"The first horn calls for arms. The second calls for shields. The third calls for last rites… The fourth? The fourth is never supposed to blow."
— From the Towerguard Codex, Forbidden Page 13
The horn blew.
Not once. Not twice. Not three.
Four times.
Low. Heavy. Hollow.
The entire citadel froze.
Men dropped their tools. Blacksmiths halted mid-swing. Archers on the ramparts turned pale. Even the wind seemed to die. For the first time in days, Jag felt fear not from monsters, but from the silence of his people.
[System Alert]
– ⚠️ UNUSUAL WAVE TYPE DETECTED
– Classification: Anomaly
– Wave Pattern: Deviant
– Estimate: Unable to Calculate
Suggested Action: Immediate Reconsolidation and Full Mobilization
Danger Rating: CLASS A
"The Fourth Horn signifies the impossible."
Jag slammed open the War Hall doors. "Report!"
A scout, breathless and blood-soaked, fell to one knee. "The mist's… gone. The Vale is clear. But… Prince…" His eyes twitched. "There's nothing there. No movement. No noise. But everything feels wrong."
[Mental Map: Jammed]
– Error: Distortion Interference Detected
– Passive Perception Reduced
Title Effect "Commander of the Unseen" has partially activated.
Jag Arclight – Lv. 2
• Morale: 82%
• EXP: 180 / 200
• Gold: 200
• Skill Points: 1
• Traits:
– Tactical Instinct (Lv.1)
– Mental Map (Passive)
– Command Surge (Active)
[New Trait Option Available: War Council]
– Allows selection of one Officer (Hero/NPC) to assist in strategic deployments
– Passive: 5% efficiency increase to their role
– Unlockable: Once per day
Jag didn't hesitate.
[Trait Selected: War Council]
"Assign Captain Garron as Strategic Officer," he ordered.
[Officer Assigned: Garron – Tactical Leadership (Defender)]
• Bonus: +10% Militia Performance, -5% morale loss under pressure
Ashra stepped in, tying off a fresh bandage from her last fight. "Your people are whispering. This wave… is not one the land remembers."
Jag didn't blink. "Good. Because I remember games that start with silence and end in boss fights."
He tapped the Command Grid.
Available Gold: 200
Tower Options:
Upgrade Mage Tower → Arcane Burst Tower (150 Gold)
• AoE Splash, Bonus vs armored
Build Flame Trap (Limit 1): 100 Gold
Reinforce Archer Tower → Sharpshooter (150 Gold)
He upgraded the Mage Tower, prioritizing crowd control.
[Upgrade Confirmed: Arcane Burst Tower]
– Damage: 35 base + splash
– AoE Radius: 2.5m
– Cooldown: 3.5s
Remaining Gold: 50
Jag left the rest. Something told him money wouldn't help what was coming.
Night approached.
And then—nothing.
No wave. No beast. No shaman. No mist.
The Fourth Horn echoed in memory, but the path remained empty.
Jag paced atop the northern battlement. His nerves were steel, but the quiet was corrosive.
[Time Until Midnight: 00:29:45]
[Wave Activity: Null]
He turned to Ashra. "They're waiting. Watching."
"They want you to break," she said flatly. "Not the walls. You."
He sighed, then noticed something—a flicker on the cliff trail.
Not movement.
A shadow cast from nowhere.
Then a name appeared in blood-red script on the System HUD.
[Anomaly Leader Detected: Karnak the Echo]
Classification: ???
Status: "Warden of the Hollow Voice"
Type: Inhuman
Origin: Pre-Veil Collapse
First Action: "Speech of Submission"
Effect: Mind Check Against Nearby Units (Failure = Loyalty Shift)
Loyalty shift?! Jag's heart thumped. "System—how do I stop that?!"
[Only high-morale units, heroes, or magically warded targets are immune.]
Morale: 82% (Hold)
Militia Loyalty Rating: Moderate
Risk: High
Karnak stepped from the dark.
He was shaped like a man, yet wrong in every way.
His skin was veined crystal. His face bore no eyes. Just a vertical rune where his mouth should be. From it came a voice that echoed inside every soldier's skull.
"Your prince has brought you only death. My silence offers eternal peace. Drop your blades. Join the Hollow."
Two of the three militia recruits collapsed to their knees, screaming.
[Mind Check: FAILED]
– 2 Units in Disarray
– Risk of Turncoat: CRITICAL
Jag slammed his hand down.
[COMMAND SURGE: ACTIVATED]
Golden light surged across the barracks.
"You are not pawns!" Jag shouted. "You're the shield of this world. You die when you choose—not when something pretending to be a god whispers it!"
[Morale Restored: 82% → 90%]
[Turncoat Chance Canceled]
[Hero Response: Ashra – Loyalty Boosted]
Ashra bared her teeth. "My sword answers to one voice, and it is not his."
[Battle Begins: Anomaly Event]
ENEMIES:
• Karnak the Echo (??? – Boss)
• 10x Hollowborn (Twisted Soldiers – Fast, Immune to Fear)
• 3x Echo Reavers (Elite, Silence Aura)
Jag's system screamed no win condition—just survive.
[Mage Tower Firing: Arcane Burst]
• Hollowborn HP: 60 → 38
• Reavers Charging Barracks
• Karnak Advancing Slowly (Immune to Projectiles)
Ashra dove in first.
Her blades spun, severing two Hollowborn in seconds. One Reaver struck her side—her ribs cracked—but she countered with a spiral slash.
Garron stood at the center of the Vanguard Barracks, barking orders, fending off another Reaver with grit and steel.
But Karnak advanced.
He passed the Flame Trap.
It did not trigger.
"He's not alive," Jag realized. "He's not even real. He's a—"
[System Translation: Karnak is an Echo Construct – Immune to Terrain Triggers]
Then Karnak spoke again.
The sky above the Citadel turned black.
Not from clouds.
From silence so deep, it had sound.
[Anomaly Skill: Hollow Field Initiated]
– All units within 20m lose voice-based commands
– Morale locked
– Skill usage blocked for 20s
– Heroes unaffected
Jag couldn't shout. Couldn't give orders.
Even the towers fell silent.
But Ashra moved.
She turned to Jag, nodded once—and charged Karnak.
[Ashra vs Karnak: Clash Initiated]
Ashra HP: 82 / 150
Karnak HP: ???
Outcome: ???
Blade connects.
The sound shattered Karnak's silence for the first time.
A ripple tore through his form. Ashra screamed in fury and slashed again—this time from behind, driving her sword upward beneath his crystalline spine.
He twisted, roaring—not aloud, but through every stone in the fortress.
[Karnak HP: ??? → 43%]
Garron struck next, axe through a Reaver's spine, clearing the field.
The towers roared back to life.
The silence was broken.
And Jag's voice returned.
"NOW—FINISH HIM!"
[Vanguard Barracks – Final Charge Activated]
• All remaining units surged forward
• Command Surge OFF cooldown
[COMMAND SURGE: REACTIVATED]
A wave of gold light crashed down the ridge.
And together, Ashra, Garron, and every last soldier drove Karnak backward.
[Karnak the Echo: HP 0%]
The Hollowborn melted.
The sky cleared.
The Fourth Horn fell silent.
[ANOMALY DEFEATED]
Units Lost: 0
Hero Status: Ashra (Injured), Garron (Stable)
EXP Gained: +220
Level Up Achieved: Lv. 3
Gold Reward: +300
Artifact Acquired: Hollow Sigil (1x Use – Banish Echo)
Citadel Morale: 90% → 98% (STEADFAST)
Stormwatch Status: INTACT
Jag sat alone in the war room an hour later.
He had leveled up. Gained another tower slot. Survived the impossible.
But what gnawed at him was not the battle…
It was the System Message that followed.
[ANOMALY CLASS WAVE DEFEATED – RANK: S]
Tower-Wide Alert Triggered
"You are no longer part of the Tutorial Phase."
Advanced Invasion begins in 24 hours.