"The bells once sang of salvation. But now, their echoes lie."
—Unknown note found burned into the Bellmaster's Hall.
+52 Days After the Ashen Vault Defense
Location: Stormwatch – Echo Core Vault
Rain paced like a woman possessed.
"We've overwritten the echo-blight. Ashra's team confirmed Thornwake's resonance is clean."
"But?" Jag stood over the war table.
Rain finally stopped. "But… the signal that rewrote Thornwake—it didn't originate from any known bell."
Jag blinked. "Then where?"
"Here," she whispered. "Stormwatch."
System Alert – Origin Trace: Choir Pulse Mismatch Detected
Echo Signature: Unknown Conductor ID
Pulse Type: Command Override
Node: Central Bell – Stormwatch
Warning: A master control signal is imitating Choir authority.
Designated Title: The False Conductor
Location: Stormwatch – Choir Crown Chamber
Jag descended alone.
The chamber hadn't been opened in over a century. Choir Sovereigns of old used it only in times of extinction. Six iron obelisks pulsed with dormant tones—each linked to one of the bells.
But one was glowing.
A soft, golden light. Beautiful. Alluring.
[You are being observed.]
The air trembled with sound. Not heard—felt. Jag's thoughts rippled like water.
Then a voice spoke—not through ears, but directly into his mind:
"Did you think ringing the bells made you king?"
"You've simply announced to the world that the last fruit is ripe."
Jag clenched his fists. "Who are you?"
"I am the echo of what you inherited."
"A system of control, carved into stone and soul, by the dying breath of tyrants."
"The Choir was never about protection. It was about dominion."
Memory Flash – System Reveals Suppressed Choir Record
Jag collapsed as the room forced open a locked Choir file—burned into the tower's harmonic memory.
He saw flashes:
Human kings using bell resonance to control entire cities' minds.
Choir Wards enforcing "silent obedience" by muting dissenters.
The Elven cities severed from the ley-lines by forcibly rerouting their soul-tides to Stormwatch.
Orc blood forges disrupted by pulsing frequencies that drove them mad.
Even Death itself bent through the Choir—souls trapped in unending echo fields beneath the towers.
Jag vomited.
This was not salvation. It was subjugation.
[System Notice – Trait Removed: "Beacon of Honor"]
Your alignment has shifted.
You have lost access to moral-based defense perks.
System Alignment: Grey Authority
Rain's voice crackled in his comms.
"Jag. We intercepted five separate relay broadcasts. You're going to want to hear this."
Cut to: POV Broadcasts from the Enemy Lords (Simultaneous)
📡 ORC – Ghrol Skullborne, Scorchfang Warchief
"The bell tower once turned my warriors to ash. My children heard screams every time the wind sang."
"Now I come not to hear the bell… but to break its tongue."
📡 ELF – Vaeryss the Hollow-Bloomed
"You bent the song of the stars to your hollow towers. You called us wicked—yet chained our roots."
"We remember. And we come with silence and bloom."
📡 GOBLIN – Twitchblade Rakka
"Trade's fair, yeah? You took our tech. Our tone. Our tricks. Now I'm takin' your walls. Piece by piece."
"Hope you got good insurance, tin prince."
📡 UNDEAD – Morghan the Forgotten
"Your bells locked us beneath the soil. Now we rise not for vengeance. But to sing our deaths properly."
"We will toll your end."
Stormwatch War Table – Jag's Return
The chamber was dead silent.
Verana's eyes widened. "They've united. Orcs. Elves. Goblins. Dead men. They've all joined forces."
Ashra whispered, "It's not a siege anymore…"
Rain finished it.
"It's a war. A reckoning."
Jag looked over the map.
Stormwatch sat in the center.
All five directions now pulsed red.
He raised a shaking hand—and struck the war bell with his knuckles.
Once.
Twice.
Thrice.
A new tone echoed across all Choir lines.
System Update: Emergency Broadcast
[STORMWATCH FINAL CAMPAIGN INITIATED]
Warning: Dusk Covenant Formed
World Threat Level: Cataclysm Tier
Estimated Casualty Rate: 97% unless total strategic realignment is achieved.
"Your bastion is no longer a sanctuary. It is the last provocation. Prepare accordingly."
Final Scene – Jag Alone, Staring Into the Choir Mirror
He stared at his reflection—eyes sunken, jaw clenched.
"Everything I believed... was a lie."
He placed his hand over his heart.
"Then I'll be the one to rebuild it with truth."
He reached down and picked up a blade—one not forged for defense.
But for punishment.