The Sanctum had always been cold. Quiet. A place the world forgot.
But now, it was waking up.
Rin lit the last of the perimeter torches, her face smeared with soot and focus. I stood at the center of the forge chamber, the Throneforge burning with low, angry heat. Flames pulsed beneath the stone like a heartbeat.
Time was running out.
System Alert
Trial of the Lesser Prince
Status: Active
Remaining Time: 32:00:00
Elite Invader Detected: [Lyric] – Shadowborne Heir
Danger Rating: Extreme
Enemies Approaching from 3 Fronts
I gripped the forge handle tighter. Three fronts? We barely had one.
"I need more weapons," Rin said, tossing a cracked dagger on the floor. "And armor. Fast."
"I'm working on it," I said. "But I need materials. Good ones."
She nodded. "The old vault near the west wing had ores. Might be usable."
"I'll check it. You handle the traps."
She smirked. "Already on it. Pit spikes. Burn glyphs. Acid jars."
"Acid?"
"Don't ask where I got it."
She vanished down the hall.
I turned back to the Throneforge. I'd used it once before—to craft the Shadowbrand ring. It had changed me. Strengthened me. But it also left a mark.
Now, I needed more.
System Prompt
Throneforge Accessed
Materials Detected: Iron (low), Ashen Bone (mid), Demon Tooth (rare)
New Blueprint Unlocked:
– Ashfang Dagger (Tier I)
– Warden's Cloak (Tier I)
– Sanctum Aegis (Defensive Sigil, Area-Based)
I crafted the dagger first. The Ashfang blade was curved like a wolf's tooth, light but sharp enough to cut through bone. I handed it to Rin when she returned.
"This won't break like the last one," I said.
"Good," she replied, giving it a test swing. "I like the balance."
"Also made this." I tossed her a simple gray cloak—threaded with the Ash sigil. "It'll mask heat and presence for a short time."
She raised an eyebrow. "You turning into a fashion designer now?"
"Only for assassins."
We worked in silence for a while. Reinforcing windows with iron plates. Lining hallways with oil for fire traps. Setting up chokepoints and escape paths.
This wasn't a fortress.
But it was home.
And it was ours.
Then came the signal.
System Alert
First Wave Approaching
ETA: 04:00:00
Scout Enemy Detected:
– 2x Infernal Hounds
– 1x Blood Priest (Feral)
– 1x Broken Knight (Unstable)
"Four hours," I muttered.
"Just scouts," Rin said. "We can handle them."
But the tension in her shoulders said otherwise.
I checked the forge again. I still had time to craft one more thing.
I selected the Sanctum Aegis sigil.
It burned white-hot as it formed in the flame, then cooled into a small stone etched with glowing runes. I placed it at the center of the forge room. It pulsed softly.
System Notice
Sanctum Aegis Placed
Effect: Fortifies Sanctuary Heart – Reduces incoming damage by 30% in area
Duration: 6 hours (Rechargeable)
Can be upgraded
That was it. We were ready.
Or as ready as we could be.
---
1 Hour Later
The first sign was the howling.
Not the kind wolves make.
This was deeper. Hungrier.
I stepped out to the outer corridor and saw them—two black hounds running across the ruined courtyard. Their bodies were made of molten flesh, bones cracking with each step.
Rin was already waiting above, bow drawn. She loosed two arrows in quick bursts. One caught a hound in the eye. It staggered, then caught fire—from the inside.
"They explode!" she shouted. "Careful!"
I raised my hand and summoned the Wrathflame.
Skill Activated: Wrathflame Burst (Tier I)
A wave of flame shot forward, incinerating the second hound mid-leap. It detonated in a burst of burning blood.
Then came the Blood Priest.
Tall, hunched, skin covered in bone-carved scriptures. It hissed when it saw me, then lifted its hand.
Curse Incoming: Blood Bind
Effect: Weakens mobility, drains stamina over time
"Denied," I whispered.
Skill Activated: Pride Aura – Overwrite Curse
My aura surged, ripping the curse apart mid-air.
I charged forward and slammed my fist into the priest's chest.
It bent. Then broke. I felt ribs shatter under my hand. It fell, wheezing.
I ended it with the Ashfang dagger.
Then, quiet.
"Where's the knight?" Rin asked, panting.
The answer came behind us—crash.
Stone shattered.
A broken suit of armor fell from the rooftop above, landing between us. Its helmet was cracked, its body twitching unnaturally.
It raised its sword—twice as long as it should be.
"Split!" I yelled.
We rolled apart just in time as it cleaved the floor where we stood.
The Broken Knight turned, growling low like a machine coughing blood.
I summoned Wrathflame again—but this time, it didn't work.
System Warning
Corruption Detected – Flames Nullified
"What?!"
Rin tried stabbing it from behind—but her blade bent on impact.
"It's immune to normal attacks!"
I scanned it with the system.
Entity: Broken Knight (Unstable)
Class: Cursed Undead
Immunities: Flame, Metal, Shadow
Weakness: Soul or Light Magic (Unavailable)
Status: Regenerating Core
"Wait—its core! It's in the chest!" I shouted.
I dashed forward. Let it swing once—then dove under.
Pulled out the Eclipse Core and used Sin Charge.
Skill Activated: Sin Infuse – Double Trigger
My arm surged with flame and shadow. I rammed it straight into the broken chestplate and grabbed the pulsating red core—
—and crushed it.
The knight stopped moving instantly.
Then crumbled.
---
We stood in the quiet afterward, breath heaving.
"That… was just the first wave?" Rin asked.
"Yeah."
She looked at me. "We're going to die, aren't we?"
"No," I said, gripping the dagger tighter. "We're going to survive."
Even if we had to burn the sky to do it.
Then—
The sky shifted.
A low hum filled the air.
And something descended from above.
Not a creature. Not a spell.
A gate.
It tore open reality, black chains hanging from it like roots.
And a voice whispered:
"Ashborne... You are summoned."
Rin screamed.
I reached for her—but a force pulled me upward.
My body left the ground.
I was being dragged into the gate.
System Alert
New Trial Initiated – Sovereign Convergence (Private Challenge)
Time Pause: 00:31:14
Transporting Player to External Arena…
And then I was gone.
---
Chapter 8 Summary:
Kael and Rin prepare the Sanctum for war as the first Trial wave approaches
Kael crafts an Ashfang Dagger, Warden's Cloak, and Sanctum Aegis sigil
First wave arrives: Infernal Hounds, a Blood Priest, and a Broken Knight
Kael defeats them using sin skills and strategy
Right after victory, a dimensional gate pulls Kael into a private Trial challenge
Rin is left behind, helpless to stop it