The skies turned an eerie bronze as Ethan and Elena descended into the lowlands of the Fallen Ember Valley once home to the renowned Cross Clan. Now, scorched trees and shattered pillars marked the land where laughter had once echoed. The air was thick with sorrow and spiritual residue remnants of a battle that had scarred more than just the earth.
Elena tightened her grip on his arm.
This place it feels cursed.
Ethan nodded slowly, his jaw clenched,
This was my home.
They moved through broken gates where the Cross Clan emblem a twin-bladed phoenix lay cracked under overgrown moss. Memories resurfaced like a tidal wave: his mother's smile, the elders' teachings, the sounds of training under the copper sky. And then flames, screaming, betrayal.
They didn't just destroy us,
Ethan said, voice low,
They erased us.
Suddenly, a series of spiritual pulses rippled through the valley. From behind the remains of the main hall, three figures stepped out. They wore the emerald robes of the Jade Sect, their faces calm but eyes sharp.
Ethan Cross,
The leader, a slender woman with silver spectacles, said.
The dead boy returns.
Ethan narrowed his eyes.
What is the Jade Sect doing here?
We guard the ruins, she replied smoothly.
By decree of the Seven Peak Alliance. The Cross Clan's land is forbidden to all especially its sole survivor.
Before Ethan could reply, a fourth presence appeared descending from the sky like a blazing comet. A man cloaked in sunfire armor landed between them, golden flames licking his shoulders.
That's enough,
Jade Sect, he said, eyes burning with righteous energy.
You had no claim here.
Elena's eyes widened. He's from the Crimson Sun Sect.
The jade emissary stepped back, clearly irritated,
Don't interfere in what you don't understand, solar rat.
The Crimson Sun cultivator smirked,
Funny. Last time I checked, your sect specialized in spiritual stones, not burial rights.
As tension surged, Ethan stepped forward, placing a hand on the hilt of the Dragon Slayer Sword.
This land is mine
He said,
Anyone who tries to stop me from uncovering the truth will face me.
A sudden gust tore through the valley. The ashes of the past stirred and a formation rune lit up under the main courtyard, revealing a sealed underground chamber pulsing with blue and black energy.
That wasn't here before,
Elena whispered.
Ethan didn't wait. With one strike, he shattered the locking seal. The cavern below revealed a hidden altar lined with memory crystals and an unclaimed spiritual core a Legacy Core sealed with the aura of his late father, Clan Head Kael Cross.
This was meant for me, Ethan breathed, stepping closer.
A backup legacy in case i survived.
The Legacy Core surged toward him, fusing with his dantian and flooding him with vivid memories his father's last stand, the betrayal by allied sect envoys, and a whispered name.
Kade…
Elena caught Ethan as he staggered. Tears slipped down his cheek not of pain, but of connection. She held him, pressing her forehead to his.
You're not alone anymore.
Behind them, the Jade Sect emissaries reluctantly backed off under the glare of the Crimson Sun warrior.
You've made enemies by reclaiming this land, he warned Ethan,
But also allies. I saw the flames that night too. The world deserves to know the truth.
As the sun dipped behind the broken gates, Ethan turned to Elena, his aura burning with clarity.
I will rebuild the Cross name. And I will make them all remember the fire they tried to smother.