Prologue
The Archaic Mournscript, also known as the "Tongue of the Fallen Divinities," is a textual system inherited from the Lost Era of the Divine Lands. It is revered as the vessel of divine revelation and ancient oaths. Unlike the contemporary lingua franca of humankind and otherworldly races, the Mournscript possesses intense spiritual interference—only those blessed with the Eye of Insight or fortified with exceptional soul-will may decipher or recite it.
According to the Secret Histories within the Royal Archive of the Human Kingdom, a thousand years ago, widespread exposure to Mournscript triggered the Mirror Calamity—mass insanity, widespread possession, and sacrificial mutations among those who encountered it. Seventeen cities vanished within days. Among the otherworldly races, the script is known as the "Residual Echo of Origin," believed to be fragments of divine utterance left behind when all life first emerged from primordial chaos—capable of awakening forces long meant to remain dormant.
Origins of the Archaic Mournscript
Before nations arose upon the Divine Lands, there existed an ancient tribe calling themselves the Abyssal Theurges. Proclaiming themselves descendants of the gods, they wielded a language that could communicate with the Higher Realms—the Mournscript. Their rituals were etched in blood, with soul as ink, summoning divine oracles and forbidden flames.
The lineage of the Abyssal Theurges was fully eradicated five centuries ago, but remnants of their culture can still be found in the Dead Abyss of the Western Reach, the Ashen Sea of the South, and the Froststone Ridges of the North.
Among the remaining relics, three major Mournscript Tablets are known:
Tablet of the Ashen Sea — a prophecy of the Return of the Fallen God;
Tablet of the Abyss — detailing the structure and fragmentation laws of Mournscript;
Tablet of Froststone — containing an incomplete summoning ritual to awaken a slumbering entity.
Both the Human Kingdom and the Holy Sanctum of the otherworldly races dispatched secret agents to seize these relics, igniting two silent wars unrecorded in official history.
Structure & Logic of the Mournscript
Mournscript is not based on phonetics or syllables, but on Intent-Glyphs—soul-totem-like inscriptions. Each glyph holds multilayered meaning, influenced by the writer's mental state, the medium used, and even the astrological alignment at the time of inscription.
Each glyph comprises three components:
Divine Pattern (Shenwen): The core totem, determining the root meaning;
Voice Pulse (Shengmai): Dictates tone and force direction—offensive or defensive in essence;
Mindbone (Nian'gu): The caster's projected spiritual will, which influences glyph activation.
Example: A glyph inscribed on a corpse's forehead may simply reveal a message if the writer's will is stable. But if carved by a broken soul, it might summon a corpse tide or shatter nearby spirits.
Applications of Mournscript
Mournscript serves both as language and tangible arcane matrix.
In ancient times, the Abyssal Theurges used it on soulsteel or ritual stone to:
Seal: Ensnare monstrous entities within blood-rock, armor, or flesh;
Summon: Awaken dormant beasts or ancient spirits;
Perceive: Detect soul-pressure in space or tear open dimensional rifts;
Reforge: Transplant the soul of the dead into vessels, creating new physical hosts.
Among the otherworldly races, King Turansol once inscribed Mournscript in grayblood behind his throne on the night of the War Oath. Though sealed as a clan-forbidden text, it was rumored to contain a prophecy: "Humankind shall one day betray the divine pact."
Curses and the Cost of Mournscript
Mournscript cannot be used without consequence. Every act of inscription, utterance, or deciphering constitutes a transaction with forgotten divinity.
The costs fall into three categories:
Mental Corrosion: Readers often suffer hallucinations, identity fracture, or mutation;
Flesh Infiltration: Prolonged contact causes glyph-scarring and eventual transformation into Inkfallen;
Soul Debt: Successful scribes yield fragments of their soul, which may later be reclaimed by the divine.
Recent reports of "fainting soldiers" and "mad clerics" in the royal capital may be linked to fragments of a Mournscript tablet buried beneath the city.
Modern Interaction with Mournscript
Today, the White Spire Institute of Forbidden Arts remains the only legal Mournscript research body within the human realms; among the otherworldly races, it is kept under strict control by the Council of Mirrorshade.
However, rogue scholars and thieves continue to rise, leading to increasing loss of control over the script's spread. Rumors speak of a "New Abyssal Sect" awakening in the Thunderveil Mountains, aiming to resurrect ancient cataclysmic entities.
End of Chapter Scene: The Last Page
A shadowy assassin infiltrates the White Spire's Archive, stealing the final page of the Fragmented Tongue Scroll, leaving behind only one phrase carved in Mournscript:
"The Silent Flame shall rise, and all life shall return to death."
Scene: Throne of Dusk – Otherworldly Kingdom
Torches reignite within the stiflingly solemn Duskrock Throne Hall. Faint murmurs echo from ancient flame-glyphs, as King Turansol returns from the inner sanctum, brows furrowed, clutching a stone shard inscribed with broken Mournscript.
He steps toward the throne. Firelight paints his gray-blue skin, and in his blood-red eyes, rage and uncertainty brew like a storm.
Beneath him stand:
Velox, Elven Sharpshooter
Hebrion, Beastkin Warlord
Mikala, Shadowblade
Isserina, Arcane Duelist
And ten elite sentinels.
Turansol raises the shard, voice low:
"Who can tell me… where this fragment came from?"
Isserina shudders slightly.
"Isserina," Turansol growls, "Did you bring this from the Forbidden Expanse?"
Isserina kneels. "Majesty… Ten years ago, while chasing Netherbats beyond the Crying Rift, I stumbled into a breach. A storm hid a seal crack. I… did retrieve a fragment."
The king descends with slow, heavy steps.
"Do you know which script lineage this is?"
Isserina lowers her eyes.
"...It is Deathglyph."
Gasps echo.
"Deathglyph?" Hebrion frowns.
Turansol's voice becomes a blade:
"This is Mournscript—a language lost for 3,000 years. It summoned the Silent Flame that once turned the continent to cinders."
His gaze sharpens:
"Did you attempt to read it?"
Isserina hesitates, then nods.
Turansol roars:
"You broke the seal! Do you know what you've unleashed?! This could invite war anew under the Bloodpact of the Dead!"
Others intercede—
Velox: "Majesty, her intent was not betrayal but knowledge."
Hebrion: "We should not condemn her for a single glyph."
The king softens—slightly.
He turns to the inscription on the hall's stone wall:
"If Mournscript is spoken, peace cannot remain. If Silent Flame breathes, all life trembles."
With a sigh, he casts the stone shard into sacred fire. But instead of being consumed, it releases a haunting blue ripple and reveals a warped sentence:
"...Those who walk in ash shall rise in the Silent Flame…"
Everyone falls silent.
"This fragment is incomplete," Turansol says gravely. "And the rest must never reach human hands. Lock down the Crying Rift. Begin internal cleansing. Any hidden fragments must be brought to the sanctum for trial."
"Yes, Majesty!" the warriors cry in unison.
Turning to Isserina:
"From this day forward, you are forbidden from entering the Forbidden Expanse."
"Yes… Majesty," she whispers.
As silence returns to the throne, all know: the reawakening of Mournscript is the herald of an approaching storm.
Epilogue: Nightfall at the White Spire
Amid relentless rain, a black-clad figure flees across the rooftops of the White Spire Academy.
"Target escaped! Lock down the perimeter—"
The shadow slips into the night, clutching an ancient scroll inscribed with fragmented glyphs—Mournscript remnants.
The assassin enters a hidden sanctuary lined with dried skulls and ritual sigils.
A robed figure awaits in the dim.
"Do you have it?"
The scroll is presented.
As the stranger unrolls the parchment, their breath catches.
"...It's real. The Celestial Track Fragment..."
Their eyes glow inhumanly.
"With this… I can forge a Bloodfire Legion, unlock the Lost Gate, and awaken the buried relic at Flamefall Hollow... the Calamity Engine."
The Mournscript lights up in spectral flame.
"Such power... divine and terrible..."
The assassin dares to ask:
"My lord... Do you mean to revive the Silent Flame Era?"
A whisper, trembling with ecstatic madness:
"No. I will surpass it."
Screen fades to black. A single Mournscript line glows:
"The Flame shall rise again. The world shall fall to ash."