---
The blood moon still lingered in the skies, but the wind had shifted. Across the vast continent of Arkanis, something ancient stirred—an echo from the forgotten age.
In a tower carved from obsidian and lightning, a woman stood before a mirror of water. Her eyes glowed violet, hair as pale as frost, and the pressure of her aura made the stone around her crack.
In the mirror, she watched Kael Ardyn carve through the Shadowbound like death incarnate.
> "The first has awakened," she whispered. "The Shadowblood rises once more."
Far in the southern glaciers, inside a temple buried beneath eternal snow, a man opened his eyes after a hundred years. Ice cracked around him as his breath alone froze the air solid.
> "So… the Sovereigns return."
Back in the forest, Kael stood amidst the broken corpses, his hands still trembling from the surge of power he barely understood. Beside him, the old man watched the blood moon fade with a grim gaze.
"The world will begin to move," the man said. "You've reignited a flame long buried. Now, all eyes are upon you."
Kael turned, voice steady but unsure. "I don't even know who I am… or what I've become."
"There's no time for doubt, Kael. You are the heir to a bloodline that once shook the heavens. And like you, others will awaken too."
"How many?"
"Eleven," the man replied. "Eleven Sovereigns. Each one inherits a primal force that shaped—and nearly destroyed—Arkanis."
Kael frowned. "Then who's the enemy?"
A long pause.
"The world itself."
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"Your power," the man continued, "is forbidden. Since the Eclipse War a thousand years ago, Sovereign blood has been hunted, feared. Empires, sects, even ancient Guardians—they'll all come for you."
"Why?"
"Because Sovereign power cannot be controlled. Not even by the gods."
Kael glanced at his hand—the black sigil still faintly pulsed. "Then what do I do?"
The old man stepped closer. "Survive. Find the other Sovereigns before they're taken. And if you want answers… if you want to know what you truly are, then you must go to the city once called the Heart of the World—Varethas."
That name struck Kael like thunder. Familiar, yet strange.
"And you?" he asked. "Who are you, really?"
The man's smile was sharp and distant. "They used to call me many names. But for now… just call me Rael."
---
That night, Kael and Rael set off beneath the shattered moon, leaving the forest behind and stepping into a world much larger, darker, and hungrier than Kael had ever imagined.
Far away, in the imperial throne room of golden Surgenthia, a young king sat upon his throne, a scroll in his hands. His silver eyes gleamed as he read the single line:
> "The Shadowblood has awakened."
With a calm motion, he burned the message to ash.
> "Find him. Alive or dead."