Night had fallen.
The road back to the capital was quiet.
Three horses moved steadily beneath the silver glow of the Moon.
No one spoke.
Ironfall was behind them.
Yet the memory of its people remained fresh in their minds.
Eventually...
The towering gates of the capital appeared.
After a brief exchange of farewells, Eryx returned to House Nocturne.
Nyxara rode toward the Royal Palace.
Riven made his way back to the estate.
The halls were unusually peaceful.
Most of the servants had already retired.
Only a few lanterns illuminated the corridors.
As he entered his room, exhaustion finally caught up to him.
He removed his cloak.
Placed his blade against the wall.
Then collapsed onto his bed.
"...What a day."
Within moments...
Sleep claimed him.
...
Darkness.
Silence.
A cold wind brushed across his face.
Riven slowly opened his eyes.
He stood in the middle of an endless plain covered in ash.
The sky above was black.
Not night.
Something darker.
The Moon was gone.
Stars no longer existed.
Only an endless void stretched overhead.
He frowned.
"...Where am I?"
No answer came.
Instead...
Footsteps echoed ahead.
Crunch...
Crunch...
Crunch...
A lone figure walked through the ash.
A man.
Tall.
Broad shouldered.
Wrapped in a worn travelling cloak.
His face remained hidden beneath a hood.
Yet...
Something about him felt familiar.
Very familiar.
The man stopped several metres away.
For several long seconds...
Neither spoke.
Finally...
The stranger turned slightly.
Just enough for Riven to see part of his face.
Brown eyes.
The same brown eyes Riven had inherited.
His heart skipped.
"...Father?"
The man smiled sadly.
"I'm sorry."
His voice was calm.
Filled with regret.
"I couldn't come back."
Riven took a step forward.
"No..."
"You left us."
"You left Mother."
"You left me."
The man lowered his head.
"I know."
"I deserved your hatred."
Another step.
"Then why?"
The wind suddenly grew stronger.
The world trembled.
The man's expression changed.
He looked beyond Riven.
Toward something unseen.
"I didn't leave because I wanted to."
"I left because I had to."
The ash-covered ground began shaking violently.
"The seal..."
"...was weakening."
Riven froze.
"What?"
His father looked back.
"There are things beneath this world..."
"...that must never awaken."
"I went searching for answers."
"I thought I could stop it."
His voice became quieter.
"But I was too late."
The darkness behind him suddenly rippled.
Something enormous moved within it.
Not visible.
Only its outline.
Countless crimson eyes slowly opened.
Watching.
Waiting.
Riven instinctively stepped forward.
"Father!"
The man smiled one last time.
"Find Alexandria."
The words echoed through the darkness.
"Find the truth."
"And whatever happens..."
His expression hardened.
"...never let the seal break."
CRACK.
The world shattered like glass.
Riven's eyes flew open.
"HAAAH!"
He bolted upright.
Sweat soaked his clothes.
His heart pounded violently.
The room was still dark.
Moonlight streamed through the window.
He immediately looked around.
No ash.
No endless plain.
Just his room.
"...A dream?"
He placed a hand over his chest.
It felt...
Too real.
A knock interrupted his thoughts.
"Riven?"
Nyss's voice.
She slowly opened the door.
"I felt your aura spike."
She immediately noticed his condition.
"Another nightmare?"
Riven remained silent for several seconds.
Then nodded.
"I saw him."
Nyss frowned.
"...Your father?"
"...Yes."
She sat beside him.
"What did he say?"
Riven stared out of the window at the Moon hanging above the estate.
"He told me..."
"...to find Alexandria."
The room became silent.
Neither of them noticed...
Far beyond the borders of the third....
Deep within an abandoned mountain village...
A lone hunter cautiously walked through the empty streets.
No bodies.
No blood.
No signs of battle.
Only silence.
"...Hello?"
No answer.
Every home stood open.
Meals still rested upon tables.
Lanterns still burned.
It looked as though the villagers had simply...
Vanished.
The hunter slowly backed away.
Fear creeping into his heart.
Then...
A whisper drifted through the darkness.
"...Hungry..."
The hunter spun around.
Nothing.
He swallowed.
"Who's there?"
No answer.
He took another cautious step.
CRACK.
Something moved behind him.
His eyes widened.
The chapter ended before the hunter could even scream.