The moon hung low in the sky like a wounded eye, its crimson hue staining the land below. The winds were silent, as though the world itself held its breath.
Damien stood at the edge of the Deadwood Forest, his cloak fluttering in the faint wind. The trees before him were no ordinary trees—they were ancient, twisted things, bark black as night and leaves like dying embers. Each one pulsed faintly, as if they still remembered the blood that had soaked into their roots centuries ago.
Behind him, his chosen party stood ready: Joara, stoic and sharp-eyed; Rionach, silent and guarded; Sierra, pale but resolute; and five of the Iron Hold's most elite Shadowborn scouts, dressed in light armor and bound in oath to him. Their destination lay deep within—the Citadel of Thorns, the first of the Lost Legacies and a place spoken of in whispers even among the undead.
"This place reeks of curses," Joara said under her breath.
"Good," Damien replied without turning. "Means we're close."
They entered the forest without ceremony.
---
Each step inside felt like sinking into a dream made of rot. The trees shifted when no one watched them. Thorns brushed their cloaks with unnerving familiarity, like hands trying to remember old lovers. Even time felt distorted—Damien couldn't tell whether they'd been walking minutes or hours.
Eventually, they reached a clearing where the ground gave way to cracked marble and broken roots.
> [System Notification: You have entered a Legacy Zone: Domain of the Withered Queen]
[Trial Initiating: Thornbound Truth]
[Warning: Standard Abilities Suppressed. Mental Resistance Recommended.]
Suddenly, a wall of thorns exploded upward between Sierra and the rest of the group, encasing her in a circular prison. She didn't scream. She didn't move.
"She was chosen," Damien said, holding back the others with a raised hand.
"By what?" Rionach demanded. "This place is ancient."
"By blood," Damien said, looking at Sierra. "She has roots here."
---
Sierra stood still inside the thorn cage. The thorns didn't touch her, yet she could feel them—like cold fingers grazing her soul.
A figure began to form at the center of the enclosure. Petals and vines spun like a storm, and out of them emerged a woman clad in black rose armor. Her face was serene, regal, and utterly terrifying in its stillness.
"You return, child of betrayal," the woman said.
Sierra's breath caught. "I... I don't remember you."
"But your blood does." The figure's voice was a blend of rustling leaves and sorrow. "You were born here. You were taken. And you were meant to inherit."
Sierra dropped to her knees. Flashbacks struck her—memories that weren't her own. Screaming roses, a shattered throne, her mother's last cry swallowed by vines.
"I didn't mean to leave them," Sierra whispered.
"But you did," the woman said gently. "And now, you must earn your right to return."
---
Outside, the rest of the group waited. Damien sat cross-legged, unmoving, his shadow slowly stretching across the forest floor despite the still sun.
Joara paced. "We shouldn't just sit here."
"We're not the ones being tested," Damien replied. "She is. And if she fails... none of us get out alive."
Suddenly, the ground beneath Damien split, forming a chasm of twisting roots and shadow. He fell without panic, landing in a strange, echoing space lit by floating embers.
> [Personal Trial Detected: Crownbearer Confrontation]
[Trial Initiating: Face the Darkness Within]
From the black mist stepped a familiar figure—Damien himself, but younger. Innocent. Unscarred. Behind him appeared phantoms of everyone he'd killed—Grayson, Commander Vahl, even the faceless soldiers whose lives he'd stolen without thought.
"You've built your throne on bones," the younger Damien said. "You seek a kingdom, but you forget—monsters don't rule. They destroy."
"I don't forget," Damien growled. "I remember everything."
They fought—not with swords, but with will. Each memory, each failure, each regret, rose like a blade against him. But he endured. He bled. He screamed.
And in the end, he stood alone, eyes glowing with violet flame.
"I chose to become what I am," Damien said. "Not because I wanted power... but because the world didn't give me a choice."
> [Trial Complete: Shadow Heart Stabilized]
[New Trait Unlocked: Voidbound Determination – Mental resistance +50% in cursed zones]
---
Meanwhile, Sierra stood before the spirit, blood streaming from thorn pricks along her arms.
"You've faced your past," the spirit said. "Now bind it."
A crown made of thorns hovered before her, glowing faintly green. She reached out—and it didn't hurt. It melted into her, merging with her heart.
> [Legacy Claimed: Thorn Queen's Heir]
[Ability Unlocked: Rosebrand – Bind foes in cursed vines that pierce the soul]
The thorn cage vanished.
Damien emerged from his chasm seconds later. Their eyes met, neither speaking for several moments.
"You remembered?" he asked.
Sierra nodded. "Enough."
---
As the forest shifted, a new path opened—toward a towering fortress overrun by vines and flames. The Citadel of Thorns.
Its gates were formed from the bones of giants. Flowers bloomed between skulls. The walls pulsed like they were alive.
As the group stepped forward, the Citadel's doors opened slowly, groaning like an old god awakening.
Joara muttered, "This isn't a ruin. It's waiting."
They entered.
Inside, green fire lit vast halls. Statues of forgotten queens stood draped in roses, many bearing a resemblance to Sierra. Murals lined the walls—depicting the rise of the Thornblood lineage, its betrayal, and its curse.
"This was a sanctuary once," Sierra whispered.
Damien placed a hand on one of the murals. "And now it's yours again."
> [System Update: First Legacy Recovered – Crown of Thorns]
[Crown Synchronization: 35%]
---
Far away, in the depth of a different realm, Azel'tor smiled.
The awakening of the Citadel echoed like a thunderclap across dimensions. Chains cracked. Darkness stirred.
> [Warning: The Forgotten's Seal Weakening – 23% Breach Detected]
Whispers began in the ears of sleeping kings. Nightmares coiled through the dreams of prophets. An old god opened a single eye in the abyss.
And in the heart of Damien's shadow... something blinked.
---