"A crown is not forged by fire. It is forged by failure, fear, and fangs." – Ancient Tamer Proverb
The wind changed the moment they stepped across the Wyrmreach border.
Not gradually—violently.
A hurricane of dust howled around them, biting their skin like a thousand tiny blades. Fang lowered his head, pushing forward with brute strength. Coal's wings wrapped around Leo protectively, feathers crackling with static tension.
This was no ordinary land.
This was the scar of history.
This was Gulmarrak.
A city that refused to die.
A kingdom turned to bone.
A throne still waiting for its king.
The Deadless March
The city emerged from the storm like a graveyard built on arrogance.
Once it had been a jewel of the Empire—seven towers, each representing a tamer lineage, surrounding a cathedral crowned in light. Now it stood crooked, its towers cracked, the cathedral collapsed into itself.
And yet… people still walked.
Men and women in regal garb paced the streets, speaking in hollow voices. Children played games of tag in slow, looping paths, their laughter soundless. Guards stood at attention, unmoving for decades.
But none of them were alive.
Leo whispered, "What the hell…"
Coal answered grimly. "The city never fell. It was paused. Cursed to repeat its last day forever."
Fang sniffed. "They don't see us."
"Not yet," said a new voice.
A figure stepped from the alley.
The Masked Guide
She wore a mask of white bone carved into a fox's face, with horns twisted backward like blades. Her cloak shimmered between black and violet, never quite holding a single form.
She bowed.
"I am Serqa. Formerly of the Seventh Tower. I died five hundred years ago. Welcome to Gulmarrak."
Leo stared.
"You're… welcoming us?"
Serqa nodded. "Your presence was foretold. The final Crown Fragment lies at the Heart. But to claim it, you must face the Mirror Beast."
Leo stiffened. "The what?"
Serqa raised a hand.
The sky above split open like glass.
And Leo saw himself.
Not as he was.
As he could have been.
The Mirror Beast
It stood atop the shattered cathedral. A version of Leo with a blade forged of shadow and light, riding a winged, skeletal beast, eyes glowing silver-blue.
His voice echoed from the sky:
"You think taming monsters is strength?"
"You think friendship is power?"
"I was you. And I became a god."
Leo felt something twist in his chest.
It wasn't fear.
It was… recognition.
This was the Leo who had chosen power over people.
Who had used Fang like a tool.
Who had never failed—and thus, never learned.
Fang snarled. "I hate his smell."
Coal growled. "It smells like ego."
Serqa's tone turned solemn.
"Defeating him will not require strength. It will require surrender. Understanding. And something you may not yet possess."
Leo turned. "What's that?"
She removed her mask.
She had Leo's face.
Descent into the Heart
They entered the broken cathedral. It bled moonlight despite the lack of sky. The pillars whispered. The pews screamed in silence. The altar was cracked in half, revealing a staircase spiraling down into pure void.
Each step down made Leo feel smaller.
Not physically—soulfully.
Every choice, every lie, every moment of cowardice came back to him here.
The first time he let someone else take the blame.
The day he ran instead of helping.
The second he abandoned hope.
They weren't memories.
They were attacks.
Serqa's voice echoed behind him.
"The Mirror Beast will become stronger the more you doubt yourself."
Coal fell to his knees halfway down.
Fang snarled, forcing Leo onward with his teeth.
"Don't give in."
Leo wanted to.
He really, really did.
The Arena of Mirrors
The staircase ended in a circular room with no walls—just floating mirrors. Each showed Leo at a different point in life.
A child abandoned.
A teen mocked.
An orphan pretending to smile.
And at the center—The Other Leo.
He sat upon a throne of bones and broken collars.
He stood.
And the fight began.
[Final Guardian Trial: Mirror Leo – Crown Fragment 7][Warning: Opponent has access to all your skills. Adaptive Growth. Tactical Foresight. Emotional Resistance: MAX.]
The first blow shattered the room.
The second rewrote the rules.
The third broke Leo's ribs.
Coal lunged, trying to interfere—only to be batted aside with contempt.
Fang bit deep—but the Mirror Leo ripped his shadow out and turned it on him.
Leo bled from every orifice.
But he kept fighting.
Not because he could win.
Because he couldn't let that version win.
Because if he gave up, then all of it—Ashendreach, the Trials, the friendships, the loss—would be meaningless.
He lunged with no weapon.
Just a scream.
And that's when it changed.
The Mirror Leo paused.
"You're not afraid of me anymore," he said.
Leo laughed through blood.
"I never was afraid of you."
He put a hand to the Mirror's chest.
"You were always afraid of me."
The mirrors shattered.
The room dissolved.
And the final fragment burned into Leo's spine.
Final Fragment Acquired
[Crown of Claws Complete – 7/7 Fragments United][New Class Unlocked: Tamer-King][Unique Ability Acquired: Pact Reversal – Absorb damage from allies and convert it into strength temporarily. Time limit: 60s. Cooldown: 10 min.]
Fang rose beside him.
His body was no longer beast.
It was something mythic.
Silver-black scales. Wings. Fangs carved with runes. His eyes now held galaxies.
Coal bowed.
Even Serqa knelt.
"You wear the Crown now," she whispered.
"Are you ready?"
Leo looked up.
"No."
He smiled.
"But I will be."
The throne above Gulmarrak lit up once more.
A kingdom awakened.
And in the distance, the true enemy began to stir.
Something beyond monsters.
Beyond gods.
Something older than the Crown itself.