The sky above had darkened further, the edges of the rift still burning with dark energy as Voxar vanished into the ether. The boy stood frozen in place, his body still humming with power, his senses overrun with the aftermath of the battle. His mind was scattered, filled with the weight of the Throne System and the haunting knowledge of what Voxar had said.
Thronebearer.
The word had echoed in his mind ever since Voxar had spoken it, like a whisper buried deep inside him. He didn't know what it meant. He didn't know who had given him the title. But he could feel it—his very soul seemed to resonate with the weight of it. Thronebearer. It was a mantle that carried a heavy burden, one that had been lost and now was thrust upon him.
"What... am I?" The question escaped his lips before he could stop it.
He turned his gaze toward the man—the only other survivor of the battle. His ragged breath echoed in the eerie silence of the battlefield as he cautiously approached the boy. The man's eyes were wide with disbelief, his body trembling from the sheer power he had witnessed.
"I—I've never seen anything like that before," the man muttered. "Who are you, really? What do they want from you?"
The boy didn't answer. He didn't know how to explain it. He didn't understand it himself. But the truth was clearer than ever: The throne that once belonged to the First Realm had returned. And with it, so had the wars. The wars that would tear apart worlds.
The Covenant of Crows would not be the only enemy to chase after him.
The boy closed his eyes, focusing on the Throne System within him. He could feel its presence, an entity both foreign and intimately familiar. It was as if the very core of the multiverse itself was embedded in his being, its influence pulling him toward something larger than he could comprehend.
**❖ Throne System — Interface Update:
Command: Engage.
Function: Search.
Current Objective: Locate Ancient Fragments.
Additional Information: Seek remnants of the past to unlock the Throne's full potential.**
A surge of energy ran through him, stronger than before. The world around him felt different, as though every corner of reality was within reach. His mind, once fractured, now seemed whole again. He was being pulled in different directions—to unknown lands, to places where the fabric of reality had been torn apart. And somewhere out there, fragments of the First Realm lay scattered, waiting to be reclaimed.
He opened his eyes, meeting the man's gaze. There was fear in his eyes, but there was also something else. Hope.
"You're not just a survivor, are you?" the man asked softly, as if he already knew the answer. "You're here for something else, something bigger."
The boy didn't answer. He didn't have the words. But the urge to move forward, to find the fragments that would make him whole again, consumed him. He had no choice but to obey the pull of the Throne System. The pieces of his past, the fragments of the First Realm, were the key to understanding everything.
Suddenly, the sound of engines roaring in the distance reached his ears. He looked up, instinctively raising his hand, and the Throne System responded. Lines of code appeared before his eyes.
❖ Warning: Hostile Entities Approaching.
❖ Entity Type: Vanguard Class.
❖ Estimated Time of Arrival: 5 minutes.
❖ Hostile Objective: Eliminate Threat.
The boy's heart skipped a beat. He had no time to waste. He turned to the man, his voice low and filled with resolve. "Get to cover. They're coming for me."
The man nodded quickly, his eyes wide with fear. But the boy didn't wait. He dashed toward the edge of the battlefield, the Throne System guiding him, pulling him toward a gateway hidden within the ruins. The gateway shimmered before him, an unstable rift in space, glowing faintly with energy.
He could feel it—a connection. This was the path to the fragments, to the answers he sought. But it wasn't just a path to power. It was a path that would lead him deeper into the heart of the conflict. The war for the throne was not just beginning. It had already begun, and the boy was now part of it.
As he neared the gateway, he felt a tug at his heart. Something was wrong.
The Vanguard Class—they were close. The boy didn't hesitate. He sprinted toward the rift, his body moving faster than he'd ever felt it move before. The gateway rippled in front of him, distorting as if it sensed his approach.
❖ Warning: Unstable. Rifting may cause multidimensional displacement.
It didn't matter. He couldn't stop now.
The boy leaped through the rift just as the Vanguard Class appeared, their warships descending from the sky in a wave of destruction. The rift closed behind him with a thunderous crack, sealing off the battlefield and the enemies pursuing him.
On the other side, the boy found himself in an entirely different place—a world torn between time and space. The very air was thick with fragmented energies, the remnants of shattered realities scattered like debris. He could feel the power of the Throne pulsing through the very soil beneath his feet, resonating with the essence of what was once the First Realm.
And there, amidst the chaos, stood the first piece of what he had been searching for.
It was a relic—an ancient obelisk, cracked and weathered by the passage of time. But the symbol engraved upon it was unmistakable. The mark of the Thronebearer. His mark.
He approached it slowly, his heart beating faster. The power radiating from the obelisk was immense, ancient, but still alive. It called to him, urging him to take the next step.
But as he reached out to touch it, the Throne System flared in his mind once more.
**❖ Fragment Detected:
Function: Unlocking Memories.
Activation: Thronebearer Fragment.
Status: Critical Activation.**
The moment his fingers made contact, a flood of memories slammed into him—visions of the past, of battles fought across countless realms, of a throne that had once ruled everything. A king—his past self—lost to time. The weight of the throne, the betrayal, the final act of destruction.
And then, the boy understood.
He wasn't just a piece of the past. He was the future—the last hope of the First Realm. And his true purpose was not just to find the fragments.
It was to destroy them.