The war was over.The clang of steel and the roars of giants across the Altechna plain had faded, replaced by music, voices, and warmth.For the first time in what felt like an age, Rian and Ria could finally breathe.
King Alexander threw open the gates. Banners snapped in the wind, and crowds lined the streets to cheer. Inside the great hall, envoys from across the continent gathered, their laughter and foreign tongues mixing into a single wave of sound.
The king raised his cup."Rian, Ria… without you, Altechna would not have lived to see this dawn."He bowed his head—not as a king, but as a man offering thanks.
Lucas placed a hand on Rian's shoulder, smiling."My brother speaks true. You are friends of Altechna now… and the truest heroes of this continent."
Rian glanced down at his own cup, then lifted it—not high, just enough for those closest to see."This victory belongs to all of us," he said quietly. "Tonight, we toast not one name, but every hand that held the line."
The ring of cups colliding echoed through the hall. The cheer that followed wasn't a roar of triumph—it was the kind of sound people make when they finally remember they've survived.
Brunok found himself surrounded by soldiers eager to hear his stories. Someone bumped a drink against his back, nearly spilling it, and he scratched his head."We all did this together…" he muttered, though his reddening ears betrayed his pride.
Eris moved along the edges of the hall, fingers brushing the air. Wherever she passed, blossoms opened. Children shrieked with delight, racing to catch the petals before they fell.
Marielle was encircled by those she had healed. Some clasped her hands; some just stood there with tears in their eyes."May the blessings of the divine remain with you," she whispered.The simple prayer moved through the room, turning tears into quiet smiles.
🏞 The Return to Elysium
Days later, Rian and Ria left Altechna with their companions—not as weary fighters, but as symbols of what had been won.
Elysium was already in celebration by the time they arrived. When the gates opened, the first petals sliced the air."Rian! Ria!"Children's voices rang out. An old woman dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. Dozens of flags waved as if the entire city had become one beating heart.
At the gates, Merslin and Elena waited.The moment they saw their children, every layer of composure crumbled.
Merslin reached them in a few long strides and crushed them to his chest. His arms were rough, and they trembled as they held tight."I knew you'd come back like this…" His words snagged on his breath. A laugh, a sob—both broke through. "But knowing it and seeing it… it's different."
Elena stepped in to gather them next. Her hands were warm; she smoothed Ria's hair as if calming a child after a nightmare."You're safe," she whispered. "That's all that matters."
Ria's voice was unsteady, her eyes wet."Mother, Father… we only made it this far because of you. Because you believed in us."
Merslin pulled them close again, slower this time. His breath steadied, and his voice, though trembling, carried quiet strength."Now it's your turn to protect Elysium. But don't forget—we'll always be here."
Ria and Rian exchanged a glance. So much passed between them in that brief silence, words unnecessary.
That night, Elysium's sky split open. Fireworks bloomed like shattered stars. Music and dance spilled into every street.
Brunok raised cup after cup, grinning at strangers who already knew his name."Your city knows how to drink!" he laughed.
Eris wandered the palace gardens, whispering greetings to trees and flowers. Tiny buds opened in her wake, and people followed her just to see the quiet magic.
Marielle laid her hands on tired shoulders, murmuring prayers that seemed to lift weight from their bodies. Faces softened wherever she passed.
Rian and Ria stood on the palace balcony.Below them, the cheers had dulled into a distant hum. Above them, fireworks cracked the night wide open.
They didn't speak for a long time. The night didn't need them to.
Finally, Rian reached for her hand."This isn't the end," he said quietly, almost as if reminding himself. "It's just… the part where we breathe."
Ria's fingers tightened around his. She nodded, her eyes fixed on the horizon."Yes. As long as we're together, we'll keep moving forward."
Beneath them, the city cheered again. Above them, the sky burned bright.And for just one moment—only one—they set their burdens down.
***
Episode : Strange Rumors from the Elven Forest
Elysium and the continent of Luminaria were carefully tending to the fragile peace won after long years of war.But peace was thin.
From the far northern reaches of Luminaria, whispers began to drift—unsettling whispers from the edges of the vast Elven Forest.
"Every night there's a dull thud, they say…""Like a giant buried underground, muttering in its sleep…"
In the shadowy corner of a worn tavern, hunters cupped their hands around their mugs, voices low, eyes restless.At night, something deep in the forest groaned, and the animals had long since fled. Even the trees seemed to have fallen silent, as if terrified, their leaves refusing to rustle even when the wind passed through.
The court of Elysium did not take the rumors lightly.The king's voice was firm."Rian, Ria. Find out what stirs in that forest."
Rian bowed his head without a word. Ria's breath caught just a moment later.The weight of a familiar feeling settled over them—a sense that peace might end, and their hands might have to grasp steel once again.
The moment they stepped across the boundary of the Elven Forest, the air changed.
The birdsong was gone. Only a silence that seemed to swallow sound itself remained.
The forest floor was carpeted in leaves gone black with rot. The breeze carried a sharp smell of ozone, mingled with something burnt.Ria glanced up into the empty canopy and murmured,"…It's like the forest stopped breathing."
Rian didn't answer. His hand simply rested on his sword hilt, eyes narrowing.
Near an ancient ruin, they found signs of fresh destruction.
Scattered across scorched earth lay shards of golems, half-buried in dirt.
Rian knelt and touched one. Crimson lines pulsed faintly beneath the black metal, like living veins.When Ria lifted a shard, the lines throbbed almost imperceptibly.
"This is… Noktus's work," she whispered."But it's not the same as before. It feels… darker. Fouler."
Rian stared at the shard for a long moment, then pulled his hand back."What are they doing here?"The words carried suspicion—and a shadow of dread.
The smell of earth grew heavier.The ground began to tremble under their boots, at first subtle, then stronger.
At last, the trees thinned.Beyond the withered trunks lay a vast clearing.
And there they saw it—dozens of new golems being assembled.
Metal clanged. Arcane circles flared, casting a sickly light that blinked and dimmed.
Rian's breath hitched. His gloved hand tightened, leather creaking."…They're building new golems."
Ria's grip closed on her greatsword."If we don't stop this, they'll devour Elysium and Luminaria. We strike now."
The two moved like shadows.
Rian's blade shattered the shaft of the first guard's spear, and Ria's greatsword split the ground, smashing the nearest assembly circle.
Alarms wailed.
Noktus soldiers flooded in, boots hammering against stone, armor crashing together in a discordant chorus.
"Destroy the golems!" Rian shouted, cutting through a line of guards."Before they finish them!"
But one golem was already awake.
Its body straightened with a groan of metal, and from its back unfolded a crystal cannon.
The cannon drank in light.
Then—a bolt of red energy tore the air apart.It grazed the ground where Ria had been standing, and an ancient oak evaporated without even a scream.
Rian's jaw clenched."Ria! No!" Another surge of light gathered at the cannon's core."This isn't something we can take head-on!"
He pulled her back, shouting over the chaos."We need to bring this information back—NOW!"
They carved their way out, blades and magic clearing the press of soldiers.The forest behind them shook with pursuit, but every swing, every flash of steel bought them another step toward escape.
At last, they broke through the treeline, breath ragged, armor scuffed and smoking.
Rian didn't bother pulling off his torn gloves. His voice was tight."Noktus… they're not just making golems."
He looked up, his eyes dark."…They're preparing for war."
Ria lowered her sword slowly, the metal still humming faintly."You're right. We have to warn Elysium now. There's no time to lose."
They turned their backs to the forest, their steps quickening.
And behind them, the whispers that had haunted the Elven woods no longer felt like rumors—but the sound of an approaching reality.
***
Episode : The Fall of Luminaria and Frontier
The news of Noktus's plan, discovered by Rian and Ria in the elven forest, had barely reached Elysium when the enemy struck.Noktus unleashed simultaneous assaults on the Kingdoms of Luminaria and Frontier, leading with newly forged golems and unthinkable siege weapons.They moved like a pair of fangs biting into the continent—one striking from the north, the other from the east.
The northern sentries of Luminaria sounded the alarm the moment they saw hundreds of crimson eyes flicker on the horizon.But the alarm bell had tolled only three times before a blinding beam of energy split the sky and hammered the fortress wall.Stone and men alike were scattered like dry leaves in a storm.
History would remember that moment as the beginning of the fastest, most ruthless invasion the continent had ever seen.
Frontier's walls fell next.Noktus's new siege monstrosity—the "Golem Bombard"—reduced towers to rubble in minutes.The once-proud fortresses of both kingdoms collapsed like brittle clay before Noktus's carefully orchestrated assault.Lines of defense broke. Soldiers lost their will to fight.Noktus advanced, executing their plan with surgical precision, claiming piece by piece of the continent.
Luminaria had once been the greatest military power of the continent.But its glory was now a memory.
Noktus's attack was different this time—more disciplined, more coordinated.The walls of Luminaria's capital crumbled under the relentless strikes of massive golems, each swing of their arms like a falling mountain.
Rian carved through one golem's leg, only for two more to close in.Around him, the air shook with collapsing buildings and the heartbreaking wail of a child calling for their parents.The spires of the royal palace—symbols of an unbroken legacy—fell burning into the night.
Watching it, Rian felt his chest hollow out, his heart crumbling with the city.
Rian and Ria had rushed to aid the capital's defense,but what they found was a storm they could not stop.The golems were overwhelming,and Luminaria's soldiers, with their battered weapons,were swinging against the tide.
Rian fought on anyway.He fought until his arms trembled, until every breath felt like a wound.
Ria's magic roared beside him, brilliant and unrelenting—but no spell could dam this flood.
At the same time, Frontier faced its own catastrophe.Its walls were tall and proud,but Noktus's golems tore them down as if they were toys.
The soldiers of Frontier fought bravely,but bravery could not hold against the crushing weight of golem fists and siege fire.Morale cracked. The line broke.Golems poured into the city like an endless tide.
Rian and Ria reached Frontier in time to help—but by then, the battle was already lost.
Ria's magic struck the enemy again and again,but the golems shrugged it off, their march unbroken.
"This… is more than we can hold."Ria's voice shook as she glanced at Rian.
Rian's knuckles whitened around his sword.He fought on,but even he could not cut through despair.
"This can't go on," he hissed."We have more to do. But here…"He clenched his teeth."…here we'll die for nothing."
Ria looked at the city in ashes, her voice trembling."Rian… fighting here is suicide."
He said nothing for a heartbeat—then gripped his broken sword tighter.His voice was low, bitter, but resolute.
"…We retreat.To Elysium's north.We're not throwing our lives away here."
Against the overwhelming tide of Noktus,Rian and Ria gave the order to fall back.
They withdrew north, to meet Elysium's forcesand to build the last line of defense.
As they passed the ruined walls and burning cities,their hearts grew heavier.
They carried more than exhaustion—they carried the weight of failure.
Rian muttered, voice thick with frustration:"We weren't ready."
Ria bowed her head, then lifted it again."But we can't give up.We have to protect Elysium.Our fight isn't over."
And so, Rian and Ria marched on—toward Elysium,toward the final stand.
The war was not over.It was only beginning.