The Ashes of Velkanis
The once-proud kingdom of Velkanis lay in ruins. Fires still smoldered, their embers painting the sky in eerie shades of red and black. The scent of blood and ash mixed with the cold wind as Kaelen walked through the wreckage, his boots pressing against the shattered remnants of the city's defenses.
His soldiers moved silently through the ruins, looting what remained of the fortress. Weapons, enchanted relics, tomes of ancient magic—all taken as spoils of war. The people of Velkanis who had survived either knelt in submission or lay dead where they stood.
The war was over.
Kaelen stood atop the broken walls, looking down at his legions of darkness below. Their black banners, adorned with the sigil of the Black Sun, waved in the smoky air. They had taken another kingdom.
But there were many more to conquer.
The Road to the East
Kaelen turned his gaze toward the eastern horizon. Beyond the mountains lay the kingdom of Solmere, a land of scholars, mages, and warlocks. Unlike Velkanis, they did not rely on swords and steel.
They wielded power beyond mortal comprehension.
Kaelen had no fear of magic, but he understood its dangers. Solmere was a land of secrets, of forbidden knowledge, of forces even the gods feared to touch.
Conquering it would be unlike any war he had fought before.
But war was inevitable.
The rulers of Solmere would never kneel willingly.
Kaelen clenched his fist, the power of the Black Sun thrumming through his veins. If magic was their weapon, then he would show them the abyssal magic that dwelled within him.
Let them summon their storms.
Let them call upon their gods.
He would break them all the same.
The Seeds of Rebellion
Yet, even as Kaelen prepared for war, whispers of rebellion spread in the shadows.
In the ruins of Velkanis, a few survivors had escaped. Among them was Orin Velkanis, the younger brother of the fallen king. A warrior trained in both sword and sorcery, he had barely survived the massacre, retreating into the wilderness with a handful of knights.
They carried with them a single mission—to find allies, to gather what strength remained, and to strike back.
Kaelen knew of their escape.
And he did not care.
Let them run. Let them plot.
It would change nothing.
The Black Sun had risen.
And soon, the world would burn in its shadow.
---
Shadows Over Solmere
The Gathering Storm
The journey east was one of silence and shadow. Kaelen's army moved like an endless tide, stretching for miles across the barren plains, their black banners fluttering in the dying light.
Beyond the towering Ironfang Mountains, the kingdom of Solmere awaited. Unlike the warrior kingdoms he had crushed before, Solmere was a nation built upon ancient knowledge and magic. It was said that the ruling council, the Archmages of Solmere, held secrets lost to time—spells capable of rewriting reality itself.
Kaelen remained unmoved.
Magic, no matter how powerful, was still bound by rules.
And he would break them.
The Archmages' Preparations
In the great city of Eldora, the capital of Solmere, the rulers of the kingdom gathered within the Celestial Tower, the tallest spire in the land. The room pulsed with raw magic, golden glyphs swirling in the air as nine archmages stood in a circle, their faces etched with worry.
They had heard of Velkanis's fall.
They had felt the power of the Black Sun creeping ever closer.
"We must act," spoke Archmage Valeria, the eldest among them. Her silver robes shimmered with celestial energy as she gazed at her fellow mages. "This Kaelen is not a mere warlord. He is something far worse."
"His power is unnatural," agreed Archmage Soren, a man with piercing green eyes. "We have studied the abyss, but this... this is beyond anything in our texts."
A silence fell over them.
They had seen empires rise and fall. They had never seen one consume the world in darkness.
Finally, Archmage Darius, a man with runes burned into his flesh, spoke. "Then we must break our own rules. If Kaelen does not follow the laws of this world, then neither shall we."
His words sent a ripple of unease through the council.
There were spells—forbidden spells—that even they dared not use. Magic that could shatter reality if left unchecked.
And yet, faced with annihilation, they had no choice.
Kaelen's Arrival
As Solmere prepared its last defenses, Kaelen stood atop a rocky outcrop, staring down at the golden city of Eldora. Even from a distance, he could feel the power that radiated from its walls.
His soldiers stood behind him, an endless tide of abyssal warriors, war beasts, and spellcasters twisted by the Black Sun's power. The ground itself trembled beneath their presence.
"They think their magic will save them," Kaelen murmured, his voice a whisper of death. "They do not understand that magic bends to my will."
He lifted his hand, and the sky darkened. The Black Sun pulsed in the heavens, its shadows stretching over Eldora, swallowing the golden light.
The siege had begun.
The war for Solmere would be like no other.
And Kaelen would ensure that not even the gods could save them.
---
The First Strike
The Fall of Light
The golden barrier surrounding Eldora flickered as the Black Sun's darkness crept over the city. Thousands of arcane wards, woven over centuries, began to tremble under the weight of Kaelen's power.
On the city walls, mages and archers stood ready, their eyes fixed on the endless black tide below. They had never faced an army like this.
They had never fought a war like this.
Kaelen raised his hand.
And the first attack began.
Abyssal Onslaught
A wall of black flames erupted from Kaelen's forces, surging toward the golden barrier like a tidal wave of shadows. The spell crashed against the city's defenses, sending shockwaves rippling through the air. The barrier shook but held.
From the walls, Solmere's mages retaliated.
Blinding bolts of lightning streaked through the sky, columns of fire rained down upon the abyssal legions, and chains of holy energy lashed out, attempting to purge the darkness.
Yet, the Black Sun's forces did not falter.
The shadow-infused warriors marched forward, their bodies resisting the purifying spells. Monstrous war beasts charged through the flames, their hides reinforced with abyssal energy.
And then, from the heart of the black army, came the true horror.
The Nightborn.
The Nightmare Unleashed
Shadowy figures emerged from the darkness, gliding across the battlefield like wraiths. Their bodies were part flesh, part void, and their eyes glowed with abyssal hunger. They moved too fast for the mages to track, vanishing and reappearing within seconds.
The moment they reached the walls, the real slaughter began.
A Nightborn assassin materialized behind a mage, its blade of black steel piercing through his heart before he could even scream. Another leapt onto a battlement, tearing through archers like they were made of paper.
Solmere's defenders fought desperately, casting spells, swinging swords, unleashing every ounce of magic they had. But for every Nightborn that fell, ten more took its place.
Kaelen's Power Awakens
Watching from below, Kaelen smiled.
This was no battle.
This was a lesson.
Lifting his sword, he whispered a single word in the tongue of the abyss.
The Black Sun pulsed.
A shockwave of pure darkness erupted outward, swallowing the battlefield in absolute void. The golden barrier—Solmere's last hope—began to crack.
The Archmages of Solmere, still in their tower, felt it.
And for the first time in their immortal lives...
they knew fear.
---
End of Chapter 24.