When King Dan wandered across the continent in search of unity, during those turbulent years when the Demons began to erupt, beside the king traveled eight companions who would later be remembered as the Eight Elders.
Together they explored forgotten ruins, unearthed ancient relics, and searched for knowledge that could help the living fight against the darkness, the Demons.
In one such ruin, buried beneath centuries of dust and stone, the First Elder and the Eighth Elder discovered something extraordinary.
A blueprint.
Not an ordinary blueprint, but fragments of a design unlike anything they had ever seen.
The walls of the ruin depicted a colossal weapon powered by Melarium, the rare mineral capable of absorbing and storing enormous quantities of mana. Though much of the design was damaged beyond recognition, the two elders spent years restoring the missing pieces.
What they reconstructed terrified them.
The weapon possessed enough destructive power to alter the geography of the world itself.
Mountains could be leveled.
Seas could be split.
Entire armies could disappear in a single strike.
The blueprint was kept secret even from most of the kingdom. Only a handful of trusted individuals knew of its existence.
Then, during the chaos of war, the blueprint vanished.
Officially, it was considered lost.
Unofficially, the search never stopped.
For decades rumors emerged across the continent. Some claimed pieces had been found. Others claimed hidden workshops continued the research.
Most dismissed these stories as legends.
Most were wrong.
The Eighth Elder, Manan, had secretly retained part of the original design.
After the disappearance of the First Elder, Manan continued studying it in isolation. Even in old age he never abandoned the project. He believed that one day humanity would face a threat greater than any kingdom.
A threat worthy of such a weapon.
When death finally came for him, he left behind a guardian.
Manan Junior.
The mechanical servant was programmed with a purpose.
Find an Inheritor And To.
Continue the research.
Protect the weapon.
Complete the work.
And now, hidden beneath the manor, stood the result of generations of effort.
The weapon itself.
A colossal cannon-like structure dominated the chamber.
Massive Melarium conduits ran through its body like veins. Ancient runes glowed faintly along its frame. Thick pillars connected it to the foundations of the mountain itself.
The machine seemed less like a weapon and more like a sleeping giant.
Henry stared upward.
Even he, who had repaired countless artifacts and machines, could only remain silent.
The scale was beyond imagination.
Across from him stood Kar.
Beside Kar was the hunched minister.
The old minister gazed at the weapon with obsession burning in his eyes.
"So it truly exists..." he whispered.
Kar stepped forward, sword already in hand.
His demonic energy spread through the chamber like dark flames.
The members of the vanguard immediately raised their weapons.
The atmosphere became tense.
But before Kar could attack, the minister lifted a hand.
"P-Four. Stand down."
Kar stopped.
The command was immediate.
The minister's eyes moved toward the wounds covering Kar's body.
"You are injured. Conserve your strength."
Kar reluctantly stepped back.
Then the minister smiled.
A smile that made Henry uneasy.
"You think we came here alone?"
The shadows around the chamber suddenly shifted.
One.
Two.
Ten.
Twenty.
Dozens of cloaked figures emerged from hidden passages and dark corners.
A secret army.
Every one of them armed.
Every one of them prepared.
The vanguard instantly found themselves surrounded.
Steel clashed.
The battle erupted.
Irwin's agents fought desperately against overwhelming numbers.
Shadow Guards exchanged blows with the cloaked soldiers.
Henry's golems smashed several enemies aside, but more kept appearing.
The enemy simply outnumbered them.
Slowly the vanguard began losing ground.
Several agents were wounded.
Others were forced backward.
The minister watched calmly as if victory had already been decided.
Then—
BOOM!
The manor's entrance exploded inward.
Everyone turned.
A wave of armed adventurers, mercenaries, and soldiers stormed into the chamber.
Leading them was Irene.
Her sword gleamed brightly as she cut through the first enemy who blocked her path.
The minister's expression finally changed.
Shock.
"I knew it," Irene declared.
"I knew something would go wrong."
Unable to shake her unease after the vanguard departed, she had secretly assembled every capable fighter she could find at the fort and followed their trail.
Now the reinforcements crashed into the battle like a tidal wave.
The balance shifted instantly.
The cloaked soldiers began falling one after another.
Adventurers charged fearlessly.
Mercenaries fought with ruthless efficiency.
The minister's secret army was rapidly overwhelmed.
Soon only three figures remained standing.
The minister.
Kar.
And another cloaked accomplice.
For a brief moment, victory seemed within reach.
Then the strange mist appeared.
At first it was only a thin layer creeping along the floor.
Few noticed it.
Then it thickened.
The white fog spread rapidly throughout the chamber.
"What is this?" one adventurer shouted.
Moments later he collapsed.
Another mercenary stumbled.
Then another.
Bodies began dropping one after another.
The mist wasn't poisonous.
It was worse.
A powerful sleeping agent.
The accomplice outside the manor had activated the trap.
Within seconds entire groups collapsed unconscious.
The adventurers.
The mercenaries.
The soldiers.
Even Irwin's elite agents.
One after another they fell.
Irwin attempted to resist.
Her sword remained raised as she fought the effects.
But eventually her knees gave out.
She hit the floor unconscious.
Irene lasted slightly longer.
She tried forcing herself toward Henry.
"H-Henry..."
But her vision blurred.
Her body gave up.
She collapsed beside him.
Henry himself struggled to stay awake.
His body felt heavier with every second.
His thoughts slowed.
His eyelids became impossible to keep open.
The chamber around him faded.
He saw the minister walking toward the weapon.
He saw Kar guarding the entrance.
He saw Irene lying helpless on the floor.
His body refused to move.
No.
Not now.
Not like this.
His vision darkened.
Then—
Pain.
A sharp sting pierced his arm.
Henry's eyes snapped open.
A thin metal needle protruded from his skin.
Standing beside him was a damaged figure.
Manan Junior.
The machine's body was barely functioning.
Its frame was broken.
One arm was missing.
Sparks erupted from exposed mechanisms.
Yet somehow it had dragged itself across the chamber.
An antidote injector extended from its remaining arm.
The machine had awakened one final time.
It had recognized the threat.
It had chosen to save Henry.
The lights inside its eyes flickered weakly.
Then faded.
The mechanical guardian finally shut down.
Forever.
Henry clenched his fists.
He slowly rose to his feet.
The minister.
Kar.
The accomplice.
They were already moving deeper into the facility.
Toward the control room.
Toward the weapon.
Henry wanted to chase them immediately.
Every instinct screamed at him to stop them.
But he looked around.
The chamber was filled with unconscious allies.
If the manor collapsed...
If another trap activated...
Everyone would die.
Henry took a deep breath.
Then made his decision.
He summoned his four golems.
The constructs immediately obeyed.
One by one they lifted the unconscious people.
Adventurers.
Soldiers.
Agents.
Even Irwin.
Carefully, Henry organized their evacuation.
The golems carried everyone outside the manor.
Night waited near the entrance.
The once-small black cat now stood like a mighty beast.
Henry loaded the unconscious onto carts and secured them safely.
Finally he reached Irene.
For a moment the chaos faded.
He knelt beside her.
Brushed a strand of hair from her face.
Even unconscious, she looked peaceful.
A painful smile appeared on his face.
"You always rush into danger."
He leaned forward and gently kissed her forehead.
"Wait for me."
Night growled softly.
As if understanding.
Henry stood.
Behind him lay everyone he cared about.
Ahead of him lay the manor.
The minister.
Kar.
And a weapon capable of changing the fate of the world.
Without another word, Henry turned and walked back toward the darkness.
This time he would face them alone.