Jaeger stood in the center of the pulverized stone, his knuckles white as he gripped the tattered family sigil. The phantom heat of the ruins had finally faded, leaving only the biting cold of the late afternoon air.
The surrounding wasteland stretched out like an endless expanse of dark velvet, broken only by the skeletal remnants of towers that had once stood as a symbol of absolute power.
Leiya stepped forward, her face still pale but her eyes filled with a new, fierce determination. She looked at Jaeger, then at the massive crater that had once been his home.
"We're going to get your siblings back, Jaeger," Leiya said, with a voice steady.
"Do not make promises you know you cannot keep, Leiya," Kota thought. "I am the one who has to carry the weight when those words fail."
Jaeger didn"t look up. He and Koma had once been the closest of friends before the world broke. That bond was a ghost that haunted every shard of stone in these ruins. It was an echo of a time when the Whiteflame and Speedhardt names meant something more than blood and ash.
"Don't say things you know wont be fulfilled," Jaeger said. "I haven't seen their faces since the day my father was slaughtered. I dont even know what they are anymore."
Kota groaned while he adjusted the heavy weight of his cloak. The sun was still visible on the horizon, casting long, bloody streaks across the sky, but he could not bring himself to take another step.
The Yen in his own blood was beginning to stir again, a low, grinding hum that vibrated in his bones. It was a sharp, biting pain that radiated from his core, making every breath feel like he was inhaling glass.
"Another flare up. Why is it hitting me so hard right now?" Kota thought. "I cant stop my hands from shaking."
"We should set up camp here for the night," Kota said, his voice tight with the effort of masking his agony.
"Tomorrow, we will continue our journey home to the Speedhardt estate ruins. We need to reach that cellar."
Far across the kingdom in the capital of Aetheron, the atmosphere was a violent contrast to the silence of the ruins. King Voss Halloway stood on the high balcony of the palace, his golden armor reflecting the massive magical lanterns that were already being lit for the evening festivities.
Athena was present, standing in the background among the high ranking officials, her face a mask of royal indifference.
"Five years have passed since the darkness took our finest!" King Voss shouted, his voice amplified by resonance. "I have hosted three of these events in that time, and each time, no one was strong enough to fill that absence."
"Our first Royal Knights betrayed us. They murdered a founding leader, Jaeren Whiteflame, and fled like cowards into the night. Hopefully, this year, we will find recruits who actually possess honor."
Athena watched her father from the back of the platform, her fingers curling into fists. She felt the weight of the crowd's eyes, but her own were fixed on the back of the King's head.
"You ordered that hit, Father. You are the one who sent them," Athena thought. "I am disgusted that you would tarnish their names even more just to hide your own bloodlust."
The King paused, letting his gaze sweep over the thousands of hopeful faces in the arena below. His hands gripped the marble railing as he leaned forward, his voice dropping to a lower, heavier frequency that resonated through the stone.
"The age of the Royal Knights, well, the age of the Void Bearers is over," King Voss declared, his words sending a shockwave of whispers through the crowd.
"Traditional armor and outdated laws cannot protect us anymore."
"This year, the tournament is not for a title. It is a sorting ground. You will not wear armor. You will be cloaked. Out of everyone here, I will pick twelve candidates. You will become something greater. You will join the ranks of my new hidden vanguard. You will be my Grim Phantoms."
"Where are the other children of the Halloway line?" a random man shouted from the front of the crowd. "We always see the Princess, but where are the others? It has been months since anyone saw them!"
King Voss did not blink. "They are off being trained by my good friends," he replied smoothly. "They are honing their strength for the kingdom and will return shortly."
Back at the ruins, Kota leaned against a blackened pillar, his eyes closed as he waited for the internal pressure to subside. He didn't care about the scratching of Leiya's pouch.
Leiya sat nearby, reaching into her pouch to pull out a small stack of paper and a vial of ink.
"April 2nd, 1240," she wrote. "The ruins are quiet, but the air is heavy. Jaeger has told us the truth of his fall. Kota is in pain again. It's a random flare up, similar to the others, but it feels more intense this time. He doesn't want to move until tomorrow."
Leiya stopped writing and looked at Kota. She realized the date was only four days away from April 6th.
"Wait. His birthday is in four days," Leiya thought. "I am starting to notice a pattern. Every year around this time, his Yen starts to leak. Does he even realize it happens every April?"
"I am writing this down so we do not forget where we started," Leiya said softly, tucking her journal away.