The path to the Sanctuary Ruins wound deep into the cliffs, veiled in mist and the scent of forgotten prayers. Towering archways rose from the ground like skeletal wings, broken spires stabbing the sky. Once, this had been a place of angels. Now, it was nothing but a haunted echo.
[System Zone Entry: Sanctuary Ruins – Status: Desecrated Holy Site]
• Corruption Level: 72%
• Angelic Resonance Detected
• Warning: Probability of spectral entities—High
Kael and Arin stepped carefully through the cracked stone gate.
Pale blue flowers bloomed in strange patches, whispering faintly as if speaking to one another. At the center stood the ruined temple—a massive circular structure half-collapsed, its stained-glass dome shattered. Shards glinted in the dirt like tears.
"This place…" Arin whispered. "It's beautiful in a broken way."
Kael said nothing. His senses were pulled elsewhere—toward the Crown of the Hollowed, humming softly in his inventory. Its pull had brought them here.
[Crown of the Hollowed – Passive Trait Activated: Resonance with Skybound Sanctum]
• Effect: Unlocks Hidden Quest – "Fragments of the Skyborn"
• Reward: Unknown
A soft tone echoed through the ruins as a new window appeared:
[Quest: Fragments of the Skyborn – Step 1/3]
"Find the Fallen Choir."
Objective: Retrieve 3 Skyborn Essences from the Echoing Vaults below the ruins.
Kael grimaced. "Underground again. Of course."
They approached the temple doors, long rotted and overgrown. With a gentle push, Kael opened the way—and the whispers began.
Faint, melodic, and ancient. A chorus that was not meant for mortal ears.
The stairwell spiraled downward into the Echoing Vaults, carved in celestial runes that glowed faintly as they passed. As soon as they reached the bottom, a wave of cold hit them like a wall.
[Debuff Applied – Sacred Chill: -5% Stamina Regen, -10% Healing Effectiveness]
Arin's teeth chattered. "We're not supposed to be here."
"That's never stopped us before."
The vaults opened into a wide underground cathedral, walls covered in angelic murals—only now, they were defaced. Wings were torn off. Halos cracked. Eyes blackened. The fall of the divine was written in every stone.
At the center of the chamber stood the first guardian:
A towering specter draped in spectral robes, its face hidden behind a cracked porcelain mask. Six ghostly wings drifted behind it like smoke.
[Mini-Boss – Skybound Echo, Choirshade LVL 14]
• Type: Spectral Guardian
• Affinity: Light + Sound
• Weakness: Shadow / Disruption
The specter let out a wailing song—high-pitched, ethereal, and disorienting.
Kael fell to one knee, ears ringing, vision blurring.
[Status Effect – Disoriented: -20% Accuracy for 15 sec]
"Cover me!" Arin shouted, her hands glowing with fire-inscribed runes.
Kael forced himself upright, using Martial Surge to lunge forward and slash at the Choirshade's legs. His blade passed through smoke—but part of it connected, disrupting its form.
[Damage Dealt: 221 | Stability Reduced: 12%]
The specter shrieked and retaliated, lashing out with tendrils of holy sound. Arin blocked them with a shield of flame, but her health dropped fast.
"Hit it hard when it flickers!" she yelled.
Kael focused. Every few seconds, the specter solidified slightly—just enough.
He timed it. Waited… then struck through its chest with a downward cleave empowered by his newest ability:
[New Skill: Severing Harmony – Deals 200% base damage to Sound or Magic-based enemies | Cooldown: 90s]
[Critical Hit! -980 HP | Choirshade Stability 0% – Exorcised]
The Choirshade exploded in a burst of white mist. A glowing shard hovered in the air.
[Skyborn Essence (1/3) Acquired]
They continued into the next chamber, each encounter more intense than the last. The second guardian—a twin-bladed ghost knight—forced Kael and Arin into a brutal dance of synchronized dodges and counterstrikes. The third—a statue that moved only when unobserved—tested their patience, memory, and nerves.
At last, they held the final Skyborn Essence, and a new system alert appeared:
[Quest Update: Fragments of the Skyborn Complete – Return to Temple Core]
They climbed back to the ruined sanctuary above. The central dais—once used for divine communion—was now active again. Three recesses in the shape of angelic wings glowed.
Kael placed the essences into the slots. The dais trembled. Light flared.
And something rose from the ground—a small orb of silver fire.
[System Artifact Acquired – "Skyborn Core (Fragmented)"]
• Use: Grants access to Skyblade Techniques (Tier I)
• Effect: Strengthens Angelic Affinity Paths
• Trait: Immunity to Low-Tier Corruption Zones
Kael held it in both hands. As it sank into his chest, a new line of code etched itself into his body.
Arin gasped. "You're… glowing."
Kael looked at his arms. Faint, celestial runes now shimmered beneath his skin.
[System Path Evolved – Hybrid Branch: Martial-Arcanum → Skyforged Ascendant]
• Passive Bonus: +12% resistance to Divine or Demonic skills
• New Trait: Heavenforged Will – Cannot be mind-controlled below Tier III
• Path Expansion Unlocked
Kael's breath caught. He had felt strong before, but now… this was divine purpose. Controlled. Channeled. Not borrowed power—earned.
Arin smirked. "You're becoming something else entirely."
He looked up, toward the sky, and whispered: "Then let the heavens take notice."