Chapter 4: The Wheel and the Flame
The temple's door groaned shut behind them.
Sunlight streamed across the mountaintop, and the ruined path back to Aetherion lay ahead. Birds chirped. The wind rustled dry olive branches.
Lykos sighed.
"You know, for a death dungeon, that was almost poetic."
"Poetry is deadly," Homerus replied, tuning his lyre. "Just ask Orpheus when he finishes materializing."
"If he starts singing sad love songs while we're fighting monsters, I'm sending him back," Thaleia muttered.
Back in the City of Aetherion
The city gates creaked open. Villagers peeked from crumbling homes. Children pointed at the glowing scroll in Lykos's hand. A few even whispered:
"The prince... came back."
It wasn't cheering, but it wasn't fear either.
Progress.
Eirenaios helped a wounded soldier sit beneath the old well.
"No deaths this time," he said with quiet pride. "We're improving."
Lykos grinned. "That's a scary sentence for a healer."
New Upgrades Available:
Forge Level 2 (Unlocks advanced weapon crafting)
Summoning Altar Activation (Use summon tickets!)
Outer Wall Repair: Phase 1
Training Yard: Basic Formations Enabled
"Perfect," Lykos said, reviewing the system panel. "Let's use the EXP we've earned and actually build something."
But just as he selected the upgrade—
Boom…!
[Emergency Alert: Northern Watchtower Breach]
Unknown Scouts Detected
Numbers: Estimated 12
Armor: Light leather, foreign design
Hostile? Unknown
Mission: Investigate or Repel
Reward: +60 EXP, +1 Bronze Gear Crate
Thaleia was already strapping on her gear.
"Scouts never come alone. If they're probing our walls, someone plans to hit us later."
"Then we teach them to knock," Ariadne growled, sharpening her short spear with precise strokes.
They reached the north edge of Aetherion just before sundown.
The ruined watchtower leaned like a drunk, but it gave them high ground.
Below, through patches of thistle and rock, twelve figures moved swiftly—too clean, too quiet to be bandits. They wore dark cloaks and fastened bronze armguards engraved with symbols Lykos didn't recognize.
"Foreign scouts. Too organized. They're... testing us."
"Then let's fail them violently," Ariadne whispered.
Lykos nodded.
"Formation: Thorn Trap. Thaleia up top. Ariadne and I intercept. Eirenaios—if I scream, heal me."
"As always," the priest sighed.
Thaleia's arrow sliced the silence—
Tffft!
One scout fell with a gurgle, an arrow between his ribs before he could blink.
The others reacted fast—drawing curved daggers and hissing in a foreign tongue.
Lykos met the first at full sprint.
He dodged low, bone blade slashing across a scout's thigh. Blood sprayed. Another came from the right—Ariadne caught him mid-leap, slamming him to the ground with a brutal shoulder throw.
"Too light," he growled, stomping his arm until it snapped.
Lykos ducked another strike, then headbutted his attacker. The man staggered back, disoriented.
"I play strategy games and street fighting sims, buddy. Welcome to the combo."
Slice!
His blade found the scout's stomach.
Two more rushed from the underbrush—but Eirenaios raised his hand and shouted in Ancient Greek.
"Light of the flame, blind them!"
A flash burst like a miniature sun. The scouts screamed, dropping their weapons, momentarily disoriented.
"Now!" Lykos yelled.
Ariadne swept through the nearest one like a dancer of death. Thaleia's arrows rained down, two more dropping before they even reached the prince.
One remained—wounded, crawling.
Lykos raised his blade.
"Tell me who sent you."
"We… watch the flame…" the scout gasped, bloodied. "We… serve no empire… only the old tongue…"
"What old tongue?" Lykos pressed.
But the man bit down on something. A hiss. A puff of black smoke. He fell limp.
"Damn. Cyanide, magic version," Thaleia muttered.
"They didn't want him talking," Lykos said, frowning. "Which means someone definitely sent them."
Ting~!
[Mission Complete: Northern Watchtower Defense]
EXP Gained: +60
Total EXP: 160 / 200
System Level: 2
Bronze Gear Crate Acquired
New Clue: "The Old Tongue" added to Lore Archive
"They're probing us," Lykos muttered, staring into the dark horizon. "And they knew exactly where to look."
Homerus stepped beside him, looking solemn.
"The flame burns again, my prince. It draws both moths and monsters."
"Then we'd better be ready."
Aetherion's morning sun rose over newly lit forges and smoke trails from fresh bread. For the first time since his arrival, Lykos heard a rare sound in the ruined city:
Laughter.
Children ran between cracked pillars, chasing each other with sticks that barely resembled swords. A soldier passed by in newly reinforced leather armor—courtesy of the Bronze Gear Crate.
And in the center plaza, standing beneath the half-repaired banner of Aetherion, a figure of golden light was completing its descent.
The final note of a flute rang through the air like a falling star.
"He comes from silence, brings the storm…"
Ting…
[Hero Summoned: Orpheus – Bard of Souls]
Status: Complete
Perk: Voice of Harmony
Increases morale of allies
Weakens enemy will
Can awaken sealed memories through song
He was tall, robed in white and gold, his dark hair tied behind a golden circlet. His eyes were closed as he played a strange flute carved from celestial bone.
When he stopped, silence fell.
Even the birds waited.
Then—
"Are we at war?" he asked calmly. "Or are we singing first?"
Lykos blinked. "That depends. Are you annoying or helpful?"
"Yes."
Lore Unlocked – The Song of the Lost Gods
Orpheus turned toward the half-broken altar, where the Whispering Lyre lay.
He strummed both his flute and the lyre—creating a resonating echo that filled the plaza.
Images flickered in the air:
A golden city swallowed by black sea
A titan dragging a burning chain through the sky
An ancient god without a name, watching from a throne of ash
And finally—
A shattered statue of Zeus, its arms missing… its chest carved open.
"The gods of Olympus were not defeated," Orpheus said quietly. "They were… broken. And something older watched it happen."
New Lore Entry Added:
The Nameless One
True identity unknown
Older than Olympus
Connected to the Forgotten Flame
Still watching…
Lykos shivered.
"Great. So the system that powers my army might belong to a ghost-god with a taste for dramatic cutscenes."
System Update:
Training Yard upgraded: Formation Options Unlocked
Units may now train in:
Shield Wall
Skirmish Circle
Hoplite Pike Advance
Thaleia inspected the spear formation drills.
"It's rough now, but this army might one day look like Sparta reborn."
"Hopefully with fewer abs," Lykos muttered.
Ding! Ding!
[System Announcement: Double Spin Event – 1 Day Only!]
Spend 1 ticket, get 2 spins
Increased chance for Dust Tier (Warning: gods have a cruel sense of humor)
Lykos held up two tickets.
"Time to gamble like a true prince of strategy. Let's see what the divine wheel has for me today."
He approached the Summoning Altar. The golden wheel rose, brighter than before.
Spin One...
Whirrr… ting ting ting ting… TING!
[You received: Mid-Tier Army – Athenian Marines]
30 professional naval infantry
Skilled in ship combat and amphibious warfare
"Finally!" Lykos grinned. "We can protect the coast… or at least fish with confidence."
Spin Two...
Whirr... ting ting ting... TONG!
[You received: Dust Tier – Dionysus's Empty Wine Jar]
Description: "Once held divine wine. Now holds… nothing."
Effect: Mild disappointment.
"Great. I got divine air."
"It's very collectible," Homerus said, nodding seriously. "One day, people may pay for your useless luck."
Status Panel – After Upgrades
System Level: 2
EXP: 190 / 200
System Points: 540
Units Unlocked:
Athenian Marines (x30)
Light Infantry
Slingers
Thaleia's Ranger Squad
Ariadne's Elite Core
"We're almost at the next level," Lykos muttered. "And when we hit Level 3…"
He glanced toward the system shop tab:
Locked Tier 3 Items: Heroic Gear, Flaming Chariots, Divine Contracts.
"…we'll start acting like a real empire."
But then—
A guard came rushing down the main road, breathless.
"Your Highness! Riders at the southern road. They're… not Greek. They bear strange silver axes. And they speak with a singing tongue."
Lykos froze.
"What kind of singing?"
"Sounds like… Celtic war chants."