The dawn rose grey and bitter over Elyndor.
Ash still hung in the air from the battles fought days before.
The city's great banners remained tattered and forgotten.
And under the shadow of the dying sky, a small group moved quietly through the eastern gates.
The Pathbreakers.
Led by Kaelen Drayce.
Their journey had begun — not toward safety, not toward wealth, but toward a dream carved in blood and defiance.
[System Notification]
[Quest Update: Home of the Pathbreakers - Journey Phase Initiated.]
[Objective: Reach the Weeping Expanse.]
[Warning: Hostile Forces Detected Pursuing.]
Kaelen adjusted the worn cloak around his shoulders, the cracked-crown sigil hidden for now.
He scanned the road ahead — broken fields, dying forests, distant ruins.
No kings here.
No guild banners.
Only danger.
And opportunity.
The Journey Begins
The Pathbreakers traveled light.
Only what they could carry.
Supplies bought quietly from sympathetic merchants.
Weapons hidden under travel cloaks.
Eyes sharp and hands never far from hilts and bows.
Eren grumbled as they marched, axe slung across his broad back.
"Feels like we're being watched already."
Mira nodded grimly.
"We are."
Kaelen smiled without humor.
"Let them come."
His voice was soft.
Deadly.
The others said nothing more.
They understood.
This wasn't just survival.
This was a march toward sovereignty.
Meanwhile — In the Royal Council's War Rooms
Golden maps sprawled across polished tables.
Tiny figurines marked armies, cities, territories.
A single black marker — a cracked crown — was placed over the eastern border.
The High Chancellor scowled.
"He moves toward the ruins."
A duke with sharp eyes spoke.
"A mistake. There's nothing there but monsters."
The Chancellor shook his head.
"Not a mistake.
A foundation."
He slammed his hand down.
"Crush it before it becomes a throne."
Across the Royal Council, silent agreement passed like a shadow.
Orders were sent.
Assassins.
Hunter squads.
Black-flag mercenaries.
A message written in blood:
"No kingdom shall rise from the ashes."
On the Road
The Pathbreakers made camp that night beside a half-collapsed watchtower.
The wind whispered through the broken stones.
Kaelen sat watch atop the ruins, Sovereignblade Astryn resting across his knees.
Below, the others slept fitfully — exhausted from the hard march.
He stared up at the stars, mind restless.
He could feel the world shifting.
Enemies drawing closer.
The dream pulling further away.
But he didn't doubt.
Not for a moment.
Footsteps approached
Selina, cloak drawn tightly against the cold, climbed up beside him.
For a long moment, they said nothing, watching the broken sky together.
Finally, Selina spoke softly.
"Are you afraid?"
Kaelen smiled faintly.
"Of failing them?
Every second."
He nodded toward the sleeping Pathbreakers.
"But fear doesn't decide the path."
"Will does."
Selina watched him a moment longer.
Then she simply said:
"Then we'll follow your will."
She sat quietly beside him, and they watched the night pass together.
Far Behind — In the Shadows
A group of dark-cloaked figures crouched along the broken road Kaelen's group had traveled.
Hunters.
Mercenaries.
Assassins trained by the Royal Guilds.
Their leader — a man with eyes like frozen rivers — pointed toward the east.
"They think they can build a kingdom?"
He smiled cruelly.
"We'll end their dream in the dirt."
Blades gleamed under the broken moon.
The hunt had begun.
And the first blood would be spilled before the Pathbreakers ever reached their promised land.