After his training session with Janet, Sion walked away from the training grounds, his mind already shifting to the next task at hand—the personal investigation of the cursed area known only in ancient maps as The Hollow Vale. Shrouded in mystery and drenched in whispers of darkness, it was the location where the reconnaissance team had faced unnatural horrors and lost one of their own.
Sion stood at the edge of the castle courtyard, activating a magical crystal. It flickered with cyan-blue light before transmitting his encrypted message.
"To Queen Katherine and Prime Minister Sara
I will now begin my journey to The Hollow Vale for direct investigation. The threats we face cannot be ignored. Stay vigilant, and do not follow. I will return."
Sion Ragnar
Far away in Sidom Kingdom, deep within the high forest halls of the Elven palace, King Elric and Crown Prince Lucien sat in quiet counsel. The light of the moon filtered through enchanted glass as their voices echoed softly.
"I keep thinking about that man, Sion Ragnar," Elric began, his voice laced with unease. "When I first laid eyes on him, his mana—it wasn't normal. It surged through his body like a divine river. It was like watching a human surpass the limits of mortality."
Lucien nodded slowly. "I've sensed it too. There's something… ancient about him. His mana isn't just powerful, it's precise, endless, and refined. No ordinary human can contain that magnitude, father. Not even those blessed by the stars."
"And yet, he wields it like second nature," Elric muttered. "His magical devices, his knowledge, his inventions—they're beyond our time. Some of it, not even elven sages could fully comprehend."
Just then, a calm yet firm voice cut through the hall.
"You're both missing the deeper question."
From the shadowed archway, Queen Eleonora emerged, her expression grave, her long silver hair glowing faintly.
Lucien rose. "Mother…"
"Why is a human walking with divine mana?" she asked, pacing closer. "Why does he create technologies unseen in this world? And more importantly—why is it that since the day Sion Ragnar revealed his true strength, the land itself has started to twist?"
Both men turned toward her in silence.
"I've felt it in the winds," Eleonora continued. "The demonic mana… it grows heavier. Subtle, hidden, and immeasurable to humans. But we elves—we can feel it. And my instincts don't lie. A storm is coming, and Sion Ragnar… he is its center."
Meanwhile, in Clover Kingdom, Queen Katherine sat beside her desk, her fingers lightly brushing the cryptic message sent by Sion. Across from her, Sara sat stiffly, her eyes tracing every glowing rune etched into the parchment.
"He's gone," Katherine whispered. "To that cursed land."
Sara swallowed, placing a hand over her chest. "I hope he returns… without losing more of himself."
Both women bowed their heads in silent prayer, their hearts burdened with worry but unwavering in faith.
At the same moment, Sion crossed through the final veil separating the world of man from the horrors of The Hollow Vale.
The light dimmed unnaturally. The very air grew thick with distortion. Trees twisted into grotesque shapes. Shadows danced without sources. And the earth whispered with sorrow.
His surveillance drone floated beside him, its ethereal sensors glowing, while a small Mana Tank Unit hummed softly behind him. Most ominous of all was the crystalline orb on his belt—a Reality Modulator, a device capable of bending the rules of nature, a gift from another world… Allen's world.
Sion paused, his eyes scanning the cursed terrain before him.
"So it begins," he whispered to himself. "The chaos is waking… and I'm not sure I'll like what I find."
And as his silhouette disappeared into the darkness, the first raindrop fell onto the soil of The Hollow Vale.