Bretayal
---
1 Hours after Harbinger Arrival
The Kingdom of Eldoria – Royal cil Chamber
The grand hall of the Ivory Citadel, the seat of power for the Kingdom of Eldoria, was bathed in the golden light of the m sun filtering through massive stained-gss windows. The air was tehick with murmured discussions as nobles, schors, and military officers gathered before the throne. Seated upon it was King Alden Valtorius, a ster just ruler, his sharp amber eyes surveying his court with practiced authority. His silver-lined cloak draped leaming ceremonial armor, a relic of past wars.
Before him k a warrior of great renown—Sir Leonhardt Vale, one of the kingdom’s stro knights, captain of the Royal Dragon Knights. His golden sharp eyes and hair, tousled yet regal, framed his battle-hardened face. Beside him stood Archmagus Selera, the kingdom’s most aplished magic caster, a sapphire robe inscribed with a runes, her silver hair flowing like the moonlit sky. Her pierg violet eyes flickered with an unreadable expression as she listened ily.
A scribe hastily read from a scroll, his voice shaky.
"At the dawn of this day, a great fireball streaked across the sky, falling beyond the Silverwood Forest. The impact shook the earth as if the gods themselves had cast judgment. Travelers he outpost of Bckmere reported a deafening explosion and a blinding light that turned night into day. We fear this may be the dest of an astral camity or worse, a harbinger of dark forces."
King Alden exhaled slowly, his fiapping against his throhe Ivory Citadel stood over 60 kilometers from the impact site, yet even here, tremors had been faintly felt. The Church of Solmara had already begun whispering of divine omens, while the Are Academy debated theories of celestial magic. Rumors spread like wildfire, some cimed a dragon of legend had fallen, others feared aherworldy demon's arrival.
The king turned his gaze to Sir Leonhardt.
"Leonhardt, you will lead a detat of elite knights and iigate this phenomenon. Should it be a threat, ralize it. If it bears knowledge, seize it. And if it is divine, ehe kingdom stands at the forefront of its revetion."
Leonhardt ched his fist over his heart in salute.
"By your and, Your Majesty."
A voice like silk wove through the hall.
"Your Majesty, if this is indeed an unknowial force, magic may be the only means to prehend it."
The king’s gaze shifted to Selene, his expression unreadable.
"You wish to apany them?"
The Archmagus smiled faintly, adjusting the silver staff in her hands.
"Of course. Knowledge is power, and power should not be left to brute force alone."
King Alden nodded.
"Then so be it. You will depart immediately. Take a regiment of Royal Knights, Are Schors, and Scouter. I will not have Eldoria caught unaware."
Leonhardt and Selene exged gnces, an unspoken uanding passiween them.
"Ah before tinue" King Alden leaned forward, his amber eyes gleaming with a calg light. He reached toward a gilded box beside his throne arieved an aged scroll, its seal marked with the sigil of Eldoria an emblem of the golden phoenix rising from fmes. The part bore delicate Elven script alongside the royal decree, signifying its importance.
"This is a passage decree," the king announced, his voice firm. "The Silverwood Forest belongs to the Elven Sanctum of Sylvaris. Our retions with the Elves remain… cordial, but strained. Without this, any force that trespasses their sacred nd will face swift retribution." He extehe scroll toward Leonhardt.
"Present this to the border wardens. It bears my personal seal and the accords of peace between Eldoria and Sylvaris. With it, you will have safe passage through their nds—so long as you do not provoke them. The Elves are wary of outsiders, and they do not take kindly to armed incursions."
Leonhardt accepted the scroll with a firm nod.
"We will tread with caution, Your Majesty."
Seleilted her head, her violet eyes glimmering with intrigue.
The king exhaled, his eyes stern as he faced both of them "Proceed carefully, both of you. I will not have this i ignite a flict with the Elves."
With that, the order was set. The knights and schors would march at once, carrying not just arms and spells, but diplomacy venturing toward the unknown that y beyond the forest’s Twillight veil.
---
The expeditioed before noon. A hundred soldiers silver and navy armor, their banners fluttering with the sigil of Eldoria and marched in formation. The Royal Knights rode upon horse steeds, their ented ons humming faintly with magic. The Are Schors, robed figures bearing tomes, discussed theories as their ented staves flickered with raw mana. Scouts rode ahead, their hawk familiars surveying the road toward the Silverwood Forest.
As the expedition marched toward the crater, Selene’s violet eyes flickered with curiosity. She discreetly activated her Are Sight, a spell that allowed her to analyze the mana signatures and stats of those around her. Her gaze lingered on Leonhardt, her staff subtly glowing as she sed him.
Leonhardt Vale – Level 48
Css: Dragon Knight ander
Strength: 92
Agility: 78
Endurance: 85
Mana Capacity: 45
Skills:
Dragon’s Wrath (A-rank)
Shield of the Phoenix (B-rank)
War Cry (k)
Draic Leap (B-rank)
Fmefang Thrust (A-rank)
Imperial and (B-rank)
Ironblood Fortitude (k)
Drake’s Resilience (B-rank)
Twin Fang Reversal (A-rank)
Dragon’s Rampage (S-rank) [Locked]
Leonhardt noticed her stare and raised his eyebrow.
“Something on my face, Selene?” he asked, his tone light but his golden eyes sharp.
Selene smirked, her silver hair catg the sunlight.
“Just cheg to see if you’re still in top form, Leonhardt. Wouldn’t want our stro knight to falter before we even reach the crater.”
Leonhardt chuckled, gripping the reins of his obsidian warhorse.
“Don’t worry about me. Save your mana for whatever’s waiting ahead. I have a feeling we’ll .”
Selene’s smile faded as she goward the horizon.
“You’re n. Whatever fell from the sky… it’s not natural. I feel it in the air.”
Leonhardt’s expression hardened.
“Then we’ll face it together. Knights and mages, side by side.”
Selene nodded, her grip tightening oaff.
“Let’s hope it’s enough.”
Sele atop a white-maned wyvern, her violet eyes fixed toward the horizohe unnatural spact still smoldered. Even from this distance, she could feel the lingering energy of something unknown—something not of this world.
---
Several hours ter, after Harbinger's tact with elves in the night
The rhythmic march of hooves and boots echoed through the dense opy of Silverwood Forest, where t emerald trees reached skyward like a sentinels. The expedition had pressed forward for hours, cutting through mist-den roads and rown paths, each step drawing them closer to the impact site. But as they he five-kilometer mark, the air shifted. The soldiers felt it first—a sudden stillness, as if the forest itself held its breath. The wind whispered through the trees, carrying a strange resonance, like a distant song woven into the rustling leaves.
Riding ahead, Leonhardt pulled on the reins of his warhorse, halting the formation. Selene, gliding beside him atop her wyvern, narrowed her violet eyes.
"You feel it too," she murmured.
Leonhardt nodded, his haing on the hilt of his sword.
"It’s as if the nd itself is… resisting us."
Selene swept her gaze across the forest.
"This is not ordinary mana. It’s a natural phenomenohat only the elves could expin."
The mention of elves sent murmurs rippling through the knights and schors. Eldoria had long shared an uneasy truce with the Sylvan Sanctum, the vast elven empire that cimed much of the untouched wilderness beyond the kingdom’s borders. The elves rarely interfered in human affairs, yet their presence was undeniable.
One of the younger schors, a robed magus named Elias, spoke up.
"I've read about this before. The elves refer to it as the Seythari Cycle—a natural healing process where the nd repels fn interference. If a catastrophic event wounds the nds, the spirits of nature weave energy to mend it. No fire, no bde, not even magi interrupt it without severe sequences."
Leonhardt frowned.
"And what happens if we push through?"
Elias hesitated.
"The forest will resist. Violently."
Leonhardt pulled on the reins of his obsidian warhorse, his golden eyes narrowing as he sed the shifting shadows ahead. Beside him, Archmagus Selene, perched upon her white-maned wyverended a hand, subtle runes flickering to life in the air around her.
"They’re here,The Elves" she murmured.
The Royal Knights instinctively gripped their ons, their ented bdes humming faintly with stored magic. The Are Schors, robed figures clutg their tomes and catalysts, stood tense, murmuring quiet intations, readying termeasures. The Scouts, positio the fnks, drew their bows, their ented arrows glowing faintly as they tracked the unseen movement.
Then, the forest parted.
From the shifting mists, a formation of elven warriors emerged—silent, graceful, and deadly. The Sylvan Guard, elite sentinels of the Elven Sanctum, moved like specters, their emerald and silver armor blending seamlessly with the foliage. Their bows, strung with strands of woven moonlight, gleamed in the dim light. Bdes, curved and wickedly sharp, hung at their sides, untouched but ready.
At their head stood Vaelith Dawnstrider, his silver eyes cold and unwavering. He was not alone. More wardens fnked him, their expressions unreadable, their posture rigid with unspoken warning.
Leonhardt felt the weight of a dozen unseen arrows aimed at vital points on his armor, the sharp prickle of deteagic brushing against his senses. Even his Royal Knights, veterans of tless campaigns, stiffened uhe quiet, predataze of their elven terparts
"You march upon forbidden ground," the elf spoke, his voice carrying the weight of nature itself. "This nd is wounded. It will not suffer the hands of outsiders while it heals."
Selene exhaled softly, l her staff slightly but irely.
"You are a sentinel of the Sanctum, I presume?"
The elf ined his head.
"I am Vaelith Dawnstrider, Warden of the Sylvan Vanguard. This pce is now under our prote."
Leonhardt moved.
Slowly, deliberately, he raised his hands from his reins, palms open in a non-threateniure. His voice, steady and anding, cut through the standoff like steel through silk.
"I have no desire to spill elven blood today."
Vaelith’s silver eyes narrowed. "A, you march upon forbidden ground with armed men."
Leonhardt held his ground, his golden eyes meeting Vaelith's silver gaze without fling. The tense sileweeretched as the wind carried the distant echoes of rustling leaves and unseen whispers within the depths of the forest. Every knight and schor stid, feeling the weight of tless elven eyes upon them—archers hidden withirees, bdes waiting in the shadows, nature itself poised against them.
Then, slowly, Leonhardt reached into a partment on his armored saddle and withdrew the scroll bestowed upon him by King Alden. The part was aged yet pristis golden phoenix seal gleaming uhe forest's dappled light. He unfurled it with measured movements, ensuring that no elf would misinterpret his i.
"This decree," Leonhardt decred, his voiwavering, "bears the seal of King Alden Valtorius of Eldoria. It grants us passage through the Silverwood, uhe accords of peace between Eldoria and Sylvaris. We e not as invaders, nor as despoilers of sacred nd, but as emissaries iigating the celestial anomaly that fell beyond these woods."
Vaelith's sharp gaze flickered to the scroll, his expression unreadable. He did not move to take it. Instead, he studied Leonhardt for a long moment, his elveures sculpted in an air of distant scrutiny.
"Words and seals mean little if they ot be honored," Vaelith replied, his voice smooth as a flowing river yet edged with steel. "The Silverwood Twillight Veil is not merely a passage. It is a liviy, bound to the spirit of the nd. Whatever has fallen beyond its borders disturbs the bance. We have already felt the corruption seeping into the roots of the world. We will not allow reckless outsiders to disrupt its healing."
Selene, who had remained silent before speak again now, she tilted her head slightly, her violet eyes shimmering with the glow of tent magic. She guided her wyvern a step closer, her voice weaving into the versation like silk.
"And if the very thing disturbing your sacred nd is the thing we seek? Would it not be wiser to allow us to determis nature before it festers into something beyond all trol?"
Seleudied the elf expression carefully. There was nance, only deep —perhaps even fear.
"You’ve seen what’s ihe crater, haven’t you?" she pressed.
Vaelith’s fiighte his side and look down.
"We have seen enough to know that it does not seem to belong in this world."
Silence fell over the gathering. The weight of his words hung heavy in the air.
Vaelith's gaze flickered to her, reition aance mingling in his eyes. He knew of Selera—the Archmagus of Eldoria, a schor as much as a mage. Of all humans, she was ohe elves found the least intolerable. Yet even she was still an outsider.
"You presume much, human," Vaelith said, though his tone cked ht hostility. He then g the scroll once more, eyes narrowing.
After a moment of silence, he raised a hand, signaling to the elven warriors surrounding them. A ripple of unseen energy passed through the trees as the tension in the air shifted. The elves lowered their bows—slowly, cautiously. The lethal stillness receded, but irely.
Vaelith finally stepped forward and, with deliberate grace, accepted the scroll from Leonhardt's hands. He ied the phoenix seal before carefully breaking it, unrolling the part. His silver eyes flicked over the elegant script, reading the decree in the a nguage shared between the elves and humans in times of diplomacy.
When he finished, he let out a slow breath.
"The words of your king grant you passage," Vaelith admitted, rolling the scroll back up. "But passage is not permission. We will allow you to proceed—but under watch. The Sylvan Guard will apany your forces, and any act of desecration, iional or not, will be met with swift judgment."
Leonhardt nodded. "That is acceptable."
Vaelith gestured to his warriors, who melted into the forest like wraiths, unseen but ever present. He turned back to Leonhardt and Selene.
"Go carefully, knight of men and sorceress of the stars. The deeper you tread, the less mercy this nd will show you."
With that, the path ahead was no longer barred, but her was it free. The knights of Eldoria marched forward, the watchful eyes of the elves trailing their every step, their journey into the unknown now truly beginning.
---
As the expedition pressed forward, the presence of the Sylvan Guard was both a silent warning and a watchful guide. Vaelith Dawnstrider rode ahead now, his elven steed moving with an eerie grace that barely disturbed the forest floor. The elite royal knights followed behind in disciplined formation, their armleaming uhe scattered rays of light filtering through the opy. The Are Schors, sensing the shift in leadership, exged wary gnces but remained focused on their mission and also with the scout group now lines up in formation behind.
Leonhardt rode beside Vaelith, his golden eyes sing the treetops. Even with the elves' agreement, he could feel the weight of unseerag their every movement. The forest itself seemed alive, whispering with an unnatural stillness. He kept his hand close to his sword hilt, not in aggression, but in readiness.
"Your soldiers move in near silence," Leonhardt remarked, breaking the uneasy quiet. "Impressive."
Vaelith did not look at him but replied with a measured tohe forest is our home. It does not resist us as it does you."
Seleill mounted upon her white-maned wyvern, observed the exge with a faint smirk. "You say that, yet the Seythari Cycle does not discriminate. Even the elves are not immuo nature's judgment."
Vaelith’s expression remained unreadable. "That is why we do not defy it. Unlike humans, we do not forature to yield,we listen."
Seleilted her head, intrigued. "Then tell me, Warden, what has the nd whispered of the thing that fell from the sky?"
Vaelith finally turo her, his silver eyes dark with meaning. "That it is wrong. Aion. The roots recoil from its presehe winds refuse to carry its st. It does not belong, a, it lingers."
A ripple of unease passed through the human ranks. Even the schors, who prided themselves on rationality, could not dismiss the weight in the elf’s words.
Elias, the young schor who had spoken earlier, hesitated before stepping forward. "Archmagus, if the natural cycle is resisting whatever lies within the crater, then our interference might make it worse. Should we not proceed with caution?"
Selene exhaled, her fiightening arouaff. "Caution, yes. But ina is worse. Whatever this entity is, the longer we hesitate, the more its influence may spread. We must see it with our own eyes."
Vaelith's gaze lingered on her for a long moment before he turned away. "Then you will see it soon enough."
The march tihe forest growing denser with each step. The deeper they went, the more unnatural the silence became. The usual sounds of life—chirping birds, rustling leaves, the distant hum of is—had faded into an eerie void. Even the wind had stilled.
Then they saw it.
The edge of the impact site.
The great trees of the Silverwood had been uprooted, their arunks splintered like brittle twigs. A vast crater, still sm at its core, stretched before them—a violent scar upon the nd. The soil had been turned into bed gss, fused by the sheer iy of heat. Wisps of shimmering mana curled through the air, dist the very fabric of reality around them.
But most disturbing of all was the presence of something else.
A shape.
A massive, unmoving thing stood at the heart of the crater, resting in the crater. Its body was made of metal—smooth, dark, and gleaming like polished obsidia shaped like some great armored beast. Its many legs, long and sharply angur, were folded beh it in perfect stillness, like the limbs of a resting predator. 4 Strange blue lights glowed faintly on its front, like the eyes of something alive, but no breath came from it, no movement, no sound.
Leonhardt’s breath hitched. Even without magic, he could feel the sheer weight of the entity’s existence.
Sele off her wyvern mount with her violet eyes burned with curiosity, yet beh it, a sliver of unease coiled in her chest. Intrigued but wary, she hesitated before raising her hand that didnt hold a staff, summoning the flow of mana. With a whispered intation, she cast Are Sight toward the motionless beast, unsure whether she truly wao see what y beh its metallic shell.
Mother – Level : ??
Css: ???□□□□□
Strength: E34.67//Δ
Agility: -0
Endurance: ∞??
Mana Capacity: [DATA STRING MISMATCH]
Skill
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6. **???●●□◇?▼?▼?▼?▼?▼?▼**
7. **?▼?▼?▼?▼?▼?▼?▼?▼?▼?▼**
0. **????●●□◇?▼?▼?▼?▼?▼**
. **▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓**
11111110. **???●●□◇?▼?▼?▼?▼?▼?--------------111213141273922272229222282222222222
Selene’s breath hitched. Her stomach twisted violently, the inprehensible numbers and symbols searing themselves into her mind like a curse. Her body vulsed as a suffog pressure cmped around her chest, her magic spiraling out of trol. The moment her brain tried to process the infinity in its endurahe meaningless symbols, the sheer wrongness of it—
She gagged.
The world around her blurred as bile surged up her throat. She barely mao turn to the side before she vomited onto the cold ground, her hands trembling, sweat dripping down her pale face. Her knees buckled, and she colpsed onto one hand, gasping for breath, trying to shove away the unnatural flood of information that refused to leave her mind.
Leonhardt, who had been watg cautiously, took a startled step forward. “Selene?” His voice was ced with , but also fusion. He had seen her dissect high-tier grimoires without breaking a sweat—seen her analyze forbidden magic with cold detat. Yet now, she looked as if she had seen something that should .
Selene wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, her body still trembling. She tried to speak, but the words refused to e out. Her violet eyes, usually filled with keen intellect, were now wide with a terror Leonhardt had never seen before.
He drop down from his mount and took aep toward her, but she flihat rea sent a ripple of uhrough him.
“What the hell did you see?” he asked, his voice quieter now, wary.
Selene’s breathing was ragged. She swallowed hard, her mind still reeling, her body still rejeg the knowledge forced into it.
She could barely choke out her answer.
“It’s not supposed to be possible.”
Leonhardt frowned, watg as Selene forced herself to sit up, still shaking. She took a deep breath, trying to steady her thoughts, but her voice was hoarse when she finally spoke.
"If something is beyond my level of prehension, the status window should just be bnk or repced with question marks. That’s how it works. That’s how it has always worked. Even the gods’ relics follow that rule.” She gritted her teeth, her hands g into fists. "But this... this wasn’t just hidden information. It was wrong. Corrupted. A mess of symbols and errors, like reality itself couldn’t decide what it was."
Vaelith who seemed to already know this, standing at the edge of the crater, murmured something in the elven tongue. His fingers curled, as he gripped his right arm with a force that made it seem like he was in pain.
"It lives," he whispered. "Even now, it watches us."
The expedition stood at the precipice of something beyond their uanding. Whether it was a miracle, a on, or a nightmare yet to awaken—none could say.
But soon, they would find out.
Bretayal
