As the group stands together, each holding the reflection of their essence in weapon form, a great ball tolls from the side of a deep, echoing sound that vibrates through the stone beneath their feet. The sky dims slightly, as if the very air is holding its breath.
Ashir's face darkens.
"That sound… it means the Gate of Trials has opened. But it's too soon…"
Akuro (muttering): "Something is pushing fate forward faster than it should."
Yuki's grip on the scythe tightens.
Yuki: "Do we go now?"
Ren steps beside him, Jinrai humming gently in its sheath.
Ren: "Not yet. We don't know what's waiting behind that gate. But if the Kingdom's ancient bell is sounding... it means something old has awakened."
Suddenly... MPCs Rush In
A small squad of royal guardians from the Kingdom... cloaked in blue robes, bearing spears inscribed with glowing glyphs... rush up to the plateau. One of them kneels before the group.
Guardian: "Mythics… you must come. The royal court has summoned you. The King himself wishes to speak."
Kai (mouth full of rice): "The King? Wow. We've really leveled up."
Haru (grinning slightly): "Guess training time's over."
Into the Kingdom's Heart...
The group is led down shimmering stairways carved from enchanted obsidian. Townspeople... beings with faint mythic features... watch from balconies and windows. Children point in awe at Ren, Haru, and Yuki.
Aiko looks up at the architecture.
"This Kingdom… it's ancient. But it feels like it's been waiting."
Himari (softly): "It has. For us."
As they reach the Throne Hall, massive doors carved with images of dragons, foxes, and winged beasts swing open. Inside sits a regal, aging man with glowing white eyes and long silver hair, the King of Mythborne.
"Champions… your arrival has changed the flow of this world. But know this: something deeper than war is coming. Something that eats the very memory of the mythic bloodline."
He rises, and the entire hall goes silent.
"You were not chosen by fate. You were created for it."
He gestures... and behind the throne, a massive mural of the Eidolon and seven unknown figures glows faintly. One of those figures bears a scythe.
Yuki stares.
Yuki: "That… that's me."
The King steps down from the dais, his long cloak trailing like mist behind him. The hall darkens as the mural glows brighter, each of the seven figures surrounded by swirling energy... each weapon distinct.
King: "This mural predates your births. It predates the last war. It was a warning. Each figure… one of the Seven Aspects. Warriors chosen not by lineage, but by soul."
He stops before Yuki, eyes narrowing slightly.
King: "And you… bearer of the Scythe of Reckoning. The harbinger of change."
Ren (quietly): "So we're not just fighting to survive. We're fated to reshape this world."
The king nods.
King: "Each of you has awakened part of your true selves. But the mural isn't just prophecy... it's a challenge. A trial. Each of you must unlock your Aspect. And the Kingdom holds the first trial…"
He waves his hand... and a piece of the mural fades to reveal a vast map carved in crystal. A single place pulses.
"The Hollow Vault. Buried beneath the Forsaken Fields. Your first mission: retrieve the Soul Sigil hidden there… and survive the echoes of the last war."
Weapons Showcased -Team Flex Moment
As they prepare for the journey:
Yuki twirls his dark, curved scythe, its edge flickering with voidlight and raw emotion.
Ren sheathes Jinrai, the thunderous wind whispering around him.
Haru slashes through the air with his Great gauntlet-axe carved from a fallen star... flames and gold flickering at his fists, made from crystallized spirit stones.
Kai opens his cloak, revealing a folding twin-blade that responds to his emotions and cooking heat... a unique bond weapon called Nenshō
Aiko lifts a A twin-blade fan, its tip glowing as she channels ethereal threads... her weapon, Auralith, connects directly to spirits.
Himari, calm and quiet, wears a glowing rune-band around her arm. Her weapon, Spirit Thread Whip: Tsukihana and chakram-like ring blade, creates illusions and constructs from sunlight and shadow.
Kai (grinning): "Squad's got style."
Himari (smiling softly): "Style… and fate."
As They Leave the Kingdom
A slow shot of the team walking out of the palace, sunlight gleaming off their weapons. The townsfolk watch, awe and fear in their eyes.
The King watches them from the balcony, speaking to a robed figure beside him:
King: "They do not yet realize… one among them will fall before the Aspects are whole."