The Broken Spiral lay behind them —
healed, reclaimed, reborn in Heartland's dream.
But before them now stretched the true wastelands.
The Ashen Wastes.
A realm so scarred, so poisoned by ancient wars,
that even the Sovereign Winds dared not blow freely.
A land where once, a thousand Sovereigns sang in harmony —
now reduced to cracked ground, blackened rivers, and skies stitched with dying stars.
The Heartland banners flapped weakly in the sour wind.
Even the Spirit Trees at the edge of Heartland's expanding territory seemed hesitant,
their roots shuddering as if recoiling from what lay ahead.
Kaelen Leads the March
Kaelen stood at the forefront of the Sovereign Vanguard,
Astryn resting on his shoulder.
His red-golden gaze was steady.
But even he felt it.
Something watching.
Something vast.
Something ancient.
He placed a reassuring hand on Astryn's hilt.
At his sides marched his family and companions:
Mira, her shadows coiled tighter around her.
Riven, sovereign flames burning colder than usual.
Selina, spiritlight shield raised high.
Damon and Eren, hands on their weapons at all times.
Lyanna, weaving defensive arrays along the path.
Lyra, soaring low, watchful as a hunting hawk.
Aria, her silverfire armor glowing faintly like a distant star.
Behind them,
the Heartland Legions marched in disciplined silence.
Every step forward felt heavier.
Every breath tasted of forgotten graves.
System Notification
[System Notification]
[Warning: Entering Severely Corrupted Realm.]
[Ashen Wastes: Sovereign Energy Suppression Active.]
[Hostile Cosmic Entities Detected — Unknown Intentions.]
The Ashen Skies Whisper
As the Heartland forces advanced deeper into the Wastes,
strange phenomena began:
Cracks in the ground breathing cold mist.
Broken statues weeping black blood.
Shapes moving just beyond sight — never approaching, but never fully gone.
At night,
strange voices whispered across the camps.
"Turn back…"
"The Dreamer must fall…"
"The Star must be swallowed…"
Most wrote it off as tricks of the cursed land.
Kaelen knew better.
He could feel it.
The trap was already set.
Something waited for him here.
Not his companions.
Not his family.
Him.
Alone.
Elena and the Family at Heartland
Back within the Heartstone Pavilion,
Elena Mirea Drayce knelt quietly before the Heartstone.
She rested her hands on her womb,
where the faint, growing heartbeat of Auriana pulsed softly against her palms.
The Sovereign Spirits whispered uneasily around her.
"Danger…"
"Loss…"
"A trial beyond the stars…"
Elena clenched her hands tighter.
Her heart ached with a mother's knowing.
Kaelen was walking into the jaws of something no light could easily pierce.
But she could not stop him.
She could only trust him.
And pray.
The Emissary Appears
On the third night in the Wastes,
a tear opened in the dead sky.
A black wound leaking stars and ash.
From it descended a figure clad in living Voidsteel armor —
a being whose very presence crushed the ground beneath his feet.
Zar'kaan.
The Void-Eater.
A champion of the Cosmic Families' deepest black courts.
Not born of life.
Born to devour.
His voice was the death of songs.
"Kaelen Drayce.
Sovereign Dreambearer.
You have been judged.
And found… unworthy."
Mira and Riven snapped into battle stances.
Selina raised her barriers.
Damon and Eren flanked Kaelen instantly.
Lyanna began weaving suppression arrays.
Lyra howled to the Sovereign Winds.
Aria stepped to Kaelen's side, sovereign fire flaring.
But Zar'kaan merely raised one hand.
And the world itself screamed.
System Notification
[System Emergency Warning]
[Primordial-Class Entity Engaged.]
[Zar'kaan the Void-Eater — Threat Level: Cataclysmic.]
[Battle Recommended: Host Alone.]
[Reason: Full Sovereign Family Extermination Risk If Group Engaged.]
Kaelen's Choice
Kaelen turned slowly to his companions, his family.
He smiled quietly.
"Protect Heartland.
Protect each other.
I'll handle this.
This is my road."
Aria's hand gripped his arm fiercely.
"You don't have to —"
"I do.
You all are the future.
I am the shield."
He pulled away gently,
stepping forward toward Zar'kaan.
Astryn blazed in his hands.
The Sovereign Winds shrieked.
And the stars wept in silence.
The Fight of Eternity Begins
With a roar that split the heavens,
Kaelen launched himself at Zar'kaan.
And the world shook.
The Ashen Wastes shattered.
The first shockwaves flattened entire mountains.
Light and void collided —
Sovereign Dream against Cosmic Oblivion.
For a moment —
a single moment —
the world believed Kaelen might stand.
Might win.
But Zar'kaan smiled.
And unleashed the true power of the Cosmic Courts.