Within the deepest reaches of the Eastern Obsidian Wastes, a massive obsidian tower pierced the skies. Around it spiraled jagged, anti-aerial formations, turrets of pure mana iron — and yet one single thing had breached their unspoken territory:
Iden's Orbital Drone.
Inside the Citadel's central observatory chamber, a half-rotted being cloaked in flame-colored bone armor turned to face the massive viewing orb.
"A city… no, a fortress. Hidden in forest ruins. Elevating. Mobilizing."
Its voice croaked in a long-dead tongue, barely intelligible even to its acolytes.
"This... 'Sanctum' has awakened the sky. And broken silence. Send the emissary."
The chamber bowed.
"Yes, Prophet Veyx."
The Alliance Hall pulsed with life. Diplomatic envoys from four different small factions now occupied quarters within the outer bastion. The system had officially registered Sanctum as a Regional Superpower (Emerging Tier), prompting offers, bribes, and pledges.
Iden sat at the head of the carved conference table, his presence steel calm.
"This is no longer about one fortress. It's about order, survival… and direction."
Each allied faction offered a specialty:
One had expertise in skybound transport.
Another in advanced foraging and terrain manipulation.
One brought encrypted mana-speech arrays for distant messaging.
The last, a desert kingdom remnant, had raw magical steel and siege blueprints.
Iden reviewed their offers. He wasn't here to make friends — only mutually beneficial partnerships.
But as the meeting concluded—
The warning came.
[System Alert – Incoming Contact]
ALERT: External Entity Requests Diplomatic ParleyIdentity: Masked Emissary of the Obsidian PactRequest: One-on-One Negotiation with Sanctum's OverlordNote: Refusal may invoke attention of Abyss-Class Powers
The emissary arrived without sound — a six-winged figure covered in obsidian robes, face hidden beneath a silver mask.
He spoke only once:
"You have touched the skies. Now the stars stare back. And they... are starving."
Iden stood still.
"And you?" he asked.
The emissary tilted his head.
"I offer knowledge. Of what came before. And what may come again. But everything has a cost."
A relic was placed on the ground — an Ancient World Shard, pulsing with memories.
"A gift. From the end of the last world."
Without another word, he vanished into ash and wind.
Iden examined the relic.
Visions crashed into him — a world before this, ruled by a floating city. Civilizations that fought using gods and mechanical behemoths. A first Summoner, who rose and fell trying to bind the planet's soul.
"What... am I building?" he whispered.
A voice—faint, familiar—echoed back.
"Something better. Something stronger."
[System Notification]
Ancient Relic Recovered: "World Shard – Echoes of Genesis"Triggering New System Progression Tree
UNLOCKED: Relic-Based Technology – Skyforge TierUNLOCKED: Grand Alliance – Governance Upgrade PathUNLOCKED: World Threat Meter [Level 1: Observed]
Builders expanded into the lower quarry to construct the first Skyforge Core. Mages ran tests on the shard's floating properties. Kael, now clad in reinforced ritual armor, and Arlen both registered rapid experience gains.
And Iden?
He stood at the highest platform.
His summons gathered below — nearly 2,688 strong, the capacity after his recent level-ups.
Rael and Nyra flanked him.Kael waited by the relic lab.And the world, once again, waited to see what he would do next.
"We're not just part of this world now," Iden said. "We are rewriting it."