Night fell as the Glass Ruins faded behind them. The air turned colder, scented with pine and mist. With Lysen now conscious—but weak—Ezekiel led their small company through the hidden eastern forest trail, one known only to loyalists of the old dynasty.
Ashara kept close to Lysen as they rode. He was bundled in Ezekiel's heavy cloak, his breathing shallow but steady. Around his neck, a thin silver pendant glowed faintly.
"I can feel it drawing me somewhere," he whispered. "A tether pulling me home."
Ashara glanced at Ezekiel. He nodded grimly.
"There's only one place in these woods where that kind of pull would come from."
The Hollow Crown Sanctuary
By midnight, they reached it.
Nestled within a hollowed mountain basin was a structure carved from moonstone and black-veined obsidian. It had no doors—only archways shaped like unfurled wings, and walls inscribed with glyphs so ancient they no longer translated.
"The Hollow Crown Sanctuary," Ezekiel said quietly. "Built by the First Empress before her ascension. This was where she bound her soul to the divine relic."
Ashara stepped inside, her breath catching. The sanctuary pulsed with old magic—subtle, restrained, but powerful.
There were murals painted in faded goldleaf: a veiled queen raising her hands to the stars, binding a crown of thorns not to her head, but to her heart.
Ashara's fingers trembled as she reached toward the mural.
System Notification – Legacy Site Identified
➤ Location: Hollow Crown Sanctuary
➤ Legacy Relic Present: [Thornheart, Relic of Oaths]
➤ Soul Compatibility: 96% – Bonding Possible
➤ Danger Level: Low
➤ System Note: "Once chosen, the Thornheart cannot be cast aside."
The Thornheart Relic
Ashara entered the central chamber alone. Lysen, still too weak to stand, urged her forward. Ezekiel waited by the threshold, sword drawn in silent protection.
The relic stood on a dais of white marble—no more than a silver circlet, forged from vine-like metal. Embedded at its center was a single black gem that pulsed like a heartbeat.
As she approached, runes flared along the walls. The air tasted of iron and truth.
Then, it spoke.
Not aloud—but into her mind. Its voice was ancient and feminine.
"You who bear the weight of death and kingdom.
You who bled, yet did not yield.
Will you swear again, knowing the price of thrones?"
Ashara stepped closer, every footstep echoing like judgment.
"I will," she whispered. "But this time, I swear for myself. Not for their gods. Not for their crowns."
System Notice – Relic Awakening
➤ Thornheart Relic is responding…
➤ Initiating Bonding Sequence…
➤ WARNING: The Thornheart binds emotion to power. Regret may alter effects.
The circlet lifted from the dais, suspended in light. A dozen glowing threads emerged—each one shaped like a memory.
The betrayal. The fire. The gallows.
She stood, arms open.
The Thornheart flared—and fell onto her chest like a brand, vanishing beneath her skin with a searing pain that nearly brought her to her knees.
Relic Bonded: Thornheart – Relic of Oaths
➤ Passive Effects Unlocked:
– Oath Echo: Allies who swear fealty gain temporary resistance to divine afflictions.
– Blood Price: If betrayed, the betrayer receives backlash equivalent to emotional damage inflicted.
➤ Unique Trait: Empress's Will – In times of crisis, may auto-trigger Fate Fork rewinds (1x/day) at cost of HP or Loyalty.
Ashara staggered. The pain faded. In its place, she felt clarity—as if the fog of doubt had been peeled from her soul.
She stood taller than before.
When she emerged, Ezekiel bowed his head—but did not speak.
It was Lysen who whispered, awestruck: "The Thornheart chose you. Just as the prophecy warned."
Ashara met his gaze. "And now the gods have one less weapon left to claim."
Meanwhile…
In the southern marshlands, in the Cathedral of Light's sunken vaults, the Theurge lit another candle before a blood-stained altar.
"The Thornheart has awakened," he murmured.
His scribe—one of the Crimson Faith—trembled. "Shall we send the Inquisitors?"
"No." The Theurge turned to the great bronze mask of the Divine Effigy. "We shall summon the Harbinger instead."
Far above, caged in chains of celestial steel, a creature stirred.
System Tutorial – Relics and Divine Threat
[System Alert – New Tutorial Unlocked]
Relics: Relics are divine artifacts linked to ancient Emperors, Saints, and System Anchors. Each Relic has:
– Passive Effects: Permanent boosts (e.g., loyalty modifiers, resistance)
– Active Abilities: May cost HP, Fate Points, or relationship metrics
– Emotional Echo: Relics remember the bearer's emotions; misuse may lead to unstable effects
Divine Threat: The more divine relics reawakened, the higher the "Divine Threat" meter rises.
➤ Divine Threat Level: 17% (Moderate)
Once above 50%, gods and celestial judges may intervene directly.
✦ Tip: Certain choices and alliances can lower Divine Threat (e.g., sacrificing relics, forming pacts with Exiles).
That night,
Ashara stood at the edge of the sanctuary alone.
Her breath clouded in the cold.
Ezekiel approached, his coat still bloodstained from the Ruins.
"You shouldn't be out here."
"I needed to see the sky," she said. "To make sure it still burns above me."
He stood beside her. Silent for a time. Then:
"I was there, you know. When they chained you." His voice was rough. "I knew it was wrong, but I didn't fight hard enough."
She looked at him then, surprised at the ache in his voice.
"Ezekiel—"
"I won't fail you again."
He didn't wait for her to forgive him. He simply knelt before her, one knee in the frost-covered earth, and bared his blade across both palms.
"I pledge myself to you, not as your general, but as your sword and shield."
Ashara stared at him, the pulse of the Thornheart fluttering beneath her ribs.
System Update – Loyalty Shift: Ezekiel
➤ Loyalty: Devout → Vowbound (96%)
➤ Bond Effect Unlocked: Blood Oath – Ezekiel will always take the first fatal hit in Ashara's place.
"Rise," she said softly. "You never needed forgiveness, only a second chance."
Their eyes locked.
And the stars above burned a little brighter.