The sky above the Forsaken Highlands churned like a dying sea—violet clouds twisting with lightning, thunder rumbling with the screams of a forgotten age. Elros stood at the edge of a shattered cliff, staring down into the valley where fate whispered his name.
He wasn't the same boy who once stood outside the Iron Gates as a mere gatekeeper. His eyes were colder now, his heart heavier. But within that burden, something new had awakened—a purpose.
Below him lay the Sanctum of Chains, a prison and a test—home to the Chain of Judgement, a relic said to bind gods and demons alike. It was his next trial.
He descended slowly, each step crunching over blackened bones and ruins swallowed by time. The deeper he went, the quieter the world became, until even the wind dared not howl.
A massive stone arch stood at the entrance of the sanctum. As he crossed it, the temperature dropped instantly. Frost formed along the edges of his gauntlets.
A voice, ancient and fractured, echoed from the void:"Elros. The boy of betrayal. The child of shadow. Have you come to chain yourself—or others?"
He didn't flinch."I've come to chain what I cannot destroy."
The air grew heavy, and before him emerged a figure—shrouded in ethereal chains, hovering with a face hidden behind a cracked mask. Its voice struck deep into his soul.
"Then face your judgment. Not by blade. But by reflection."
A flash of light engulfed him.
He opened his eyes to a hall of mirrors—thousands of reflections staring back. But none were true. One showed him as a tyrant cloaked in blood, another as a broken soul kneeling in despair. One reflected him smiling, but behind that grin hid madness.
He kept walking until one mirror rippled.
From it stepped a version of himself—eyes burning red, hair longer, soaked in dark aura. This was Elros Unleashed—the version that never tried to hold back the Abyss.
"Why fight it?" the reflection sneered. "You could burn kingdoms. Rule them. Be feared. Respected."
"I don't want to be feared," Elros answered. "I want to be free."
The other Elros struck first—fast, wild, filled with fury. Their swords clashed in a blur, mirror walls cracking from the force of each strike. But Elros didn't fight with rage—he fought with resolve.
Finally, he disarmed the reflection and stood over him.
The other Elros smirked. "Then chain me. See how long before you need me again."
Without a word, Elros summoned the Chains of Judgement. They emerged from the air like living serpents, wrapping around his reflection, tightening with each heartbeat.
As the doppelgänger vanished into light, the hall crumbled.
Elros stood once more in the sanctum, the Chain of Judgement coiled gently around his right arm—its silver links glowing with a soft blue light, its power humming in sync with his heart.
The voice returned, quieter this time."You have bound what lies within. But can you bind what lies ahead?"
He turned his back on the sanctum and began to walk, chain at his side.
There were still enemies waiting. A world spiraling into chaos. And a throne rising from the dark.
But now, he held the chain.
And he was ready to pull.