Lord Reginald, the GCVTD, returned to King Felix with historical data pulled from newly acquired Chadgardian archives—records the Empire kept purely for diplomatic surveillance of their powerful neighbor.
"Your Majesty, the history of the Holy Kingdom of Lunio is... concerning," Reginald reported, projecting the translated records onto the main screen.
"Speak plainly, Reginald. What did their ancestors despise more than Chadgardian fashion?" Felix asked, adjusting the drape of his Imperial Flow-Weave Mantle.
"The very concept of the Flow, Sire. Lunio's foundational dogma, known as the Doctrine of Undivided Light, insists that all power must be channeled through a collective, external divine source—their 'Light.' Any magic or power derived from the individual's mind, focus, or emotional state—what we call Self-Actualization Magic—is branded as the highest form of Heresy."
Felix's violet eyes narrowed. "So, their entire history is built on the violent suppression of a system exactly like ours."
"Precisely," Reginald confirmed. "Three centuries ago, there was a civil war known as The Purge of Focus. Lunio violently exterminated a powerful sect of mages who cultivated power through intense, individual mental focus. They called them the 'Ego-Cultivators.' The Doctrine states that personal focus is merely a mask for corruption and uncontrolled appetite."
This established a profound ideological opposition between the two kingdoms: Lunio valued external divine conformity, while Thighland thrived on internal individual focus.
"The Shadow's attack wasn't just aesthetic sabotage," Felix realized, connecting the dots. "It was an ideological purge. The low-res artifacts were meant to destroy the source of the individual's focus—the perfect memory of the Rituals of Gooning."
"But why now?" Rhea, the CM, interjected. "The Purge of Focus was centuries ago. Why is someone suddenly weaponizing that ancient hatred with such technical knowledge of our modern Flow system?"
Felix looked at the residue of the magical signature left by the low-res files—the pure, focused Contempt.
"This hatred isn't ancient, Rhea. It's current. The Shadow is either a radicalized adherent of the old doctrine, or..." Felix trailed off, a chilling possibility forming in his mind. "...or they are the last descendant of those Ego-Cultivators, twisted by centuries of persecution and resentment, now viewing my Flow as a cheap, consumerist insult to their original, 'pure' focused magic."
Felix leaned back, making a crucial strategic decision. "We need to lure the Shadow out. We will stage a public, kingdom-wide Ritual of Focused Aesthetic so controversial that it forces the Shadow to act, confirming their ideological motive."
As Felix spoke, Reginald brought up a small, seemingly insignificant detail from the Chadgardian archives—a note in a diplomatic memo regarding the Lunio Envoy, Selene.
"Your Majesty, during the Purge of Focus, one minor artifact was never recovered by Lunio's forces," Reginald said, pointing to a small sketch in the historical text. "It was a tiny, specialized focusing lens—said to be able to channel intense mental focus into destructive energy. The Ego-Cultivators called it the 'Prism of Unfettered Desire.'"
The sketch of the ancient focusing lens looked unnervingly similar to the gold-gilded base of the microphone King Felix had used during the Dungeon Run and the subsequent Flow streams.
[SYSTEM ALERT: MAGICAL LORE CONNECTION DETECTED. PERSONAL EQUIPMENT RATING: UPGRADED TO 'LEGENDARY ARTIFACT.']
Felix touched the gilded microphone, feeling a sudden surge of ancient, intense energy.
"The Prism of Unfettered Desire," Felix murmured. "It seems my microphone is more than just an aesthetic prop. It's a relic of the very heresy Lunio sought to destroy. And the Shadow knows it. They aren't just attacking our culture; they are coming for my core artifact."