The Black Sun did not simply rise—it called.
Its voice echoed through the Hollow Keep, through the throne halls of Valdris, through the veins of those who carried power within them. And those who heard it could not ignore its pull.
The Hollow Keep Burns
Elias did not hesitate.
As the torches died, he moved, his sword flashing in the darkness. The robed figures scattered like shadows, whispering words that made the air tremble.
A wave of force slammed into him, sending him crashing into a broken pillar. Pain lanced through his shoulder, but he pushed himself up, gripping his blade tighter.
A figure stepped forward, taller than the rest. The leader. His hood fell back, revealing not a man but something hollow—his skin stretched too tightly over his skull, his eyes black pits of shifting light.
"The Black Sun does not fear steel," the creature murmured.
Elias wiped blood from his lip. "Good," he spat. "Because I don't fear it either."
He lunged.
The fight was chaos—steel against sorcery, light against darkness. The cultists fought without fear, their bodies moving unnaturally fast, their wounds closing too quickly. But Elias had fought monsters before.
And he did not intend to die here.
He drove his sword through the leader's chest. The creature shuddered but did not fall. Instead, it grinned.
"It is not me you should fear, knight."
Then the ground beneath them cracked.
A black mist poured from the shattered floor, writhing like living smoke. Elias stumbled back as a shape rose from the depths—twisted, massive, its form shifting between shadow and flesh.
A true horror.
Elias swore under his breath.
The Black Sun had called something back from the dark.
And now it was awake.
---
The Mage and the Prince
Lirien stood before Prince Kaelen, her wrists bound, her magic thrumming beneath her skin like a storm waiting to break.
Kaelen studied her carefully. "You're not just any mage."
Lirien met his gaze. "And you're not just any prince."
Beside her, Master Orwyn remained silent, watching. He had not spoken since they were brought to the palace. He knew that what happened here would decide much more than their fates.
Kaelen leaned forward. "Tell me, why does a mage of your power risk entering a city that wants you dead?"
Lirien held his gaze. "Because the Black Sun is changing magic. And if we don't control it, it will consume us all."
Kaelen's expression did not change. "Control it? Or wield it?"
Lirien's jaw tightened. "There is no difference anymore."
For a long moment, Kaelen said nothing.
Then, finally, he stood. "You will stay here under my protection."
Lirien raised an eyebrow. "Protection? Or imprisonment?"
Kaelen smirked. "Whichever you prefer."
Shadows and Schemes
The Black Sun did not simply bring darkness—it revealed truths long buried. In the Hollow Keep, in the halls of Valdris, and in the minds of those who thought they understood power, the world was shifting.
Some would rise with it. Others would be swallowed whole.
---
The Hollow Keep—A Battle Unleashed
Elias barely had time to react.
The creature rising from the cracks in the stone was not just a beast—it was ancient. Its form twisted between solid and shadow, massive yet shifting, its many eyes glimmering with an unnatural hunger.
The cultists knelt before it, whispering in a language Elias did not know. The thing spoke back, its voice like a chorus of screams trapped beneath a veil.
"We are awake."
Elias steadied his grip on his sword. "That makes one of us," he muttered.
Then the creature moved.
Dark tendrils lashed toward him. He dodged, rolling across the crumbling stone floor as the air itself seemed to warp around the entity. He slashed at its shadowy limbs, but his blade passed through them like mist.
Damn it.
The leader of the cultists stepped forward, his hollow eyes locked on Elias. "You cannot fight the tide, knight. The Black Sun has chosen, and you are but a relic of a dying world."
Elias narrowed his eyes. "Funny," he said. "I was just thinking the same about you."
He reached for the torch on the wall and hurled it. Flames erupted as they touched the shadowy form, and the creature screamed.
Not mist, then. Not entirely.
Elias grinned grimly. He had a plan now.
If the creature could burn—then it could die.
---
The Cage of Gold
Lirien stood in the prince's chambers, her hands no longer bound but her freedom still far from certain. Kaelen had left her under guard, giving her time to consider her position.
She would not waste it.
The room itself was a statement—gold-trimmed tapestries, a map of the empire stretched across the wall, a table covered in scattered documents. Power, order, control. The things Kaelen clung to.
She approached the table, eyes scanning the papers. Reports of rebellion. Strange sightings near the capital. A note with only four words:
"The Veil is thinning."
So, he did know something.
Before she could read more, the door opened. Kaelen entered, his expression unreadable. "Comfortable?"
Lirien turned, leaning casually against the table. "Depends. Am I a guest, or a hostage?"
Kaelen smirked. "A guest. Until you give me a reason to change that."
She studied him. "You don't trust me."
He met her gaze. "You wield a power I barely understand. And you walked willingly into a city that would have burned you at the stake yesterday. Tell me why I should trust you."
Lirien crossed her arms. "Because the Black Sun is changing everything. And you need someone who understands what's coming."
Kaelen was silent for a moment. Then he walked to the table, tapping a finger against the map.
"Explain," he said.
So, she did.
She told him of the magic she had felt shifting, of the old texts that spoke of an age before this one—an age swallowed by shadow. Of the Hollow Keep, where something was waking.
Kaelen listened. He did not interrupt.
And when she finished, he leaned back, thoughtful.
"Then we are already at war," he murmured.
Lirien met his gaze. "Yes. And if you don't act soon, you won't be fighting rebels and nobles. You'll be fighting something much worse."
For the first time, Kaelen looked… uncertain.
A knock at the door interrupted them. A guard entered, bowing quickly.
"Your Majesty, word from the Hollow Keep."
Kaelen straightened. "What is it?"
The guard hesitated. "Sir… it's burning."