His hands trembled as he touched the arcane runes embedded into the walls of the tower.
The Fragment was reacting.
Not just to Aldric.
But to Kaelen.
"It was never meant for Aldric," he whispered in horror. "It was meant for… him."
The realization struck him like a blade. The power of the Black Sun—it had been sealed away for centuries, broken into fragments to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands.
But Kaelen wasn't the wrong hands.
He was the rightful heir.
And the Fragment was calling out to him.
---
Aldric's Desperation
As the battle raged, Aldric felt it too.
The Fragment's power wasn't his to wield.
It was resisting him.
"No," he snarled, forcing the energy into his veins. "You are mine."
He lunged, his spear coated in twisting black flames, the dark energy tearing apart the very air around them.
Kaelen met his strike head-on, their weapons colliding in an explosion of power that sent a shockwave rippling through the battlefield.
For a brief moment, all was still.
Then, a crack echoed through the field.
Aldric's spear shattered.
---
The Moment of Truth
Aldric staggered backward, staring at the broken remains of his weapon. His hands trembled—he had never lost control before.
Kaelen took a slow step forward, his eyes burning with the power of the Black Sun.
"This was never yours to wield," Kaelen said coldly.
The Fragment pulsed again—and then, before Aldric could react, it ripped itself free from his side.
The stone hovered in the air for a single, terrible moment.
Then it shot toward Kaelen.
Dark energy exploded outward as the Fragment fused with him.
Aldric could only watch in horror.
The Black Sun had chosen its king.