The hype had peaked. For two days the gaming world had been in a state of constant agonizing expectation driven exclusively by a single beautiful photograph of the Frozen Citadel. Ethan had skillfully redirected the global limelight keeping all eyes on the epic announcement.
He sat in front of his PC examining the final cut. The video was a lean, strong forty-five minutes created in the style of a high-budget fantasy film. Every shot was color-corrected for maximum impact, the soundtrack was composed of layers of epic customized orchestral soundtracks and the voiceover performed by Ethan in his low controlled "Witness" persona was a mix of existential fear and profound discovery.
The editing was a masterpiece of concealing. The Geodesic Maze was described as a tortuous series of trials and errors a relentless physical grind against invisible forces. When Vulcan activated the electromagnetic pulse to solidify the Wraiths the movie switched to a quick blinding flash followed by a silence aftermath in which all mechanical details of the solution were eliminated. The horrific near-fall at the cliff edge was solely focused on Vulcan's physical suffering and the immediate miraculous halt with no explanation for the Chronic Shield's role as a gravitational anchor.
Crucially, the last 10 minutes were totally dedicated to the Stag's mythology leak. Ethan's voiceover offered a dramatic powerful narrative of the Citadel's history its role as Aethelgard's stabilizer, the identity of the Prime Elementals, and the threat posed by the secretive faction seeking to destabilize the elemental balance. This supplied the big narrative payoff that the audience sought making the video feel complete despite the lack of a useable map or way of admission.
The rewards the Mythic Mantle, EXP, Prime Arcane Ice, and Anchor's unique upgrade were not shown in the footage. They belonged to the player not to the narrative.
Ethan scheduled the upload to begin at exactly midnight in all time zones. When the upload went live the internet exploded.
The sheer quality of the production overshadowed the game itself. Within the first hour the video received 10 million views. The criticisms focused on the depth of the narrative rather than the gameplay.
User: LostInLore: This is not a game. This is a myth. The Stag's story, that Aethelgard is a machine intended for balance affects everything. Witness has revealed the ultimate purpose of the entire game.
User: IGN Official: The cinematographic direction is outstanding. We still don't know how he negotiated the Crags but the reveal of the Prime Elementals is the genre's best cutscene. Witness is not a streamer, he is a documentarian.
User: TheoryCrafting. God: He showed us what, where, and why. But he showed us ZERO of how. He's guarding this spot. Smart frighteningly smart.
The Shadow Faction comments had become urgent seeking clues and criticizing the lack of technical detail indicating the success of Ethan's editing method. His deliberate narrative management had turned a potentially hazardous security compromise into a potent profitable lore release.
After a good thirty-six hours of real-world work spent on content management, analytics and maintaining secret, Ethan felt the familiar pull of Aethelgard. Vulcan had two full days.
He entered the capsule and appeared instantly on the crystalline platform of the Frozen Citadel. The air was calm, clear and extremely chilly. Vulcan appeared before him armored and massive resting his newly crafted Mythic hammer on the Arcane Ice. Anchor was behind him the enormous slime pulsing slowly its core containing a small geometrically perfect crystal.
"Your timeframe was precise Witness" Vulcan said his voice expressing the deep satisfaction of a craftsman whose work was flawless. "The work is completed. Absolute perfection has been achieved."
Vulcan began presenting the enhanced equipment as the last secret prize for the SSS-Rank quest.
"Your possessions is now prepared for the next level of the journey. It no longer relies on volatile ingredients from the past. It is forged with sovereign integrity."
Vulcan began by presenting Ethan's Core Aegis (Chest Plate) his primary defensive component. It was now covered with thin glittering veins of Prime Arcane Ice which strengthened the purple coating.
"Your Core Aegis is the foundation of your defense. It is now protected from all elemental disruptions".
[EQUIPMENT UPGRADED: CORE AEGIS (SOVEREIGN MYTHIC)]
[DEFENSE: ELEMENTAL RESISTANCE +60%
NEW PASSIVE: ABSOLUTE BALANCE: The aegis now constantly draws on the ambient stability of the citadels core granting a permanent low level ANTI CHAOS FIELD and passive 10% mitigation against all magical destabilization effects ]
Next, the Shadow-Edge Silencer. It now possessed a crystalline blue luster and emitted a cool interior glow.
"The blade is imbued with Prime Arcane Ice. It will never dull and has an absolute silencing effect on elemental entities."
[WEAPON UPGRADED: SHADOW EDGE SILENCER (MYTHIC)]
[STATS: AGILITY +25, CRITICAL STRIKE DURING STEALTH +75%
MYTHIC SKILL: SILENT EXECUTION: Applies a permanent 8 second silence effect and reduces the targets elemental resistance by 15% for the duration. Cool-down: 10 seconds]
Vulcan demonstrated the Energy Anchors. They were now linked with the Arcane Ice's metallic blue veins.
"The anchors are no longer used for resistance. They are reinforced against elemental slide to ensure your footing."
[EQUIPMENT UPGRADED: ENERGY ANCHORS (MYTHIC)]
[NEW PASSIVE: SOVEREIGN FOOTING: Grants 100% stability and friction on all elemental or magical slippery surfaces. Acceleration decrease from hostile magic is reduced by 60%]
Finally the M1 Mythic Camera (EX-Tier). It pulsated with a steady organized light emanating from the Citadel. Vulcan treated it with extreme care.
"The camera now extends the Citadel's knowledge. It is no longer just a recorder, it is an analytical tool for order."
[EQUIPMENT UPGRADED : M1 MYTHIC CAMERA (SOVEREIGN EX TIER)]
[NEW ACTIVE ABILITY: PRIME ANALYSIS (EX TIER): Upon activation the camera captures the complex of a target enemy or structure. It instantly translate all elemental, magical and energy instabilities within the target into structured, exploitable weakness data for the user. Cool-down: 60 seconds.
PASSIVE UPGRADE: The camera is immune to all Electric magnetic pulse and anti magic interference]
Ethan equipped the new gear. The weight was familiar but the strength was vastly different, honed, focused and completely overwhelming. The feeling of total effectiveness had returned multiplied tenfold.
Vulcan then gestured towards Anchor. "And for the Guardian slime: the Core Stability Anchor."
Anchor pulsed softly revealing a stunning perfect crystal at its heart imprisoned in its mass.
[ANCHOR CORE EQUIPMENT: CORE STABILITY ANCHOR (MYTHIC)]
[EFFECT: Permanently solidifies prime stability buff allows anchor to naturally generate small controlled pockets of elemental counter magic.]
The integration was complete. Ethan had effectively twisted the real-world narrative receiving the greatest level of gear upgrade in exchange. The era of perfect efficiency had started.
"The world is waiting for your next move Witness" Vulcan said with a rare trace of excitement in his voice. "We've got the perfect platform, gear and material. The Citadel's resources are at our disposal. Where will we go next for a new journey?".