The creature rose from the ash like a living mountain.
Smoke rolled from its jaw. Flames flickered along its spine. Its wings spread wide, made of black stone and fire, and its eyes locked onto me—bright as dying stars.
It was massive. Ancient. Terrifying.
But it bowed.
"Command me, Sovereign."
The voice boomed directly into my mind, deep and thunderous, like molten earth grinding beneath stone.
I couldn't breathe for a second.
Then I stepped forward.
"What… are you?"
The creature didn't move. "I am Ashborne's Warden. Flame-born. Bound to the throne by the First King. When the throne was struck, I woke."
Alecto stumbled up beside me, blood on her lip. She stared at the thing in disbelief.
"That's… that's not possible," she whispered. "They said the Warden was a myth."
I swallowed hard. "It's not."
---
The Scorchbind were already retreating.
The moment the beast rose, they ran—some screaming, some limping, a few flying. Their leader, the chain-woman, didn't speak again. She vanished into the smoke, like she'd never been there.
The Warden let them go.
For now.
"What happens next?" I asked.
The Warden raised its head slightly. "That depends. Will you accept your role, Sovereign?"
I glanced back at the broken throne.
Its pieces still shimmered with Core energy, humming faintly in the dust.
Then I looked at the ruined fortress—its cracked walls, its broken towers, and the strange heat that filled it like a heartbeat.
"I don't know how to be a king," I muttered.
"You will learn," said the Warden.
Then it vanished.
Not like it flew away—just melted back into the ground like lava into stone. A ripple of ash followed it, sealing the earth behind it.
---
The next few hours passed in silence.
I used the Echo of Will to raise the walls again, one brick at a time. The Core responded faster now—more obedient. The throne's power wasn't gone... it had changed.
Now it felt like it pulsed through the fortress itself.
System Notice:
Ashborne Core Node – Stabilized
Domain Authority: 12%
New Trait: Sovereign Flame (Dormant)
Bound Entity: Warden of Ashborne
Population: 2
Still just two.
"I need allies," I muttered.
"You need soldiers," Alecto corrected.
"Same thing."
"Not quite."
We argued a bit more before setting up camp inside the walls. I didn't sleep. The Warden's voice echoed in my head all night.
Command me.
---
The next morning, we found the first outsider.
Or rather… he found us.
He was unconscious near the eastern gate—half-buried in soot, clothes torn, and blood dried on his face.
At first, I thought he was dead.
Then he twitched.
Alecto drew her blade. "Could be a spy."
I knelt beside him. "Or bait."
I placed a hand on his chest and closed my eyes. The Core's flame pulsed inside me.
"Echo of Will: Cleanse."
A small wave of heat pushed out from my palm. The man's body glowed briefly. His injuries didn't vanish—but the blood crust broke away, and his breathing steadied.
He groaned. Eyes fluttered open.
Pale blue eyes.
Then—he gasped and scrambled back.
"Don't kill me!"
"Relax," I said. "You're safe. Sort of."
He looked between us. "You… you're the Half-Demon Sovereign."
I tensed. "Who told you that?"
"Everyone."
Alecto stepped forward. "Talk. Fast."
He raised his hands. "My name is Corin. I was a scout for the Emberreach guild. We heard about your fortress rising. They sent us to investigate."
"And where are the others?" I asked.
Corin swallowed hard. "Dead. Killed by… by those chain freaks. The Scorchbind."
I looked at Alecto. She looked at me.
Then I turned back to Corin.
"Welcome to Ashborne," I said. "If you want to live, earn it."
---
Over the next week, we found five more survivors.
Some came to us. Others we found hiding in nearby caves, burned villages, or ruined trade posts.
Three were fighters. One was a healer. One was a thief who got caught trying to steal from the food stores. Alecto broke his nose. I gave him a bed anyway.
The fortress began to hum louder with each new person.
System Update:
Population: 8
Morale: Cautious
Domain Authority: 15%
Status: Emerging Haven
The others didn't trust me at first. I didn't blame them. I had horns. My eyes glowed in the dark. And I talked to a fortress like it was alive.
But then they saw the walls rise when I spoke.
They saw the Warden's flame light the torches.
They saw the Scorchbind's banners burn.
And they started calling me Lord Kael.
I didn't correct them.
---
One night, Corin approached me alone.
"The others are scared," he said quietly.
"Of what?"
"Of what's coming next."
I didn't respond.
He sat beside me on the throne steps. The night wind was cold, but the ground under us was always warm now.
"They think you'll bring more enemies," he added.
"I probably will."
"And… some of them are talking about leaving."
"Let them."
He paused. "But some want to stay. Build this place. Fight for it. They just need… something to believe in."
I looked at him.
Then stood.
"Then I'll give it to them."
---
The next day, I carved a mark into the gate with the Sin Blade.
A symbol.
Not demonic. Not human.
Something new.
A flame twisted around a crown of ash.
"I'm not here to be a king," I told the gathered survivors. "I'm here to build a home."
They didn't cheer. Not yet.
But they stayed.
---
That night, I sat alone on the broken throne again.
The Core pulsed.
And the Warden spoke once more.
"Sovereign. Your time is short. The next trial begins soon."
I stiffened.
"What trial?"
"The Sovereign War. The others are waking. You are not the only one chosen."
I stood.
"How many?"
"Thirteen."
My blood went cold.
Thirteen other Sovereigns. All with their own Cores. Their own Thrones. Their own ambitions.
And all of them would come for me.
"Let them try," I whispered.
But deep down, I knew the calm was ending.
The real war was about to begin.