The ruins of Varethiel were nothing like Kael imagined.
Once a grand city of floating towers and starlight glass, now it was a graveyard of shattered marble and twisted steel. The air shimmered faintly, as if time itself refused to let the place decay fully. Magic still clung to the bones of the old world.
Kael stepped carefully over the broken archway of what had once been a cathedral. The Shard of Origin pulsed in his pouch, sensing something buried beneath the stone and ash.
"Do you feel that?" Lyria whispered beside him. "There's a presence here. Old. Watching."
Thorne pulled his greatsword free from its sheath. "Then it's not just ruins. Something's still alive in this place."
A sudden System Notification blinked across Kael's vision:
---
[System Notification]
Zone Discovered: Varethiel, City of Forgotten Games
Warning: Presence of High-Level Signature Detected
New Quest: The Gathering of Players
Objective: Attend the Hidden Assembly within Varethiel. Survive.
---
Before Kael could respond, the ground beneath them rippled. Not shook—rippled, like a stone dropped into a still pond. A circle of runes flared to life across the shattered plaza, and from it, six silhouettes emerged.
Each of them radiated power. Kael didn't need a System scan to know: these were Players. High-tier. The kind who could bend rules.
And among them, standing with folded arms and eyes like burning ink—Seris.
"You made it," she said, smirking. "Good. Now the real game begins."
---
Elsewhere – The Architect's Mirror
A chamber of light and infinite reflection. Dozens of realities shimmered like glass shards suspended in space.
The Architect stood alone, cloaked in flowing silver threads that flickered with ever-shifting symbols.
"They gather… finally."
A whisper not born from lips echoed through the chamber: "And what of the crimson one?"
The Architect turned, eyes impossible to focus on.
"She's already moving pieces that don't belong to her."
He placed a hand on a reflection showing Kael.
"But he is the variable. The unwritten line."
---
Back in Varethiel
Seris walked among the Players like a queen among chess pieces. "The Guild believes this place is dead. But here, the game lives on. And tonight—so do the truths they've buried."
A pale-skinned woman in red armor stepped forward. "We weren't told there would be outsiders."
"Kael is no outsider," Seris said. "He's carrying it."
The Players looked to him, and for a breath, Kael felt the full weight of their attention. Not hostility—calculation.
He was a factor. A variable. Perhaps even a threat.
---
Suddenly, the sky cracked.
A tear of crimson lightning streaked across the stars. The air trembled. The Players all froze.
"She's here," someone breathed.
And Kael knew, without being told—the crimson woman had arrived.
---
[System Alert!]
Unknown Force Detected. High-Danger Entity Approaching Varethiel.
Prepare for Consequences.
---
Kael tightened his grip on the shard. Whatever came next, he was in the center of it.
No more sidelines. No more running.
The Architect was watching.
The crimson woman was coming.
And the true game was about to begin.
---
—
Dear Readers,
Thank you for reading Chapter 16 of [Your Novel Title]! Things are heating up fast, and I hope you're enjoying the mystery, power plays, and epic build-up as much as I am.
If you liked this chapter, please consider leaving a review—it helps more than you know. And I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments! What do you think of the crimson woman's entrance? Which Player are you most curious about?
Your words keep this journey alive.
— Your author, Talent Engraver