Chapter 46 – Floor 5, Part II: The Crownless Path

Arc: The Forgotten Throne

📍 Floor 5 – Veil of Sol'Thar

Ruins stretched far beyond what the eye could see. Statues half-buried in ash. Halls split into warped planes. Towers hung upside-down from clouds made of memory mist.

Here, history bled into reality.

And in that fog walked Blackhunt.

🗺️ Exploration Route – Day 2

Group Division:

Front Team: Ankit, Toni, Asha

Scout Team: Kaido, Vikram

Support Team: Sana, Riya, Raunak, Raghav

Their goal: reach the Grand Forum of Sol'Thar, said to be the site where the last Emperor abandoned the throne and vanished.

But no road led straight to the truth.

Only echoes did.

🌫️ Interlude – Whispers from the Stones

Ankit halted as they passed an archway. The air shimmered, then cracked—

Suddenly they were not alone.

A vision unfolded in silence.

Memory Echo: 287 Years Ago

A noblewoman stands on a balcony as the capital burns. Children cry in the streets. Warriors kneel—waiting for orders that never come.

"Where is His Majesty?" she sobs.

"He is… gone," the last general replies.

"Then who rules Sol'Thar now?"

The general lifts a blade to his own neck.

"None of us do."

Echo Ends.

Riya shivered. "They broke… from within."

Kaido touched the stones. "These walls remember everything."

Toni marked the spot in his notebook.

—

📜 [System Notification – Memory Chain Initiated]

Trace: 1/5

Legacy Fragment Discovered

Status: Emotion Pathway Activated – "Despair"

Echo-Sensitive Beasts Incoming

🐲 Enemy Encounter – The Sorrowbound Hounds

The wind shifted—and shadows leapt from the fallen arches.

Creatures unlike anything from past floors—canine-shaped, with smoke for flesh and cracked bones like exposed wires. Their eyes burned violet, their mouths whispered fragments of memory.

"Why did he abandon us?"

"My child… where are you…"

"Make it stop."

📢 [Threat Detected – Sorrowbound Hounds x8]

Rank: Mid-B Class

Trait: Soul Decay – Aura Weakens on Contact

Special Ability: Memory Bite (Drains Emotional Resolve)

—

⚔️ Battle Begins

Ankit moved first, Talwars flaming. He cut down the first hound—only for it to reform behind him.

"They regenerate from regret!" Toni shouted. "Their weakness isn't damage—it's clarity!"

Asha switched to light-based illusions, projecting calm. One hound froze mid-leap.

Sana activated a cleansing wave from her staff, forming a radius where the hounds couldn't step.

Kaido hurled a gravity mine, collapsing three into a single point.

Raghav followed with a spear thrust through the center.

[5 Down]

Raunak whistled. "Okay, creepy dogs, time to play fetch—IN HELL!" He punched a rune disk into the floor, blowing two more to smoke.

Only one remained.

It leapt at Toni.

Ankit stepped in front—taking the blow to the shoulder—then turned, both Talwars igniting in golden hue.

SLASH–BOOM!

[Final Sorrowhound Eliminated]

📜 [System Update – Memory Chain Advanced]

Trace: 2/5

Trait Gained: Echo-Resistant Aura (Minor Resistance to Emotion-Based Attacks)

Toni helped Ankit to his feet.

"Still bleeding for others, huh?" he said.

Ankit grinned. "Habit."

—

🕊️ Emotional Bond – New Growth

That night, the team camped inside what was once a library of royal records.

By candlelight, Asha passed her illusion-painted mask to Riya.

"You… used to be alone too, right?" she asked softly.

Riya glanced up.

"Still am. Just… less than before."

Asha smiled and leaned back. "I think I was meant to meet you all."

"You were," Riya said, quietly. "We all were."

💠 Emotional Link Strengthened – Asha ↔ Riya: [Growing Trust]

💠 Emotional Link Strengthened – Ankit ↔ Team: [Unshakable Core]

🏛️ Next Day – Entering the Grand Forum

They reached the center of the ancient capital.

Pillars jutted out like teeth from a long-dead god's mouth. Black banners still hung, untouched by wind or rot. A crystal throne stood at the center—empty, yet stained with red.

Suddenly, the air shifted.

And they saw him.

A ghost.

No, an echo.

A boy—twelve years old—wearing a shattered crown.

He looked directly at Ankit.

And whispered:

"You remind me of me."

📢 [Major Echo Triggered – Legacy Trial Initiated]

Name: The Crownless Boy

Threat Level: A

Combat Type: Projection Duel

Reward: Unknown Title | Memory Inheritance

🩸 Cliffhanger – What Lies in the Throne

As the boy faded, the area darkened.

From all directions, memories converged—warriors, priests, monsters.

A battlefield formed in the center of the capital.

And at its heart, a single question echoed through every stone, every breath:

"Would you choose the throne… if it meant losing yourself?"

Ankit stepped forward.

"I never wanted the throne," he said. "But if no one else will hold the line—then I will."

—