Chapter 16: Eyes of the Hollow Moon
The embers still glowed where Enveras had fallen.
But Shen Nightfall was already walking away.
Each step he took echoed like a drumbeat in the bones of the earth. The air behind him shimmered with leftover divine heat, and above him, the clouds were parting—not by weather, but by will.
[System Notice]
Title Unlocked: Anathema Ascendant
Your existence is now classified as a divine threat.
World Response Level: Tier IV (Mythic Interference Imminent)
All major Orders will adjust behavior accordingly.
"Congratulations," Nyxria said softly. "They see you now."
"They always did," Shen muttered. "Now they just remember why they're afraid."
They didn't make it far before the sky darkened again.
This time, not by storm or smoke.
By something watching.
A full moon rose in daylight—impossibly pale, surrounded by black flame sigils that spiraled like celestial tattoos. From its light descended a figure in white armor adorned with flowing scripture. His eyes were covered by a silver blindfold, and his voice, when he spoke, was calm and final.
"I am Exarch Veysol of the Hollow Moon," he said.
Nyxria flinched. "One of the Twelve Vesper Judges…"
Shen said nothing. He didn't need the system to tell him—this was a being who had slain entire bloodlines for lesser crimes than his.
[System Alert]
Mythic-Class Threat Detected: Exarch Veysol, Writbearer of Silent Light
Divine Authority: Judgment of Purity
Combat Initiation Not Recommended.
"I do not come to kill you," Veysol said, stepping onto the scorched earth where Enveras died. "Not yet."
"Then why come at all?" Shen asked, his tone flat.
"To deliver prophecy. And a warning."
Veysol extended a single scroll—unmarked, unlabeled.
"Three of the Old Gods have awakened because of you."
"The Starbound Matron has wept fire upon her temples."
"The Sleeping Lord stirs beneath the Voidsea."
"And the King of Names… has spoken your true name aloud."
The air around them rippled as if the world itself shuddered.
"You walk toward a war no one survives, Nightfall," Veysol said. "Not even the gods."
Shen looked at the scroll, then at the Exarch. "Then why warn me?"
"Because I, too, once walked away from a burning god."
The silence that followed was long.
Then Veysol vanished into moonlight—leaving only the scroll behind, smoldering gently at Shen's feet.
Nyxria stared at it. "Will you read it?"
"No."
He stepped past it, toward the rising mountains beyond the forest. Toward Emberreach City—the first mortal kingdom he would enter since his exile.
"I already know what it says."
[System Update]
New Global Event: Cyclebreak Protocol Initiated
All Divine Factions have updated threat indexes.
The Codex Nullum is being watched.
Your name is now spoken in high-seer circles.
New Quest Unlocked: The Thorns of Emberreach
Objective: Investigate the sealed city beneath the Ember Crown.
Status: Dangerous secrets buried in ash. Survivors whisper of "the Cursed Bloom" and a voice older than gods.
As Shen and Nyxria approached the city, a sudden storm erupted.
Only it wasn't rain.
It was ash—falling like snow.
And carved into the wind was a single sigil drawn in living flame.
The Voidbrand.
Not his.
Another one.