Part 1: The Calm Before the Assault
The sun barely rose over Skull Rock, tinting the dunes a supernatural violet. The Morningstar clan was preparing like never before: the air was tense, vibrating with expectation and a faint premonition of disaster. Every disciple felt that luck— invisible but real—was gathering above their heads like a summer storm about to break.
In the plaza, the bustle was muffled. Warriors adjusted armor, alchemists handed out pills, and the leaders quietly reviewed orders. Kael watched everything in silence. Although his appearance—"dark red hair, golden eyes" and a foreign bearing—made him stand out, everyone knew the fire of the Morningstar bloodline burned in him. But only Samael and Lilith knew the emptiness that marked him: his mother and sister had vanished without a trace during the first massacre. No mission, no victory erased that wound. If he fought without hesitation today, it was also to exorcise that ghost.
Meanwhile, Samael walked among his people, the presence of the System latent for him alone:
[Clan Luck: 19,570 / 20,000
Mysterious Luck Chest: stored.
Great rewards sealed. Next major mission: Clan Ascension.]
He felt the weight of thousands of lives watching him. "One more step," he thought. "On the edge of legend, or the abyss."
Part 2: Council and Strategy
In the map room, Cedric spread out scrolls and carved figurines. The clan leaders gathered: Samael, Kael, Xylia, Elowen, Lilith, the twins, and Seraphina.
Cedric spoke first, his voice firm:
—The last Valois convoy will cross the Moon Canyon in six hours. If we intercept it, we'll claim resources and, most importantly, the war magistrate's secret documents. It's the last piece we need to break their logistics and, with the spoils, surpass the luck threshold.
—Risk? —Lilith asked.
—High, —Xylia replied. —At least a Transcendence Stage 8 captain and half a hundred mercenaries are expected. If reinforcements arrive before we're done, it'll be a death trap.
Kael gripped his sword, remembering that for him, death was just another face of loyalty.
—We won't fail.
Samael declared:
—We'll split forces. Kael, Violeta, Eris, and two squads: take the canyon and cut off the retreat. Cedric, Xylia, cover the escape route and neutralize magical alarms. Lilith, Elowen, and the alchemists: prepare recovery pills and defensive formations here, in case of counterattack. Seraphina leads the base defense. I'll take the front.
No one protested. Every order was both a promise and a tacit farewell.
Part 3: Night of Confessions and Fears
Before leaving, Samael walked through the pavilions. He found Kael alone, sitting in the shadow of the old tower, sharpening his sword.
—Ready? —Samael asked.
—Always, —Kael responded, then lowered his gaze—. You know, when all this is over, if we win… I'm going to seek answers. I can't stop dreaming of them—my mother, my sister. Sometimes I think I hear them in the desert's nightmares.
Samael placed his hand on his shoulder.
—If you ever want to seek beyond the north, you won't need permission. But today, you are my spear.
Kael nodded, swallowing his pain.
Elsewhere, the twins hugged. Eris, outwardly resolved, inwardly feared losing everything again.
—Don't let old wounds blind you, —Violeta said—. Whatever comes, we'll face it together.
Seraphina and Samael shared one last moment at the altar, wordless. Just a look and a touch of hands: "Come back. Don't make me a queen of ashes."
Part 4: The Moon Canyon Assault
By dusk, the Morningstar squads were already camouflaged among rocks and shadows. The Valois convoy advanced through the narrow canyon: armored carriages, mounted soldiers, three senior cultivators guarding the rear.
The air smelled of metal, sweat, and fear. Cedric, with camouflage runes, watched from above, sending silent signals. Xylia, ready with subtle explosives, waited for the command.
The attack began with a whistle: a rain of arrows and icy qi from Violeta and the Morningstar archers. The first guards fell without understanding. Kael leaped from a rock, sword drawn, cutting down two captains in a flash of steel and cold.
Eris, wreathed in flames, forced her way to the central carriage, where the Valois war magistrate shouted orders, surrounded by protective seals.
—Destroy the papers! No one must know—!
But Violeta froze the ground around him, and Eris, using her spear, pierced the magic shield. Kael intercepted the Transcendence Stage 8 captain, a fierce duel that shook the rock and filled the air with sparks. The battle was brutal: dust, blood, flashes of magic and steel.
From the base, Samael felt every blow as a wound to the heart of the clan. Through the system, he saw the luck counter increase:
[Luck: 19,800… 19,900…]
When the magistrate tried to flee, Cedric activated a shadow trap, snaring the carriage in crimson runes. Kael, wounded but unbeaten, claimed the documents and the Valois signet ring. Violeta and Eris, covered in blood and sweat, embraced:
—We did it!
The retreat was just as tense. Cedric had calculated perfectly: Valois reinforcements arrived seconds after the Morningstars disappeared with the loot.
Part 5: The Return and the Threshold
On returning, the clan plaza was a sea of cheers choked by fear and exhaustion. Kael was greeted with pats and genuine smiles. Samael took the documents, ring, and loot chest, and placed them on the ancestral altar.
The System vibrated for him alone:
[DING!
Successful operation: +300 luck points (convoy destroyed)
+200 (secret documents)
+100 (rescue of captives)
Perfect mission bonus! +200
Total Luck: 20,300 / 20,000
Clan Ascension requirements fulfilled!
All rewards and the Mysterious Luck Chest are ready to be opened after the Ascension Ritual.
Do you wish to begin the ceremony?]
Samael closed his eyes, overwhelmed by emotion and relief. The clan surrounded him, with shouts, tears, laughter. Lilith fell to her knees.
—At last… the gods haven't forgotten us.
Seraphina took Samael's hand.
—Is this the day? Finally?
Samael nodded.
—Tomorrow, the Morningstar clan will cease being a shadow. Tomorrow, we become legend.
Part 6: Echoes in the Desert
At the Valois barracks, an officer arrived breathless before the Patriarch.
—The convoy… the documents… the mine… everything is lost.
The Valois Patriarch shattered a mirror with a kick and raised his gaze, eyes full of ice.
—They thought they could steal from me and live to tell about it? —he whispered.
—Summon the Protector.
—The Morningstar clan has just signed its sentence of glory… or its destruction.
Part 7: The Night Before the Ritual
That night, at Skull Rock, no one slept. The children dreamed of dragons and moons. The elders wept for those who didn't return. The warriors sharpened weapons, Kael meditated with his rapier bleeding memories and promises; the twins looked at the sky, seeking each other in the stars.
Samael, standing on the altar, felt the weight of history and the trembling of fortune.
[System (for Samael only):
The accumulated Luck is sufficient. The clan is ready.
The Mysterious Chest and all rewards await the Ascension Ritual.
Warning: the destiny of the clan and its secrets will be revealed.
The time has come to choose the future.]
The chapter closes with Samael gazing at the horizon, the first rays of a new dawn painting the rocks gold, and a single phrase in his mind:
"Here ends the era of survival. Now… begins the era of dominion."
End of Chapter 22