The Nyseren Sector, an edge sector that stood as the closest point between the empires and the unending darkness of the Demon Empire.
Here, the stars themselves seemed to dim, their light swallowed by the oppressive void that marked the boundary between civilization and annihilation.
And within this chaos hung the Watchpoint, a colossal fortress built entirely from obsidian alloys and mana-reactive metal. It was the listening post of the frontier, its eternal duty was to track the flow of essence across the demon-owned edge sectors and to sound the alarm before doom arrived.
Thousands of Essence Reading Nodes floated throughout the frontier void, forming a network that constantly transmitted Essence Signature Data back to the fortress. Every pulse, every ripple of energy from the Demon Sector was recorded here. The nodes themselves were small, barely larger than a human fist, but their reach extended light-years into hostile territory, invisible threads of detection woven across the abyss.
Inside the control chamber, a Runithian Clan Stellar Lord stood rigid before the vast holo-screen filled with streams of data. His four silver eyes flickered as he analyzed the readings, each iris processing different layers of information simultaneously.
His skin held a faint metallic sheen, characteristic of his race, and intricate circuit-like patterns ran along his exposed forearms where his sleeves had been rolled back.
Clans from Lexaria had always taken these kinds of departments on edge sectors rather than directly fighting, and on this cycle, this duty fell to the Runithian Clan. Their multi-layered vision and computational minds made them ideal for pattern recognition and data analysis, skills that kept entire sectors alive.
Around him, dozens of operators sat at curved consoles, their hands moving across holographic interfaces.
A nearby SSS-rank officer turned, trembling. His face had gone pale, one hand gripping the edge of his console as though it were the only solid thing in the universe.
"Lord… the essence signature readings have shifted."
The Stellar Lord's gaze didn't leave the main display, "Shifted how?"
"The patterns show heavy influxes within the Demon sectors, multiple convergence points forming along the frontier barrier."
The officer's voice cracked slightly, "It looks like they're gathering."
That single word, gathering, sent a chill through the chamber.
The Stellar Lord's four eyes narrowed simultaneously, each one focusing on different sections of the data stream, "How large is it this time?"
The officer hesitated, his hands shaking as he magnified the projections. The holo-screen shifted, displaying a three-dimensional map of the demon sectors. Clusters of red signatures bloomed across the darkness like spreading infection.
"Millions of lesser demons detected across the outer fields."
He swallowed hard, "At least two hundred demon commanders and eight demon lords."
The Stellar Lord's expression changed; two hundred commanders meant two hundred Stellar-ranked demons, and eight Demon Lords meant eight beings who could shatter planets, entities who wielded dual-essence like him.
Then this was a siege larger than the last one.
"Compile the full report," the Stellar Lord ordered, "I need precise coordinates for every—"
"My Lord." The SSS-rank officer's voice had dropped to barely a whisper.
The Stellar Lord turned fully toward him.
The officer's hands were shaking so badly that he could barely maintain the projection. When he spoke, his words came out broken, disbelieving, "There are also signatures of multiple Demon Warlords."
The chamber went silent.
Every operator froze, the constant hum of activity died as though someone had severed the room from time itself.
The Stellar Lord stared at the officer, his four eyes widening in perfect synchronization, "Multiple Warlords? You're certain?"
The SSS-rank nodded fearfully. He gestured at the holo-screen with a trembling hand, highlighting four distinct essence signatures that burned darker than the rest, as though they pulled reality toward them like black holes.
"Four confirmed, possibly more beyond our sensor range."
The Stellar Lord felt something cold settle in his chest; this was something no frontier commander ever wanted to hear. Demon Warlords were the apex of the power hierarchy, creatures who wielded tri-essence or higher, capable of annihilating fleets and breaking entire formations with casual gestures.
Whenever a single demon warlord led a siege, it would always be a disastrous one; the survivors counted themselves fortunate if they escaped with their lives.
But four? Four warlords together?
The Stellar Lord's mind raced through historical records. In all years of recorded Edge warfare, there had never been a deployment of four warlords at the same time.
The Stellar Lord didn't hesitate another second. He turned sharply, his robes billowing as he stormed toward the chamber's exit.
"Maintain surveillance, flag any further changes immediately."
"Yes, Lord!"
He moved through the fortress corridors at a speed that blurred his form, spatial essence carrying him faster than running, other personnel pressed themselves against walls as he passed, sensing the urgency in his movement.
He ascended through spatial gates, appearing on the highest platform where the true commanders gathered.
...
Inside the Nyseren command room, at the center stood Voidrender clan's Patriarch, Thalren, the one currently assigned to oversee Nyseren's defense.
He was a tall, humanoid figure clad in deep black and violet robes. A dark mask concealed his face; only his faintly glowing purple eyes were visible beneath.
The Runithian Stellar Lord approached, bowing deeply despite his own rank, "Patriarch Thalren, we've detected unusual activity within the Demon sectors."
Thalren turned slowly, "Define unusual."
The Stellar Lord straightened, "Over two hundred demon commanders, eight lords, and even warlord signatures were detected. Multiple warlords, Patriarch."
For a long moment, Thalren said nothing.
Then Thalren turned toward the vast viewing window that dominated the chamber's far wall. Beyond it, the void stretched endlessly, stars scattered like dying embers across the darkness.
But in one direction, the stars vanished entirely.
That was the Demon Sector, a region of space where light itself seemed unwelcome.
"So… the time has come," Thalren murmured, "The demons finally intend to push harder."
He clasped his hands behind his back, still gazing into that terrible darkness, "But demons haven't gathered on this scale before. At least not with multiple warlords together."
One of the nearby Stellar Lords, "Could they have found something on the edge?"
Thalren's eyes narrowed slightly, "Possible."
He turned back toward the Runithian Stellar Lord, "If they're doing it now, there should be a reason, and we need to be ready for it."
He extended a hand, essence rippling around his fingers as he activated a communication formation.
"Send the report to Drakthor and Vaelmir sectors immediately."
"At once, Patriarch."
"And call for an Edge Council, I want every sector patriarch on the line within today, if the demons are gathering their army…"
His purple eyes flared brighter, "Then it's time we gather ours."
The Runithian Stellar Lord bowed again, "Understood."
...
Thousands of light-years away, in the Vaelmir Sector, the Infinitus Matriarch Seraphis reviewed the same report, the one currently assigned to oversee the Vaelmir Sector.
"Multiple warlords," she repeated, "Eight demon lords and over two hundred commanders."
She leaned forward, "Even four Demon Warlords… what are they after?"
For the first time in millennia, she felt uncertainty. The demon warlords never gathered in such numbers without a catalyst; something or someone must have drawn their hunger.
Her attendant, a young Stellar Lord with near-translucent skin, stood beside her, "Matriarch, the Runithian Clan's data is thorough. They've triple-verified the signatures."
"I don't doubt their competence," Seraphis murmured. She waved a hand, and the hologram expanded, revealing the demon sector's borders, "I doubt our understanding."
She scanned through the attached report and paused when she saw the notice.
"Edge Council Meeting – Nyseren Sector."
The Edge Council was never summoned lightly; it was where all currently stationed patriarchs and warlords of the frontier gathered to coordinate defense strategies. In history, only the bloodiest sieges warranted its assembly, and none since the fall of the lost fourth sector.
After that, on most sieges, the stellar lords took care of the sieges, not needing the attention of warlords, but things changed now.
Seraphis closed her eyes, and for a moment, the chamber filled with echoes, screams, explosions, the sound of reality tearing apart. Memories of the fourth sector's collapse played in her mind.
She had been there, she had watched an entire defensive line crumble beneath the combined assault of a twin demon warlords who moved as one, their essences intertwined in a dance of annihilation.
"Voren and Aren," she whispered, the names tasting like ash on her tongue.
Her attendant stiffened, "You believe they'll be among the forces?"
"I know they will."
Seraphis stood, her robes cascading around her near-translucent skin.
"Those two have haunted the Edge for millennia. They were present at every major siege, every catastrophic breach. If multiple warlords are gathering, Voren and Aren will be leading them."
She gestured to her attendant, "Prepare my starship. If the demons wish for another Great Siege, we will meet them at the frontier."
The attendant bowed deeply and departed.
Seraphis turned back to the hologram; she could never forget the sight of twin demon warlords wreaking havoc and fighting against multiple warlords from the empires at the same time.
And she was sure those twin demons should be in this great siege.
...
Meanwhile, in the Origin Construct, Adrian watched the training fields through a screen.
Thousands of Origin and Duskbane warriors were sparring within the time fields.
Behind him, Kaelith sat at a curved console, reviewing warriors' data.
Then, the doors of the command hall burst open.
Varik entered in haste, holding a glowing node. His usually composed demeanor had fractured, replaced by urgency.
"My Lord." He bowed quickly, "Urgent transmission from the Nyseren Sector."
Adrian turned, "Let me see it."
Varik activated the node, and the projection unfolded before him, readings of massive demon movement, confirmed lords, and warlords among them.
Kaelith rose from her console, her attention snapping to the display.
Adrian's eyes scanned the data, absorbing every detail in seconds. His expression remained neutral, but his hands slowly unclenched behind his back, "Wait… Warlords?"
In his vision, the siege had happened months later, and there had been no Demon Warlords, only a handful of Demon Lords.
This wasn't the same future.
"How?" Adrian whispered, "I didn't change anything that should alter the future this much…"
He had moved the Origin Capital to Drakthor, yes, but that shouldn't have provoked this scale of chaos.
He expected it to change the Aethelian Emperor's plans. The Emperor would have to adjust his betrayal, perhaps change it entirely.
But now, the demons themselves were responding differently.
He clenched his fist, "The Aethelian Emperor… no. Even he couldn't move the demons like this; something else is stirring them."
Varik shifted uncomfortably, "My Lord, there's more. Patriarch Thalren of the Voidrender Clan has called for an Edge Council Meeting. Every sector patriarch and warlord is being summoned to Nyseren."
Adrian's eyes narrowed. He knew of it from the galactic archives, a gathering reserved for catastrophic threats, situations where individual sectors couldn't hold alone.
"Prepare the starship," he said, "We're going to Nyseren."
Varik bowed, "At once, my Lord."
Kaelith stepped forward, "I'm coming with you."
Adrian nodded. The invite is also for her, since she was the patriarch of one of the top clans in the galaxy.
...
Adrian left Origin Capital, stepping out of the time field as the massive ship activated its engines.
Unlike other vessels, this one was built specifically for the chaotic conditions of the Edge, its hull inscribed with multiple layers of space stabilization runes.
The ship tore through the void, bending light as it crossed billions of kilometers.
Hours later, the darkness of the Nyseren sector came into view.
The stars here were dimmer, their light struggling against the oppressive void that marked the demon border.
Adrian's gaze was fixed on the distance, beyond the Nyseren sector borders, the Demon Sector lay cloaked in shadows.
And from within that darkness, Adrian felt something stir.
As his ship approached the watchpoint, a strange sensation crawled up his spine.
It was faint at first, like the brush of cold fingers against the back of his neck. Then it intensified, becoming a presence that pressed against his consciousness.
Something was watching him.
Adrian's Source stirred instinctively, responding to the foreign attention. His eyes narrowed, and for a brief moment, he pushed his perception outward, extending his awareness beyond the ship.
He found it was from the demon sector; he couldn't see it, but he could feel it.
The sensation lingered for several seconds before withdrawing, sliding back into the darkness.
"The siege won't be simple this time…" he murmured, "Something's changed."