The obsidian spire pierced the heavens.
Dark clouds spiralled around its peak, swallowing the afternoon sun.
A wave of Void Energy rolled across Asteria.
Windows shattered.
The earth trembled.
Even the bravest soldiers struggled to remain standing.
The Codex opened.
World Threat
Void Spire
Status:
Awakening
Integrity:
64%
Time Until Activation:
14 Minutes
Primary Weakness:
The Heart Core
Location:
Summit Chamber
Captain Rowan stared upward.
"How do we even reach the top?"
Before anyone could answer—
A piercing cry echoed across the city.
The royal griffins descended from the sky.
Dozens of them landed in the palace courtyard.
The young griffin Lyra had rescued stepped forward proudly.
It lowered one wing.
As if inviting her to climb aboard.
Lyra smiled.
"So this is your answer."
Pyron laughed.
"The beasts have chosen their rider."
Umbra leapt onto the griffin's back beside Lyra.
The great bird spread its wings.
With one mighty beat, it soared toward the towering spire.
Behind them, dozens of griffins carried elite knights and Beast Keepers into the air.
The Battle of Asteria had entered its final stage.
Halfway to the summit—
The clouds exploded.
Hundreds of winged creatures emerged.
Their feathers were black as night.
Their eyes burned violet.
The Codex identified them.
Enemy Detected
Species:
Void Ravens
Rank:
Elite
Mission:
Protect the Void Spire
The flock attacked.
Dark feathers became razor-sharp blades.
Griffins twisted through the air, avoiding the deadly storm.
Umbra growled.
Lyra raised the wooden whistle.
A clear melody spread across the battlefield.
Several ravens hesitated.
Their crimson eyes flickered.
But most continued their attack.
"They're too deeply corrupted..."
Lyra whispered.
Suddenly, a crimson flash shot past her.
Kael.
Riding another griffin, he drew his scarlet sword.
One precise strike cut through the darkness without harming a single raven.
Instead...
The slash severed the black chains connecting them to the Void.
Dozens of ravens regained their senses.
They immediately turned against the remaining corrupted flock.
Kael looked at Lyra.
"Your song frees their hearts."
"My blade frees their bodies."
Together, they carved a path through the skies.
The summit drew closer.
At the very top of the spire stood Malakar.
His robes whipped violently in the wind.
Behind him floated a sphere of swirling darkness.
Inside it...
A pair of enormous crimson eyes slowly opened.
Not Lord Kael.
Not another apostle.
Something far older.
Far more terrifying.
The Codex trembled violently.
Its pages turned so quickly that Lyra could no longer read them.
Finally, they stopped.
Forbidden Record
Entity:
The Empty Throne
Current Manifestation:
9%
If Manifestation Reaches 100%:
World-Class Catastrophe
Malakar spread his arms.
"You are too late."
"The gate has begun to open."
Lyra stepped from the griffin onto the summit platform.
Umbra landed beside her.
Pyron, Nereus, Kael, Captain Rowan, and the royal griffins arrived moments later.
The heroes stood together.
Facing the growing darkness.
Then...
A deep voice echoed from within the sphere.
It was neither male nor female.
Old beyond imagination.
"Another Beast Sovereign..."
"How many must rise before they understand..."
"Hope always ends in despair."
The voice alone shook the mountain.
Several soldiers collapsed to their knees.
Only Lyra remained standing.
She looked directly into the crimson eyes.
"I don't know what happened to you."
"I don't know why you hate this world."
"But I know one thing."
"No one is beyond saving."
For the first time...
The crimson eyes blinked.
As if surprised.
Malakar's confident smile faltered.
The being within the Empty Throne had paused.
For the first time in centuries.
And Lyra realized something impossible—
It had listened.