The sun rose over the former bandit camp like it had no idea people exploded here last night.
William sat on a log, sipping tea, trying to process the fact that he now apparently commanded a forest monster, had defeated a war criminal with a single panic stab, and was somehow now considered "a serious threat" by five fleeing bandits.
"So," he said, turning to Miri, "what are we doing with the rest of our very cursed day?"
She beamed. "Exploring the ruin under the camp!"
"…We're doing what."
Torrin spoke without looking up from sharpening his blade. "We found a sealed door under the largest tent. Stonework. Ancient. Symbols I didn't recognize."
"Great," William muttered. "Because nothing says 'relaxing after battle' like cursed architecture."
They found it hidden under a plank of rotted wood.
A circular stone hatch, covered in spiraling runes and moss. At its center was a familiar symbol — a spiral triangle, glowing faintly with the same light as the mark on William's hand.
"Oh, no," William said instantly. "Nope. Nuh-uh. I've seen this movie before. I touch that thing and suddenly I'm possessed, or married to a lizard queen, or both."
Miri touched the edge gently. "It's ancient Riftcraft. Could be thousands of years old. Look at the inscription!"
She pointed at a glowing line of script carved around the edge.
William squinted.
It read:
"Let the Rift-Bound return. The Will of the Broken King must awaken."
Torrin stepped back. "This ruin isn't just old. It's tied to you."
William sighed. "Of course it is."
Miri handed him a stick.
"What's this for?"
"In case you want to poke the seal first before touching it with your bare hand. You know. In case it explodes or something."
"Wonderful."
He poked the seal.
It didn't explode.
It did, however, react.
The rune on his hand flashed. The seal clicked once. Then twice.
Then the entire stone disk spiraled open, unfolding like a mechanical iris to reveal a stairwell descending into the dark.
Miri's eyes sparkled. "Wooooooo!"
William groaned. "Why does everything react to me like I'm some kind of magical USB port?"
The stairwell led down into a subterranean chamber, wide and circular. The walls were lined with shattered statues — some human, some beastkin, some… other.
Faint glyphs pulsed on the floor, like heartbeat rhythms.
In the center stood a stone throne, cracked in two, with a single chained orb floating above it.
It pulsed once as William stepped forward.
A whisper echoed in the air, not from any direction, but from everywhere at once.
"One of Rift… incomplete. The King's Will stirs."
William stopped cold. "Okay. Nope. I don't do ancient curses before breakfast."
Miri walked past him. "This is incredible. The orb—it's a core. Like… a kingdom core."
Torrin's eyes narrowed. "Those are supposed to be extinct. Lost in the wars."
The orb flared as William got closer, and then without warning—it shot into his chest.
He staggered back. "WHY DO MAGICAL THINGS KEEP ENTERING MY BODY?!"
The glow faded.
His mark pulsed again.
A system message appeared in his mind:
[Kingdom Core (Fragment) Registered]
You have awakened an Anchor Point of the Forgotten Throne.
Territorial rights partially claimed: Zeffaria (25% stabilized).
Rift-Core Compatibility: ACTIVE.
William blinked. "What. The. Absolute. Hell."
When they returned to the surface, the air felt different.
Trees seemed… calmer.
Birds watched him.
Even the earth felt less chaotic beneath his feet.
Miri grinned. "William, you didn't just unlock a ruin. You accidentally became a regional lord."
"I don't want to be a lord!"
"Well… too bad!" she said cheerfully. "The kingdom system recognized your blood or aura or dumb face or something. This whole area? It's partially yours now."
Torrin added, "And if anyone else tries to claim it now… they'll have to challenge you in ritual combat."
William choked on his tea. "WHAT."
That night, he sat by the fire with the forest Gnarlhound curled behind him.
He stared at the orb now embedded in his mana core — a faint silver glow pulsing in his chest like a second heartbeat.
The whisper returned once more, faint and fragmented:
"When all Anchors awaken, the Rift-Born shall rise."
William laid back in the grass.
"I swear, I was just trying to survive this world… not rule it."
And from the darkness of the woods, a pair of glowing eyes watched him.
Then vanished.