"A king without a crown is still a king—if the world remembers his defiance."
—Inscription on the back of the Edict Scroll
Morning broke with red light over the eastern hills.
Not golden.
Not warm.
Red.
Like blood soaking through parchment.
Stormwatch stood, but it stood changed. No one spoke of the crown that hovered above the horizon. Most couldn't see it. But the veterans, the heroes, and Jag Arclight could feel its presence.
And it felt like judgment.
[System Alert: Siege Delay – 12 Hours Granted]
Reason: "Crownless Pause Initiated"
Current Resources:
Gold: 250
EXP: 310 / 400
Stormwatch Morale: 89%
Jag stood before the Guardian Tower, watching Ashra spar with one of the recruits. Branwyn had taken a command group to repair the inner gate. Garron was at the war slab, carving the names of the fallen.
A shadow moved beside Jag.
It was the Forsaken Eye, now fully visible to him.
A floating silver crown that pulsed like a heartbeat. It never spoke. But Jag knew it watched.
"Will you reclaim the name they buried?"
He didn't answer.
[System Message: New War Branch Unlocked]
Warfront Tree: Crownless War
• Branch Options:
✓ The Oath of Thorns – Unlocks Anti-Anomaly Gear
✓ The Bastion Pact – Unlocks Regional Alliances
✓ The Lost Herald – Unlocks Hero Questline (??? Origin)
Jag chose The Bastion Pact.
[New Objective: Form Pact with Grayvale Bastion]
Location: 3 Days Ride West
Risk: High
Reward: Access to Regional Traders + Unique Hero (Siege Engineer)
Ashra approached him, brushing sweat from her cheek. "You're leaving the wall?"
Jag nodded. "If we don't make allies, we'll break before the King even comes."
Branwyn arrived with Garron. "Then we go with you."
Jag shook his head. "Not all. Stormwatch still needs defenders. I take one."
After a moment of silence, he pointed at Ashra.
Ashra raised an eyebrow. "You trust my blades that far?"
"No," Jag said. "I trust your will not to break."
[Expedition Formed]
Jag Arclight (Lv. 4)
Ashra (Lv. 4)
Escort: 3 Scouts
Supplies: 3 Days Rations
Gold Carried: 150
[New Trait Activated: Crownless Presence]
Passive: Enemies suffer -5% Morale in battle vs. Jag
Visual: Silver Crown visible above Jag's head to all Echo-bound
Day 1: Jag's Journey Begins
They traveled west through withered trees and scorched soil.
Past broken statues and ruined mile markers.
Past where the Kingdom had forgotten its own borders.
That night, they reached the edge of Cinder Hollow—a sunken valley filled with ghost ash and flickering lights.
Ashra spoke quietly. "We're being watched."
Jag agreed. He could feel it.
Then the lights blinked.
And moved.
[Ambush Detected – Anomaly-Class]
Enemies: 6x Crownless Shades
Leader: 1x Dread-Warden (Elite Echo)
Terrain: Open Ash Plain
Jag drew his sword.
Ashra vanished into smoke.
Combat Engaged
The Crownless Shades attacked without formation. Like beasts. Claws of hardened thought, flickering limbs, distorted chants. The Dread-Warden towered over them in rusted black steel.
Dread-Warden HP: 450
Ability: Memory Rupture (Target forgets 1 active skill temporarily)
It hit Jag first.
[Memory Rupture Triggered]
Jag's "Mark Target" skill temporarily sealed.
He grunted. "Still got my sword."
Ashra struck from behind.
Crit!
-62 HP
Jag held the front, parrying ghost-steel. Their Crownless Presence forced the Echoes to falter—if only slightly.
Then, one of the scouts fell.
And rose again.
Eyes silver.
Conversion Initiated – Crownless Turn
Ashra threw a dagger between its eyes.
Scout Redeemed.
She looked at Jag. "I hate these things."
He growled. "We all do."
Together, they brought the Warden down in a coordinated rush.
Final Blow: Jag Arclight
Dread-Warden Defeated
EXP: +100
Loot: +80 Gold, 1x Crownbreaker Token
Day 2: Arrival at Grayvale
Grayvale wasn't a fortress.
It was a wound.
The outer walls were burned. Their main tower collapsed. But survivors still lived. Crossbows greeted them—until Jag showed the Forsaken Eye floating over his shoulder.
The gates opened.
They met Engineer Rialt, a middle-aged tactician with one arm and no patience.
"We hold," Rialt said, "but not for long."
Jag offered supplies. Offered steel. Offered Stormwatch's banner.
[Diplomatic Pact: Initiated]
Requirements Met: Food + Steel + Presence
Rialt spat. "You're marked by the same curse. Fine. We stand together. But I want that King dead."
[Alliance Forged: Grayvale Bastion]
Benefit Unlocked: Regional Trade Node
New Hero Available: Rialt the Siege Engineer (Pending Transfer)
Ashra leaned close. "We just declared war on a ghost."
Jag answered, "Then we burn his name into history."