Three years since Kaelen vanished.
And still — he was everywhere.
Not just in statues, or stories, or titles…
But in the way people stood when they lifted swords.
In the way children bowed when speaking of dreams.
In the way the Sovereign Flame refused to dim.
But for his family —
the myth meant little.
They didn't want a legend.
They just wanted him.
Heartland's Capital — The Sovereign Hall
The grand marble chamber was filled with light and silence.
A massive tapestry of Kaelen's final battle hung high above the Heartstone.
It showed him ablaze in Sovereign glory, facing the void with no fear.
But no one looked at it anymore.
They couldn't.
Aria sat in full armor at the high council table,
staring at reports she hadn't read.
Mira leaned silently in a corner, sharpening blades she no longer needed.
Selina stood with closed eyes, hands pressed to her chest —
still trying to reach a connection that hadn't pulsed in three years.
Damon and Eren spoke softly with the Queens about new threats,
but their voices had lost their weight.
Lyanna's hands trembled each time she traced Sovereign runes.
Lyra rarely landed anymore —
as if staying still made it harder not to cry.
The Council worked.
The city thrived.
But the heart of it all…
was gone.
Elena and Darian — Memory and Iron
That night, Elena stood beneath the Spirit Trees.
Auriana was asleep in her arms, glowing faintly.
The stars overhead pulsed gently.
Darian stepped beside her.
They didn't speak for a long time.
Then he said, simply:
"It still doesn't feel real.
Even now."
Elena nodded.
"He was the one who made the world make sense.
And now… we just endure it."
Auriana stirred in her arms.
And for a moment — just a moment —
a tiny thread of warmth passed between them.
Aerin and Seris — The Weight of Legacy
Aerin shattered a training dummy with a roar.
His Sovereign aura burned dangerously hot.
Seris stepped forward, shielding their younger students from the flare.
"You're pushing too hard."
Aerin's chest heaved.
"If I don't push, I hear his voice.
And if I hear his voice, I can't move.
And if I can't move, I fail him."
Seris didn't argue.
She just stood beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
They stood in silence,
remembering the voice that once guided them.
Liora — The Girl Who Believed
Liora stood on the edge of the Spirit River, humming softly.
Every day, at the same time.
Every song the same.
A melody Kaelen had sung once —
only once —
before his first Sovereign Trial.
She had no proof.
No logic.
No system reading.
But she believed.
He was coming back.
Auriana — The Watcher
In the dead of night,
she wandered from her bed again.
Up the Sovereign Steps.
Past the sleeping guards.
Barefoot, silent, glowing faintly with Sovereign light.
She placed her tiny hand on the Heartstone.
And whispered a name.
No one heard her.
Except the stars.
System Notification: (Unseen)
[Sovereign Resonance Detected: Class – Beyond Recognition]
[Primordial Anchor Stabilizing…]
[Void-State: Heartbeat Detected (Trace)]
[Name: KAELEN AURELIUS DRAYCE]
[Vitality: 0.03%]
[Reconstruction Incomplete.]
[Recovery Initiating…]
Far away…
in the Void…
something shifted.
But the world did not yet know.
They still mourned.
Still trained.
Still waited.
Because somewhere inside them —
they felt it.
He wasn't gone.
Not yet.