The city of Elyndor slept beneath a silver moon.
But not all within its walls dreamed.
Some sharpened knives in the dark.
Some whispered death warrants into the night.
And some — a precious few — prepared to forge their legend in the fires to come.
Pathbreakers' Safehouse
Hidden beneath a ruined watchtower on the city's outskirts, the Pathbreakers gathered.
The old hideout smelled of dust and cold stone — but it was safe. For now.
Kaelen stood at the head of a battered wooden table, Sovereignblade Astryn resting across his back.
The others leaned in, bruised and wary, but fierce.
"Assassins are coming," Kaelen said without preamble.
"Tonight."
The air grew cold.
They all knew it.
You didn't humiliate noble houses.
You didn't defeat blessed champions.
You didn't survive the Legacy Families' gaze…
Without paying a price.
Elsewhere — The Darkened Streets
Figures in black cloaks and silver masks moved through the alleys.
Black Moon Guild.
Obsidian Hollow hunters.
Even mercenaries bribed by Legacy gold.
Their orders were simple:
"Kill Kaelen Drayce."
"Crush the Pathbreakers before they can root."
Back at the Safehouse
Kaelen unrolled a rough map of the surrounding district.
"They expect us to huddle here, waiting to be slaughtered."
He looked up, eyes burning.
"They're wrong."
He slammed his hand on the table.
"Tonight, we hunt the hunters."
The Pathbreakers roared approval.
System Chime:
[New Guild Skill: Pathbreaker Vanguard — Initiative +20% during ambush operations.]
The trap was set.
The Battle in the Shadows
When the assassins crept into the watchtower, they found it empty — save for a single, flickering torch.
And then the Pathbreakers fell upon them like wolves.
Kaelen led the charge, Astryn flashing silver death in the moonlight.
Eren smashed skulls with brutal axe strikes.
Mira picked off fleeing assassins with whisper-fast arrows.
Lyra conjured razor-wind blades that shredded cloaks and armor.
Selina, hidden, worked mana wards to disrupt enemy spells.
Kaelen moved like a storm.
Arcane Step blinked him through gaps in enemy lines.
Sovereign's Combo Strike broke hardened shields apart.
Astryn's Shardblade Manifestation let him strike three times where others struck once.
Every movement was clean. Efficient. Inevitable.
He fought not like a commoner.
He fought like a Sovereign.
But then — a shadow deeper than the rest entered the fray.
A man clad in blood-red assassin robes, twin curved daggers dripping black venom.
The Black Moon Guild's High Executioner.
A killer who had ended dozens of noble prodigies over the years.
His eyes gleamed with cold certainty as he charged Kaelen.
The Clash
Steel screamed against steel.
Mana clashed against cursed magic.
The High Executioner was fast — faster than anything Kaelen had yet fought.
But Kaelen was faster still.
Because Sovereigns weren't just born.
They were forged.
Kaelen feinted a low strike, baited the assassin's lunge —
and then unleashed Sovereign's Shardblade, splitting into three perfect afterimages.
One afterimage cut high.
One cut low.
One drove straight through the assassin's heart.
The High Executioner gasped — staring at the sword erupting from his chest.
"Impossible…" he whispered.
"No commoner… should have reached… this height…"
Kaelen said nothing.
He simply pulled Astryn free — and let the assassin collapse into the dirt.
Aftermath
Breathing hard, Kaelen turned to the others.
The Pathbreakers — bloodied but alive — stood victorious.
Dozens of assassins lay dead or captured around them.
They had not only survived the night.
They had owned it.
System Chime:
[Hidden Quest Complete: Survive Legacy-Sanctioned Assassination Attempt.]
[Guild Level Up: Pathbreakers (Rank D Recognized).]
[New Ability Unlocked: Pathbreaker Banner — +10% morale and magic resistance for all Guild Members in battle.]
Kaelen planted Astryn into the earth.
"This is only the beginning," he said, voice low but filled with iron.
The Pathbreakers nodded grimly.
They understood now.
This was not a tournament.
It was a war for survival.
Far Across the City — Eastern Gates
A figure approached the Grand Arena — wings folded beneath a long black cloak, eyes burning gold under the moon.
The Dragonblood Heir.
First Son of House Drakonis.
His voice was a rumbling promise as he stared toward Valewind's banners.
"Soon, Kaelen Drayce."
"Soon, your blood will feed the fires of my ascension."
He unsheathed a spear forged from dragonbone, the weapon humming with destructive power.
"And the Legacy Families will stand supreme once more."