THE WEIGHT OF DESTINY...
The air around Elias felt heavy, almost suffocating.
The ruins of Auris stretched out before him, a crumbling reminder of the past. The weight of history pressed against his chest like an unseen force, making it hard to breathe.
The Last King of Auris's words echoed in his mind, each one a link in the unbreakable chain wrapping around his fate.
"To bow, or to become something worse."
What did that even mean?
The king had spoken as if Elias's destiny had already been sealed—as if the future had been carved into the stone beneath his feet, leaving him no path but the one laid out before him.
He stood at the center of the ruins, his gaze lingering on the spot where the king had faded into nothingness, leaving only his words behind.
Seraphina and Varian had already begun walking ahead, their footsteps crunching against the shattered remnants of Auris, but Elias couldn't bring himself to follow.
The warning was too much to ignore.
The gods were coming.
And Elias wasn't sure he was ready to face them.
But the other option was worse—becoming the thing he feared the most.
Something worse.
A shiver ran down his spine.
"Come on, Elias," Seraphina called, turning back toward him. "We don't have all day. We need to move."
Elias nodded, but his feet felt rooted to the ground, as if the city itself refused to let him go.
Varian's voice carried over the wind. "The sooner we leave, the sooner we can start figuring out how to deal with them."
Elias's eyes narrowed. "How to deal with who?"
Varian glanced at him, his expression unreadable. "The gods, Elias. The gods of old."
THE GODS ARE COMING...
The journey through the ruins was silent, yet the silence itself was deafening.
The ground beneath their feet was cracked and jagged, the once-proud city now a graveyard of broken stone. The winds howled between the remnants of ancient spires, whispering secrets of a long-forgotten past.
And yet—there was still a sense of something alive in the air.
Elias could feel it, an unnatural presence watching them from the shadows.
Seraphina's voice shattered the quiet. "Do you think the gods are really coming?"
Varian's expression darkened. "Yes."
Elias's unease deepened. "What do you mean by that?"
Varian stopped, his boots grinding against the rubble. He turned to face Elias fully, his gaze steady. "The gods of old aren't just beings of power. They're the ones who created the first Arcane Kings, Elias. They were the ones who set the path for everything."
Seraphina frowned. "But they're dead, aren't they?"
Varian shook his head. "No. They were imprisoned, but their influence never disappeared. They've been waiting, and now..."
He trailed off, looking at Elias with something almost resembling pity.
"And now they're coming for you."
Elias felt his breath hitch.
"Why?" he asked, though he wasn't sure he wanted the answer.
Varian's voice was calm, but there was an edge to it. "Because you're the last Arcane King. The throne recognizes you. The gods will see that as a challenge."
A challenge.
Elias had never wanted to challenge gods. He had never wanted a throne. But fate didn't care what he wanted.
A CHOICE TO MAKE...
As they walked deeper into the ruins, the feeling of being watched only grew stronger.
Shadows stretched unnaturally across the ground. The wind carried whispers that didn't belong to any of them.
Elias had always felt the weight of the world pressing on his shoulders, but this was different.
He was trapped in the echoes of a fate that had already destroyed those before him.
The first Arcane King had faced the gods—and failed.
The others had fallen, one by one.
Why should he be any different?
But something in him refused to accept that.
The First King had broken the cycle, but at what cost?
And if Elias chose to follow that path—what would it cost him?
Would he lose himself? Would he become the very thing he feared?
Seraphina's voice pulled him back to the present.
"We're getting closer," she said.
Elias looked up, but he couldn't focus. The weight of his decision loomed over him like a storm cloud.
The decision he had to make would define not just his own fate, but the fate of the entire world.
Could he resist the pull of the throne? Could he fight the gods and survive?
And if he did—what kind of king would he become?
A TRIP TO THE UNKNOWN...
As they neared the outskirts of the ruins, something changed.
The air grew thick with magic, humming with an energy too ancient to name. The very ground beneath them seemed to vibrate with unseen power.
Varian had stopped at the entrance to a dark passageway.
"This is it," he said, his voice almost reverent.
Seraphina looked at the tunnel, unease flickering across her face. "Where does this lead?"
Varian hesitated. "To the heart of Auris. Where it all began."
Elias took a step closer. "We have to go in there?"
Varian nodded. "The answers are waiting for us. If we're going to have any chance against the gods, we need to understand what happened here. What went wrong."
Elias exhaled slowly.
He had come this far.
There was no turning back now.
ENTERING THE HEART OF AURIS...
The tunnel was narrow, the walls lined with faded symbols. The deeper they went, the stronger the magic became, crackling in the air like a living thing.
At the end of the passage, they entered a vast chamber.
The heart of Auris.
Elias's breath caught in his throat.
A throne stood at the center of the room.
Not just any throne
A dark throne—made of stone, its surface twisted with ancient symbols and glowing runes. It pulsed with power, calling to him.
Seraphina's voice was barely a whisper. "Is this…?"
Varian's gaze was grim. "Yes. This is where it all started. The first Arcane King sat on this throne, and everything changed."
Elias took a shaky step forward. "What does it mean? Why is it here?"
Varian met his gaze. "Because it's waiting for you. This throne is a part of you now. It will either consume you or elevate you."
Elias turned to him, heart pounding. "But I have a choice, right?"
Varian nodded slowly. "You do. The gods know that."
Elias swallowed hard.
He had a choice.
But was there ever truly a right answer?
THE FINAL CHOICE...
For a long moment, Elias stood before the throne.
He could still turn away.
He could still walk out of this chamber and deny the fate pressing down on him.
But the gods were coming.
And if he wasn't ready, the world would burn
Slowly, he stepped forward.
And then, he sat.
The moment he did, a surge of power rushed through him—like a flood of magic too vast to contain.
His senses exploded. He could see the past, the present, and the future, all at once.
A voice—soft yet commanding—whispered in his mind.
"You have made your choice, Arcane King."
Elias gasped.
He looked up at Seraphina and Varian, but their faces were blurred, lost in the magic surging through his veins.
"The gods are coming. But you are ready. You will be the one to end this cycle—or to become it."
The magic roared inside him.
This was his choice.
And the power of the throne was his to command.