These were the remnants of Glaxil — the nation that once thrived beneath the sun and lived happily on land, now buried in earth and hatred. Their armor bore scars older than their sons. Their swords had tasted too much rust and too little freedom.

And tonight, they would rise again.

From the far end of the hall, footsteps echoed. The sound alone stirred the warriors to lift their heads. A man walked forward, broad shoulders cloaked in tattered crimson. His hair was streaked with silver, his face carved with years of battle — yet his eyes burned like a storm.

General Ardyn.

The man who had fought longer than many of these soldiers had lived. The man whose name had survived even in the darkest tunnels of the world.

He stopped upon the war-steps, gazing at the army before him. For a moment, silence gripped the hall like a vice. Then, his voice thundered.

“The only reality that exists… is the one we accept!”

The words struck like iron against stone. A ripple spread through the soldiers, their eyes sharpening, their breaths quickening.

Ardyn’s voice cut through the still air again, fiercer, heavier.

“Our fate is what we decide — nothing less than that!”

“For centuries, we have lived like shadows, hidden beneath earth. Forced to hide in these caves while the sun belonged to tyrants. Our children have never seen the sky! Our wives weep in the dark while the world above shines in stolen glory!”

He drew his sword, the steel singing as it caught the torchlight. His sword lit up with immense fire fueled by the anger and courage in his eyes.

“I refuse this life! I refuse it for us, and for the generations to come!”

“If we wish to defeat hell, then we must become worse than hell itself. If it takes fire, then we shall become fire. If it takes demons, then we shall become demons!”

The soldiers roared, the sound shaking dust from the cavern ceiling.

Ardyn raised his sword higher. The veyra within his blade flared, burning brighter with every heartbeat, as if his fury itself had given it life. His voice rose with it, half fury, half promise.

 “We will rain as hell upon the devil! We will become the nightmare of those who thought us broken! Rise with me. Rise to glory. Rise—into the last battle!”

The army erupted. Swords slammed against shields, voices howled with rage and hope. The cavern thundered as if the mountain itself would crack open.

And in the crowd, a boy of fifteen clenched his fists tightly. His eyes shone, not with fear, but with fire. Kael, son of Ardyn, heard every word as if they were meant only for him. He stood among the soldiers with determination and shared devotion.

Tonight, the Glaxil would rise from their dungeons and march into history.

Tonight, vengeance would walk the earth.

And the war to reclaim the sun… had begun.