The Scarlands didn't welcome travelers.
Kael had expected desolation, but what lay ahead defied the concept of ruin. The very air shimmered with echoes of broken time. Trees grew sideways, their roots slithering across stones like serpents. Rivers flowed in loops, never reaching the sea. And the sky… it bled hues no one could name.
But the relic pulsed faster now, guiding them toward a jagged hill cloaked in mist.
"The Hollow Crown lies beneath that," Lira said, clutching her rune-scroll tight. "Or… what's left of it."
---
Twisted Sanctuary
The entrance revealed itself only at dusk, hidden beneath tangled roots and carved stone guardians—massive statues of serpent-headed kings with blindfolded eyes. They passed through in silence. Even Arin, usually sarcastic, had gone still.
The stone corridor descended sharply, each step echoing like thunder. Kael reached out to the walls—etched glyphs whispered in a tongue only he could hear.
Lira watched him. "You've changed, Kael."
"I feel like something's remembering itself through me," he said quietly.
---
The Trial Begins
They reached a chamber as wide as a cathedral—pillars of obsidian lined its sides, all circling a floating disk of stone. Symbols spun above it, glowing gold and blue.
The moment Kael stepped forward, the floor trembled.
A voice echoed from the air itself:
"Heir of Ash. Child of War. Prove your name in the Trial of Kings."
The disk shattered—reforming into a spiral arena of floating platforms over a glowing chasm.
Kael turned. "I go alone."
Lira wanted to object, but something in Kael's expression silenced her.
He leapt forward—onto the first platform.
---
Blood Memory
With a roar, the Trial activated.
An illusion burst into life—an ancient battlefield, skies churning with fire. Kael stood in the center… alone.
Across from him stood a version of himself—but older, wrapped in obsidian armor, eyes like twin stars. The warlord version.
Kael's hands glowed, glyphs flaring to life. So did the warlord's.
No words. Just war.
Clash.
Kael barely dodged the first strike—a blast of voidfire that tore apart three platforms.
Clash.
He countered with Ashrend—the punch met a barrier of pure force.
The warlord grinned. "You hesitate. I never did."
Kael gritted his teeth. "Then you forgot what you fought for."
The older self launched forward, chains of searing energy snaking from his arms. Kael rolled, took a deep breath, and drew deeper into the relic's power.
"Phase Mantle!"
His body shimmered—slipping half into the spectral plane. He passed through the attack, then countered with a series of glyph-enhanced strikes.
Finally—he struck the warlord's chest, shattering the armor's core.
---
Crown Claimed
The vision flickered. The older Kael nodded before vanishing into dust.
A crown of shimmering energy formed above Kael's head—then burned itself into his chest as a glyph: a serpent swallowing the sun.
The relic pulsed once, then went silent.
Kael collapsed to his knees. "It's done."
But the chamber spoke once more.
"You are not the first to pass. But you may be the last."
---
Outside the Vault
Arin pulled him from the platform just before it crumbled into the void.
Kael rose slowly, eyes glowing faintly. "We need to leave. Now."
Lira nodded. "Something's coming."
The air twisted—stones trembled. From the upper halls, footsteps echoed—too many to count.
The Pale Hand had followed them in.
---
A New Power Awakens
Kael stepped forward, hands aglow. This time, he didn't hold back.
When the first enemies appeared, cloaked in death and madness, Kael's aura exploded outward.
Glyphs spiraled around him—no longer just marks, but living fire.
"Ashes to Sovereigns," he whispered.
The cavern trembled. The battle began.
---
End of Chapter 12
> Kael has passed the Trial of Kings and awakened a deeper level of his legacy. But now, the Pale Hand comes in force. Will the Hollow Crown become their tomb… or a throne of fire?