The sun blazed overhead as a massive crowd gathered around the execution platform. At its center, bound in heavy chains, knelt the last ruler of the Tenth Clan — a man whose name had been erased from history.
High above him, seated in judgment, were the kings and queens of the Nine Clans: Solmar, Lunetra, Aerion, Ignis, Hydros, Terraka, Umbra, Radiis, and the mysterious Celestians.
The High Executioner stepped forward.
"For treason against the Nine Clans... for aiding the rebel warriors... for seeking forbidden knowledge — the last ruler of the Tenth Clan is hereby sentenced to burn until death."
The crowd erupted in fury. Stones rained down on his chained body.
But he did not flinch.
Instead, he laughed — a sound so raw, so defiant, that silence fell over the square like a blade.
"You think you've won?" he said, his bloodied lips curled in a grin, his eyes burning brighter than the flames waiting to consume him.
"But if the secret I carry is ever revealed... your thrones will crumble."
Varan Surya, King of the Solmar Clan, leaned forward. His voice trembled with both command and curiosity.
"What secret?"
Rudra Vael, the last king of the Asvaran Clan, smiled. Blood streamed from his mouth like a red banner of defiance.
"Namira Vault."
The name shattered the stillness. Gasps rippled through the Nine. Solmar's face went pale.
"The Vault was never a myth," Rudra said, lifting his head. "It holds the truth. The relics you all thought were lost — they weren't. They were stolen."
"Burn him!"
Solmar's command rang out like thunder — final and unforgiving.
Flames engulfed Rudra's body, but his laughter pierced the smoke, louder than the fire that devoured him.
And then, his final words, half-miracle, half-curse, echoed across the world:
"The Vault will open."