The fires of the broken plaza had long since died.
Elyndor's great banners — once proud and gleaming — now lay torn and blackened in the dust.
But amid the ruins, a single light remained unextinguished.
Kaelen Drayce stood with the Pathbreakers around the dying embers of their campfire.
His cracked-crown sigil burned faintly over his heart, reflecting in their tired but unbroken gazes.
[System Notification]
[Quest: Home of the Pathbreakers (Active).]
[Objective: Acquire land and begin stronghold construction.]
[Warning: Major Factions Monitoring Sovereign Movements.]
Kaelen tightened his fist.
The system was warning him.
Building a home wasn't just a personal dream anymore.
It was a declaration of war.
The Meeting
"We can't stay in Elyndor," Kaelen said quietly.
Around him, the Pathbreakers nodded grimly.
Selina leaned forward, worry etched on her face.
"Where can we go? The Royal Council still controls every major city."
"Not every piece of land," Kaelen said, voice low and firm.
"There are wild places. Broken cities abandoned after the Great Collapse. Forgotten territories the guilds fear to touch."
Eren grinned savagely.
"Sounds like home already."
The Plan
Kaelen unrolled a rough, stained map across the broken stone table.
He pointed at a jagged scar etched into the eastern borderlands.
"The Weeping Expanse."
A ruined region, long abandoned after ancient wars.
No kingdoms.
No guild banners.
No Legacy families.
Only monsters.
And freedom.
"We'll claim a piece of it," Kaelen said.
"We'll build there.
Brick by brick.
Blood by blood."
The Pathbreakers straightened.
They understood.
This wasn't just survival anymore.
It was the birth of something greater.
Meanwhile — In the Royal Capital
Far across the kingdoms, in the golden halls of the Royal Council, whispers grew.
An aged duke spoke sharply, slamming his cane against the marble floor.
"The boy threatens balance. Already, minor guilds stir at his name!"
A robed woman — draped in silks marked by dragon emblems — sneered.
"Commoners must be reminded of their place."
The High Chancellor leaned forward, voice cold as winter steel.
"Prepare contingencies."
"Send hunters.
Send armies.
Send smiles if needed — then knives."
Across the Legacy Families and the great kingdoms, silent orders were issued.
A single message carried through the shadows:
"Break the Pathbreakers before they plant their flag.
Before the people see them rise.
Before hope becomes rebellion."
Back in Elyndor
Kaelen rolled the map up carefully, feeling the weight of the world shifting around him.
He knew.
He felt it in his bones.
The powerful were stirring.
Not openly yet — but soon.
Their patience would snap.
Their fear would turn to rage.
And when that happened —
he and the Pathbreakers would need to stand stronger than ever.
Reflection
That night, as the others slept, Kaelen stood alone atop a broken watchtower, staring at the wounded stars.
He thought of his mother, sitting by a cold fire, waiting for letters that never came.
He thought of his younger siblings, chasing dreams too big for empty fields.
He thought of the promises he made.
"I won't run," Kaelen whispered to the sky.
"Not from kings.
Not from gods."
"I will build them a home."
"Even if I have to burn the heavens themselves to do it."
And far above — beyond mortal eyes —
the stars seemed to shimmer faintly.
As if watching.
As if waiting.