The city of Vael'Rhûn never slept.
Even at night, its towers glowed with lines of cold blue mana—webs of light crawling up black spires, painting the skyline in an eerie imitation of the stars. Kael stood on the edge of one such tower, cloak fluttering in the ash wind, watching the mechanical patrols march below.
To anyone else, he was just another shadow among thousands. But within his chest, the shards of Ardentia pulsed softly—each beat whispering an echo of ancient power.
He hadn't slept in three days. The forge-fire in his veins wouldn't let him.
Lira watched him from across the rooftop, her arms folded, silver hair dancing in the wind.
"You haven't rested since the Pits," she said quietly. "You'll burn yourself out."
Kael didn't look at her. "I can't."
"Can't or won't?"
He turned then, meeting her gaze. In the moonlight, her eyes reflected the same celestial glow as his shard. "Every night I close my eyes," he said, "I see the same thing. The forge. The screams. The moment the Iron-Star Legion fell."
Lira's expression softened. She approached slowly, boots silent on the metal floor. "That wasn't your fault."
He almost laughed. "You sound like her."
"Her?"
"Ardentia. Before she was a weapon… she was a soul. A guardian of the Stellar Gate. She believed even gods could change."
Lira's voice was low. "Do you still believe that?"
Kael looked toward the horizon—where the first embers of dawn touched the ruins of the old citadel. "No. Not anymore."
The air trembled—subtle, but enough to draw his hand to his sword.
Lira sensed it too. "Dominion scouts."
Kael nodded. "They've found us."
A crack of thunder split the sky. Three dark figures descended from the clouds, riding streaks of obsidian light—Inquisitors. Each wore mirrored masks and armor engraved with living runes. The air around them distorted with killing intent.
Kael whispered to his blade. "Resonance—thirty percent."
"Acknowledged."
Light flared from his arm as the half-formed sword materialized, humming with unstable energy.
Lira drew twin daggers, her own aura flaring in pale blue arcs. "Try not to destroy the whole district this time."
Kael smirked. "No promises."
The first Inquisitor struck without warning. A black spear streaked toward them, splitting the air. Kael caught it mid-swing, the force exploding outward in a shockwave that shattered nearby glass.
He spun, dragging the weapon in a full arc, and sent it flying back. It impaled another Inquisitor mid-air—who dissolved into smoke before reforming behind him.
Illusion projection. Advanced Dominion tech.
Lira vanished in a flash of light, reappearing behind one of them. Her daggers slashed through the Inquisitor's armor, leaving trails of frost that spread like veins.
Kael, meanwhile, charged the leader. Their blades collided, sending sparks into the storm above.
"Kael Ardent," the Inquisitor's voice was hollow, distorted by machinery. "Return the fragments. They are property of the Divine Dominion."
"Property?" Kael's eyes blazed. "You mean the soul you stole?"
Their blades locked again—black against silver. The impact sent a blast of wind that tore tiles from the rooftops. Kael pressed harder, the shard within him glowing brighter.
"Resonance—forty percent. Warning: physical strain increasing."
He ignored it. His vision flickered, blood burning as the sword's light cut deeper into the Dominion steel. Sparks became flames.
Then, he spoke a single word.
"Awaken."
The sword responded.
A pulse of raw power erupted from him—blinding, divine, unstoppable. The Inquisitor screamed as the energy disintegrated his armor, peeling away layers of runes and flesh alike until nothing remained but dust and echoing static.
The world fell silent.
Lira lowered her daggers, panting. "That wasn't… resonance. That was something else."
Kael fell to one knee, gasping. His hand trembled, veins glowing silver under his skin.
"That power…" Ardentia's voice murmured, faint but alive. "You touched the dream—forged realm. Be careful, Kael. The line between forging and destruction is thin."
He wiped the blood from his mouth. "Then I'll learn to walk it."
They descended into the lower district hours later, hiding in the shadow of broken machinery and forgotten streets.
Lira found a shelter in an old forge—its walls scorched black, tools scattered across the floor. Kael leaned against the anvil, exhaustion finally catching up to him.
"You used her power too early," she said. "You're still human, Kael."
"Am I?"
She froze at the tone.
He stared at his hands—the faint flicker of starlight running through his veins. "When I resonated with Ardentia, part of her entered me. Her memories. Her pain. I feel everything she felt when the Dominion shattered her."
Lira's voice softened. "Then remember what she fought for."
Kael looked up, eyes burning faintly. "She fought for choice. But every time I draw her power, I feel less human. Less… real."
Lira stepped closer. "Then let me remind you."
Her hand brushed his cheek—warm, steady, grounding. For a moment, the storm inside him quieted.
He met her gaze. "Why are you helping me, Lira? You don't even know who I was."
She smiled faintly. "I know who you are now. And that's enough."
Later that night, Kael dreamt.
But it wasn't a normal dream.
He stood in a vast field of broken blades, each one humming with the faint memory of its wielder. Above him, constellations bled silver rain, and in the center of it all, a colossal figure lay bound by chains of light.
Ardentia.
Her voice echoed through the realm.
"The Dominion was not born from mortals, Kael. It was forged from the first gods who feared what they created."
Kael approached, the dream twisting with every step. "Then why give them your power?"
"Because even gods must believe in something. I believed mortals could surpass us. That belief cost me everything."
Her eyes opened—twin stars burning through the dark.
"Now you must decide. Will you forge a new dawn… or repeat the same cycle?"
Kael clenched his fists. "I'll break it. Even if I have to burn heaven itself."
"Then awaken, my sword-bearer. The Dominion marches again."
The dream was shattered.
Kael awoke with a start, sweat dripping down his face. The forge was silent. Lira slept nearby, wrapped in her cloak, the faintest smile on her lips.
He rose quietly, staring at the embers of the forge.
Outside, the city trembled with distant explosions. Dominion banners were rising again, their iron wings spreading across the horizon.
Kael tightened his grip on the sword's hilt. The fragments within him pulsed in answer.
"Three shards remain," Ardentia whispered. "Each one buried deeper in the heart of the Dominion. But beware—the closer you draw to the whole, the closer they will draw to you."
Kael's voice was steady. "Then let them come. I've been waiting for this war my whole life."
He stepped into the dawn.
The sky burned with silver fire.
And the legend of the Sleeping Sword God began to stir once more.