The Black Sun did not rise for the weak.
Its fire burned through the Hollow Keep, through the ambitions of kings, and through the very fabric of the world. The ones who survived its coming would not be those who were strong, but those who could change.
---
The Hollow Keep—A Knight's Reckoning
Elias moved through the inferno, his sword gripped tightly as the creature howled in rage. The fire had weakened it, but it had not destroyed it.
The cultists had scattered, their chants drowned in the roar of flames. But the thing at the heart of the Hollow Keep—the hunger that had been unleashed—was not so easily undone.
It lunged again, its form shifting between flesh and shadow. Elias barely rolled aside in time, feeling the heat of the burning stones against his skin.
This isn't a fight I can win alone.
The realization hit him hard. He had spent so long fighting his own battles, surviving by his own strength, that he had forgotten what it meant to rely on anyone else.
Now, as the Hollow Keep collapsed around him, he had no choice.
He turned and ran.
Not in retreat—in survival.
There was someone out there who knew more about this than he did. Someone who had seen this darkness coming. If he wanted to kill this thing, to stop the Black Sun from consuming everything, he needed to find them.
And he had a feeling he knew exactly where to start.
---
The Throne Room—A Dangerous Proposition
Kaelen stood at the window of his chamber, staring at the city below. Valdris was uneasy—whispers of rebellion, of strange omens, of a sky that never seemed quite right under the Black Sun's shadow.
Behind him, Lirien's voice was calm but firm. "You have no choice, you know."
Kaelen turned. "No choice?"
Lirien met his gaze. "You need to leave Valdris. You need to see what's happening for yourself."
Kaelen exhaled, pacing. "I can't just leave. The Empire—"
"The Empire is already slipping from your grasp," Lirien interrupted. "And if you stay here, you'll lose more than your throne."
Kaelen stopped. "And you would have me go where? Walk into the dark without a plan?"
Lirien smiled slightly. "No. You'd be walking with me. And I do have a plan."
A tense silence stretched between them. Then, finally, Kaelen laughed. A low, dry sound.
"I must be a fool to consider this."
Lirien tilted her head. "No. A fool would stay."
Kaelen's amusement faded. He looked at her for a long moment, then nodded.
"Fine. We leave tonight."
The Gathering Storm
The Black Sun did not rise in silence.
Its whispers reached across the land, into the hearts of rulers, warriors, and the nameless souls caught between them. It called to the forgotten, the lost, and the damned.
And some had begun to listen.
---
The Road to the Unknown
The road stretched before them, winding through the outskirts of Valdris and into the wilds beyond. The capital was behind them now, its golden spires fading into the mist. Ahead lay uncertainty, but neither Kaelen nor Lirien hesitated.
Kaelen's cloak billowed in the cold wind as he glanced at his unlikely companion. "You still haven't told me where we're going."
Lirien smirked. "Would you have left if I had?"
Kaelen exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "I don't like playing blind."
Lirien's expression turned serious. "Then open your eyes. The Black Sun isn't just a sign of war—it's something much older. There are places where its influence has already begun twisting reality, breaking the barriers between worlds. I need to find one of them."
Kaelen frowned. "Why?"
"Because I think someone—or something—is trying to speak through it."
Kaelen didn't like the sound of that. But he had already made his choice.
And so they rode on.
---
The Hunter in the Dark
Elias kept his pace steady, his horse galloping through the fading light. He had no destination, only a direction.
He didn't know who he was searching for.
But something told him that if he kept moving, fate would decide.
The Hollow Keep had burned, but its horrors had not been buried. The thing he had fought—the thing that had awoken—was still out there. It was only the beginning.
He had seen war before. He had seen men kill each other for crowns, for gold, for pride. But this… this was something worse.
This was war against something no man could understand.
And if he was going to fight it, he needed allies.
---
A Shadowed Throne
Valdris did not sleep.
Not truly.
Not now.
The High Priest stood in the empty throne room, his fingers trailing along the armrest where Kaelen should have been. The golden seat of the empire stood untouched, waiting.
He smiled.
"The boy is clever. But not clever enough."
The Black Sun had chosen its path, and the empire would kneel before it—willingly or not.
With a wave of his hand, shadows gathered at his feet. They whispered, waiting for their command.
And the High Priest spoke.
"Find him."
The hunt had begun.
---
📚😊
Convergence
Three paths. Three choices.
Elias, the knight who had seen the darkness rise.
Lirien, the mage who understood its power.
Kaelen, the prince who still believed he could control fate.
None of them knew what awaited them at the end of the road.
But the Black Sun did.
And it was watching.