Kaelith's wings grazed the Eternal Tavern's rafters, their ritual-forged glow a faint pulse against the hearth's golden flicker, her dagger's restless twirl betraying the storm in her chest. The air carried the tang of Mira's cachaça-laced ales and the low hum of sigil-etched beams, but her eyes were locked on the boy by the fire, his lunar gaze dim, the Nexus Crown's hum faltering. The silver crack in his aura pulsed like a tide under a fractured moon, the [Third Shard]'s corruption seeping deeper, its weight a shadow on his trembling hands. Emberhollow's flames still haunted her—the boy's cry as the shard burned him, Elias's raw plea to Veyra's captured agent, the council's lies about liberation. Now Tidecarve Tavern's sigil screamed through the Nexus Network, its water-woven heart fracturing under void-kin claws. Kaelith's light had steadied the boy before, but its strain gnawed at her, a flicker of doubt in her defiance. She sheathed her dagger, her voice sharp but warm: "Kid, you're not breaking on my watch."
The boy's eyes met hers, his voice a whisper. "The shards… they're pulling me to the Crucible." His guardianship flickered, the [First Shard], [Second Shard], and [Third Shard] heavy in his satchel, their obsidian glow clashing with his aura's crack.
Elias leaned against the bar, his emerald eyes shadowed, the [Nexus Beacon] glowing in his hand. "Tidecarve's drowning. We end this shard hunt before Veyra's vision comes true." His charisma burned, but his voice cracked, Veyra's plea in Emberhollow's vision—a sister lost to the void—cutting deep.
Sylva slung her club, her scarred wrist glinting, her leadership steady. "The network's bleeding. We save Tidecarve, we save the boy." Her gaze softened on him, a maternal spark.
Kael's spear gleamed, his loyalty fierce. "Elias, we'll get her back. Kid, we'll fix you." His grin broke the tension, his bond with his twin a quiet fire.
Lirien's orb hovered, its sigils weaving Tidecarve's distress, her silver hair aglow. "The [Fourth Shard] lies in its tidal heart, guarded by Veyra's tide-weaver. The captured agent knows more." Her calm held a warning, her hands tracing void-rifts.
The captured agent, bound in sigil-chains by the hearth, glared, their silver eyes defiant. Elias's dagger hovered near, his voice low: "Talk, or the void claims you."
Mira slid ales across the bar, her grin fierce. "Tidecarve's tough. Bring 'em home." Drenvar's scars glowed, his nod resolute: "Tavern's got you."
Ping!
The Vitality System's chime cut through, its golden screen sharp.
Vitality System: New Mission Unlocked!
Mission: Secure the Fourth Shard.
Cost: -35000 Vitality Points.
Reward: +70000 Vitality Points, [Fourth Shard].
Corruption Level: 30%.
Current Vitality: 1005625/50000.
New Hint: The Fourth Shard surges in Tidecarve's tidal heart. Veyra's tide-weaver wields void-waves.
Kaelith's heart thumped, the system's call a spark.
Current Vitality: 970625/50000.
The [Nexus Beacon] traced Tidecarve Tavern—a coral-carved citadel in a realm of endless waves, its sigil a spiraling tide bleeding shadow. The [Ember's Wrath], [Dusk's Veil], and [Star's Oath] pulsed in the boy's satchel, their light clashing with the corrupted sigil's taint. The Eternal Tavern was their anchor, Tidecarve their trial.
Elias touched the bar's sigil, his voice a rally: "Crew, let's ride the tide." A portal swirled open, a vortex of brine and starlight, and Kaelith led, her wings steady, her light a beacon.
Tidecarve Tavern rose from a reef, its coral walls shimmering with salt-spray, its spires swaying in a sea-storm's roar. Void-kin swarmed—beasts of shadow and foam, their silver eyes glinting, their screeches a tempest tearing at the sigil above the tidal heart, a spiraling tide pulsing with corruption. Tidecarve's keeper, a lithe woman named Seral, fought on the deck, her trident flashing, patrons wielding net-blades against the tide. The tavern's heart flickered, the [Fourth Shard]'s corruption a drowning weight, void-rifts cracking the waves.
Kaelith's boots hit the slick deck, her dagger slashing a void-kin, its foam bursting. "Seral! Hold the heart!" she shouted, dodging a wave that shattered a mast, her light straining.
Sylva's club smashed a beast, its spray scattering, her roar fierce: "Find the sigil!" Her leadership burned, her scars glistening in the spray.
Elias's dagger carved a void-kin, his charisma blazing. "Boy, where's the shard?" He shielded Seral, his blade a dance of starlight and brine.
Kael's spear pierced a beast, his strikes swift, his voice raw: "Kid, lead us!" He flanked the keeper, their trident flashing, a symphony of wave and steel.
The boy's aura flared, his lunar eyes blazing. "It's below—the tidal core." His guardianship pulsed, guiding them to a hatch beneath the deck, its sigil locked with void-waves.
Kaelith's light burned, her dagger striking a rift, her wings flaring. "I'll clear it!" Her ritual-forged glow dissolved a wave, but a void-kin's claw grazed her, drawing a hiss.
Seral leapt from the deck, her trident skewering a beast. "The shard's in the core—Veyra's weaver guards it!" Her voice was sharp, brine streaking her face.
Ping!
The Vitality System's screen flared.
Vitality System: Optional Mission Available!
Mission: Protect Tidecarve's Keeper.
Objective: Ensure Seral survives the void-kin siege.
Cost: -18000 Vitality Points.
Reward: +36000 Vitality Points, [Tide's Crest].
Accept? [Y/N]
Elias chose Y, the system draining him.
Current Vitality: 952625/50000.
The boy led to the tidal core, a chamber of coral and churning waves, where the [Fourth Shard] surged—a sapphire crystal radiating void-taint, guarded by Veyra's tide-weaver, a robed figure wielding a staff of void-waves. The captured agent, dragged along, knelt nearby, their eyes flickering.
Elias faced the agent, his dagger steady. "Veyra's plan—tell me!" The agent's voice was low: "She'll invert the Crucible's core, unbind the nexus. Your father knew." The words struck, a vision flashing: Veyra weeping as their father cast her out.
The tide-weaver's staff unleashed a void-surge, waves crashing, rifts tearing the chamber. "The Crucible drowns you!" they roared, dropping Nexus Stability to 7.9%.
Kaelith's light clashed with the boy's corruption, her voice fierce: "Kid, you're stronger!" Her wings flared, anchoring his aura, but a void-wave hit, costing 1500 Vitality Points.
Current Vitality: 951125/50000.
The boy seized the [Fourth Shard], his aura a supernova, his cry raw: "I won't break!" The corruption surged, his silver crack pulsing.
Corruption Level: 40%.
He pressed the shard to the sigil, its light flooding the core, banishing the void-kin. The sigil stabilized, Tidecarve's heart surging, but a vision struck Kaelith: Veyra in the Crucible, her core blazing, her eyes silver with void.
The tide-weaver fell, their robes dissolving, their voice a whisper: "The void's kin rise…" They left a [Wave-Veil Crest].
Ping!
The Vitality System's screen glowed.
Vitality System: Emergency Mission Complete!
Fourth Shard Secured.
Rewards: +70000 Vitality Points, [Fourth Shard].
Optional Mission Complete! Tidecarve's Keeper Protected.
Rewards: +36000 Vitality Points, [Tide's Crest].
Current Vitality: 1057125/50000.
Nexus Stability: 8.1%.
Corruption Level: 40%.
Kaelith steadied the boy, Sylva shielding Seral, her grin fierce. "Tidecarve holds," Sylva said, voice raw. Elias faced the agent, his heart heavy. "Veyra's lost, but I'll find her."
The boy's eyes dimmed, his voice faint: "The Crucible's inside me." His guardianship flickered, the [Fourth Shard] heavy.
Kael's spear rested, his grin warm. "We'll save you both, kid." Sylva's leadership burned, Kaelith's light flickered, Seral's trident gleamed. Lirien's orb pulsed: "The Crucible nears. Shards remain."
Elias's charisma surged, his grin sharp. "Crew, the tavern's light endures. Let's hunt." The sigil hummed, Tidecarve's tide a beacon.
Author's Note
Dear readers,
The War of the Void Kin arc is surging, and the Eternal Tavern's crew is battling the void's tide! Thank you for standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Elias, the boy, and their kin. I'm dropping three chapters per day—morning, afternoon, evening, or sometimes all at a random time. Please drop a comment to keep the tavern's hearth roaring, and don't forget to review the work with your ratings! Your feedback fuels this multiversal saga, and we're forging it together.