In the snowy lands of Ravenheart, inside the grand throne room of the Jade Palace, the Sovereign of the Song Clan sat on her seat while watching her only son prepare for his first date, somehow being with Nephis of Immortal Flame.
Ki Song smiled, she couldn't help but smile, seeing her son growing up and finally getting on his first date. And her sisters were cheering him on, it was a beautiful sight…
But even with the happiness she was feeling, she couldn't hold onto her smile for long. Leaning on her throne and crossing her legs, she began to think about her current position and her past choices regarding the Immortal Flame Clan.
Ki Song really did stop everything after adopting Sunny, and she would pay for that in the war that would come. Although both Clans were powerful, Valor had more presence, more soldiers and Saints because of the acquisition of more resources and talent from the Immortal Flame Clan.
However, even with this edge, they still wouldn't risk a war against Song yet. The Clan was still a powerful and unrelenting force, especially with her insidious power as a Sovereign and her daughters, their other Saints were also powerhouses on their own, Divine Strategist by himself could tip the scales. Even if Valor won, they would lose too much, which was something Anvil could not afford at the moment, it was not time for the war yet.
Even so, Ki Song still gave up too much. It was undeniable she was at a disadvantage, it was another reason Sunny needed to reach Trancendence as soon as possible, and why he couldn't lose Shadow God's Lineage. Sunny's Divine Aspect had potential to tip the scales on his own, even if Changing Star joined Valor, the son of Song had something the daughter of Smile of Heaven didn't show anything comparable.
'His Shadow Echoes… Such a power will change everything.'
The power of these beings could not be understated, especially since the Song Clan had hundreds, if not thousands of useless Memories that could be made to fully evolve these beings. So Sunny could create various Echoes that could grow stronger, Undying Blade and other forgers could create strong Echoes and make them even stronger.
And Sunny's own personal power could not be ignored as well, the capability to acquire more cores and his Aspect Legacy would make him much more powerful than any Saint once he Transcended.
But there was one thing that made Ki Song nervous about her son's path…
'Hollow Death…'
A True Name with inumerous meanings, and inumerous curses.
Ki Song did not want her son to suffer like she did, but Hel's visions and his True Name scarred her, especially because 'Hollow Death' could be referring to his own death… That Sunless could have a meaningless death in the future…
"No, I won't allow it."
She wouldn't have anymore regrets, none of her children would die, they would be happy, they won't suffer what she suffered. They won't die.
She would even risk the Forgotten God awakening. That girl will be the instrument in which Ki Song would challenge Fate.
Ki Song will never let the Heir of Fate out of her sights, the spies, Hel and her own power were already guaranteeing that. The girl was a part of her Domain, whether she wanted to or not, meaning she was under Ki Song's control.
With the Heir of Fate, Hel's visions wouldn't come to pass, Anvil won't kill them, and that Thing won't get to them.
But that meant defeating the King of Swords, and winning the war against Valor. After all, Anvil wouldn't spare any of her children regardless if they surrendered or not.
He had already sent assassins after all her daughters, all failed, of course, he was wise enough to stop after they became Masters, but Sunny and Seishan were still Awakened, and they were already being targeted, still, all attempts were failures, Caera made sure of that.
But the real war began in Antarctica, Death Singer and the Divine Strategist saw what would happen, the Chain of Nightmares was all but confirmed, and she would send her forces to help the evacuation.
After all, she didn't need to worry about the Dream Realm consuming the waking world too fast anymore, it was inevitable, and Lunae confirmed that the progress didn't accelerate anymore, so no matter how many Saints were created, the rate the world was consumed would remain the same.
The Chain of Nightmares would be perfect not only to recruit more soldiers to the war, but also to guarantee that Sunny would gain more and more Shadows. She already had a plan for him to become a Titan.
Ki Song smiled with malice, plans and schemes began forming in her mind.
She gripped the hilt of the silver sword embedded on the chest of her chest. A constant reminder of the man who convinced her to betray her friend, who allowed a monster to be born. The one who betrayed her and robbed her of the warmth of a living body.
"Soon, your Lineage will mean nothing, Heir of War. Because my son is the Heir of Peace…"
She expanded her mind, and for the moment, the room seemed to bleed, a red, warm liquid filled her throne and the stench of blood started to settle.
Her eyes started to bleed, like she was crying blood, yet the smile permeated.
She connected herself with all her pilgrims, all the corpses of all nightmare creatures her Domain slain, all enemies that once threatened her, and all Awakened once loyal to her that fell in battle.
"And War always, always, ends in Peace. Regardless of how much Blood falls."
And thus, Ki Song began her preparations for the inevitable War against her oldest friend…
The Raven Queen began her schemes…
— —
In the grand land of Bastion, the Citadel was as it always was, filled with Awakened. Being the most populous and popular Citadel in humanity's control, it had many more markets and business than Ravenheart, having better weather and climate, it was the perfect home for the Awakened that simply wished to live far from the dangers of the Nightmare Spell.
However, underneath the beautiful exterior, inside the mirror of the lake…
The True Bastion was a ruin of debris and a destroyed Palace. There, only certain Valor personnel were allowed access.
It was where a constant ringing of a hammer banging a sword on an anvil was heard throughout all of the Citadel, coming from the King of Swords constant work.
Inside his grand, yet simple forge, the King of Swords was working on another sword, the heat that could kill a mundane human from merely standing close to it passed through the Sovereign, resembling a mere breeze for his tall body, powerful muscles rolled under his glistening skin, and his sweat was evaporating in the unbearable heat of a crucible. His bare torso was painted in shades of vermilion by its angry light.
The man's dark hair and thick, dignified beard did little to hide his cold and harsh demeanor.
After hours of making more and more swords, all of extreme quality that any Awakened would want to get, all swords that disappointed their maker, he finally stopped, the Will to forge disappeared from him.
Not from tiredness or boredom, but rather, he noticed the shift in a sword, one particular, old sword.
The sword Anvil forged and used to 'kill' the witch.
He sharpened his grey, cold eyes. She was provoking him through the sword by infusing it with her Will, knowing he still had a connection to the blade, even if very little.
Anvil knew better than anyone, Ki Song didn't want the war, Song was in a weaker position then Valor and it would risk the death of her children. But she also knew that it was bound to happen, they have been preparing for the conflict for more than a decade after all, accumulating forces to overcome the other.
And yet, she decided to provoke him now, when her Clan was weaker, when her son hadn't even Ascended yet, when the Chain of Nightmares in Antarctica was months away, the question was simple: Why?
His first thought was that it was a simple provocation, and if it was, it was useless.
He was the master of War, if the witch thought a little provocation would deter him, she was indeed a fool.
'... As if that was true…'
The King of Swords sighed, he knew better than anyone, there was a reason for why she did this now, was it a simple emotional outburst? No, Ki Song was the last person to be that emotional for mundane reasons, and the last assassination attempt on her son failed.
Was It a declaration of war? No, not yet, neither of the Domains are ready, especially with the Chain of Nightmares incoming, she would know as well, she has powerful seers of her own. Furthermore, they had already declared their war in the past, when he thrusted his sword on her chest.
Was it an unintentional action? No, even in the middle of a battle, the witch had enough control to avoid the sword…
The last option was…
'It is a warning.'
That she'll face him even if she doesn't want to. That she knows she already failed to avoid the fight.
She wants him to know that she is scheming…
There was no strategic advantage in showing to your opponent that you are scheming, unless you want to hide even more schemes. And the witch was the master of schemes, she was pretending to be a fool by warning him, by provoking him.
Anvil turned back to the sword he was forging, raising his hammer to continue his work.
But the hammer never reached the anvil, the entrance of his crucible opening interrupted him.
A tall man with broad shoulders and a similar face to Anvil's entered, the same thick beard and sharp face, the same demeanor, the only noticeable difference was the steely blue eyes.
Madoc, Anvil's brother, approached him calmily, only to be met with a cold voice.
"What is the reason for the interruption?"
Cold, direct, no warmth or love. Just efficiency, yet Madoc wasn't offended or annoyed, he knew very well the reason for his brother's actions.
"More of our spies are being taken out, the traitor, my old son, Motza impacted us too much, and all of the attempts to eliminate him have failed."
Anvil's cold gaze pierced Madoc's own.
"You should have killed him that day, many problems would have been avoided."
Because of Madoc's adopted son's change of sides, Song knew every protocol and every strategy of Valor's book; they were being forced to adapt and change everything.
Madoc sharpened his eyes, answering his brother evenly.
"I would have, but Charon was there, and as much as I hate him, he is powerful enough to give me a good fight, and the academy is not the place for Saints to fight."
Anvil led his gaze back at the sword he was forging.
"Another thing, Immortal Flame's daughter will challenge the Second Nightmare."
Anvil stopped, now listening to his brother.
"The White Feather Clan listened in on a conversation between some of her followers. In less than a month, she and Ki Song's son want to conquer it."
The King of Swords turned to look at Madoc.
"Let her, after she becomes a Master, offer a place in the Clan once more, the talent of the Forgotten Shore must not be wasted in her hands."
Whispering Blade hesitated, but spoke with as much control as he could.
"What about Ki Song's son?"
"Forget about him, we lost the chance to kill him, Uncle Jest needs to improve his training, maybe a Saint would be a better choice next time."
Madoc sighed, turning around to leave.
"Madoc."
Anvil's cold voice made Whispering Blade shiver, turning to look at his brother.
"You didn't control your blade properly, because of you Song has gained an advantage, correct your mistake, and kill that boy."
Madoc hesitated, but nodded, proceeding to leave, closing the door and leaving Anvil alone.
Anvil observed the sword he had created, it was still unfinished, but that didn't matter, Madoc and the Queen of Worms had interrupted him, the sword was already ruined.
Tossing the sword away, he dismissed his hammer and prepared to leave, summoning his black armor and vermilion cape that his soldiers all hailed.
However, he stopped halfway to the exit. His mind wandered through numerous scenarios.
Turning around, he walked towards the pit of his forge.
Standing at the edge, Anvil looked down to see the hundreds, if not thousands of blades he had created over the decades he had been alive. All of excellent quality, swords that would make a swordmaster stare in awe.
And yet none of them satisfied the King of Swords.
With a simple gesture, hundreds of swords immediately trembled, shaking with intensity.
Until Anvil willed all swords up, shooting them up at incredible speeds, reaching his position in the blink of an eye before stopping completely. A minor sonic boom exploded inside the chamber.
Thousands of swords stood still in the air as their maker analyzed them, all his failures.
But those failures would finally have a use.
'Perhaps… She sees Antarctica as the turning point.'
The Chain of Nightmares will determine the status quo where the War will start. So it was time for them to make their move.
Perhaps the walking world will be consumed more rapidly, but they knew it was inevitable, so a few more Awakenings will be but a drop in the ocean.
Antarctica will be the prologue of the Domain War.
And the ideal place to damage the Queen of Worms.
A place where she couldn't observe her children, where her most powerful weapons won't have her personal protection.
A place the Sovereign's couldn't impose their powers as freely as the Dream Realm…
'She's leading me into a trap.'
If that was the case, she wanted to break his sword he spent so much time forging. If so...
It would serve as a perfect test for the perfect blade.
Anvil reached out to grab a sword, an old one he had forged years ago, yet it was still pristine and clean as a mirror. Reflecting everything, except its maker…
'Which one will deal you the greatest blow, Ki Song?'
The King of Swords chose his weapons…