The escape from the collapsing chamber was narrow.
As the Herald of Ends faded back into slumber, the ruins of Veydril trembled, rejecting further intrusion. The trio fled through twisting halls of forgotten memory, guided only by the Nullblade's pulsing rune—each beat matching Haruto's own.
They emerged into fading dusk.
But the sky was wrong.
The stars shimmered in alien formations, and the moons—there were now three—hung unnaturally low. Time had shifted around them.
Serenya cast a quick stasis charm. "We were inside the seal chamber too long. We're weeks ahead… maybe more."
Haruto didn't respond. He knelt and pressed a hand to the ground. The magic residue was still fresh—but something darker pulsed beneath it. A presence.
"We're being watched," he said.
Lucien turned, daggers drawn. "I don't see anything—wait…"
On the horizon, shapes moved. Soldiers—armored, disciplined. Their tabards bore the golden crest of the Sunbound Empire.
And at the center of their formation rode a figure clad in obsidian plate, trimmed with crimson.
His helm gleamed like polished bone.
The riders halted, and the man removed his helmet.
He was young—no older than Haruto—but his eyes glowed with an unnatural brilliance. Gold irises, rimmed with violet flame.
He studied Haruto with a knowing smile.
"I wondered when fate would finally spit you back out," he said. "The blade bearer… the exile who walks between timelines."
Haruto stood, voice calm. "You've been watching me."
"I've been preparing for you," the man said. "I am Rael Ardyn. Crown Prince of the Sunbound Empire. And soon—its Emperor."
Lucien muttered, "I hate this guy already."
Rael's gaze turned serious.
"You opened the first seal. Good. I need you to open the others."
Serenya's eyes narrowed. "Need, or command?"
Rael's smile returned—but colder this time.
"There is a greater war coming, one you haven't seen yet. I offer you a place beside me, Haruto. As my sword, not my enemy."
Haruto's silence stretched for too long.
Rael's knights raised their spears.
And the wind carried a single word from the prince's lips:
"Decide."