The snow began to fall.
Soft.
Silent.
Merciless.
Kael stood at the edge of the northern cliffs.
For the first time in his life…
Elaris was no longer visible.
His home was gone.
Nothing remained except smoke rising into the gray sky.
Behind him, Lyra quietly walked beside Astra.
Draven led the group without saying a word.
The First King disappeared again, as mysteriously as he had arrived.
Only his last words remained in Kael’s mind.
“When the Black Crown awakens completely… even death will kneel.”
Kael didn’t understand.
Yet.
Three Days Later
The mountains finally ended.
A gigantic city appeared beyond the valley.
Stone walls stretched farther than the eye could see.
Thousands of towers reached into the clouds.
Countless airships floated above the city.
Massive magical barriers surrounded everything.
At the center…
A gigantic white tower pierced the heavens.
Draven stopped walking.
“We’re here.”
Kael looked up.
“What city is this?”
Draven answered with unusual respect.
“Velkar.”
“The City Without Gods.”
Kael frowned.
“Without gods?”
Astra nodded.
“Ten thousand years ago…”
“This city rejected every Divine Throne.”
“They chose humanity over divinity.”
Kael stared at the enormous walls.
No throne symbols.
No churches.
No divine statues.
Nothing.
For the first time…
He saw a city that had never worshipped gods.
As they approached the gate…
Hundreds of guards pointed strange black weapons toward them.
Not swords.
Not bows.
Something Kael had never seen before.
Metal weapons covered in glowing blue runes.
Draven raised an eyebrow.
“They’ve improved.”
A guard stepped forward.
His uniform was unlike any kingdom Kael had ever seen.
Silver armor.
Blue cloak.
Mechanical gauntlets.
A crystal floated above his shoulder.
The captain looked directly at Draven.
Then Kael.
Finally…
Lyra.
“Stop.”
Everyone froze.
The captain slowly reached for a small crystal device.
The crystal flashed red.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Then—
A loud alarm echoed across the city.
WARNING.
WARNING.
UNKNOWN THRONE SIGNATURE DETECTED.
WARNING.
The giant gates immediately closed.
Thousands of soldiers appeared on the walls.
Cannons emerged from hidden compartments.
The entire city entered combat mode.
Kael looked around.
“What did I do?”
The captain stared at him.
His voice had become cold.
“You brought something impossible.”
Suddenly—
A woman appeared on top of the city wall.
Nobody saw her arrive.
She simply…
Existed.
Long silver hair.
White military coat.
Golden mechanical eyes.
She looked no older than twenty-five.
Yet every soldier immediately saluted.
Even the captain lowered his head.
Draven smiled.
“So you’re still alive.”
The woman ignored him.
Instead…
She jumped.
Three hundred feet.
Without magic.
Without fear.
She landed in front of Kael.
The ground didn’t even crack.
Her golden eyes scanned Kael from head to toe.
Then Lyra.
Then Astra.
Finally—
She smiled.
“Interesting.”
Kael frowned.
“Who are you?”
She placed one hand over her chest.
“My name is Evelyn Arclight.”
She paused.
“I’m the Head Scientist of Velkar.”
Scientist?
Kael blinked.
He had expected a general.
A queen.
A throne holder.
Not…
A scientist.
Her mechanical eyes glowed brighter.
Then she whispered something under her breath.
“One Death Throne…”
“One Time Candidate…”
“One Fate Throne…”
She suddenly stopped walking.
Her smile disappeared.
Then she looked directly into Kael’s eyes.
“There are only twelve Divine Thrones.”
Silence.
“So…”
She tilted her head.
“…why am I detecting a thirteenth signature inside you?”
Kael’s blood froze.
The hidden throne.
The one erased from history.
The First King hadn’t been lying.
It was real.
Before anyone could speak—
The sky suddenly darkened.
Not because of clouds.
Something enormous blocked the sunlight.
Everyone looked upward.
The soldiers panicked.
People screamed.
A shadow slowly crossed the city.
Kael looked into the sky.
His pupils shrank.
A gigantic creature floated above Velkar.
A dragon.
But unlike any dragon from legends.
Its body was made entirely of black crystal.
Purple lightning flowed through its wings.
Its eyes glowed silver.
Ancient symbols covered its scales.
Even Draven’s confident smile vanished.
Astra whispered softly.
“No…”
Kael looked at her.
“What is it?”
Her answer made everyone’s blood run cold.
“That’s not a dragon.”
Silence.
She slowly stepped backward.
“It’s one of the Twelve Divine Guardians.”
The creature opened its eyes.
The entire city shook.
Then—
It looked directly at Kael.
Not at the city.
Not at Draven.
Not at Astra.
Only…
Kael.
For one terrifying second…
The world became completely silent.
Then the Divine Guardian roared.
A roar so powerful that the magical barrier surrounding Velkar shattered instantly.
CRACK!
The strongest defense in the world…
Destroyed with a single roar.
And somewhere beneath the city…
A forgotten throne slowly began to glow.
End of Chapter 12