The sky above Caldrath shimmered in stormlight.
Clouds rippled like torn parchment as Kieran ventured beyond the outer ruins—guided by a map etched into a sealed page he uncovered behind the Blood-Sign Gate. It showed no name, only a symbol: a shattered blade buried beneath the mountains.
It led him to the Grave of the First Break, an abandoned valley veiled in mist, hidden between collapsed peaks.
There, the fragment slept.
And something else… did not.
The Seal of Sylas
Kieran found the fragment deep in a cavern choked by silence.
It hovered above a stone pedestal—black steel humming with restrained rage. It wasn't a sword. Not yet. Just a jagged shard of power, pulsing like a heart unwilling to stop beating.
"So this is what he sealed…" Kieran whispered. "Why?"
Then the stone cracked beneath his feet.
The air shifted.
And the mountain trembled.
The Guardian Wakes
With a growl that shook the stars above, it emerged.
A bear.
But not a beast.
A Guardian.
Twenty-five meters tall. Its hide was void-black, its massive frame woven with glowing blue veins. Eyes the color of ancient ice fixed on Kieran with no hate… only judgment.
It stepped forward—and the shadows around Kieran bent with it.
"Only those who were meant to arrive in the right time," came a voice inside his head, "may touch what Sylas buried. You are early."
Kieran drew his blade.
"Then test me."
Living Shadow vs. Silence
The Guardian struck with weight that split the stone floor.
Kieran leapt high, using Silence Slash—so fast, the shadow it left behind hadn't caught up.
He carved across the Guardian's side—but the wound sealed before the echo of his strike faded.
The bear reared up, roared, and darkness poured from its chest.
Shadow's Murderer Intent.
Kieran activated the gift.
The Guardian slowed.
Its force dulled.
But still… it stood.
And then it spoke again:
"If you wish to take this fragment… show me why Sylas left it behind for you."
Test of Fate
Kieran dove into the storm of shadows, not just slashing, but thinking—his calm against evil the mark of the Voidborne's Late Bloomer blessing.
He struck not the body—but the light in its chest.
The center of the spell that bound it.
"You don't want to kill me," he said mid-strike. "You want to know if I'm worthy."
And the Guardian… paused.
For the first time, it hesitated.
Then slowly, it knelt.
The Fragment Chosen
The shard lifted from the pedestal, floated toward Kieran, and stopped just short of his grasp.
"This is not your weapon yet," the Guardian said. "It is one of six. The rest will not yield so easily."
Kieran reached out—touched the fragment.
His hand burned.
Visions surged—Sylas bleeding on a battlefield, the sky falling, a broken blade held high.
Then silence.
And the fragment sealed itself to Kieran's will.
The Servant of Auren
As Kieran left the cavern, a figure leaned against the rocks nearby.
Cloaked in crimson, eyes like flame, a curved blade on her back.
"So," she said. "You really did take the first piece."
Kieran stopped cold.
"Who are you?"
She smirked.
"I served Auren Soldran… once. But I'm not here to fight."
She stepped forward, hand outstretched.
"I'm here to warn you. He knows you've started walking his rival's path."