The lift groaned to life, rising through the shaft for the first time in years under rebel control.
Dust spiraled in the air. Chains creaked. Old stone moaned like it remembered the last time the heir of the Forsaken Line had ascended. But Auron didn't flinch. He stood tall at the center of the platform, Mira at his side, Jace behind him. No one spoke.
As the top drew closer, the first rays of surface light broke through.
For years, Auron had only known darkness—flickering torchlight, whispering echoes, the silent chill of the Abyss. Now the light hit his face, and the mask dimmed in response, adapting to the shift.
\[Surface Realm Detected – Mask Adjusting Visual Interface]
\[Environmental Change: Light Saturation Increased]
\[Current Status: Controlled]
Mira shielded her eyes briefly.
"Feels like I haven't seen sunlight in years," she said.
"You haven't," Auron replied.
The platform clanked and locked into place.
The gates of the shaft opened slowly, revealing the world above.
Auron stepped forward first.
---
The surface had changed.
Once lush hills surrounded the old Dominion capital. Now, iron fences and arcane towers dotted the horizon. The skies were clean, but the air was sharp—filled with the scent of smoke and sulfur. Soldiers patrolled the roads in sleek black armor. Carriages powered by magic crystals buzzed along rails etched with runes.
The Kingdom had modernized.
But its core still reeked of rot.
Auron led the group toward the first outpost. The guards didn't recognize him—not at first. Why would they? The Hollow King wore no crest, no sigil. Just a mask and silence.
But the moment one of the guards made eye contact, something strange happened.
He froze.
Eyes wide.
Pupils dilating.
Then—he dropped to his knees.
The others followed without command.
Mira looked confused.
"They don't even know who you are," she whispered.
"They don't have to," Auron said. "The Abyss remembers for them."
---
They entered the first town at dusk.
Cinder Hollow.
Once a village of miners and blacksmiths, now a militarized checkpoint with scanning stones and censored news boards. The Hollow sigil—the same one etched on Auron's new mask—had been painted over with the royal seal: a golden serpent coiled around a sun.
Auron paused in front of one of the propaganda boards.
It read:
**"The Shadow Prince is dead. Order restored. The Abyss defeated."**
He tore it down without a word.
---
They took refuge in a quiet tavern at the edge of the town.
Mira stayed near the window, watching the streets.
Jace cleaned his old daggers, though his hands shook more than he'd admit.
Auron sat alone at the back table.
The tavern keeper had already offered free food. No one questioned him. Not after one glance at the mask.
The power wasn't just in the artifact anymore. It was in the legend.
The Hollow King had returned.
And even those who didn't know it… *felt* it.
---
That night, Auron stepped out alone, walking the narrow path behind the tavern that overlooked the hills.
He looked up at the stars.
They hadn't changed.
But he had.
The system chimed quietly.
\[Path Objective Updated: Retrieve Final Mask Fragment]
\[Target: Crown's Core – Royal Citadel, Capital]
\[Difficulty: Lethal]
\[Note: Fragment is fused with False Monarch – Severance Required]
The False Monarch.
The one who had taken his name, his throne, and rewritten history.
He clenched his fists.
"I'm coming."
---
Elsewhere, deep in the capital's core, the throne room shimmered with gold and crimson.
The man who called himself **King Aeron Valemere** stood before a massive mirror, adjusting his ornate cloak.
He was tall, handsome, regal—every inch the perfect ruler.
Except the mirror didn't reflect him fully.
Behind his reflection, a dark shape flickered.
A presence.
A whisper.
A masked face.
He paused.
"Again?" he muttered.
The court mage, who stood nearby, stiffened. "Another vision, Your Majesty?"
The False King nodded slowly.
"The mask… the eyes… they're getting clearer."
"Shall I increase the protective enchantments around the palace?"
"No," the king said, turning toward the window.
"It's already too late for that."
---
Back in Cinder Hollow, Auron returned to the tavern.
He found Jace asleep in a corner and Mira sharpening her blade.
She looked up.
"You've made up your mind."
"I have," he said. "We leave at dawn."
"To the capital?"
"To the throne."
Mira exhaled slowly.
"I hope you're ready. The surface doesn't fear myths. It kills them."
Auron placed the mask on again.
It sealed with a hiss of power.
"They forgot something," he said.
"What?"
He turned toward the door, voice low.
"I'm not a myth."
"I'm the ending."