The Grand Arena thundered with anticipation.
The second rounds of the Tournament had begun.
Matches raged across the fields — steel clashing against magic, Will battering against fate.
But Kaelen Drayce was no longer among them.
He moved silently through the lower corridors,
cloak drawn close, Sovereignblade hidden under folds of Nexus-woven cloth.
No escorts.
No companions.
No flags.
Just Sovereignty.
And destiny waiting beneath the stones.
The Secret Path
The Hollow Stone was a forgotten monument —
an ancient cracked monolith lying at the edge of the Tournament grounds.
Most dismissed it as an old ruin, a relic of wars long past.
But Kaelen had seen the hidden runes glowing faintly under the Sovereign light.
Old language.
Older magic.
He touched the base of the Hollow Stone gently.
It pulsed.
A doorway shimmered into existence —
a tunnel descending deep into the earth, where light dared not tread.
Kaelen stepped forward without hesitation.
And the earth swallowed him whole.
Meanwhile: Aria's Battle
Across the main arena,
Aria stood facing her opponent.
A golden-armored heir of the Veilspire Royal House —
a smirking, arrogant blade-master named Ceyric Vaul.
He circled her like a wolf.
"I heard Heartland trains peasants now," Ceyric said mockingly.
"Fitting. You'll die like one."
Aria said nothing.
She simply drew her blade.
Silverfire danced along its edge.
Ceyric lunged forward — fast, precise, a strike meant to cripple, not kill.
Aria moved faster.
Steel clanged against steel.
A burst of light blinded the crowd for a heartbeat.
When it cleared,
Ceyric staggered back, blood trailing from a clean cut across his shoulder.
Aria stood calmly, sword lowered, silverfire eyes burning.
"I am no peasant," she said quietly.
"I am Sovereign."
In the Hidden Chambers
Kaelen emerged into a vast cavern —
an ancient council hall carved from black stone, its ceiling lost to darkness.
Torches burned with unnatural green light.
At the center of the chamber stood a ring of figures —
hooded, cloaked, their faces hidden.
But Kaelen felt their power.
Old.
Heavy.
Primordial.
They were not kings.
Not nobles.
Not guildmasters.
They were the true architects of eras.
The ones who survived the fall of the last Sovereign Age.
The Invitation
One of the figures stepped forward.
A woman's voice — deep, resonant, filled with centuries of weight — spoke:
"Sovereign Kaelen Drayce."
"We have watched."
"We have waited."
"And now, we offer you a choice."
Kaelen said nothing.
Waiting.
Listening.
The woman continued:
"The world above rots."
"The thrones are hollow."
"The bloodlines are broken."
"But here — here, among the true Sovereigns — you can forge the next Age."
"Join us."
"Claim the ancient legacies lost to time."
"Shape the new realms before the old ones consume themselves."
Kaelen's Thoughts
He closed his eyes briefly.
He saw:
His family's faces, proud and unyielding.
Mira's silent loyalty.
Riven's wild laughter.
Lyanna's quiet wisdom.
Selina's light.
Eren, Damon, Lyra — his pillars.
Aria — standing proud against the world, silverfire burning in her soul.
They were his path.
His people.
His Nation.
He did not come here to kneel.
He came to remind the world why Sovereigns rose.
Kaelen's Answer
He opened his eyes.
Silver-blue Sovereign light crackled across his irises.
His voice cut through the chamber like a sword of Will.
"I will not kneel to old ghosts.
I will not build a kingdom atop crumbling bones.
I will not inherit a broken world."
"I will make a new one.
With my own hands.
With my own blood.
With my people."
The torches flickered wildly as his aura expanded.
The hidden figures recoiled slightly —
the first true Sovereign Will they had felt in centuries.
The woman bowed her head slowly.
"Then you are worthy," she whispered.
"The true Sovereign does not inherit.
He conquers destiny itself."
"We will watch.
We will test.
If you survive…
the ancient realms shall open to you."
And one by one, the cloaked figures vanished into the shadows.
Back on the Surface
Aria stood victorious in the arena.
Ceyric Vaul lay unconscious at her feet.
The crowd roared.
The royal heirs scowled.
And Kaelen — reemerging silently from the depths of the Hollow Stone —
smiled as he watched her raise her sword high, silverfire burning brighter than ever.
Soon.
Very soon.
Their paths would cross again —
not as rivals.
Not as lost friends.
But as Sovereigns.
Side by side.
Or across the battlefield.