"Ben greets my Lord!"
When Ben heard Julian call his name, his armored stance shifted into a formal salute. He wasn't a fool. His brother Garrett was already Julian's lead guard, and Jaxen Flaux—the sharpest mind he had ever met—had already pledged his loyalty. There was no reason to hesitate; the survival of his people was at stake.
"Excellent," Julian smiled. "In due time, Garrett will share the Way of the Pure Mind with you so you can begin your own cultivation."
Just as they were speaking, the heavy rhythmic beat of drums echoed from the city walls.
"The bone-wraiths," Ben hissed, his steam-valves venting in agitation. "They're launching another wave."
"Stay calm," Julian said, his voice a tether of stability. "There shouldn't be many left. I cleared the majority of their nests on my way here. Besides, I can evacuate the citizens of Brass Horizon City at any moment."
Julian wanted to see the metal of these people one last time. If they were to become subjects of his Hallowed Realm, he needed to know they possessed the courage to defend their home. He spent a few more minutes finalizing plans with Jaxen before heading to the battlements.
Below the wall, a swarm of roughly two hundred bone-wraiths—skeletal horrors with obsidian-tipped tails and necrotic energy radiating from their ribcages—were clawing at the stone. They lacked the intelligence of true warriors, functioning more like mindless drones.
"Not bad," Julian noted. He watched as civilians, inspired by Jaxen's earlier speech, stood alongside the soldiers, dropping heavy stones and pouring boiling oil onto the attackers.
"Garrett, why don't you show them what a true guard can do?" Julian suggested.
Garrett's eyes lit up. Although he was only at the first level of the Mortal Realm, his natural strength, combined with the golden pure qi of his cultivation, made him a force of nature. He leaped from the wall, his steam-hammer glowing with energy, and began turning the bone-wraiths into dust.
While the battle raged, Ben began posting notices throughout the city as per Jaxen's instructions. The news spread like wildfire: an "Immortal" had descended to lead them to a world beyond the reach of the wraiths.
The Great Migration
Over the next forty-eight hours, Jaxen Flaux worked with tireless efficiency. He registered every citizen, cataloged every scrap of usable steam-tech, and organized the logistics of a mass exodus.
When the final tally was done, Julian stood in the center of the city and activated his Hallowed Realm imprint. In a brilliant flash of light, the entire city of Brass Horizon—over 30,000 souls including the soldiers and Ben's household—was pulled into his Hallowed Realm.
Julian checked his attribute panel. The addition of a functional city and a massive population had caused his Destiny Points to skyrocket. He now sat on a fortune of over 30,000 points. He had become wealthy overnight.
"It's time," Julian whispered, looking at the cracks in the sky. "The collapse is starting."
He headed back toward the valley to meet his peers.
The Breaking of the World
Julian found Elena and the others waiting. They looked weary but recovered, each holding a small, khaki-colored gourd.
"You're late," Elena remarked, tossing a small gourd to Julian. "This is an Earth Essence Gourd. It's designed to harvest Earth Essence—the primal worldly energy released when a Stargate realm shatters."
"When the world breaks, the atmospheric pressure will vanish, and we'll be pulled into the void," she explained. "Pour your pure qi into the gourd, and it will draw in the escaping energy. Also, watch out for Gideon Garrow. His family will want that Essence more than anything. They'll fight for every scrap."
Suddenly, a deafening crack, louder than any thunder, ripped through the air.
"Get ready!" Elena shouted.
Julian felt the ground vanish. Gravity reversed, and he was flung into the sky. He watched as the landscape below began to tear apart like wet paper.
High in the shimmering void, he saw the other students: Gideon Garrow, Evander Night, and the rest of the High Dragon class, all clutching their gourds.
Below them, thousands of people—natives of this world who hadn't been in Brass Horizon City—were also being pulled into the air.
"What happens to them?" Julian asked, gesturing to the floating masses.
"The Stargate world will cease to exist," Elena replied, her eyes fixed on the swirling energy. "Those who survive the vacuum are scattered across the void. Most are never seen again."
Julian looked at the thousands of innocent lives drifting toward a dark fate. 'If they're going to be lost to the void anyway,' he thought, 'they might as well serve a new Lord.'
He closed his eyes, focusing all his will on the imprint between his eyebrows. He didn't just harvest the Earth Essence; he opened the gates of his Hallowed Realm wide, acting like a vacuum for the souls of the dying world.