Stoneglass Hold wasn't a fortress—it was a tomb. Shattered spires leaned like broken needles against the mountainside, and obsidian glass littered the path, crackling under Cedric's boots with every step. The air shimmered faintly with dormant enchantments.
"This place was sealed by the Threadkeepers," Lynne explained as they passed a fractured gateway lined with hollow statues. "They were researchers. Mages obsessed with understanding the system before the Church twisted it."
Cedric glanced around, wary. "Did they succeed?"
"No," she said grimly. "They vanished overnight. Vault sealed itself. No one's dared reopen it since… until now."
A massive bronze door stood ahead, embedded into the rock, covered in flowing glyphs half-erased by time. Cedric stepped closer. The system reacted.
> Ancient Archive Recognized
Threadkeeper Node Detected
Demon Lord System Integration: Partial Override Authorized
WARNING: Coexisting System Detected. Temporal Error: Resurrection Premature. Anomaly Chain Reaction Suspected.
His blood chilled. "It wasn't supposed to happen yet."
Lynne stiffened. "What wasn't?"
Cedric shared the screen with her. Her eyes scanned quickly—then widened.
"A second Demon Lord?" she whispered. "While you're still active?"
He nodded slowly. "The system says the resurrection shouldn't have happened for another century. Something's broken the cycle."
Lynne turned to the vault. "We might find the answer inside."
They pushed open the heavy doors, revealing a circular room lined with crystal tablets and arcane conduits. Dust hung thick in the air, but faint mana currents still hummed.
In the center stood a terminal—one built not by faith or ritual, but by magic and code.
Cedric stepped forward. The system buzzed.
> Threadkeeper Core Accessed.
Decrypting Origin Record…
Please Wait…
A projection flickered to life—a figure in deep robes, face obscured. Its voice echoed as if from another age:
"We created the system not to serve kings, nor gods, but to seal something older… darker. The Demon Lord Cycle is a containment algorithm—meant to buy time."
"Each host is chosen to anchor the core—until their humanity fades, and the next takes their place. The Church found a way to exploit this… repurpose it. They took control of the narrative and suppressed the truth."
"But it was never meant to continue forever."
Cedric swallowed. "So the Demon Lord… isn't the enemy. He's the prison warden."
Lynne looked pale. "And if a second one has awakened while you're still active…"
"Then the seal is breaking," Cedric finished.
> ERROR: Dual-Host Status Detected
Seal Integrity: 72%
Reintegration Protocol: Failed
System Thread Fracture Imminent
Cedric closed his eyes as the weight of it sank in. He wasn't just a mistake—he was a warning.
"Whatever caused this," he murmured, "the Church is involved. Maybe not directly… but they've manipulated this cycle for too long."
He turned to the crystal tablets, their data beginning to decrypt.
"If I want to stop the collapse—and get my revenge—I need to understand everything. From the first thread to the last."
Lynne nodded, her voice quiet but resolute. "Then let's find out who—or what—is buried in this system's roots."
And so the true journey began. Not just to reclaim a name… but to uncover a lie that had shaped the world itself.