Chapter 03 | The Twilight Era

It was so dark.So very dark.

I rubbed my eyes, but nothing changed. The darkness clung to me like smoke, thick and unmoving. No matter what I did, it refused to fade.

Then, in the blink of an eye, everything shifted.

A single candle flickered to life in the center of the room—no, not a room, but a cave. The candle sat at the heart of a strange symbol etched into the stone floor, glowing faintly with a dull blue hue.

I glanced around, trying to get my bearings. The shadows hid the walls, stretching endlessly in all directions. But right in front of the symbol stood three men, all around my height.

Wait…

Why am I floating?

I looked down and froze.

There was nothing. No body, no shadow. It was like I wasn't in the world, just observing it.

Then they spoke.

"Xal'vuren eth karesh. Thol'zir the Sovraen."

In an instant, everything flashed white.

When I opened my eyes again, I wasn't floating. I was standing. My body was back—my hands, my breath, my heartbeat.

I was real again.

In front of me stood a group of cloaked figures, frozen in shock.

"Who are you?" I asked.

They responded in a strange tongue."Vel'kaar na shuth erin'thol, kreveth nal'tor ehn?"

I stared at them blankly."What are you saying?"

Their expressions shifted from confusion to alarm. In a panic, they reached for weapons tucked beneath their cloaks.

I didn't think—my hands moved instinctively in a swatting motion. The weapons flew from their grasp, slamming against the cave wall with a loud clang before crashing to the ground.

"Zhar'ak!" one of them screamed, before they all turned and fled into the darkness.

I stood there, stunned, staring at my hands.

How… did I do that?

No answers came. Just more questions. I looked around the cave one last time before heading toward what I hoped was the exit.

I needed to find the Hollowsphere. I needed to ask what they'd done to me.

But when I stepped outside the cave…My heart sank.

This wasn't Lumenale. Not even close.

No metal towers. No neon lights. No humming drones or trains in the sky.

Just endless grasslands, ancient trees stretching into the horizon, and a silence far too deep to be near civilization.

The world hadn't looked like this in decades. Not since the Ascension.Was I even on Earth anymore?

I walked for what felt like hours. Miles passed under my feet, unchanging terrain, repeating trees, still ponds. It was like I was stuck in a loop.

Just as I was ready to give up, I saw it:Smoke, rising into the sky.

I ran.Faster than I'd ever run in my life. I needed answers. I needed people.

Eventually, I came upon a tall wooden palisade. I circled it until I found a gated entrance, and behind it, a village straight out of a fantasy game. Thatched roofs, cobblestone streets, open fires. My jaw dropped.

"Are you an intruder?"

The voice startled me. I turned and found a knight, sword drawn and pointed at my throat.

"I...I'm just a visitor. You can put the weapon down."

"Who are you? You're not from around here."

I understood his suspicion. One wrong move and I'd be a head shorter.

"My name is Simon," I said carefully.

"Simon? That's not a local name."

"You're right. I'm from the, uh… the east."

He narrowed his eyes."We are the east."

My stomach dropped."Shit. Please don't kill me."

The knight stared for a long moment… then sighed.

"You're lucky I'm nice. I could've ended you already."He sheathed his sword. "Clearly, you're lost. We're not savages. Come, let's speak to the King."

"Thank you… really."

As I followed him through the village, I couldn't focus. Everything looked surreal. Villagers paused what they were doing to stare at me like I was some kind of anomaly.

In the village center stood a towering building, part temple, part fortress. Larger than anything I'd seen, even in Lumenale.

The knight walked up to a lever near the gate and pulled it. The massive doors groaned open.

"You may enter."

Present.

High above, in a room laced with glowing runes and metal fixtures, three figures watched the events unfold through a glass window.

"The second phase is going well," said the man in blue—Arthur, seated casually with one leg crossed over the other.

A woman in black stood beside him, gazing intently through the window. Her name was Lucia.

"I hope he doesn't fail," she whispered. "Pretty boys like that… I hate seeing them die."

At the front of the room stood a man in white, wearing a commanding expression behind a gleaming silver mask—Arkais.

"Arthur. Lucia. We must not be distracted. Preparations must continue. If he survives Phase Two, we must be ready to protect him. The world will know the new Sovereign has awakened."

Arthur smirked. "Does the Sovereign really need protection, Arkais? He is the strongest, isn't he?"

Lucia grinned. "Let him talk. His mask is the strongest of all of ours. That power gets to his head."

Arkais remained still. "The Velvet Veil was created to protect the Sovereign. We swore an oath. Don't forget it."

Arthur laughed softly. "I haven't forgotten. I just think the rest of us were given scraps compared to you."

Lucia's smile faded. "Will you both shut up?"She knelt beside the slumbering Simon, brushing the hair from his face.

"Arkais, calm down. Phase Two's just begun. We'll prepare in time."

Arkais sighed, slightly surprised by her sudden outburst.

"Don't get too attached. Most vessels don't survive Phase Two."

Lucia gave a soft smile, her eyes never leaving Simon.

"He will. He'll prove you wrong, Arkais. I know he will."