Lee Sung moved through the ruins of the abandoned temple, his cloak billowing in the cold night breeze. The journal Akane had given him was secured tightly against his chest. Her final gift. His only guide.
The world around him had shifted since her death. It wasn't just the grief that weighed on him; it was the realization that strength alone would no longer be enough. Power here was organized. Helios wasn't just strong—he was building something: a faction, a kingdom, maybe even an empire.
The Solar Dominion, they called it. Word had spread quickly. Summoners were choosing sides. Political alliances were being formed like iron chains, linking together opportunists, zealots, and the desperate.
And worst of all—Jin had joined them.
Lee Sung clenched his fists as he remembered the last meeting. A whisper from an informant: "Jin pledged allegiance to Helios. Promised him loyalty for status and security."
It hadn't even taken a fight.
Akane had warned him about trusting too easily. Now, Lee Sung would trust no one.
---
The marketplace was buzzing with tension. Traders who once shouted prices now spoke in hushed voices, eyes darting to shadows. Flags of gold and crimson—the Solar Dominion's colors—were being unfurled over merchant stalls and inns.
Lee Sung stayed cloaked, blending into the flow of the crowd. His shadows slithered at his feet, alert and watchful.
"Psst." A voice from a narrow alleyway. He turned sharply.
It was Mira, a rogue summoner who trafficked in information. She looked skittish, constantly glancing over her shoulder.
"They know you're alive," she whispered. "There's a bounty on your head—ten thousand solar marks."
"Helios wants me that badly?" Lee Sung murmured.
"Not just Helios. The High Summoners' Council is watching too. Some think you're dangerous because of the necromancy blessing. Others want to recruit you before Helios claims you fully."
"Political vultures," Lee Sung said with disgust.
Mira nodded. "You need to move fast. There's talk of a gathering at the Senate of Chains—a summit where Helios will be named "Sovereign of the Summoned.""
Lee Sung's heart froze. Sovereign? That wasn't just military power—it was legitimacy. If Helios got that title, he could declare open war against any who opposed him—including Lee Sung.
"Where is this Senate?" Lee Sung demanded.
"North. Beyond the Withering Fields. Guarded." Mira hesitated. "You'll need an invitation."
"I'll get in," he said coldly.
---
Night fell as Lee Sung made his way to the edges of the market. His mind raced, calculating.
He couldn't take on the entire Solar Dominion alone—yet. He needed allies. But not the easily bought ones. He needed those who had been wronged by Helios's rise to power. Exiled summoners. Rogue factions. Outcasts.
But first, he needed to know what Helios was planning—and Jin's role in it.
He slipped into a deserted tavern, ordered a weak ale, and took a seat near the back. His shadows kept him cloaked in dimness.
He listened.
"...Jin's speech was glorious," one man was saying, nursing a drink. "Swore loyalty to Helios. Said it was the only way to bring order to the chaos."
"Order?" another scoffed. "Sounds like tyranny to me."
"Maybe, but Helios promises protection—and the Council backs him now. The gods favor him. You'd be a fool to oppose him."
Lee Sung's stomach churned. The Council—the highest authority among the summoned—backing Helios? How deep did this corruption run?
He took a slow breath, steadying himself.
Think like Akane would, he reminded himself. Politics is war without blood. For now.
He rose, left a few coins on the table, and slipped back into the night.
---
In the shadows outside the city walls, Lee Sung knelt, his hand pressed against the dirt. He summoned a scouting shadow—a small, quick creature—and whispered instructions.
"Find their camps. Find Jin."
The shadow darted away, disappearing into the night.
Lee Sung sat back, the weight of his choices settling heavily on his shoulders.
He had no illusions now. Jin was gone—lost to ambition and fear. There would be no reunion. No reconciliation. Only confrontation.
And Helios... Helios would not stop until he bent all summoned to his will. Even if it meant sacrificing thousands to the gods who empowered him.
Lee Sung had a different vision.
Not rule.
Not tyranny.
Freedom.
But to achieve it, he would have to become a ghost—striking from the shadows. Not a king. Not a hero.
A force.
Akane's journal burned against his chest like a second heart.
"Trust no council. Trust no god. Trust only your will."
Her final advice.
He closed his eyes and whispered a promise to her memory.
"I won't stop. Not until he's fallen."
The night wind carried his vow into the endless darkness.
The fractured alliance would be the first crack.
Tomorrow, he would make his move.
Tomorrow, he would remind them:
Shadows bow to no sun.