The siblings sat quietly by the mountainside, nestled among the gathering of Unbound. The sky above was tinged with fading gold, the sun dipping slowly toward the edge of the world. The air held a strange stillness, as if Yilheim itself were pausing in anticipation.
Anuel stood abruptly. "Many people here have had horrible lives, so be careful what you say," she said, her voice flat but firm. She turned away and added, "Let's go, guys. We have to start preparing for tomorrow."
Without another word, the Unbound began to rise and follow her, their figures moving in silence toward the dark opening in the mountain. Eliana moved with them, her steps unhurried, her face unreadable.
As they vanished into the stone, Eryndor's gaze lingered on Eliana.
Had I confronted her in earnest, the outcome would have been absolute—I would have been utterly overpowered. Yet even burdened with that immense might, she remains docile beneath their command. She didn't resist, not even when provoked. Such restraint... such silence. What manner of power must our captors possess, to reduce someone like her to obedience?
Ziraiah lay down on the grass with a soft sigh. Valerius followed, mirroring her position but with his head turned the opposite way. Eryndor lowered himself beside them, settling so that their heads formed a quiet triangle beneath the open sky.
Together, they watched the last rays of sunlight wash over the peaks.
"It has been some time," Eryndor said softly, his voice rich with reflection, "since we last allowed ourselves the simple luxury of gazing at the sun."
Ziraiah broke the silence. "I wonder how Mom is doing... What do you think will happen tomorrow?"
Valerius shrugged. "We're going to try to open some kind of door, and we've got all these people protecting us. What's the worst that could happen?"
"Why'd you have to say that?" Ziraiah groaned. "You just jinxed us. You know what happens in movies when people say stuff like that."
"Stop overreacting," Valerius replied lazily. "That stuff only happens in movies. We're not in a movie."
Though Valerius's tone was casual, Eryndor's thoughts swam in deeper currents.
Had the path ahead been harmless, they wouldn't have tested our prowess beforehand. The absence of such trials only affirms the danger we are meant to face. This silence before the mission—this calm—it conceals more than it reveals.
His gaze returned to the sun, now a sliver of dying light on the horizon.
And yet... something festers beneath the stillness. A heaviness that refuses to lift.
I cannot name it, but I feel it pressing against my mind like the chill of unseen winds. An ominous certainty coils within me—foreboding, undeniable.
---
Hours later, under the weight of nightfall, the Unbound hideout had transformed into a hive of motion and noise. Figures hurried through the torchlit corridors, some shouldering weapons, others shouting orders across the stone walls. The air was thick with urgency, the pulse of preparation unmistakable.
"Hey! Where's Anuel? We need to get the kruisers up and running!" Sumshus bellowed as he weaved between two crates, barely avoiding a rushing courier.
The siblings stepped into the mountain at that moment, their eyes adjusting to the sudden flood of activity.
"Whoa," Valerius muttered, blinking at the chaos around them. "How long were we out there? This place is so busy."
Alcoos passed by them in silence, his two swords crossing onto his back with a metallic clink. A smirk tugged at his lips. "This is going to be fun."
Just ahead stood Silvie. She was clad in a sleek black suit of armor—an artifact known as a Arch Armour—its metal surface reflecting dim torchlight. Though she held the helmet under her arm, the suit covered her from neck to toe, runes etched into its plating glowing faintly like breathing embers.
"Just who I was looking for," she said. "Come with me. I've gotta get you guys ready."
Valerius gawked at the suit. "Whoa... that thing looks pretty cool."
"I know, right?" Silvie grinned. "I've got yours too."
Valerius's eyes lit up. "We get one too?"
"Yeah," she replied casually. "Let's go."
They moved through the tunnel, passing chamber after chamber. People worked in every corner—assembling, arguing, calibrating. The further they walked, the colder and more metallic the air seemed to feel.
"How many rooms are in this place?" Valerius asked, peering down a side hall that seemed to stretch endlessly.
"Too many to count," Silvie replied.
They finally entered a large chamber, its ceiling high and rounded, stone floor polished from years of foot traffic. At the far end stood fourteen Arch Armour suits, each displayed like a sentinel. Identical in shape—tall, imposing, featureless black metal—all bore glowing runes inscribed into their limbs and a deep blue plate embedded in the chest.
"My, oh my," Eryndor murmured, his voice soft and cultured. "A gallery of titans awaiting their bearers."
"Choose any one," Silvie said, folding her arms.
Valerius ran forward, nearly stumbling, his hands reaching out to touch the cold surface of the closest Arch Armour. He ran his fingers over the glowing runes etched into its leg.
He barely reached its waist.
"I do believe it hardly requires my commentary to observe that these suits are... dramatically oversized for our current physiques," Eryndor said, raising an eyebrow as he examined one of the armour sets.
"There's no way that's gonna fit me," Ziraiah muttered, eyes wide.
"Don't worry," Silvie said. "It adjusts to your size."
"Now that's cool," Valerius grinned.
"Put your palm on the blue plate on the chest," she instructed.
Valerius stretched his arms upward, standing on his toes to reach. As his palm met the glowing plate, the runes pulsed. A soft hum filled the room as light spread from the plate and scanned his body from head to toe in a vertical sweep.
"What? What's happening?" Valerius asked, flinching slightly.
"Relax," Silvie said, tapping the chest of her own Arch Armour. "How do you think this one fits me? It scans your body and adapts to it. Cool, right?"
She smiled and stepped back. "Try it out."
The Arch Armour before Valerius began to shift. With a series of low mechanical hisses, the armour shrank and compacted, folding and readjusting until it stood at Valerius's size. The chest plate slid sideways with a whispering click, and the front of the suit opened like the jaws of a dormant beast.
"Whoa... looks like something straight out of a sci-fi movie," Valerius whispered.
He turned around and walked backward into the suit. The moment his back touched the inner frame, the Arch Armour reacted—closing around him with smooth, layered precision. Pieces aligned and locked in sequence, sealing him inside.
Darkness flashed.
Then—vision.
The world came into focus, but it wasn't the world he knew. Through the Arch Armour's interface, Valerius saw reality overlaid with data—lines, pulses, information. Glowing yellow boxes locked onto Eryndor, Ziraiah, and Silvie, identifying each of them with silent precision.
As he turned his head, the suit's sensors responded instantly. The walls around him were scanned and analyzed in real time. A projection appeared in his vision—a readout displaying the mineral composition of the rock, percentage breakdowns, density values, and a faint energy signature within the stone.
Valerius couldn't help but smile.
"I think... I'm starting to like this world."
---
In a dimly lit war room deep within the mountain, Dreados, Omfry, Anuel, and Beily stood gathered around a long stone table, its surface scattered with maps, runic markings, and projection glyphs.
Dreados leaned forward, arms braced against the cold slab, shadows crawling across his face from the low hanging lights. Beily stood like a monolith, all four of his arms crossed in silent composure. Anuel rested her hand lightly on the hilt of her sword, while Dreados bore two identical blades sheathed at his sides—and over his hands, the infamous Solstice Gloves, their gleaming inlays pulsing faintly. The very artifact stolen from Ignir.
Omfry tilted his head, his voice dry. "Those gloves must feel real nice on you, Dreados."
Dreados didn't look up. "Come now, Omfry... still nursing envy, are you? You'll wear them next time."
He straightened, arms folding across his chest with quiet finality. "As you are all aware, the Ignir forces are closing in."
Anuel scoffed. "They're really persistent, aren't they?"
"That," Dreados replied, "is precisely what I desire. also, I'll have you know...the mission has been leaked."
Omfry's expression shifted. "What? The mission leaked? But we all took the blood pact. That should be impossible. The skies themselves should've split and struck them down."
Anuel frowned. "You think someone here… actually sacrificed their life to leak it?"
Dreados's eyes narrowed, voice steady as steel cooled in ice. "Then they did not take the pact. I was naive to presume loyalty could be guaranteed by ritual alone. I should have ensured it—my failing."
He exhaled slowly, the tension in the room compressing like air before a storm.
"But no purpose is served by dwelling in regret," he said. "The mission proceeds."
He reached for his long black coat and slung it over his shoulders in one fluid motion. The high collar rose up to frame his jaw, nearly obscuring the lower half of his face. He turned toward the exit, his voice cold and final.
"The next time I cross paths with the traitor… they will not be allowed to explain themselves."
He turned his gaze over his shoulder, eyes glowing with quiet fury beneath the shadow of his coat.
"Let us move."
---
Outside, the air was electric.
Dreados, Omfry, and Anuel emerged from the mountain, walking in perfect synchrony—unhurried, unshaken. Every step they took felt deliberate, like the ticking of fate itself. Before them stood the Unbound, armoured and ready, eyes sharp and wild, many wearing grins that promised blood.
The Kruisers lined the base, humming with energy, glowing runes along their hulls flickering like lightning in a bottle.
"Is everything ready?" Anuel shouted.
Sumshus saluted sharply. "Everything's good to go!"
Dreados approached him, coat billowing behind him like a shadow set free. "Where are the children?"
Sumshus gestured to the left. "Right there, boss."
The siblings stood by the lead kruiser, each of them clad in their newly acquired Arch Armours. Valerius shifted in place, heart pounding like a war drum. He felt like a soldier standing at the precipice of destiny.
Dreados walked calmly through the mass of warriors, parting the crowd without a word. He approached the lead kruiser, glancing down at the time on a pocket watch gripped in his gloved hand. Its face gleamed with faint starlight.
Then he turned.
Wind caught his coat and lifted it around him like a banner. All eyes fell upon him. The mountain watched. The sky, too, seemed to still.
Dreados's voice rose—not in volume, but in gravity. Smooth. Unyielding. Absolute.
"All preparations are complete.
The course has been set.
Now…
Let us write our mark upon the world—
Onward… to the Baniek Ruin."
The Unbound erupted in response, a wave of primal energy bursting through the air as the engines flared and the warpath began.
To Be Continued...