The world beyond the Whispering Forest was a ruin of memories and ash. Kaito stood at the edge of a collapsed stone gate, once the entrance to the capital city of Elyndor. Crumbled towers, twisted metal, and scorched ground stretched out like a battlefield frozen in time.
"This was the heart of your empire," Riven said, stepping through the ruins. "The greatest city the Nine Lands ever knew."
Kaito's boots crunched over blackened debris. Charred bones. Broken blades.
"What happened here?" he asked.
"The Final Siege," Riven replied. "You were betrayed from within. Your own High Council turned to the Veil for power. When they opened the Gates of Shadow, the city was swallowed."
Kaito's heart ached with a grief he didn't fully understand. It wasn't his memory, but it was his sorrow.
"Why did I make the pact?" he asked.
Riven stopped at a broken statue—a kneeling warrior holding a glowing sphere.
"Because you feared death would silence justice. So you entrusted your soul to the pact—a bond written in flame and blood. You knew you'd come back. Stron
"I was a fool."
"No," Riven said quietly. "You were a king."
They continued deeper into the ruins. As they walked, Kaito felt... vibrations. Echoes. He touched a shattered wall—and visions rushed through him.
Crowds cheering. Swords raised. A coronation under firelight. And then—flames. Screams. Darkness.
He gasped, stepping back.
"You're remembering," Riven said. "Soon, it will all return."
Kaito turned. "And what happens when it does? Do I just become him again? The Blade Emperor?"
Riven met his eyes. "That's for you to choose. But power like yours doesn't go unnoticed."
A deep rumble split the silence.
A massive shadow moved across the sky—then landed with a quake.
A DRAGON.
Its body was plated in obsidian, its wings torn like ancient banners. But its eyes glowed with familiar fire.
"Kaito…" Riven whispered. "That's Varnax. Your war-dragon."
The beast lowered its head and *knelt* before him.
A memory surfaced—flying above the clouds, sword drawn, Varnax roaring across the skies.
Kaito stepped forward, placing a hand on its snout. The bond reawakened instantly.
"We ride," he said.
Riven climbed on behind him. "Where?"
Kaito looked toward the Veil Citadel floating far beyond the plains.
"To find the traitors who destroyed this kingdom. And to reclaim what was mine."
The dragon roared, wings beating like thunder.
As they rose into the clouds, something shifted in Kaito. He wasn't just a reincarnated soul. He was becoming who he was meant to be.
And this time, he wouldn't fall.