Chapter 9 - Echoes Beyond the Realm
The coronation of Queen Elina and King Richard was unlike anything the continent of Oakhaven had ever witnessed. There were no trumpets of brass or traditional oaths sworn on dusty religious tomes; instead, the great cathedral was bathed in a soft, luminescent indigo glow as the ceiling stones parted slightly to reveal the daytime stars shining directly down upon the altar.
Yet, peace in a kingdom touched by the cosmos never lasts in silence.
Deep within the subterranean catacombs beneath the palace, where the ancient foundation stones met the primordial bedrock, something heavy stirred. For centuries, the iron-and-wood helmet Elina had worn since childhood had served more than just a purpose of concealment—it had acted as a heavy dampening seal, trapping the ambient radiation of her celestial power. When the helmet was unlocked and discarded on her wedding day, that ancient energy had leaked downward, awakening an entity long forgotten by history: the Obsidian Vanguard.
Late that evening, as Richard sat poring over old star-charts in the royal study, the candelabras flickered and died. A thick, metallic frost crept across the stained-glass windows.
"Elina," Richard called out, his golden-ringed eyes narrowing as he drew his ceremonial sword from its scabbard.
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The door to the study drifted open on soundless hinges. Standing in the doorway was not a human assassin, but a towering knight clad in armor forged from living meteorite, wielding a broadsword that burned with a dull, radioactive crimson flame. It spoke without moving a mouth, its voice a grinding of tectonic plates.
“The vessel of the stars has broken her shell,” the obsidian knight rumbled. “The cosmic debt is due. Hand over the crown of Oakhaven, or watch this world turn to ash.”
