---
Far above the ash-choked skies of Sector 13, a new storm gathered — not natural, but engineered.
Tearing through the clouds came a ship made of living steel, engraved with ancient dragon-glyphs that pulsed like a heartbeat. Its hull was silent. Its weapons, hidden. But its presence bent the air itself.
> This was a Skyborne Envoy-Class Vessel, the signature transport of the Dragon Empire's Shadow Court.
And inside it, two figures stood over a glowing map.
One was a woman in crimson robes, her face half-covered by a serpent-mask made of obsidian scales.
The other, a boy no older than sixteen — calm, expressionless, but with eyes like deep green jade — and a soul signature twisted beyond human.
> "So…" the woman whispered, tapping a pulse on the screen. "The Chaos Seal woke up… here."
The boy nodded. "Sector 13. Confirmed."
> "Do you believe it's… him?"
The boy didn't answer. Instead, he smiled.
> "I believe the game just restarted."
---
[Below – Sector 13, Deep Ruins]
Li Tianming stood alone, his blade jammed into the broken stone floor, using it like a crutch. His left hand twitched. His breath was short.
> [Mental Stability: 61%]
[Corruption: 4.3%]
[Rest Cycle Required]
But rest wouldn't come.
His Chaos Eye kept seeing… too much.
Ghosts of things that hadn't happened yet.
Flickers of soldiers, war machines, burning towers.
A girl with silver eyes…
And a throne made of spines.
He blinked. It all vanished.
The system pinged softly.
> [Incoming Transmission – Source: Skyborne Envoy Class]
[Encrypted Dragon-Protocol. Attempting Decryption…]
> "What…?" Tianming whispered.
Suddenly, an image flashed before him — a dragon seal overlaying the sky like a phantom mark.
Then a voice echoed directly into his skull.
> "Li Tianming of Sector 13. Bearer of the Chaos Seal.
By decree of the Dragon Empire… you are summoned."
---
[In the sky — the ship descends]
The vessel began lowering through the clouds — slow, deliberate. Its glow cast a halo of light over the ruins.
The cultists below panicked.
> "What is that? Is it another Dominion strike ship?"
"No… that emblem. That's from the old world…"
"That's from the Dragon Empire."
Tianming didn't flinch.
He straightened, blade in hand, cloak fluttering behind him.
> "So even the empire has come looking…"
> "Good."
---
[Elsewhere — Unknown Location, Eagle Dominion Black Site]
A synthetic general stared at a holographic feed of the descending ship.
> "The Dragon dogs move early this time."
He turned to a dozen elite assassins.
> "Begin Operation Glass Soul.
If they reach the Chaos Lord before we do… burn the entire sector."
---