The Hollow Nexus was quiet once more.
This time, not from fear.
From awe.
The Chained Seraph had been defeated—its broken body suspended in a containment field above the sanctum, its four severed chains humming like mournful bells. Varya stood beside the bound form, watching the lights flicker within its cracked mask.
"It remembered being human," she murmured. "Whatever the Sovereigns did to it… it wasn't complete. It could still feel."
Minwoo said nothing. He stood at the edge of the platform, Kinro's head resting beside him, the storm dragon's breath slow but alert. The Godfire had quieted inside him, its heat now a steady thrum beneath his skin.
Behind them, the guild regrouped.
Jin polished his voidspears, trying not to look shaken. "We just took down a Seraph. That's… bigger than anything we've done."
Selene nodded, her celestial glaive folded to her back. "And now the Sovereigns know we can."
Kael gave a dry laugh. "So they'll send worse."
Lira paced beside a holomap flickering with new coordinates.
"Sol-Kai," she said. "Yassa confirmed it. The next Titan is—or was—there. A temple-world, sealed in the First Cycle. No one who's gone searching for it ever came back."
Minwoo stepped forward. "Then we're going in."
Varya raised a brow. "You sure? You just burned Godfire through a weaponized demigod."
Minwoo's voice was iron. "And I'm still standing. The Sovereigns buried something in that temple. Something they feared."
Jin looked up. "Then what do we call this mission?"
Minwoo turned to face the group, the Riftblade glinting at his side.
"Resurrection."
🌌 Mission Unlocked: Descent into Sol-KaiObjective: Enter the sealed Throne-Temple of the Starborn KingSub-Objectives:
Navigate the Labyrinth of Embers
Survive the Will of the Ash-Sleepers
Unlock the Crownheart GateBonus Objective: Discover the name of the First Flame
Two Days Later — Orbit of Sol-Kai
The world was… wrong.
A black sun orbited a dead star. Around them, debris fields drifted like frozen screams—entire cities fossilized in ash, turned to ruins in orbit.
Tarn leaned over the viewing lens from the prow of the Starlance. "This world shouldn't be here. The gravity's reversed—up and down are broken."
Yassa stood unmoved, his prayer beads glowing faintly. "This is where Sovereigns came to kneel. This is where the Titans ended."
As they descended, the terrain shifted.
Buildings melted into cliffs, geometry bent inward. The entrance to Sol-Kai wasn't a door.
It was a mouth.
A gaping wound in the world, shaped like a throne tipped on its side, carved from obsidian, weeping flame.
They entered without hesitation.
Inside the Crowned Hollow
Light didn't exist here. Only memory.
The walls whispered to them—songs sung in no known tongue, and yet every Riftborn felt their meaning:
"First Flame. Last King. He who burned so the stars could weep."
Lira lit a flare. It dimmed instantly.
"Light's being devoured."
Kinro growled low. Even the storm in his chest felt choked.
Minwoo moved forward, hand on the Riftblade, its edge flickering with resistance.
Then, they reached the throne.
It was massive—melted into the stone, vines of crystal growing through it like veins. And atop it…
…was a body.
Or what remained.
Ash, shaped like a man. Wings long dissolved, armor fused into bone. But a crown remained—hanging in the air above the skull, untouched.
Minwoo stepped forward.
The crown turned.
The ash-king's eyes opened.
"You wear the fire that was mine," said the voice. "Do you know what it cost?"
The ash moved—and the world screamed.
🔥 Boss Encounter: The Ash-Sleeper (Fallen Starborn King)Type: Semi-Dormant PrimordialAbilities:
Ember Reversal: All fire-based damage heals him
Crown of Remorse: Inflicts status effect "Guilt"—halves damage if attacker hesitates
Echo Pulse: Each attack triggers a memory of the First Cycle (unleashes timed hallucinations that affect allies)
Minwoo staggered back as images of burning worlds flooded his vision. Kinro reared, his lightning dull and flickering.
The Ash-Sleeper stood.
"You think you wield Godfire? You're a child trying to hold the sun."
And yet—something stirred in the Riftblade. A resonance.
It remembered this king.
Minwoo gritted his teeth. "Then let's see if I've grown up enough."
⚔️ Battle Status: Active
Lira establishing sniper position on collapsed pillar
Yassa entering trance to shield team from memory echoes
Kael activating solar bindings
Tarn charging the Crow2nheart Gate
Varya preparing Chrono-Break: Judgment Interval-
Boss HP: 87%Team Status: Engaged, Pressure RisingUnknown Factor: The Crown above the throne pulses in sync with Minwoo's heartbeat...3