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Chapter 133 – The World After the Fall
The morning after the dungeon massacre was silent.
No birds. No wind. Only the dull hum of distant storms.
Azel's body—now the vessel of Shen Karguro's soul—stood upon a broken hill outside the northern ruins.
His new eyes reflected the changing sky—faint blue light drifting over crimson clouds.
He breathed in slowly, feeling the air of this unfamiliar world.
His mind still carried Azel's faint memories—faces, laughter, fear.
But the world before him was not the same Earth he had once known.
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Days passed. Shen walked across scorched plains, through abandoned cities and crumbled temples.
Everywhere he went, he saw the same symbol carved into the ruins: a serpent of black flame—the mark of the Arcane Dominion.
When he finally reached the borders of a surviving city, he overheard the truth from those who spoke in whispers:
> "After the Great Arcane War… half the world fell."
"The royal houses surrendered. The eastern lands now serve the Arcane King."
"Those who resisted became monsters themselves…"
Shen stopped, his heart tightening.
> Shen (thinking): "So… the Arcanes rule this half of the Earth now."
"And if I'm here—in the East—then Kenya, Eliz… everyone I knew… they're on the West."
The realization struck like thunder.
He was separated by oceans, kingdoms, and powers far beyond what this body could handle.
He wandered to a ruined courtyard.
Through Azel's memories he saw flashes of a family crest—Vernath, one of the eastern royal houses that had once protected humanity.
Now the house was gone. Its walls burned, its banners torn.
From the echoing remnants of Azel's spirit, the truth emerged:
his father—the family head—had died defending their realm, while his brothers betrayed the crown and took Arcane Power, becoming half-human beasts in service of the Dominion.
Shen's fists clenched.
> Shen: "Even his family was taken by the Arcanes… no wonder his soul couldn't rest."
He turned toward the horizon, where the Dominion's fortress floated above the sea.
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Then the air rippled.
A faint blue circle opened before him—spinning like a mirror of light.
> Lare's voice: "You finally understand… this world has fallen.
The Arcanes have resurrected the old kings, and the ministers walk again in mortal bodies."
Shen looked up sharply. "Lare… you're alive?"
> Lare: "Not alive—bound. My soul drifts between worlds, as yours once did.
Listen, Shen. You cannot fight them now. Not like this.
Your current body limits your strength—but it gives you something else…"
> Shen: "…A disguise."
> Lare: "Yes. You will join the Arcane Crue, the Dominion's outer army.
Rise among them as a spy, learn how to destroy the resurrected Arcane King and his ministers."
Shen's eyes narrowed. "And Rin?"
A long silence followed. Then Lare's tone darkened.
> Lare: "Alive… but changed.
The Arcane King bound her soul in darkness. She commands their armies now."
Shen froze, pain flooding through him. "Rin… our friend…"
The voice grew heavier, sorrowful.
> Lare: "You only told about Rin, Shen.
You were the one who said we must change her, bring her back from the darkness.
Then why did you forget that promise?"
Shen's head bowed, eyes burning. "I never forgot… I just couldn't reach her."
> Lare: "Then reach her now.
Join them. Find her. Change her if you can—
or, if it's too late… destroy her before she destroys the world."
The portal shimmered and faded. Shen stood alone, wind tugging at his cloak.
He whispered to the silent sky:
> Shen: "Azel… your dream was to protect your friends.
I'll protect mine—even if I must walk among monsters to do it."
He turned toward the distant fortresses where Arcane banners waved in the stormlight.
And with quiet resolve, Shen—wearing Azel's face—began his journey toward the Arcane Crue.
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