Chapter 6: Echoes of the Fractured

Kael sat on the edge of a stone bench in the Watchers' underground hall, rolling the Voidfang Dagger between his fingers. His body ached from the brutal training, but his mind was far from exhausted.

Others.

Varian's words replayed in his head like a cursed melody.

"You might not be the first."

That meant others had been given the Fractured Sovereign System before him. Others had suffered its cost. Others had broken beneath it.

And yet—he had never heard of them.

That was the part that made his skin crawl. If there were others like him, where had they gone?

Selene leaned against a nearby wall, watching him with her arms crossed. "You're thinking too much."

Kael let out a slow breath. "If you knew there were others, why didn't you tell me earlier?"

Varian, seated at a wooden table across the room, tapped his fingers against the surface. "Because we don't know how many there were. Only whispers. Records buried deep. Erased."

Kael frowned. "Erased?"

Selene nodded. "There are no written accounts, no confirmed cases. But we found traces."

Varian steepled his fingers. "Old ruins, places abandoned by time—places where the system left its scars. We've seen walls cracked with fractures that shouldn't exist, the remains of battles where the victors should have never lost. If there were others like you…"

Selene's eyes darkened.

"They're either dead—or worse."

A silence settled over the room.

Kael's grip on the dagger tightened.

"So where do we start?" he asked.

Varian smiled slightly. "Eager, aren't we?"

Kael met his gaze, unwavering. "If others have used this system, then maybe they left something behind. A way to control it. Or a way to break it."

Selene studied him for a long moment, then exhaled. "Then there's only one place to go."

Kael narrowed his eyes. "Where?"

She looked straight at him.

"The Abyssal Archive."

A Journey into the Unknown

The Abyssal Archive.

Kael had never heard of it in Blood & Ashes Online—and that made him uneasy.

If it had existed in the game, it had either been locked content or something deliberately hidden. And that meant one thing:

It wasn't a place he wanted to walk into unprepared.

Selene led the way through the Watchers' tunnels, torchlight casting eerie shadows on the damp walls. "The Archive is one of the oldest places in the world," she explained. "Buried deep beneath the ruins of Varrenthia, a kingdom that was wiped from history centuries ago."

Kael glanced at her. "Wiped how?"

"Scholars claim it fell to war," Varian said from behind him. "But that's a lie. Varrenthia was erased by something far worse."

Kael's stomach twisted. "Let me guess—fractures?"

Selene nodded. "Something happened there. Something no one wants to remember. The Watchers have tried to reach the Archive for years, but every attempt ended in failure."

"Failure?" Kael echoed.

Varian's voice turned grim. "No one who entered ever returned."

Kael swallowed. Great.

"So you want me to go in," he said flatly.

Selene smirked. "You're the one looking for answers."

She wasn't wrong. If this place had any clue about past Sovereigns, he had to take the risk.

Kael rolled his shoulders, his exhaustion already fading. "Fine. But I'm not going in alone."

Varian chuckled. "Oh, don't worry. We're not that cruel."

Selene turned to him. "You'll need a team. People who can handle the dangers inside."

Kael exhaled. Great. More variables.

"Who do you have in mind?"

Varian smirked. "Let's just say you're about to meet some very interesting people."

The Chosen Few

The Watchers didn't waste time. Within hours, Kael found himself standing in another hidden chamber, where three figures waited for him.

Selene stepped forward. "These are your companions for the expedition. If you want to survive, you'll work with them."

Kael's gaze flicked over them one by one.

1. Lysara - The Runeblade

A warrior clad in obsidian armor, her long crimson hair tied back in a braid. A massive sword rested against her shoulder, its blade engraved with glowing runes.

Her piercing green eyes locked onto Kael's. "I don't take orders from weaklings."

Kael smirked. "Good thing I'm not one."

2. Raith - The Phantom

A tall, hooded rogue, his face obscured by a dark mask. His voice was smooth, lazy. "I've stolen treasures from vaults that don't exist. Let's see if the Abyssal Archive has anything worth taking."

Kael raised a brow. A thief. Could be useful.

3. Nyssa - The Hexborn

A young woman dressed in flowing black robes, arcane markings glowing across her skin. Her silver hair was cropped short, and her amber eyes burned with intelligence.

She studied Kael with an almost clinical curiosity. "You're the fractured one. Fascinating."

Kael tensed. So she knew.

Selene folded her arms. "This is your team. Get to know them, because once you step into Varrenthia, there's no turning back."

Kael exhaled.

Fine. He'd work with them. For now.

But if the Abyssal Archive really held the answers he sought—

Then he would survive it.

No matter what price the system demanded.

End of Chapter 6

Now Kael has a team and a destination: the Abyssal Archive, a lost ruin that may hold the secrets of past Sovereigns. But what really happened in Varrenthia? And what will they find lurking in the ruins?

The next chapter will take them into the forgotten depths of history and the horrors waiting in the dark.