In current times, after losing his wife Shiera, Mordret would only sit on the throne steps while his children wept copiously with the loss of their mother. Contrary to what Mordret thought, he felt an immense pain again for the death of Shiera, his wife. Suzannah was outside the academy helping collect the bodies of students who fought against the ghouls that invaded the city. The calamity of that night would mark a before and after in the Empire of Nannu. Mordret once again found himself immersed in a journey of mourning and desire for justice.
While Clara, Gwen and Lua helped the injured students outside, Suzannah immediately returned to her room to continue searching for something that could break the dome of black magic still surrounding the capital. Before leaving, the Necromancer told the emperor that he would return with his ghouls as long as the dome still surrounded Alnuum. Fearing another attack, Suzannah scrutinized among old books and ancient magic scrolls. However, she had no hope of finding anything, after all that black magic was the work of years of hidden work and human sacrifices that occurred underneath the Imperial Palace.
Mordret watched worriedly through the window at the black dome that still enveloped the city. If the Necromancer returned with his army of the dead, the people of Alnuum would once again be in great danger. The situation in Alnuum was worsening by the moment. Mordret received bad news - the young Kal had escaped from prison and Tiberius, his oldest magician, was the feared Necromancer. The Emperor watched worriedly at the black dome of magic through the glass. His children, who before wept inconsolably for Shiera's death, now seemed determined to avenge her.
On the throne, Aster screamed amidst tears at her father:
"She always loved you and you always pushed her away, as you did with all of us! We live this nightmare because you only think of your damned Aquarion legacy!".
The guards prepared to reprimand her, but Mordret stopped them.
"Let her be, my daughter speaks harshly but speaks the truth. The Aquarion legacy was all I had left when I lost what was most important to me."
He turned to his children:
"Today I realize that the true legacy is the children of this lineage."
Mordret looked at Morfrey:
"My firstborn, heir to my sacred artifacts and the most promising warrior of my empire. I am prouder to be your father than to call myself Aquarion."
Then he looked at Aster.
"My beautiful princess, when you were born, they said you resembled your mother more than our lineage. And like Shiera, you embraced your destiny and fought bravely to this day. I also feel more honored to be your father."
Finally, he observed Lilla and Relon.
"My brave twins, I always wanted to keep you far from court, but you have shown yourselves to be true sons of Mordret. You changed your fates as even I could not. Equally, I feel proud to be your father, more than inheriting the name Aquarion."
All the Emperor's children felt amazed by his words, for they had never received clear demonstrations of love before. Unlike Morfrey, they had always seen Mordret as someone who manipulated them in his political games. On that day, they knew they were loved by their father.
Meanwhile, far from there, Kal had quickly transported himself north, near Katara's village and Orem, who rescued him from the unjust imprisonment. Holding the artifact given by Katara, Kal had lost his emotions, preventing him from returning to Alnuum and helping his friends against the Necromancer, despite the problems in the capital. Katara asked them to hurry to the fox-men, unaware that Kal had become insensitive under the effect of the magic of the object in his hands. Without his help, it would be more difficult to defeat Tiberius and save the kingdom from the darkness that was spreading. However, in the palace, a bond of trust had been reestablished between Mordret and his children, strengthening them for the challenges to come.
Suzannah continued her fervent research on the dark magic that had created the black dome. As night deepened, she felt the chance of a new catastrophe growing. She repeated the words "Gem" and "Sanctuary", spoken by Clara. She tried to understand if there was something hidden in them or if they were the product of the girl's imagination. At the Palace, Mordret summoned the remaining soldiers in the capital and ordered them to prepare for the next wave of ghouls. This time, the Emperor's children would fight at his side, ready to defend the people and avenge the murder of their mother Shiera.
Gwen, Clara and Lua had already helped many injured students. But Suzannah immediately returned to her room to continue her frantic search for something that could break the dark dome of black magic still surrounding the capital city. The Necromancer before leaving said to the Emperor that he would return with his ghouls as long as the dome still circled Alnuum. Fearing another attack, Suzannah scrutinized among ancient books and scrolls of old magic. However, she had no hope of finding anything, after all that black magic was the result of years of hidden work and human sacrifices that occurred under the Imperial Palace.
That night, the calamity returned to Alnuum. The ghouls appeared once more, heading toward the Imperial Palace now that Relon had removed everyone from there. Before the palace, Mordret inspired the men: "Fight for home and family, there is no greater honor!". They charged against the ghouls, who attacked ferociously.
Inside the throne room, they heard loud bangs from outside. The guards shouted to open the gate. The ghouls had been defeated. Lord Silvus Felwave and his eldest son Sebastian were at the door on horseback, with their men. Silvus entered and said to Mordret:
"Forgive the delay, my lord, but we are here to help! Many more ghouls are on the way.". The emperor smiled lightly: "You are very welcome, my friend!".
In Suzannah's room, Clara told her about the message in the cell. The mage had a revelation: it was Tiberius who had used "Ghost Voice" on Clara, asking her to bring his essence, guarded in the gem, to his sanctuary, using the unique magic he had taught Tiberius when he was her disciple. Finally, they seemed to have filled in the gaps of the mystery. The help had also arrived in the nick of time, but the battle still shook the walls of Alnuum that fateful night of Darkness.
In the Imperial Palace, despite more ghouls appearing, the defenders fought with new spirit thanks to the reinforcement brought by Lord Silvus Felwave and his sons. Mordret fought alongside his children Lilla and Morfrey, driven by the grief of losing their mother. Lilla used her unique ability to slow the ghouls advancing towards them. Morfrey, one of the best warriors, killed many despite not wielding the ancestral artifacts. But two ghouls would emerge for each one killed, their numbers did not stop growing. They forced the men to retreat. The battle had become fiercer, with Alnuum's fate hanging by the resistance of its people against the onslaught of shadows. It would take a heroic effort to achieve victory that fateful night for the Empire.
Kal, far from there, looked up at the sky in the direction of the capital, even without emotions. It seemed that the real Kal was trying to free himself to return to help. In the midst of the battle at the cathedral, Relon saw his men being burned by the magicians. Relon despised himself for being born without talent, trying to compensate with intellect, but it was not necessary for an Aquarion and seeing his men dying one by one he began to despair. In the prison, Clara, Lua and Gwen arrived at the indicated cell. There was no one else there, but while cleaning the place, Lua felt a trace of magic and asked Gwen to create a barrier only in that cell.
"As an elf, I have much sharper magical sensitivity. I think there is a clue in this remnant of arcane magic," explained Lua.
Would there be more answers or mysteries ahead? The girls seemed to have made an important discovery, even without understanding its scope yet. The battle was intensifying all over Alnuum, with lives at stake and the empire's fate hanging precariously in the darkness. When Gwen created the barrier, Lua used her unique elven ability "Reveal" to detect hidden magics. A light appeared on a wall, forming blue letters of pure mana:
"Forgive me for putting you through more loss. A year ago I sensed a shadowy mana in the palace and began researching its origin, finding scrolls with black magics so ancient that even the ancient heroes did not know them. After discovering Kal's powers, the being behind the shadows discovered me. I was attacked while recovering and locked in this prison, while an imposter took my place. I did not discover that he is the real Necromancer, but I placed part of the essence in the gem that Suzannah has, where she will find answers. Unfortunately, if you are seeing this magic it is because I am no longer in this world, but I am certain that you have become a great woman, for the daughter I never had. Tiberius."
Upon reading it, Clara broke down in tears, comforted by Lua. Gwen said:
"We have to go back and tell Suzannah!"
The message revealed the truth behind the tragedy but raised new questions. Amid so much suffering in Alnuum, they seemed to have uncovered part of the mystery behind the shadows, though at great cost.
The battle intensified. With few men remaining, Relon ordered the retreat from the cathedral. At the palace, the defenders withdrew inside, barricading the gate with the people. The ghouls were tunneling their way inside. Clara, Gwen and Lua were returning through the passage when they encountered many ghouls. Arphaxad appeared, skillfully cutting through them with his daggers. More ghouls surfaced, charging at the young ones, but all contorted and mysteriously broke.
At the Eternal Fountain Cathedral, Relon still fought alone against the last two magicians, when Shiera arrived, impaling one of them.
"Good thing I arrived in time, little prince!", she said, using her powerful magic. Relon thanked her:
"You get one and I'll take care of the other!"
Meanwhile, in the sanctuary of her room at the Academy, Suzannah focused her unique magic into the gem. Inside the sanctuary, the distorted figure of Tiberius appeared, saying "Why did you take so long, master?". In the room, people felt a powerful magic in their bodies. Moments later, Suzannah gave a start: "The situation is worse than we imagined! We must go immediately to the Imperial Palace." They would form a group to clear a path, since they discovered that the Shadows in Alnuum were even greater than they thought. The battle would head for its climax on this fateful night.
At the palace, even with more ghouls appearing, the defenders fought with new vigor thanks to the reinforcement brought by Lord Silvus Felwave and his sons. At the Cathedral, strangely the ghouls did not attack. Noticing this, Relon and Shiera left a few men there and followed to the palace. On the way, they encountered General Marcus, his son Arthan and the few men who returned from the front after a message from Lord Silvus. They all headed for the Royal Palace, reinforcing the defenders of the last stronghold in Alnuum that fateful night. Despite the darkness, hope was reborn with each ally who joined the final battle against the forces of darkness, whose crucial outcome hovered in the air. They were all ready to fight to the end.
Relon, Shiera, Marcus and his son Arthan cleared a path to the throne room, where they were greeted by Mordret. Marcus thanked Silvus for the warning. Quickly, more ghouls and the Necromancer himself appeared. The battle intensified, reaching its darkest moment before dawn. Before leaving, Suzannah asked Clara, Gwen and Lua to jointly conjure a magic to nullify the dome of darkness, using the mana impulse she gave the girls with her touch. She explained what they would need to do.
She also called Arphaxad and Leon, finally leaving for the palace. There, the decisive battle unfolded between the living and the dead, with the fate of Alnuum hanging in the darkness of the night. Would the defenders hold out until the end? Would the young magic users succeed in their deed? The bloody climax was yet to come.
The girls remained in Suzannah's room, placing magic gems on the floor and drawing runes around them. They began conjuring the taught magic. At the palace, despite fatigue, the battle continued fiercely. The ghouls were stronger due to the Necromancer's profane magic. Many men died. Arthan was gravely wounded, leaving General Marcus desperate. But Morfrey saved them both with his skill and strength.
The Necromancer's laughter sowed terror, but all fought bravely. Despite the losses, they maintained hope. Would the young magic users be able to nullify the dome of darkness in time? Would Suzannah's arrival make a difference in turning the tide of battle? In the two fronts, the outcome could change for better or worse at any moment in that bloody fatal dawn for Alnuum.
When all seemed lost, a light emanating from the academy illuminated the sky of the capital, slowly weakening the dome of darkness. The Necromancer felt his power waning. As he turned to the door, he saw a magical fireball burn his ghouls. Suzannah had arrived at the palace.
Surrounded, he tried to conjure new black magic, but Relon, Lilla, Shiera and Leon acted quickly. They tore the Necromancer's staff from his hands and decapitated him on the spot, putting an end to that powerful being of darkness. With the arrival of these joint forces and the dome being undone, the tide of the final battle finally turned in favor of Alnuum's defenders. After a long and bloody night, dawn would bring the long-awaited liberation of the empire's capital city.
The sun rose pale when the dome disappeared and the Necromancer died. The survivors shouted for joy at their victory. But Suzannah seemed uneasy, using "Amplification" to ask for silence. She told Emperor Mordret about Tiberius and how the plans of those who deceived them unfolded beneath the palace for some time, unknown to them. Shocked, Mordret listened as Suzannah said:
"This necromancer was not the main enemy. Tiberius discovered that the architect of all this was...".
Before she could finish, a sword pierced the emperor's heart. As he turned, he saw his son Morfrey holding the weapon in an unexpected act of betrayal. Overcome by surprise and pain, Mordret said "My son" before succumbing before them all.
At that moment, Sebastian Felwave decapitated his father, Lord Silvus, with a single sweep of his black scythe. All were amazed by the revelation. Lilla and Relon again fell into shock. Morfrey's countenance had distorted into a macabre shadow. Walking calmly among the others, he was attacked in vain, for no blow or magic could affect him anymore. Suzannah explained:
"It's no use attacking him. He has become a shadowy avatar!"
The still calm Morfrey said:
"A few years ago, I discovered an ancient ruin northwest of Nannu, inside I found two powerful black artifacts, the first was a small black gem that contained the essence of the fallen god Ank'latar's greed, I just consumed it becoming the new shadowy avatar of Greed".
The people did not understand what a shadow avatar was and Suzannah explained:
"An avatar is a being that receives an aspect of any god, a shadow avatar receives an aspect of a fallen god. Not long ago I faced a servant of Salacia, she was a human who received the aspect of the Witchcraft of the fallen goddess Voluptaroth, they receive a part of a god's power so they are beyond our understanding"
Morfrey continues:
"The second artifact I found was the weapon of greed, and I entrusted it to a great friend, Sebastian!"
Suzannah shouts:
"But you were the heir to the throne of this vast empire, why did you fall so far?"
Morfrey smiles and says:
"For every living person in this world, there exists a generation of dead and funerary creatures. Tell me witch, which of the realms would you rather command?"
Lilla, hearing all this, screamed in despair, hurling herself at Morfrey. Relon, realizing that Sebastian would attack his sister, threw himself in front of her, having his arm severed by the scythe. Morfrey gave two options: surrender or death. Silence reigned in the face of his great power. He ascended to his father's throne, the throne that had been erected hundreds of years ago for the first Hero, destroying it with a gesture. In its place, black necromantic magic raised a new black, shadowy throne that exhaled darkness.
He sat down and proclaimed: "The Empire of Nannu has fallen! A new era begins, the Age of the King of Greed!".
The growing nightmare spread terror: Morfrey had become a powerful enemy, replacing the ancestral reign with his ghostly rule. Where would the remaining loyal remnants of Nannu flee in the face of such a threat? The ramifications of this tragic twist of fate were still unknown...