Sky Above Ashen Fields
The rift tore reality open.
Not metaphor. Actual wound in existence.
Five kilometers diameter. Horizontal opening hovering two kilometers above ground zero where Malvorn stood.
Purple-black energy swirled inside like cosmic storm. Anomaly zone manifesting visually for first time.
Duration: five minutes at peak intensity. Slowly closing over thirty minutes afterward. But scar remained permanently.
***
Visibility Range - Zero to Two Hundred Kilometers:
Direct view. Unmistakable.
The rift dominated sky. Took up fifteen to twenty percent of visible horizon. Purple-black light illuminated entire landscape with eerie, otherworldly glow.
Witnesses paralyzed with awe and terror. Divine event. Cosmic significance obvious even to those who did not understand.
Draven at two kilometers stared upward, Codex burning against his chest.
"Sky is broken. Torn like fabric ripped. The anomaly zone did not just fuel his ascension—his ascension opened the anomaly permanently"
Through bond, Zor's voice trembling: *Bearer, that wound in sky is not closing properly. Scar is forming. Reality damaged permanently*
***
Two Hundred to Five Hundred Kilometers:
Purple dome rose above horizon like second sun, but dark instead of bright.
Flickered with lightning-like arcs. Energy discharges visible even at this distance.
Witnesses confused and terrified. Consulted priests, scholars. Panic forming in cities and towns. What was happening? Was world ending?
***
Five Hundred to One Thousand Kilometers:
Sky discolored purple in eastern direction. Aurora-like effect spreading across horizon.
Lasted minutes. Longer than lightning, shorter than dawn. Wrong in ways people could feel but not articulate.
Witnesses investigated. Sent scouts, messengers, seeking information about what occurred.
***
One to Two Thousand Kilometers
Sky briefly darker, purple-tinted in one direction. Subtle but wrong.
Sensitive individuals noticed. Mages, Beast Speakers, Overlords felt disturbance clearly.
Most dismissed as weather or imagination. Too distant to understand significance.
***
Draven's Position
Codex pulsed with intense heat. Not burning—screaming urgency directly into his consciousness.
"What is it?!"
Codex transmitted feelings rather than words: *Danger. Ascension. Overlord birth. Evacuate. Now*
But battle was over. Evacuation already complete. The danger was not detonation—it was what came after.
***
Inside the Codex, in private mental space invisible to all others, the Worldroot Dragon stirred.
Enormous presence coiled around Codex core. Apex-tier power restrained, bound, hidden from world.
The Dragon's mental voice reached Draven—paternal, ancient beyond measure, carrying weight of eons.
"Bearer. I feel the rift. Reality wound. Theia's crust destabilized"
Draven responded mentally: *Can you fix it?*
"No. I am bound here—guardian, not healer. The rift is beyond my reach from inside this prison. But I offer knowledge you need"
"This wound is Fracture scar made fresh. Eight hundred years ago, the Displacement event wounded reality itself. That wound festered, became anomaly zones spreading like infection. Malvorn's ascension used anomaly energy as fuel—reopened the wound, made it visible to mortal eyes"
*Will it spread?*
"Yes. Slowly. Over decades, anomaly zones will multiply across continent. This rift above battlefield is epicenter—new scar joining ancient scars. Eventually, if left unchecked, the continent becomes uninhabitable. Reality grows too thin, collapses entirely"
*How do we stop it?*
"Unknown. I am guardian, not cosmos-mender. But someone must investigate. Map the anomalies. Find the Fracture's source. Heal the original wound, and perhaps the scars will fade"
"First: calm the earth-child. Second: save continent from reality collapse. Third: discover why Fracture happened at all. Your journey extends far beyond slavery's end, Bearer. You carry weight of world now"
*I freed four point eight million slaves. Now I have to save the planet itself*
The Worldroot's warmth filled the mental space. Pride mixed with sympathy.
"This is why the Grimoire chose you. Your compassion extends to all existence—not just people, not just beasts, but the world itself. You are Bearer because you bear burdens. Weight of responsibility. Weight of care"
"Go now. Pursue the earth-child. I watch through your eyes. If bonding becomes possible, I will guide you. Three months before Raziel intervenes. Use them wisely"
*Understood*
***
External reality. Draven's eyes refocused. Codex stopped burning. Hand dropped from chest.
Brenn watched him carefully. "You were somewhere else just now. Are you okay?"
"Codex warned me. Malvorn's ascension damaged reality permanently. And I have three months to calm him before the other Overlords kill him"
He did not mention Worldroot. That secret remained his alone. Only Draven knew Apex-tier guardian existed, bound inside the Genesis Codex, watching through him.
***
Four Hundred Kilometers South - Raziel's Position
Raziel Ignaryx emerged from lava pool. Massive Magma Drake staring north at purple rift on horizon.
His voice rumbled like tectonic plates grinding. Ancient, weary, but still carrying absolute authority.
"Reality torn. Fracture wound reopened. This is concerning. Not merely new Overlord birth—new crisis for continent"
"The Fragment-bearer freed slave, triggered ascension, destabilized Theia itself. Bold action. Reckless action. Necessary action? Still unclear"
He settled onto obsidian throne, eyes remaining open. Fixed on distant rift.
"Three months. I give the earth-child three months to stabilize. If he cannot control his power, if he continues destroying indiscriminately, I will end him. Mercy kill. We Overlords do not allow mad siblings to ravage world unchecked"
Watching. Monitoring. Judging.
***
Eight Hundred Kilometers Northwest - Frostina's Position
Ice Wyvern spread crystalline wings. Staring southeast at purple glow staining horizon.
Her voice like winter wind—feminine, cold but not cruel. Precise.
"Reality bleeds. Anomaly made visible to mortal sight. This is not natural ascension—this is forced birth. Traumatic. Dangerous"
"The earth-brother is unstable. I sense rage radiating from him. Madness. Two hundred years of pain compressed into power. That suffering does not heal quickly"
"Raziel watches him—territorial instinct, will act if earth-brother threatens southern lands. I will wait and observe. But if earth-brother threatens my glaciers, threatens my domain, I will intervene. Ice stops fire. Ice stops earth. I can end him if necessary"
"The Fragment-bearer has three months deadline. After that, we Overlords police ourselves. We maintain balance for continent's survival. Even if balance requires death"
She returned to ice palace. Froze entrance with thought. Continued monitoring from throne.
***
One Thousand Two Hundred Kilometers East - Naelvorn's Position
Leviathan Overlord floated mid-water in abyssal depths. Bioluminescence pulsing along scales. Staring upward through ocean toward distant surface.
Voice casual, young-sounding despite ancient age. Conversational even when discussing apocalypse.
"Okay so like, that rift is bad. Even I can feel it down here in the abyss. Reality is not supposed to tear like that. That is apocalypse-adjacent territory"
"New sibling—earth guy—he is very mad. Understandably! Two hundred years enslaved? I would be mad too. But mad Overlord equals continent-wrecker. Cannot allow that"
"Raziel and Ice Queen are watching him. They will handle land-based problems. I am water-locked—terrible at continental interventions. But if things get really catastrophically bad, I will surface. Help somehow. Maybe"
"Three months sounds fair to me. Give earth-bro time to chill and process trauma. If he cannot chill and keeps destroying, then we do mercy kill. It sucks, but Overlords cannot let mad siblings destroy everything. We have responsibility to world"
"For now: monitored. Awake. Ready to respond if needed. But hoping intervention unnecessary"
Settled back into darkness. Watching through water. Waiting.
***
Ground Zero - Malvorn's Transformation
Malvorn stood at epicenter. Body flooded with energy pouring from sky rift above.
Transformation completing.
Size increasing. Fifteen stories became seventeen, then twenty, then twenty-five stories tall. Three hundred feet. Ninety-one meters. Weight: fifty thousand tons—heavier than battleship. Ground cracked beneath mass.
Scales darkening. Gray-black becoming pure obsidian. Polished mirror-smooth. Each scale two meters diameter, overlapping like impenetrable armor.
Horns splitting, multiplying through skull. Eight horns became twelve. Six major, six minor, arranged like crown. Longest horn five meters, capable of piercing castle walls with single thrust.
Eyes transforming. Deep brown—tired, aware, suffering—becoming molten gold. Overlord eyes. Glowing with power. Ancient. Mad.
Magma veins beneath scales intensifying. Orange glow becoming white-hot. Visible through scale gaps. Pulsing like heartbeat. Temperature three thousand degrees Celsius. Air ignited spontaneously within two hundred meters.
Limbs thickening. Each leg fifteen meters diameter, tree-trunk sized. Claws lengthening to three meters each, obsidian-black, capable of carving through stone like soft clay.
Tail club enlarging. Twenty meters diameter now. Sixty tons of crushing force. Single swing could demolish fortified building.
Voice deepening. No longer grinding mountains—tectonic rumble. Magnitude-four earthquake when speaking. Heard fifty kilometers away clearly.
***
Internal experience of transformation:
*Every bone breaking. Reforming. Larger. Denser. Stronger than before*
*Scales shedding like old skin. New ones growing. Harder. Heavier. Better protection*
*Horns splitting through skull. Brain expanding. Thoughts growing louder in my mind*
*Energy flooding from sky. Through rift. Into me. Not my power. Given power. Anomaly zone fuel. Reality wound feeding my ascension*
*I am vessel. Power pours in. Fills me. Overflows beyond capacity*
*Was Malvorn. Slave. Shatterlord. Two hundred years suffering*
*Now: MALVORN. Free. Overlord. God among mortals*
*But memories screaming. Two hundred years of chains. Every moment. Every pain. Burning in my mind. Cannot escape. Cannot forget*
*Cannot think clearly. Too much power. Too much pain. Too much everything at once*
*Who hurt me? Handlers. Where are they? Dead. Vaporized in explosion. Good. Deserved death*
*Who enslaved me? Dominion Empire. Where are they? Everywhere. Must destroy*
*Who freed me? Covenant. Where are they? Memory unclear. Thoughts blur together*
*Rage. Pain. Confusion. Power. No control over any of it. Just destroy. Destroy everything in path*
***
Final physical stance post-transformation:
Malvorn stood fully. Twenty-five stories tall. Obsidian scales gleaming in purple light from rift above. Twelve horns crowning massive head. Molten gold eyes blazing with madness and power.
Roared.
Not triumph. Not joy. Madness vocalized.
Magnitude-eight earthquake from roar alone. Heard five hundred kilometers away. Animals fled continentally. Cities trembled at foundations.
Then: movement.
***
Notes:
Sky Rift Detailed: Five-kilometer diameter wound in reality, purple-black energy visible, permanent scar forming, visibility ranges from unmistakable at close range to barely noticeable at two thousand kilometers, hemisphere-wide awareness of event.
Three-Month Timeline: Worldroot Dragon's estimate based on historical Overlord behavior patterns, not formal communication from Raziel/Frostina. Represents typical observation period before stable Overlords intervene with unstable ascensions. Other Overlords monitoring independently but haven't contacted Draven directly.
Worldroot Dragon Conversation: Apex-tier guardian bound inside Codex advises Draven privately, explains rift connects to eight-hundred-year-old Fracture wound, warns anomaly zones will multiply, confirms three-month deadline, remains secret known only to Draven.
Raziel Monitors: Four hundred kilometers south, recognizes reality crisis beyond simple Overlord birth, gives three-month deadline before intervention, prepared for mercy kill if Malvorn cannot stabilize, watching continuously.
Frostina Observes: Eight hundred kilometers northwest, identifies forced traumatic ascension, senses rage and madness, prepared to defend glacial domain if threatened, agrees with three-month timeline, ice versus earth matchup favorable.
Naelvorn Watches: One thousand two hundred kilometers east underwater, casual tone despite serious situation, acknowledges water-locked limitation, willing to surface if catastrophic, agrees three months fair for trauma processing, hopes intervention unnecessary.
Physical Transformation Complete: Fifteen stories to twenty-five stories (three hundred feet/ninety-one meters), fifty thousand tons weight, obsidian scales two meters each, twelve horns with longest five meters, molten gold eyes, white-hot magma veins at three thousand degrees, legs fifteen meters diameter, claws three meters, tail club twenty meters and sixty tons.
Internal Experience: Bones breaking and reforming, skull expanding, consciousness changing, anomaly energy flooding through rift, memories of two hundred years screaming constantly, thoughts fragmented between past pain and present power, madness forming from inability to process simultaneously, rage targeting empire that enslaved him.
Magnitude Eight Roar: Heard five hundred kilometers away, animals flee continentally, cities tremble, not triumph but vocalized insanity, movement beginning toward first target.
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