The village was quiet when the mysterious stranger arrived. His gray cloak draped loosely over his form, but there was nothing casual about his presence. He moved with the stillness of a man who knew how to disappear into the background yet commanded attention the moment he stepped forward.
He did not knock. Instead, he entered Alden Drayven's home uninvited.
Inside, Alden, Reis, and Aeris stood around a wooden table. Their discussion halted instantly when the stranger stepped in.
Reis, younger but trained in instinct, immediately gripped the short spear resting beside him, stepping in front of Aeris protectively.
"Who are you?" he demanded, his stance shifting into a defensive posture.
Aeris, however, studied the man more closely. She wasn't a warrior, but she had dealt with enough traders, liars, and schemers to recognize one thing—this man was dangerous. Not in the way a common mercenary was, but in a deeper, more unsettling way.
Alden, though, remained calm. He exhaled and gestured toward an empty chair beside the fire.
"You have come sooner than I expected."
The stranger's silver eyes gleamed, his lips curling slightly, though whether in amusement or something else, Aeris couldn't tell.
"Fate does not wait, old man," the stranger said. "Neither should you."
Reis tensed beside her, but Alden did not react with hostility. He merely nodded as he joined the man in the other chair beside the fire.
Aeris crossed her arms. "If you know who we are, then at least have the decency to introduce yourself."
The man's gaze flickered toward her briefly before returning to Alden.
"I am called Solvar. My name means nothing, but my purpose does."
Alden's expression hardened as if he recognized something in that name. "And what purpose brings you here? I have dealt with your order before. "
Solvar leaned forward slightly. "I am here to confirm something. Whether your bloodline still holds its destiny… or if it has faded into obscurity."
Kael stepped through the doorway just as the room fell silent.
The air inside felt heavier, thick with an unspoken tension. His gaze swept across the room, taking in the sight of his grandfather sitting stiffly, Reis and Aeris both standing alert, and then—
His eyes locked onto Solvar.
The stranger studied him for only a second before speaking.
"You are the one."
The words hung in the air, simple but absolute, carrying a weight Kael didn't yet understand.
His chest tightened. "What?"
Solvar stood, moving with deliberate control, his posture unnervingly measured. He wasn't old, but he had a presence—the kind that came from walking through fire and surviving.
"You are the last true heir of the Drayven bloodline," Solvar said. "The one who will determine whether it rises again—or is erased from history."
Kael glanced at Alden, his pulse quickening. "What is he talking about?"
Alden sighed, standing slowly.
"It is time you and Reis to know the true about our family."
Alden moved toward an old wooden chest near the hearth. It was locked with iron and an unexpected presence Kael hadn't noticed before. When Alden touched the lid, something invisible but powerful seemed to shift, and the lock clicked open on its own.
Kael exchanged a glance with Reis.
Alden pulled out two long-wrapped objects and laid them carefully on the table.
"Our family," Alden began, unwrapping the first weapon, "was not just a bloodline of cultivators and farmers. We were warriors."
Kael's eyes flickered to Solvar, whose expression didn't change.
Reis folded his arms. "Then why didn't you train us?"
Alden's expression darkened. "Because I hoped you would not have to bear the burden. I wanted our name to fade into peace. But that didn't happen as Kael unlocked the Orchard Keeper System."
He unraveled the first package, revealing a curved, single-edged sword. Its blackened steel gleamed, edged with subtle green engravings, almost like vines twisting through the metal.
He turned to Kael and handed him the blade.
"This was your father's sword," Alden said. "A weapon forged to withstand both the elements and those who sought to destroy us. It will serve you well."
Kael gripped the hilt. The weight was… right. It was not perfect, not yet, but it felt like it belonged.
Alden unwrapped a short spear with a reinforced shaft and a blade marked with unfamiliar etched sigils.
He turned to Reis.
"This belonged to my brother," Alden continued. "A weapon for one who moves fast strikes hard, and does not falter."
Reis took the spear with a firm grip.
Then Alden turned to Aeris, pulling out a smaller, more delicate box.
She hesitated, eyes narrowing. "I'm not one of you."
"No," Alden admitted, offering her the box anyway. "But you are family all the same."
Aeris took it, opening the lid carefully.
Inside, instead of a Drayven heirloom, there was a thin golden chain with a pendant etched in a symbol she did not recognize.
"This is from your adoptive parents," Alden said. "Before they passed, they left it with me. They knew you would one day need to claim your future. These were left when you were a baby. They are from a noble family that vanished years ago."
Aeris's fingers brushed over the pendant. She wasn't sure why, but her chest tightened slightly.
She swallowed, then gave a single nod. "I'll make sure my name is worth something."
Kael ran his fingers over the hilt of his new sword, still absorbing what had just happened.
His family had not just been cultivators. They had been warriors, guardians, and protectors of something greater.
And now, for the first time, he had a weapon to wield.
Then—
Ding!
A new System Task flashed before his eyes, his vision momentarily darkening as the System spoke directly to him.
[New System Task Issued – Emberroot Cavern]
"A rare growth condition has been triggered. Enter the Emberroot Cavern within the next 24 hours to obtain the required Spiritual Fire Grass."
Task Conditions:
Dungeon Gate will remain open for 24 hours.Verdant Surge is ineffective inside.Enemies within are fire-elemental and resistant to normal attacks.Failure will result in the dungeon closing permanently.
Rewards:
Spiritual Fire Grass (Required for Blazing Fang Fruit)
Orchard Keeper & Cultivator EXP
Mystery Item (??? Hidden Reward)
Kael's breath caught.
A dungeon.
He looked up, gripping his new sword tightly.
It seemed fate had no intention of letting him rest.