🔁 Recap of Chapter 68: The Crown Below
After descending into the cursed vault beneath Halveron, Kai and his companions uncovered more than they bargained for—an ancient throne chamber sealed by time, blood, and betrayal. They fought their way through collapsing ruins, possessed echoes, and the remnants of a long-dead king's madness. But what lingered deepest wasn't the danger—it was the pull. The moment Kai laid eyes on the obsidian crown resting in that ethereal pool of flame, something awakened in him. Not power… but memory. Or perhaps prophecy.
Yuri tried to intervene, sensing the relic's corruptive energy, but it was too late. The crown didn't need to be worn to leave its mark—it simply needed Kai to see it. The visions came fast: a throne built on ash, comrades turning swords on one another, Lyra weeping with a blade in her chest… and Kai standing over it all, crowned and hollow.
