The ruins of Elyndor's southern plaza still smoked under the torn night sky.
Broken stones.
Shattered buildings.
Blood and mana staining the earth.
At the center of it all stood Kaelen Drayce.
Silent.
Steady.
The Fragmented Sovereign Core floated before him — a black crystal pulsing faintly with chaotic light.
[System Notification]
[Fragmented Sovereign Core Acquired.]
[Absorption Available: Unlock Sovereign Bloodline Enhancement.]
[Warning: Mental Trial Imminent.]
Kaelen stared at the crystal.
He could feel it calling to him.
A promise.
A challenge.
He tightened his grip on Sovereignblade Astryn.
"If I hesitate now," he muttered,
"I'll never reach the throne."
Without further delay, he reached out and grasped the core.
The Vision Hits
The world exploded into darkness.
Kaelen stood alone in an endless void.
Before him —
a thousand broken crowns floated in the black.
Kings.
Sovereigns.
Gods.
All shattered.
All fallen.
A cold voice — not the system's, something older — whispered:
"You seek to rise.
Then see what awaits."
Suddenly, visions crashed into Kaelen's mind:
Battles against titans that blotted out the sun.
Wars against Ascendants who shattered continents with a glance.
Gods who tore apart reality to keep their thrones.
And Kaelen — alone — bleeding, broken, unyielding.
He fought through them all.
Sometimes winning.
Sometimes losing.
But never kneeling.
Kaelen Dropped to One Knee
The pain was unbearable.
The weight of infinite futures crashing down on him.
But he gritted his teeth.
He remembered:
His mother's prayers.
His father's calloused hands.
His friends' smiles, battered and bruised but alive.
The broken promises the world made to commoners like him.
And he rose.
[System Notification]
[Sovereign Bloodline Enhancement Successful.]
[New Ability Unlocked: Sovereign Resistance (20% reduced damage from reality-altering attacks).]
[Sovereign Path Progression: 40%.]
Kaelen opened his eyes.
The ruins came back into focus.
The Pathbreakers were gathering again, looking to him.
And he smiled — slow, fierce, inevitable.
A New Goal
Later that night, as the Pathbreakers set up a rough camp among the broken stones, Kaelen called them together.
Around a small fire, he spoke quietly but firmly:
"We fought. We bled. We survived."
"But we can't stay like this."
"The world won't wait for us to rest."
He stared into the flames, the cracked-crown sigil on his chest reflecting the light.
"We need a home."
The others leaned in, silent, listening.
"A true fortress.
A place no king, no guild, no god can touch."
Eren grinned savagely.
Mira nodded, eyes shining.
Selina smiled gently, hope flickering back into her worn features.
Damon and Lyra exchanged fierce looks.
The Pathbreakers didn't just believe.
They were ready.
[System Notification]
[Quest Accepted: Home of the Pathbreakers.]
[Objective: Acquire Land. Build First Sovereign Stronghold.]
[Optional Objective: Hide Location from Royal Guilds and Legacy Families.]
Kaelen looked up at the torn sky.
He spoke softly — not to his team, but to the stars themselves.
"I swear… on blood, on stone, on Sovereign will."
"I will build a home for those the world cast aside."
"And from it, we will forge a kingdom the heavens themselves will fear."
The first seed of the Sovereign Nation had been planted.
And no storm would uproot it.