In the ancient, hidden stronghold of AetheleonBeatriceanimal fat
Around her, etched deep into the polished stone floor, was a massive golden-lined sigilRena’s preserved ear
Beatrice pulled back from the deep trance of her communion. Her usually composed face was slick with sweat, her blond hairhappinesssadness
After sitting quietly for an hour, recovering her immense spiritual reserves, she used a soft chime to summon a guard. "Send for my daughter, Rena. Tell her it is urgent."
A short time later, Renawhite marbletwo winged angelsgolden, inescapable X
Rena knocked on the giant white door.
Beatrice, using her Tier 2 vision power
Rena entered the breathtaking expanse of the Queen’s room. The chamber was paved with expensive, polished stoneswhite marblelion-like creaturetiger skingreen jade statues
Rena immediately bowed low before her mother, addressing her with the appropriate reverence. "What happened, Your Highness?"
Beatrice sat on a nearby couch, its frame composed of intricately worked swords
Rena's control instantly broke. Her eyes filled with tears, and her entire frame shook with suppressed excitement. "Did you see him? How is he? Is he good, Mother?" she asked, a flurry of desperate questions tumbling out.
Beatrice held up a hand. "I did not talk to him right at this moment due to some dimensional instability and the sheer effort required. You must wait for some time. I need to regain my full strength, and then I will communicate with him again. Then, Rena, you can talk to your son yourself."
Meanwhile, far away in the Dwarf Kingdom of Khazad-Dar
The valley was a vision of living hell
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Above the chaos, Thrain Ironhand
In the middle of this chaos, Team JaiJai, James, Zayn, Winston, and Brokk
Suddenly, LenardWinston
Lenard's impact was devastating. He destroyed the border shield instantly and landed directly in front of Team Jai. The force of his landing kicked up a massive cloud of dirt and pulverized stone, temporarily blinding everyone. In the split second of chaos, Winston
Lenard emerged from the dust cloud, his eyes fixed on Winston. He spoke with cold fury: "Hey, Winston! Last time, you got out purely by luck. Now, I am going to take my revenge. I will kill you and deliver your head as a gift for my King, Zeron!"
The battle lines solidified. Facing Team Jai was a formidable group: Lenard (Tier 5)ZenosTier 7 Elemental MasterTier 8Tier 9 and Tier 10
Jaiartifact
Winston, despite his fatigue, nodded grimly. "Guys, Lenard is quite weak, but we have already lost so much energy fighting those Tier 9 and Tier 10 soldiers earlier."
The enemy troops, led by Zenos and Lenard, moved forward in a unified wave. Team Jai tensed, ready to meet the attack.
The inevitable clash began—but it was not the expected fight between the grudge-holding rivals, Winston and Lenard. Instead, Zenos, fueled by years of bitterness, lunged straight for Zayn
"I came to this war just to kill you with my own hands!" Zenos screamed, his face contorted in rage. "Because of your father, King Borin, my entire family—my father, my mother, and I—had to get out of the kingdom and live outside like mere, common people!"
Zayn, his previous battle trauma ("The Shame of the Silver-Haired Prince") still fresh, faced his cousin.
Jai interrupted, trying to defuse the personal attack: "Your dad is the reason you ended up in that situation! Why are you blaming King Borin?"
But Zenos ignored him, focusing his full elemental fury on Zayn. This wasn't a strategic fight; it was a deeply personal one. The question remained: Could Zayn surpass his traumaThe charge was immediate. Lenard, despite being wounded and exhausted, aimed a focused Tier 5 energy bolt
But the focal point of the chaos was the clash of kin. Zenos, his face streaming with angry tears, materialized twin scimitars crackling with raw Tier 7 elemental lightning"You had the crown, the comfort, the love! You were the Prince!" Zenos shrieked, driving his lightning blades forward. "We had nothing but exile and your father’s lies!"
Zayn's entire world narrowed. The familiar battlefield smells—iron, blood, burned earth—vanished. All he could see was the reflection of the lightning in Zenos's tear-filled eyes, triggering a flash of memory: his own childhood shame, the feeling of the leather belt, the cold floor of the smithy cellar. The traumaI can’t fight him. His pain is real. My father did this.
