Dawn – Training Grounds of the Forgotten Flame
The morning mist clung low to the ground, swirling around the armored feet of the soldiers now awakened from centuries of sleep. Fifty warriors, once legends, now stood in perfect silence awaiting command. Their faces—some worn with time, others frozen by magic—bore the calm of men who had once died for a kingdom now only half-remembered.
Arjun walked through their ranks, his boots crunching against the gravel beneath. His heart pounded. This wasn't a simulation. These weren't cadets.
These were warriors forged in war, hardened by eras he could barely imagine.
And they were looking to him.
General Kavi stepped beside him. "They will follow your every word. Your hesitation will be their hesitation."
Arjun clenched his fists. "They're used to a different kind of leader. Someone born of this world. I'm just... a soldier from a different time."
Kavi smiled faintly. "Time does not define kings. Purpose does."
Arjun looked ahead. "Then let's make them ready."
Meanwhile – Liu Xue's Chamber, Echo Archive
Liu sat cross-legged amid scrolls and holograms, her fingers moving rapidly as glyphs responded to her touch. Each scroll in the chamber held fragments of truth—magics long erased, technologies long forbidden.
The Archive hummed with ancient energy. Some tomes whispered as she passed. Others sang, speaking to her in languages that tugged at her soul. Chinese. Sanskrit. Lost tongues, somehow known to her now.
But one book stood out.
It was bound in dragon leather and sealed with a golden sigil shaped like a yin-yang star. When she touched it, pain lanced through her fingers, yet she didn't pull back.
The book opened.
A female voice echoed from it—powerful, yet distant.
"To the Keeper of Echoes…If you are reading this, then the flames have flickered once more.You are not just the archivist of this kingdom…You are its compass."
Liu's breath caught.
A compass.
Was this fate? Or was someone guiding her—had always been guiding her?
Suddenly, an image flared within the pages—an enormous fortress in the Himalayas, bathed in golden mist.
The text below it read:
"Vault of the Moon Flame: Last Known Location of the Sky Battalion."
She stood suddenly.
"Arjun," she whispered. "We're not alone in this war."
Late Morning – Weapon Forge, City Sublevel
Arjun watched as the forge-master, a four-armed automaton named Kethu, demonstrated a weapon reformation.
A rusted spear was placed into a glowing mold, and with a hiss of energy, it reemerged: its shaft made of alloyed woodsteel, its tip humming with charged edge runes.
Kethu turned, eyes gleaming with white light. "Warriors of the Flame deserve weapons worthy of their oath."
Arjun picked up the reforged spear and turned it in his hand. Lightweight. Sharp. Balanced like a katana.
"Can you make more?"
"With materials, yes. But your world is not as rich as it once was. You will need to reclaim the mines of Vala's Spine."
Kavi stepped forward. "Those mines lie beneath the Valley of Screams. Scorched Banner holds it now."
Arjun grinned. "Then we take it back."
Council Hall – Noon
The first war council gathered.
General Kavi. Liu. Arjun. Three recently awakened nobles: Lady Miren of the East Flame, a tactician with a scar over one blind eye; Rajiin, a mute beastmaster; and Tharaka, a sharp-tongued engineer who looked too young to be over 400.
Liu activated the tactical map. A 3D projection displayed the region—ten districts once ruled by their kingdom.
"Right now, we control just the central core," she said. "But ancient laws still bind many outposts to the Banner of the Forgotten Flame. If we ignite their Beacons, they'll reawaken."
Tharaka leaned in. "You want to start a chain reaction. Light one flame and hope others follow."
"Yes," Arjun said. "But first—we test our reach. The Valley of Screams."
Kavi nodded. "Scorched Banner garrisons there are weak. It's a mining post, not a fortress."
Liu added, "We don't just need the mines. We need the prisoners."
Everyone turned to her.
"Prisoners?" Arjun asked.
Liu nodded. "The Scorched Banner doesn't just enslave land. They use people. Miners, engineers, smiths—all captives from the war. If we free them... we gain a workforce and allies."
Silence fell.
Then Arjun stood. "Then it's decided. We march in two days. Prepare the vanguard."
Midnight – Inner Courtyard
Arjun couldn't sleep.
He found himself outside again, under the ghost-blue glow of the Beacon. Liu stood there, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the stars.
"You know," she said softly, "you're better at this than you think."
"I'm making it up as I go."
"That's what all kings do."
He chuckled. "And you?"
"I'm scared," she admitted. "Of how much I know. Of how fast this is happening."
He moved beside her. "You're not alone."
They stood in silence for a while. The moonlight danced between them. His hand brushed hers.
She didn't pull away.
Two Days Later – The Vanguard Moves
The army of the Forgotten Flame was small but swift.
Fifty elite warriors, a dozen support drones, three flying chariots, and one warbeast—Rajiin's thunder lion, Ishma.
The Valley of Screams lived up to its name. As they approached, wailing winds carried the howls of tortured spirits—echoes of battles fought long ago.
Scout drones buzzed forward. "Two towers. Thirty guards each. Some mechanical sentries. No sky defenses."
Arjun gave the order. "Split forces. Liu, disable their surveillance. Kavi, breach the west wall. I'll lead the frontal distraction."
Rajiin nodded silently and vanished into the night with Ishma.
When the signal was given, all hell broke loose.
Lightning streaked from Liu's palms, short-circuiting the enemy's watchstones. Rajiin pounced from the cliffs, Ishma crushing two guards in a blur. Kavi's squad scaled the walls like shadows. The city gates exploded outward as Arjun led the charge.
Steel clashed. Cries rang. Arjun moved like a cyclone—his spear singing with each sweep.
The enemy faltered.
Then came the bell.
A deep, resonant gong that shook the earth.
From the mines, it emerged—an obsidian golem over three stories tall, fused with metal and magic. The Scorched Banner's last line of defense.
"Back!" Kavi yelled.
But Arjun charged.
Liu screamed, "ARJUN—!"
He leapt.
The golem's fist swung, missing by a breath.
Arjun landed on its shoulder, slammed a plasma charge into its neck joint, and launched off.
The explosion rocked the cliffside.
The golem staggered—
—and fell.
Silence.
Then cheers.
Prisoners poured from the mines, blinking into the light. Starving. Scared.
One stepped forward. A woman with dirt-covered skin and golden eyes.
"You're... one of the Seven."
Arjun shook his head. "No. Just a soldier."
She knelt. "Then may we follow your banner?"
He looked up at the dawn breaking behind him.
And said, "Yes."
That Evening – Campsite Outside the Valley
They lost three men. Dozens were wounded. But they had gained almost three hundred freed captives.
Engineers. Artisans. Scribes.
The Kingdom was no longer a whisper. It was breathing again.
Liu sat beside Arjun as the fire crackled.
"You shouldn't have gone alone."
"I didn't. I had all of you."
She looked at him, eyes intense. "You'll die if you keep doing that."
He turned to her. "Would it hurt you if I did?"
She paused.
Then: "Yes. It would."
The silence was heavier this time. And warmer.
Then Liu leaned in and whispered, "Don't make me lose another world."
She didn't explain.
And he didn't ask.