The ninth day of war dawned under a blood-colored sky.
Clouds churned like a sea of wounds. Above the western mountains of Artherion, thunder cracked without rain, and a dry, oppressive silence swallowed every breath in anticipation of war's next cry.
The western gate of Artherion, called the Gate Eternal, stood high between twin cliffs of obsidian, carved not by hand but by divine fire. Its massive doors, sealed by ancient enchantments and forged with silver-bound mythril, had never fallen in all the ages since Artherion's founding. Above them, archers, mages, and watchers lined the towers like still statues, their eyes burning with calm certainty.
And yet, before them, a storm gathered.
Tens of thousands of soldiers from Dravenguard and its coalition amassed across the plains of Durellon, black banners flying, catapults in place, arcane siege pillars humming with cursed magic. Engines of destruction crawled like insects toward the pass. Demons bound in chains clawed at the ground, led forward by warlocks draped in crimson.
At their vanguard stood Riven.
His armor was no longer blackened steel, but something darker still, a kind of silence shaped into armor. His eyes, once filled with icy malice, now shimmered with a violet hue, alive with something otherworldly. The deaths he had claimed, tens of thousands, clung to him like whispers. His presence was dread given form.
Behind him were beast riders, vampire generals, dreadknights, and betrayers of Artherion, eager to prove their allegiance to Ashkeroth through violence.
Drums began to beat.
The siege had begun.
---
From the watchtower, Commander Vehran of Artherion observed the field through his war-glass. His silver helm glinted beneath the sun, and his expression did not change.
"They come with full might," his adjutant said, his voice trembling.
"Yes."
"Shall I prepare the horn?"
Vehran shook his head.
"No need. They will break before the Gate."
And somewhere deep within Artherion, light began to stir.
---
The first wave hit like a hurricane.
Battering rams enchanted with the blood of cursed giants slammed against the Gate Eternal. Catapults flung boulders laced with voidfire. Magic spells twisted through the sky, shrieking with dark intent.
And Riven flew forward.
He alone pierced Artherion's outer line, slaughtering defenders like wind cuts branches. His blade left no wounds, only silence. His movement blurred space. A single strike split open the central gate mechanism—but the gate did not fall.
Instead, it shone.
The Gate Eternal answered with a pulse of golden light, and Riven was flung back into the field, crashing through his own soldiers. He rose at once, not stunned, but thoughtful.
"I will break it," he muttered. "Even divinity can be undone."
---
Far behind the front lines, in the heart of Dravenguard's mobile war citadel, King Ashkeroth watched through a black mirror. His lips curled in a frown.
"This should have worked," he said.
Beside him, Saevan stood, arms behind his back.
"He has not spoken. He has not lifted a finger," Ashkeroth continued. "And yet... he holds the gate through silence."
Saevan remained calm, but his brow was faintly furrowed.
Ashkeroth turned. "He cannot be killed. I see that now. Not by blade or storm or summoned wraith."
He stepped closer.
"Open the Gate of Unlight."
The room went still.
Even the guards turned their eyes.
Saevan did not move. He did not blink.
A breath passed. Two.
Then, finally, he said, "My king, once that gate is opened, there is no closing it. The cost--"
"I did not ask the cost," Ashkeroth said, voice tightening. "I command it."
Saevan inclined his head slowly. But in that moment, something had shifted. A crack. A pause.
It was the first time Saevan had hesitated.
---
Back in Artherion, the defenders stood still.
For behind their lines, light had begun to gather.
It rose from the soil.
It seeped from the wind.
And at its center, unseen by all but the most sensitive of hearts, a throne of light began to shape itself on the far eastern horizon.
King Elyrion had not spoken.
He did not need to.
The war answered for him.
And as Dravenguard surged once more, thinking the Gate would finally fall, a new power stirred behind the walls.
The Gate Eternal shone like a new dawn.
And the cleansing would continue.